I got a viral vector Covid vaccine maybe 5 years ago now and the topic comes up a lot in Torah circles on Shabbat and I hear a lot of terms like nano-bots, altered DNA, gene therapy, then its they wouldn't let their daughter marry someone who had a vaccine, did I regret it etc.

Idk about all of that, but at the end of the day a good number of people think it was the Mark of the Beast and I feel really dirty after the conversations.

I'm unsure if I made some big sin by getting one or where to go from here.

How do Torah followers actually follow over 600 commands and laws in the first five books of the Bible? I've spoken to people about it, but they only seem to follow dietary laws, Shabbat, and holy days, and exclude pagan days. To me, it seems they are only doing a small part of it and claiming to follow the entirety of it. Why is that? The Bible states if you break one commandment, you break them all. There's no possibility to uphold all 600-plus. If you believe it's not all applicable to us, what's the determining factor that decides you don't have to follow it? What about animal sacrifices? Does one pick and choose what they want to follow and tell people if they don't, they are lawbreakers and will go to hell? If you don't follow all of them, why describe yourself as following the entirety of Torah? If breaking even one commandment makes someone guilty, how does selectively obeying some commandments make someone different from the people you're calling lawbreakers?

This is a fringe topic but I wanted to get the perspective of this community.

Are you all familiar with them? And setting aside the aggression of some of the groups on the street corners, what is your take on their claims of being the Israelites of the bible?

Jesus, the law and the New Testament.

I know the title is pretty broad. But I have a lot of questions and I desire, respectful communication. Any claims that Paul is in apostate is something I will not currently accept. Only the entirety of the new and Old Testament as it currently is. I only have questions and to voice some concerns, but I will not argue with anyone. So please don’t attempt to argue or insult me. That will definitely turn me off and I will walk away. Anyways, let me ask some questions.

Is Jesus your high priest currently?

Is Jesus your sacrifice for sin?

is it possible to observe all the Old Testament law and feast days and requirements? How do you do that exactly?

Is obedience to this law, a requirement for salvation, according to your understanding?

I think just those questions can cover a lot of ground and probably have a lot of verses to support it so let’s just start there and I’ll post on another day when I’m feeling a little bit better.

“Adonai, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep covenant with your servants and show them grace, provided they live in your presence with all their heart."- 1 Kings 8:23

There is one key principle found in Solomon's Temple dedication prayer that goes squarely against a major Christian doctrine.

In verse 23, he declares that God's blessings are dependent on obedience and devotion to Him.

This way of thinking was common throughout the entire Middle East, not just Israel.

That's right.

Even the Gentiles understood that kindness from their gods was linked to how they lived their lives.

Yet for some weird reason, the Christian church has concocted this doctrine that says your behavior plays zero role in how God deals with you.

For them, it's faith in Christ on Sunday and then have fun fornicating Monday through Saturday.

They really believe they have the right to expect nothing less than God's mercy and love no matter what they do.

They've proven this is what they believe by throwing the Torah in the trash and establishing a doctrine that says Christ did away with the Law.

This despite Yeshua declaring...

“Do not think that I have 
come to abolish the Law 
or the Prophets."

I challenge this dangerous doctrine.

I believe it's one of the main reasons the church has lost its power and victory in our day and age.

They're pretty much indistinguishable from the world in diet, sexual practices, and attitude.

Some denominations even conduct gay marriages.

As I said earlier, the Apostle Paul is fully in agreement with what Solomon said in his dedication prayer.

"So take a good look at God's kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God's kindness toward you- provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off!" - Romans 11:22

Keep in mind that Paul is speaking to a group of Gentiles who are already believers.

His point is clear.

You too will be subject to God's discipline if you sin.

And if your sinning gets bad enough, you too will be cut off.

To be cut off means that God Himself has decided to separate you from Him due to your unkosher behavior.

Of course, the relieving aspect of this is that if you repent, you can come back.

The separation doesn't have to be permanent.

Yeshua made this clear in his prodigal son parable.

One thing that needs to be said about God's discipline.

Its purpose isn't just judgment.

Its purpose is to also drive you back to Him.

The Lord punishes you in the hopes you'll come to your senses and stop your hog-wild sinning.

Ya feel me here?

So what's the takeaway here?

There are quite a few actually.

But I'd say the main one is that the theology contained in Solomon's prayer is just as relevant today as it was back then.

And the Apostle Paul, in his writings, reinforces it!

Done.

Hey everyone. Im posting here because in really in need of help sincerely. I want to share my circumstances because I don’t have anyone to ask.

I am a newer Torah observant Christian and I grew up with same sex attraction.

