I used to wonder why the Scriptures could allow the possibility of confusion. I keep Torah and eat clean, but ask any mainstream Christian and they will tell you that all food has been made clean and is permissible. They will quote Peter’s vision in Acts, or they will quote Yeshua Messiah saying what goes into a man does not defile him.Yes, I’ve learned that both examples are twisted and out of context by reading those entire stories instead of building doctrine upon a single isolated verse or two.
But why did Yehova allow writings that have the possibility of being taken out of context?
It is simply a test.
Here is the test that Yehova is giving every single one of us:

Deut 13:3-4
…for Yehova your Elohim is testing you to know whether you love Yehova your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after Yehova your Elohim and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

Anyone who knows the Voice of Yehova, fears Him, obeys Him, and holds fast to Him will not fall for twisted scripture or confusion.
Yehova allowed Scripture to become a test for us.
He could have inspired the authors to be plain as day, where every single thing is spelled out in black and white. But instead, He inspired the authors to word things in such a manner that they match His Truth, and yet, could be taken a different way if one does not know the Voice of Yehova and follow Him.
A simple test.
Pass or fail.
It reveals the condition of one’s heart.
We see a similar test in the New Testament:

1John 2:3-6
The Test of Knowing Him
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We are told that those who do not keep the commandments do not REALLY know Him, and that they are liars if they say they serve Jesus/God without following Yehova’s instructions.
Again, a simple test to reveal the hearts of men.
Pass or fail.
Obey in truth, or be a liar by claiming to follow God in disobedience.

And there are many examples of this in the Scriptures. It is not just about food. He is testing our hearts in many things.
The only way to pass these tests are to know His Voice, fear Him, obey Him, walk in His commandments, and cling to Him.
Yeshua said these things:

Luke 6:46
“But why do you call Me ‘Master, Master,’ and not do the things which I say?”
John 10:27-28
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

I’ve spent the last several years debating and arguing with people about the Scriptures, both in mainstream Christianity AND in Torah Community.
I’ve learned that if they do not want to pass their test, then no amount of debating, discussing, sharing, counselling, or studying will ever change their heart or change their mind.
Yes, we can show them the Voice of Yehova and the Voice of Yeshua, but that doesn’t mean they will like it or accept it — all while claiming to follow and obey Yehova and Yeshua.

We are warned of THIS.VERY.THING, and it applies to both Christianity and to Torah community, as there are many in Torah who are still failing their test (sadly).
Pray for all in this matter.
Pray those (and ourselves) will submit and humble our hearts, desiring to know the Voice of Yahweh in all things.

2Thes 2:9-12
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This is why people are willing to argue and debate where they stand, even when where they stand on a matter defies the very words of Yehova and Yeshua.
It is because their hearts have failed the test, and they have been given over to the delusion of false doctrine.
This is why they cannot see the truth when quoted word for word from the scriptures.
How many times have we quoted Yehova or Yeshua, only to have the other person start with, “Yeah but…”

This alone shows they are not interested in knowing the Voice of Yehova.
They are interested in the desires of their own hearts.
They are interested in what they think they know to be true.
I wondered why millions or billions of people could be mislead in scripture.
I prayed about it, and Yehova led me to these scriptures to show that each and every person is being tested, to see if their heart is in it.
He could have given us simple black and white instructions with no possibility of error.
But He does not want us to be robots, doing a list of things without love for Him.
People can use the scriptures to develop false doctrine that defies the very words of Yehova and Yeshua.
They can explain their false doctrine by quoting scriptures, and they can usually make a logical case for what they believe.

However… it requires them to fail the test.
It requires them to disregard the Voice of Yehova.
It requires them to disobey Him.
Pass or Fail.
The scriptures allow loopholes — not to deceive us, but to test our hearts.
What do we value more?
The things that Yah said?
Or disobedience by loophole?

And here is the really cool thing.
All of the scriptures used to create loopholes and false doctrine also tell the truth of Yehova’s words.
They can have dual meaning, depending on the condition of our hearts!!

And just to help us with all of this, the scriptures contain warnings, over and over and over again.
Such as this one:

2Peter 3:14-17
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked…

Yeshua tells us exactly why He taught in parables.
Direct quote of Yeshua Messiah:

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’

Those with dull/calloused/hardened/unsubmitted hearts are not ALLOWED to understand the scriptures.
It isn’t that they “just don’t get it.”
They are literally prevented from being able to understand, and this is done intentionally.

2Cor3:14-16 tells us how to lift this and to be able to understand the Torah (writings of Mosheh)
14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

When one TRULY submits his/her will to the Father’s will, and TRULY submits their heart to Elohim, then the veil is lifted and they are allowed to understand.

There are many, many countless people in the world claiming to serve Jesus/God. They go to church and study the bible. They discuss and debate and some even teach. They write articles and create videos. They collect a gathering.
They live their lives with great effort and sacrifice for what they believe, and yes, we see this in Torah community as well.

But…
If their actions defy the VOICE of Yehova or the VOICE of Yeshua, then they make all of their efforts in vain.
If they deviate from what Yehova and Yeshua taught, then they’ve made up their own gods and serve them.

