What exactly does it mean to be “Called To Torah”?
I’ve heard these exact words over and over again the last several years, and I’ve used them myself.
What does it mean?

First of all, what is the Torah?
It is the first five books of the bible, attributed to Moses.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Many Christians believe the Torah, and the Old Testament in general, are useful for teaching the history of creation and the history of mankind.  But is there useful doctrine in the Torah?
In general, mainstream Christian doctrine teaches that “the law” of the Old Testament is done away with.
In general, it is taught that we, men and women, are not capable of following the law, that it is a curse and a burden, and it is too hard for mankind to follow.
In general, it is taught that Yeshua Messiah fulfilled the law, and as a result, we are not required to do so.
Does this sound familiar?  That is exactly what I was taught during thirty plus years in the mainstream Christian churches.

Since approximately 2009/2010, many people all around the world have been “Called to Torah.”  Many people have given up mainstream Christian ideas and teachings and have been studying and following the guidelines and instructions given in the Torah.
Why this big shift in doctrine and ideology?
Is this just a novelty movement in the name of religion?
Is it a cult? Is it a fad that will soon pass?

Man can answer these questions with their own thoughts and ideas, and many are doing just that.  Various labels are given to this “new movement”:
Hebrew Roots, Torah Observant, Messianic, and even full blown Judaism.
But let’s not dig into the ideas of men, but instead, let’s explore this concept using scripture.

First, let’s give a brief history lesson, because the history of Yahuah’s people is the foundation of this idea.

In the beginning, Yahuah created all that there is. He intended mankind to be immortal, made in His own likeness.  Mankind was intended to live in the paradise of the Garden of Eden.
Man failed to follow some very simple instructions and introduced sin to the world, changing the nature of mankind from immortal to mortal.
Over time, Yahuah took a righteous man who followed His ways, and decided to make a great nation of this man’s descendants.
These people were given instructions to live by (the law), which would bring them life and blessings.  Yet, if they did not follow these instructions to live by, death and curses would follow instead.

Yahuah told the people that if they chose not to follow His ways, they would be scattered among the nations, and unfortunately, this is exactly what happened.
Mankind split this nation of people into two kingdoms.  The southern Kingdom of Judah, made up of two tribes, and the northern Kingdom of Israel, made up of the northern tribes.

Both kingdoms strayed from the word of Yahuah.  Judah repented and turned back partially, but Israel did not repent, nor did they turn back. As a result, both kingdoms endured a punishment, and in addition, Israel was divorced from the covenant with Yahuah.

Let’s see some scripture about these things.
First of all, in Deuteronomy, Yahuah gives His warning that if the people stray from His ways, they will be scattered among the nations.

Deuteronomy 28:58-65
⁵⁸ “If you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah, the things written in this scroll, to fear this glorious and awesome Name, Elohim your God, ⁵⁹ then Elohim will make your plagues and the plagues of your descendants extraordinary—terrible and prolonged plagues, severe and prolonged illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ Also every illness and plague that is not written in the scroll of this Torah, Elohim will bring on you, until you are destroyed.
⁶² “You will be left few in number, instead of being like the stars of the sky in number—because you did not listen to the voice of Elohim your God. ⁶³ Now just as Elohim rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you, so Elohim will rejoice over you to ruin and destroy you; and you will be uprooted from the land that you are going in to possess.
⁶⁴ “Elohim will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods—wood and stone—that you and your fathers have not known. ⁶⁵ Among these nations you will find no rest, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot. But there Elohim will give you a trembling heart and failing eyes, and a despairing spirit.

OK, so there is the prediction of what will happen, should the people discard the ways of Yahuah.

Both strayed, but Israel did not repent or turn back, and therefore, was divorced from the covenant with Yahuah.
Jeremiah 3:8
⁸ I noted that when backsliding Israel committed adultery I sent her away and gave her a certificate of divorce.

Now let’s take a look at the punishment of each kingdom.
This is described in Ezekiel chapter 4.
Ezekiel 4:3-7
…This will be a sign to the house of Israel. ⁴ “Then you are to lie on your left side, and set on it the punishment of the house of Israel; according to the number of days that you lie on it, you will bear their iniquity. ⁵ I have appointed the years of their punishment to you as a number of days—390 days. So you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. ⁶ When you have completed these, you will lie on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah—40 days—a day for each year, I have appointed to you. ⁷ You will set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.

As we see, the punishment is equal to one year for each day that Ezekiel was to lay on his side.  For Israel, this punishment was 390 days, and therefore, 390 years.
But, scripture tells us that the kingdom of Israel did not repent.
We are told multiple times in Torah that if one does not repent, their punishment is multiplied by seven.
Leviticus 26:18
¹⁸ “If you, in spite of these things, will not listen to Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins.
Leviticus 26:23-24
²³ “Now if in spite of these things you will not be chastened by Me, but walk contrary to Me instead, ²⁴ then I will also walk contrary to you. Then I will strike you, I Myself, seven times for your sins.

Since Israel did not repent, their 390 year punishment is multiplied by seven, in accordance with Torah instructions.  This means their punishment was to last for 2730 years instead of 390 years.