I have a lot of pain in my life. My mom, dad, sister and brother died by the time I was 22. I am really alone in many ways. They all died tragically too. I’m 28 now.

I struggling financially a lot even though I don’t know why. I was never able to plant my feet down in a career. My friend is about to help me get a new job. The only thing is I am 40k in debt and I won’t be able to pay that back. It bothers me a lot and I’m saying in a very small apartment and my job doesn’t pay enough. I hope that changes for me.

I struggle a lot with hope. I was homeless for times in my childhood. I constantly struggle because of the choices of my parents.

I have had boyfriends in the past secretly. I’m in the closet really. It brings me a lot of shame. I really do like guys emotionally and want a life with one. But since I know it is wrong and not Gods intent I will not do it.

I now struggle with porn and thoughts. And I notice that my homosexuality becomes worse when I am hopeless because of my life.

I want to badly to be able to have kids and a family. And be hopeful, but I don’t know if that’s for me.

I know I am not holy, but I know God loves me. I don’t know if I feel Gods goodness right now. I want him to rescue me. And I want God to redeem me.

I’m coming here to get thoughts. Maybe there is nothing anyone can offer me, but I still want to ask for prayer from some of you.

For those believers who insist that the dietary laws no longer apply under the new covenant—and that pork, lobster, crabs, etc. are now permissible to eat—I do not understand the logic at play.

I am very familiar with the Mark 7, Romans 14 and Colossians 2 passages that are so often cited as support for your position, and have (just as often) shared my counter-arguments on why I believe they are misinterpreted.

But, there is one counterpoint to your view that I never see touched on, and I was hoping to get some feedback on it:

I think the majority of believers on this subreddit would say they are looking for Jesus’ Second Coming and agree that, regarding it, Scripture says that “no one knows the day or hour” but that we need to be prepared (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, etc.).

Isaiah 66:17–a verse within the greater passage speaking of Messiah’s glorious reappearing—declares that, upon His return, those who eat the flesh of pig/swine and other abominations will be met with His wrath…and perish.

So, how does one simultaneously believe they can continue to eat pig (pork) or shellfish now and think they are sufficiently prepared and not putting themselves in a precarious/dangerous position if Jesus happened to return today or tomorrow and “consume” those who so brazenly eat that which His Law says is NOT “food” and explicitly warns against eating?

I really am hoping for some cordial and edifying discussion regarding this topic, and appreciate those who are able and willing to articulate their view without all the condescension and harsh words. 💕

I've been thinking about Matthew 19 and what Jesus' teaching on divorce might tell us about Torah more broadly.

When the Pharisees point to Moses permitting divorce, Jesus responds:

>“Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Matthew 19:8)

What interests me isn't really the divorce question itself, but the distinction Jesus seems to make.

Jesus is God, then God himself is explaining that something legitimately permitted within Torah existed because of the condition of the people, while also saying that it did not reflect what God intended “from the beginning.”

That doesn't mean the Torah was wrong or unrighteous. A provision can be completely righteous for the circumstances in which God gives it.

But does a Torah provision being righteous and genuinely given by God necessarily mean that the particular arrangement it establishes is something God intends to remain permanently?

It seems like Matthew 19 gives us at least one example where those aren't necessarily the same thing.

So is “God included this provision in Torah” by itself enough to establish that God permanently intends that arrangement?

And if not, how does Scripture tell us which Torah provisions express God's permanent intention and which were given to address conditions that God does not intend to remain?

Ephesians 2:14-16, 18 NKJV [14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, [15] having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, [16] and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. [18] For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Seemingly, the message is that Jes us is abolishing the commandments that have led to the ordinances followed by Israel.

Specifically, I am trying to reconcile these passages with Jesus saying that not one jot or tittle shall pass till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:17-19 NKJV [17] “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. [18] For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. [19] Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Does this mean that everything was fulfilled after Christ's crucification, death, and resurrection? I am trying to make sense of these two passages they seem to be at odds with one another.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Here's the full original quote from Yahweh, from Exodus 20, for how to keep the Sabbath:

>Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Here on r/FollowJesusObeyTorah, we have an automated recurring reminder to keep the Sabbath, as our Father commanded us to do.

Keeping the Sabbath is not optional. You MUST keep it, and you're sinning if you do not. That's not us judging you. We don't decide what sin is, God does.

Besides that, the Sabbath has to be the easiest commandment that anyone has ever given to anyone else in all of history! It's a blessing! It's a gift. Why would you fight it? If this is the first time you're seeing this reminder, consider keeping the Sabbath today when the sun goes down, until tomorrow when it goes down again.