Quote of Yeshua Messiah [Matthew 15 quoting Isaiah}
8 ‘These people
draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Jeremiah warns of this so long ago…
Jer 16:19-20
19 O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?

You may have noticed that I’ve essentially taken a break for the last two months or so…
I have not written nor posted blog articles for awhile.
I have not taken a break from Torah, and I have not taken a break from studying Torah [and the rest of the Scriptures].

Over the last three years, my blog has been a great tool for me.
I wrote as I came into Torah.
I wrote as I learned, and I learned by writing.
I shared my thoughts with the world.

When I read a direct quote of Yahweh, or a direct quote of Yeshua Messiah, I simply chose to believe what They said.
And I still do.
The things They said are non-negotiable for me.
But believing the things said by Elohim caused me to question other things I’d been taught by men over several decades of my life.
This blog is a written historical record as I questioned and explored the differences between the Scriptures and the doctrines of men.
It was hard.
It still is hard.
But given the choice of siding with Yahweh and Yeshua, or siding with what some guy learned in college, I will side with Yah and Yeshua every single time.

When I realized that mainstream Christianity teaches something different than what Yahweh says, I got angry.
I was angry that I had been taught things that do not line up with the Word.
I was angry that I myself perpetuated these ideas.
I taught Sunday School and led men’s studies, teaching the same false doctrines I had learned from others.
I got angry with the church and church leaders, and I believe it shows in some of my early articles.
But I’ve come to realize my failings were not their fault.
I failed to submit my heart to Yahweh.
I failed to submit my will to His will, and as a result, I did not gain truth in my efforts [as the scriptures teach will happen].
It is the same for the church today, and for church leaders.
They are not the enemy. They are just lost without the whole truth of the whole bible.

You might see a significant and definitive change in my attitude as my writings continued.
As I studied through another Torah portion series, I paid particular attention to Mosheh.
Make no mistake about it… Mosheh was an incredible leader.
But he did not like his calling.
Mosheh did not like leading a group of rebellious and complaining people.
He did not enjoy being responsible for the nation of Israel.
He disliked his ‘position’ so very much that he asked Yahweh to kill him on the spot.
That’s pretty bad, right?
And yet, Mosheh soldiered on.
Mosheh continued in his calling.
Mosheh had compassion for the people.
When they messed up (sometimes badly) Mosheh fell on his face before Yahweh and prayed for the people.
Mosheh interceded and prayed for a rebellious, disobedient, stiff-necked people.
I learned from Mosheh.
I valued what I see in his example.
My tone softened.
My blog articles still called out the truth of the scriptures, but I began to pray for those who do not know the Word, instead of being angry with them for teaching, believing, and living false doctrine.

This is where I remain today, with regard to mainstream Christianity.
I pray for them.
I have compassion for them.
I pray that Yahweh will be merciful and kind to those who do not know the truth, even if it is their own fault. Even if they think they have it right…

And then, I began shifting the focus of my blog articles.
I noticed through personal experiences in fellowship as well as online that the Torah Community at large has some issues.
What issues?
Lukewarm behavior.
Lack of faith.
Disobedience.
Partial followers.
Fakers, claiming to be Torah followers when the evidence of their lives indicates otherwise.
False teachers, wolves, twisting and changing and deceiving and injecting confusion and doubt.

All the problems we see in the people of the Exodus story, we also see in today’s Torah community.
My blog continued, but I began writing to them, the Torah community,  instead of to mainstream Christians.
And the Torah community did not like my input.
They seemed to be fine when I was addressing the issues in Christianity. Nearly everyone was willing to rally around that…
But when I began addressing the issues that exist in Torah community, people stopped interacting with me. Or worse, they began debating against me.
My blogs would go unread, and my posts would sit with few comments and little discussion. My “online fellowship” dried up and withered.
A very small minority stood by my side, and even had my back at times. A small group of people would tell me encouraging things. You know who you are, and I say, “Thank You!!”

All of these experiences culminated with another blown up local fellowship.
False doctrine was being introduced stating that most of the Torah is not applicable today.
I quoted Yahweh and Yeshua to debunk the ideas.
And it all blew up.
Some in the group were hungry for truth, but others wanted to maintain the status quo, no matter what.
For some, hugs and smiles and friendship were more important than clinging to Yah’s Voice.
Keeping the peace took precedence for some, while others encouraged me privately.
Please understand… this is a great group of wonderful people.
These are all people I grew to love very much.
I was told by some that I know the Scriptures well, and that standing firm upon the things Yahweh and Yeshua said was much needed.
Others told me I was divisive and offensive and that I’m really not good at any of this.
And that is when I took my break from writing blog articles.
I wanted to take some time and pray.
I wanted to take some time and ask that Yah refine me.