What does all of this have to do with modern times?
Let’s break it down.
Israel was divorced from the covenant with Yahuah.
The ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel were scattered among all the nations of the world.
This punishment was to last for 390 years. Since they did not repent, their punishment became 2730 years instead.
Looking back in history, we can see when this punishment began.
“…in about 722 BC, the capital city, Samaria, was overtaken by the Assyrians under Shalmaneser V. After first forcing tribute payments, Shalmaneser later laid siege to the city when it refused to pay. Following a three-year siege, 2 Kings 17:5-6 notes that, “in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.””

If we add 2730 years to the time of defeat and scattering of the kingdom of Israel, we see this punishment ended in approximately 2008. In the 2009 time frame, many people around the world began studying Torah and returning to the ways of Yahuah described in Torah.
This is no small miracle.
People who had spent decades in various religions began shedding a lifetime of doctrine to learn and follow the ways of Yahuah!!
Find someone who has experienced this, and ask them for their testimony.  Many will tell you it has cost them their family, their spouses, their careers, and many other things.  Many have suffered greatly as a result, and yet, they hold on tightly to what they have learned in Torah.

Why would someone do this?
If you want to truly understand what it means to love the ways of Yahuah, read the Psalms.  David transcribed his love for the ways of Yahuah so very poetically in the book of Psalms.
Specifically, review Psalm 119.  It is quite amazing…

With regard to many people being “Called To Torah,” can we label it a fad or a cult? Is it a movement in truth, or is it false doctrine?
Men tend to view things from within the perspective of their own lives.  We live approximately 80 years, and then we are no more.
What we are witnessing, and some of us are experiencing, is a biblical phenomena that is 2730 years in the making!

Throughout my life, I often wondered what it would have been like to live during biblical times. I often wondered what it would be like to witness an actual miracle, to witness the events spoken of in scripture.
I no longer have to wonder about such things!! We are living in a time spoken of in scripture.  We get to witness the return of the lost ten tribes, now that their punishment has ended.

Riddle me this, Batman…
Am I just making things up?
Have I let my imagination get the best of me?
Let’s check scripture to find out.

Isaiah 2:2-3
² It will come to pass in the last days
that the mountain of Elohim’s House
will stand firm as head of the mountains
and will be exalted above the hills.
So all nations will flow to it.
³ Then many peoples will go and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Elohim,
    to the House of the God of Jacob!
Then He will teach us His ways,
    and we will walk in His paths.”
For Torah will go forth from Zion
    and the word of Elohim from Jerusalem.

And we see this repeated again in Micah, just in case we missed it the first time…
Micah 4:1-2
But at the end of days the mountain of Elohim’s House will be established as chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will flow up to it.
² Then many nations will go and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Elohim,
    to the House of the God of Jacob!
Then He will direct us in His ways,
    and we will walk in His paths.”
For Torah will go forth from Zion,
and the word of Elohim from Jerusalem.

“But those are just ancient writings of a time long ago.
How can we be sure this is referring to our time, and not to some ancient time that already came and went?”
Check out this direct quote of Messiah:
Matthew 15:24
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

If this idea is truth, it presents a huge problem.
If the Torah is still applicable today, then what about mainstream church doctrine?  We’ve been taught for many centuries and for many generations that ‘the law’ has been done away with…
There is no way that many hundreds of millions of people throughout this span of time could have been wrong…
Does scripture mention this?
Yes, it does.

Jeremiah 16:19-20
¹⁹  Elohim, my strength, my stronghold,
        my refuge in the day of affliction,
    to You will the Gentiles come
        from the ends of the earth and say:
    “Our fathers have inherited nothing
        but lies, futility and useless things.”
²⁰ Will man make gods for himself?
    Yet they are not gods.

Yes, what we are experiencing today was spoken of so very many years ago.
Yahuah does nothing without first telling us about it through His prophets:
Amos 3:7
For Elohim, will do nothing,
unless He has revealed His counsel
    to His servants the prophets.

We should not be surprised by this “Call To Torah” because it is all laid out before us in scripture and in the words of the prophets.
And yet, with man’s perspective focused on decades instead of centuries, this phenomena is a surprise.
And since it is a surprise, many reject it.
Many choose to hold onto what they have always known, as opposed to answering this calling and returning to the truth.

The Book of Revelation are the final words given to us in scripture. It is not the revelation of John, but it is the Revelation of our Messiah, as given to him by the Father:

Revelation 1:1-2
The revelation of Yeshua the Messiah, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, ² who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah—to everything he saw.

Is there any information in Revelation that would indicate a return to Torah is necessary?

Revelation 14:12 describes to us who the saints are.  If you want to belong to Messiah, here is the criteria given to us:
¹² Here is the perseverance of the saints—those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.

Just in case we misunderstand or miss this concept, Yeshua Messiah tells us who will be in His kingdom in Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Still wondering?
Check out Messiah’s words in John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

“But if we are to believe these ideas, and if we are to return to Torah instructions, does that make us of the ten tribes of the house of Israel?”
That is a really good question.
Does scripture talk about this?

Galatians 3:28-29
²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. ²⁹ And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed—heirs according to the promise.

Did you catch that?
If you belong to Messiah, then you are the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise Yahuah made to Abraham.
If you are not the seed of Abraham, then you do not belong to Messiah.
Do not be fearful or unsure of new ideas.
Scripture predicts these things…
Do not be afraid to let go of what you think you know…

1Corinthians 3:18-19
¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.