It might be your first step towards a new life of honoring the Father. What could be wrong with that?

If you agree or if you disagree, feel free to tell us about it right here.

Thank you Father for the Sabbath!

I haven't seen anyone here say the earth is flat. I have a good amount of biblical proof for both a round earth and a flat earth so I'm 50-50 for now. What do you guys think?

Something I'm trying to understand is why should "obeying God's law" automatically mean being under the Law of Moses.

God's commands haven't always been identical. Before the flood, plants were given for food (Genesis 1:29), while afterward Noah was permitted to eat animals (Genesis 9:3). Abraham obeyed God's commands (Genesis 26:5) long before the Mosaic covenant even existed.

Then the Law of Moses was given specifically to Israel and had a purpose in God's plan leading to the Messiah. Paul says the Law was "added...until the offspring should come" (Galatians 3:19), and identifies that offspring as Christ.

So if God has given different requirements under different circumstances and covenants, why should God's law specifically mean the Mosaic Law, especially when we are now under the New Covenant through Christ (Hebrews 8:6-13)?

The same question comes up with Romans 11. When Gentiles are grafted into Israel's olive tree, does that actually mean we become part of the twelve tribes and inherit the covenant given at Sinai? Or are we being grafted into God's people and the promises that go back to Abraham through faith in the Messiah?

The NT also clearly gives believers commands. Jesus tells his disciples to teach people to obey everything he commanded (Matthew 28:20), gives the command to love one another (John 13:34), and Paul speaks of the "law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21).

What I find especially interesting is 1 Corinthians 7:19. Paul says what matters is "keeping the commandments of God," while in the same sentence saying circumcision is nothing.

So why assume the Law of Moses specifically remains the standard that defines obedience to God under the New Covenant? Could "keeping the commandments of God" under the New Covenant mean obeying what God has commanded us through Christ, rather than automatically meaning the entire Mosaic covenant?

I am aware that you guys also look at Yeshua as the Messiah. So do I.

But I know the biggest difference between you and me is that you observe things like not eating pork, or you circumsize yourself.

Me on the other hand, I have eaten pork many times. (In my view, Jesus declared all food clean)

What are your views on someone like me? Am I considered a heretic? Is this a salvational issue? Or is this just simply a matter of conviction?

I am not here to discuss whether I am right or you are right.

I just want how you think of me.

Ethnically I am 1/4 jewish as far as I know, but I don't think that makes me a jew? At any rate, we are all one in Christ.

edit: No need to mince words with me, I am not going to get offended even if I am called a heretic or worse. I really what to know what you think of me

to start, I know the modern idea of "cussing" isnt sin, but scripture says to watch what our words lead to, like hurting people personally

thoughts?

I am looking for opinions on a my current/future career choices.

I am fairly new to Torah obedience. I’ve only really been exposed to it over the past few months and I try to observe sabbath weekly.

I currently am a logistics supervisor at a poultry company where I oversee trucks hauling eggs that will be hatched into chickens.

My current position is more night shift focused, Sun-Thur. I am currently at the bottom of the totem pole, no college degree or certificates, just 2 and a half years of experience in my position. Everything else I have worked before is just basic dead end jobs, fast food, factories etc.

There is an available promotion to day shift Mon-Fri. Typical office hours. A lot more responsibility but would potentially open many more doors for me in the future due to my lack of qualifications.

Currently my position requires occasional phone calls( if a breakdown or something unforeseen happens ) and possibly taking supplies to chicken farms if they run short. I may have to work a few hours on a Saturday every few months. The farms must have supplies because if not, the eggs stay in the hot farm for too long and become infertile. It’s a whole animal welfare ordeal and would significantly affect the business if left ignored.

The new position no longer requires going out to farms, but takes on more phone calls or ETA updates on weekends. Still not a lot or actually “working” a full shift on Saturdays (my company is technically closed on Saturdays but due to the industry we keep some things running 24/7)

My question is, should I take the promotion, stay where I’m at, or look for something else?

I have been looking for weeks now at other positions, but I keep hitting walls because of my lack of qualifications currently on finding something that can pay the bills and give me the schedule I want. I can’t help but wonder if this door was opened for me for a reason.

Also, I am unable to completely say no to working on weekends if called due to religious reasons. I talked to my boss about it, but due to the nature of this business, a salary position must be available at any time. I have seen the other position and how much he really gets bothered on weekends and it’s not that much. It is mostly just minor stuff but still it technically breaks sabbath.