Here I am today.
I’ve learned I cannot be responsible for what others think and believe.
I’ve learned that most people will not change their minds or their behavior, just because I quote a few scriptures.
I have several blog articles that talk about why some people understand and “get it” and why some people do not understand and do not “get it.”
I’ve come to realize that if people submit their hearts and their will to Elohim, then they will be given understanding. It is promised in the scriptures.
If someone has not submitted their heart to Yah, then my input cannot help them.
If someone has submitted their heart to Yah, then they are already receiving truth and understanding, and my input is not necessary.
I cannot change people, and I cannot change the lives of other people.
They must respond to their own calling of God.
They must decide for themselves if they will follow wholly and completely, or if they will follow partially.
I cannot decide for them.
I cannot force anyone to be more serious about the Word.
I cannot make anyone be serious about their obedience to the Word.

Yahweh says for us to make for ourselves and wear tzitzits, and to do so throughout our generations.
And yet, countless people in Torah do not wear tzitzits.
It is a simple litmus test.
Do they know the Voice of Yah?
Do they believe the Voice of Yah?
Do they obey and follow the Voice of Yah?
If they do, then they already wear tzitzits.
If they do not, then I cannot convince them to wear tzitzits.

Yahweh speaks of His expectations and His standards for the Sabbath.
He tells us that Shabbat is a sign between Him and His people.
He tells us that anyone who profanes/violates the Sabbath will surely die and be cut off from His people.
What do we see in Torah community?
Countless people profaning and violating the Sabbath.
If it is not in their heart to honor and remember the Sabbath, to keep it at all costs because they know the Voice of Yahweh, then I can not help them.
If they do know the Voice of Yah and keep the Sabbath as a result, then my input is not needed. They are on the path already.

If someone in Torah decides they must work on Yahweh’s moedim – for whatever reasons – then I cannot help them.
If an individual has no reverent fear of Yahweh, to keep His commands out of love for Him, then my input is worthless.

I recently had someone tell me that God will understand if we violate the Sabbath.
God will understand if we work on His Feast Days.
They said that we are in exile.
They said that we are subject to the ways of the nations where we reside.
They say we have no choice but to conform to the pressures of the nations in which we are exiled.
“God will understand this…”
Is that what the bible teaches us?
Look at Daniel.
Daniel was a man in covenant with Yahweh who happened to be in exile.
Daniel was expected to eat unclean meats.
Did he conform to the expectations of his captors?
No.
He obeyed Yahweh.
Daniel was expected to bow down to King Darius only, and not bow down to Yahweh, with the lion’s den awaiting anyone who disobeyed this decree.
Did Daniel conform to the ways of this nation of exile, stating that “God will understand”?
No, Daniel did not.
Daniel sought Yahweh and only Yahweh.
Daniel remained steadfast in honoring Yahweh, even though he knew it would cost him his life. 
He chose his fate, the lion’s den, because He valued Yahweh over everything else, even his own life.
This is the example we are to follow.
Sound extreme?
Yes, it does.
Sound a bit serious?
Yes, it does.
We are not to add Torah to our lives where ever we can seem to make it fit.
No, we are to conform our lives to Torah, no matter the cost.
This is what the scriptures teach.
This is what Yahweh teaches.
This is what the prophets teach.
This is what Yeshua teaches.
We are not to conform to the world, all while changing Yahweh’s character in our own minds, deciding for ourselves what He will or won’t accept.  
He has already spoken.
Yahweh has already told us what He will or won’t accept.
We don’t get to change it.
We don’t get to decide who He is.

The scriptures are recorded for us, that we might learn from them.
Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Are the accounts of of Daniel’s life just a cool story to read?
Or are we to learn from his account?
Are we to violate the ways of Yahweh in order to conform to the world, all while claiming that Yah will understand?
No, we must each pass our test that Yahweh is giving us:
Deuteronomy 13:4-5
“…for יהוה your Elohim is testing you to know whether you love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being.  Walk after יהוה your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve Him and cling to Him.”

People do not need my blog articles if:
1. they love יהוה with their whole heart
2. they walk after יהוה
3. they fear יהוה
4. they guard His commands
5. they obey His Voice
6. they serve יהוה
7. they cling to יהוה
If people do not do these seven things, then my blog articles cannot help them.
Each person must pass or fail this test.
No one else can take this test in our place, and none of us can take this test for another.

So where does this leave me?
Will I continue?
Will I soldier on?
Yes, I will.
I will continue to study.
I will continue to write and post blogs.
I will encourage others.
I will pray for others.
I will encourage you to pray for others.

But I will not carry the weight of the disobedience and lack of faith of others. I will not burden my own shoulders with the thoughts, words, and actions of others.
I will not tell people they are wrong.
This is never effective, even if it is true.
I will only show you what Yahweh says and what Yeshua says.
I will show you what the scriptures say.
People will have to decide for themselves whether or not they are wrong, and what to do about it.

Yes, I’ll write blogs, and I pray my blogs will continue to be helpful.
But I won’t carry the burden of others any longer.
Each must pass their own test, as I cannot do it for them.

Ecclesiastes 12
And besides these, my son, be warned – the making of many books has no end, and much study is a wearying of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the entire matter: Fear Elohim and guard His commands, for this applies to all mankind! For Elohim shall bring every work into right-ruling, including all that is hidden, whether good or whether evil.