I've always found this very confusing, as a Jewish person. I understand that per Paul, JC's sacrifice and teachings built a "new covenant" that means Christians are not bound by halacha, the Jewish laws, anymore. However, it seems that most Christians abide by some combination of "red letter words" and Pauline interpretations of halacha.

Why did Paul continue to advocate for following certain laws whereas others no longer apply? When the values of Paul vs JC seem to conflict, how do you mesh them?

For example, JC said that he did not come to abolish the law, and that in fact the law (halacha) should not be altered until it is totally met. This is similar to some Orthodox Jewish beliefs that the Messiah will not arrive until every Jew follows every Jewish law 100% for one day. If G-d intended for us to build a new covenant, why didn't he have JC say so? Why wait for Paul?

Does it matter that Paul was speaking to Gentiles? Are only Gentiles "allowed" to have a new covenant, or does that apply to Jews too? Or do Jews need to keep halacha?

Thank you!

(This was the rough draft of my testimony I had written out for getting baptized this coming Sunday, if I can)

I was raised Christian by my mom and dad and came to the faith originally when I was 5 years old but I fell away as a young adult, feeling like I lined up more with the world. I was mad at God for making hell, thinking it was an unjust punishment for fun. I was never an atheist. I called myself a misotheist where I believed in Jesus and that but hated him.

I did my own thing for quite a few years, making my own rap music and writing fiction stories. I engaged in drinking, doing weed and most important to me at the time engaging in the desires of lust. Lust was the main sin that I was attached to.

I struggle with anxiety and OCD and one day my OCD got really bad about a past sin I committed against loved ones that I felt really bad about. I couldn't move past it so rather than dealing with it the way I thought God was calling me to deal with it, I ran away by asking for medication. When I was on the medication, I started to experience really bad bowel issues, where I'd have to go to the bathroom multiple times a day. And then my throat acted up to where food and water would get stuck in it.

I had doctors look at it and run tests, they didn't find anything major. I was willing to accept that this was just the new normal but the bowel and throat issues got worse and worse until eventually I developed severe constipation to where there would be times I had the feeling to go but either couldn't go or it would require straining. This straining made things worse.

I tried to reach out to doctors for help but my previous tests being relatively clear means they didn't take me seriously, thinking it's all mental. So ironically the medication I was trying to now stop taking as I believed it was causing the issues was the very same medication everyone wanted to keep me on. The very cursed medication I originally used to run away from the OCD guilt of my heinous sin. It feels like divine payback.

Even my caretakers are kicking me out, not wanting to deal with my problems anymore. I drove one of my friends away, thinking I'm crazy and another friend doesn't trust me for some reason.

So lonely, isolated and sick, I turned back to God. I feared hell and paying for the sinful life and selfish person I had become. I still had issues with God and rules he set but I decided that I wasn't really in the position to argue with the almighty.

I grew sicker and sicker but also more and more knowledgable in the bible and it's history as I did a lot of research on the ancient context of scripture, it's meaning in the original Greek and Hebrew and what the 1st century Christians likely believed and practiced.

I learned the reasons why God had certain rules in place and why there was a hell. Why I was the problem, not God. How the evil in the world was due to people being selfish, not God. I learned to look at God more as a platonic source of good that can't physically be in presence of evil and that's why he took sin so seriously. It was not God who couldn't let us just have a bit of fun. It was us who became blind to how much even our small actions affect others.

Seeing God this way allowed me to not be so angry at him and see that this broken world was not his fault, it was ours. But I still felt like I'm on my way to hell if I didn't shape up and repent of all my wrong doing. I felt in my heart, Christianity isn't just something you believe, even demons believe and they tremble, it is about what you do too. If I wanted to avoid hell, I would actually have to follow God's commandments. This included keeping Torah as I now observe Sabbath and I eat kosher.

I turned from drinking and weed, as it basically wrecks the body and/or brain.

I also repented and turned from my lust, learning how it is gross and basically just objectifies people, not allowing me to see them as living beings made in God's image.

I developed a new issue to where I have trouble sleeping, either due to the unaddressed throat issue making breathing more difficult or my bowels keeping me up at night. Sleep deprivation lead to my my bowels not being able to get the rest they need, making constipation worse. Little or no sleep, difficulty eating drinking and having to use the washroom a lot are where I am at today.

And you can't go very long without sleep without dying.

I often wonder why God doesn't just heal me but I think I have accepted that maybe God has decided my time is up and this is my last call to repentance. The doctors might not be able to help me because God doesn't want them to help me. Maybe I should focus on the next life instead of trying to persevere this one. He has used my broken state to draw me closer to him, to really delve into his teachings and learn his ways. I have been feeling convicted by God to give up a lot, including technology, and although I'm not perfect, I have changed quite a bit in my life.

From a drinking lustful party rapper to a studied religious history buff Torah observant Christian who tries to follow the original Christianity the first Christians practiced.

I turned to Jesus as while everyone else has given up on me, he hasn't. He is all I have left. He has given me hope I might be healed but even if he doesn't heal me, he has used my sick and tired state to draw me near to him.

I am getting baptized to be obedient to Jesus's commandment to do so. To be blessed by the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. To dedicate my life to him and learn to follow in his ways. To be more like him.

I still get anxiety about death and going to hell but I hope that God will understand I am trying to follow his ways and grant me access to heaven, even if I haven't repented from absolutely everything.

I have learned that a long healthy life is not guaranteed and God calls us all to repent before it's too late. I hope I am taking my first steps today towards eternal life.

I haven't seen a discussion about this here before so I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss. Would you recommend military service to someone even if it means potential Sabbath breaking? Are there certain roles you wouldn't recommend like say a tank mechanic for the army?

For context at my current job, I finally have a position where I'm able to keep Sabbath. However, I was given the choice of taking a 33% pay cut or resigning. I took the pay cut because I'm not going to find anything better at the moment (job market is atrocious).

So after 3 years of working here, I'm right back where I started. This has prompted me to explore other options as I'm tired of corporate cybersecurity/IT. I'm currently pursing enlisting because I can do cybersecurity for them and after I get out, can easily transitions into government work which would be more Sabbath friendly. Have also considered staying in for 20 years because then I'll be set for retirement

"When the cohanim came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of Adonai, so that, because of the cloud, the cohanim could not stand up to perform their service; for the glory of Adonai filled the house of Adonai." - 1 Kings 8:10-11

Several Hebrew words mean "cloud."

But the one used here is ARAPHEL.

Many English Bibles translate ARAPHEL as "thick darkness."

I'm not sure that's accurate.

When you hear the word "darkness," what comes to mind?

Something ominous and fearful, right?

But that's not what's intended here.

The typical Hebrew word for ominous darkness is CHOSHEK.

Recall this was the darkness that the Lord struck Egypt with during the Exodus.

But that term is not used here at all.

So if translating ARAPHEL as "thick darkness" ain't accurate, what is?

Why not just say a "thick cloud" or a "dense cloud"?

The key nuance is that the cloud was so thick, it served as a sort of impenetrable barrier between man and God's presence.

But it wasn't supposed to scare the bejesus out of anyone.

Rather, it was meant to inspire deep reverence.

Recall the Lord often appeared as a cloud during Israel's wilderness journey.

Also, recall Yeshua's post-resurrection ascension.

He ascended into the clouds until he was completely engulfed.

The cloud communicates the intangible nature of God...

And that the Lord is spirit and has no form.

A cloud may be visible.

But it has no shape

Its shape is always shifting.

So it's a good symbol of a being whose attributes are indescribable.

Why do you think God commands us to NOT create images of Him?

It's because he knows no object or animal could ever properly capture His glory and attributes.   

This differs from the Gentiles who fashion their idols after humans and animals.

The takeaway for today is the solemn reminder that God is NOT a man and never will be.

The world is hell-bent on remaking God in its own image.

It wants something it can see, touch, define, contain, and ultimately control.

But the God of Scripture refuses to be reduced to any physical representation.

The cloud in the Temple was a powerful visual reminder of this very truth.

God's presence was real.

His glory was unmistakable.

Yet He remained beyond human comprehension and physical representation.

You could see the cloud, but you could not see God.

And that's the lesson.

The Lord is the Creator.

He is NOT His creation.

Whenever you attempt to remake Him into something you can see and comprehend...

You are reversing this divine prerogative!

You are creating a different god.

And that's idolatry.

Ya feel me?

Done.

Here's the full original quote from Yahweh, from Exodus 20, for how to keep the Sabbath:

>Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Here on r/FollowJesusObeyTorah, we have an automated recurring reminder to keep the Sabbath, as our Father commanded us to do.

Keeping the Sabbath is not optional. You MUST keep it, and you're sinning if you do not. That's not us judging you. We don't decide what sin is, God does.

Besides that, the Sabbath has to be the easiest commandment that anyone has ever given to anyone else in all of history! It's a blessing! It's a gift. Why would you fight it? If this is the first time you're seeing this reminder, consider keeping the Sabbath today when the sun goes down, until tomorrow when it goes down again.

It might be your first step towards a new life of honoring the Father. What could be wrong with that?

If you agree or if you disagree, feel free to tell us about it right here.

Thank you Father for the Sabbath!