The Judaizers

  "Judaizers" were, and are, those who specifically observe the Sabbath as the day of rest from work.  This rest is emphasized at Hebrews 4, associated with imitating Yahuah, Who also rested from His work on the 7th day of the week, which He established as the sign of the Eternal Covenant (Ez 20:12, Ex 31:13, YashaYahu 56:2-7). 

The Catholic council at Laodicea around 364-365 CE states:

"Christians should not Judaize and should not be idle on the Sabbath, but should work on that day; they should, however, particularly reverence the Lord’s day and, if possible, not work on it, because they were Christians."

(Council of Laodicea, Canon 29, from catholic.com)

Notice this bull (appropriately named as a man-made commandment) has acknowledged the Sabbath and states that Christians "should work on that day."

Standing before another council, Peter (Kefa) stated we have to obey Alahim rather than men:

Act 5:29: "And Kefa and the other emissaries answering, said, 'We have to obey Alahim rather than men.'"

    We all know that Paul (formerly Shaul) told us that prior to the coming of Mashiak Yahusha and our gathering together to Him there would be a “falling away” first, and the “man of lawlessness” would be revealed, or "uncovered." This man of lawlessness with his goal of resisting Torah will be exposed for being the "restrainer" that keeps the people from obeying.

Paul referred to the coming of Yahusha as “the day of Yahuah” (2 Thess. 2:1-17). The “falling away” implies a movement AWAY from the Commandments of Yahuah, also known as the “apostasy”. Lawlessness will be promoted prior to the “day of Yahuah.” It could also be a "falling away" or "standing away" from the lawless religious establishment by those who are being restored to the Covenant in the last day.

The “day of Yahuah” will only end the “times of the Gentiles”, and it will establish a government (kingdom) on this Earth that will grow and fill it completely, never to end. It will be ruled by the coming King, Yahusha of Natsarith, seated on the restored throne of Da’ud.

     The Ten Commandments are intended for all men who enter into the everlasting Covenant with their Maker, and when they do this they become citizens of Israel.  They were “far off”, but now they are brought near, and have fellowship with one another, and with their Creator, the One Who gave the Covenant.  Notice this statement carefully:
     "Now all has been heard;  here is the conclusion of the matter: 
Fear Alahim and keep His Commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. 
For Alahim will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."     -   Eccl 12:13-14 

If we seek righteousness the only place to turn is the Torah, the Commandments of Yahuah.

  The Commandments aren't exclusive to the "Jews" in fact "Jews" are no longer Israelites if they do not keep the Commandments  -  they are CUT OFF from Israel if they don't obey the Torah.  Likewise, those who don't obey the Torah are not Israel.  The Torah is central to defining who an Israelite is, and the Mediator of the Covenant is Yahusha, writing Torah on our hearts (YirmeYahu 31, Heb. 8).

  The engrafted foreigners partake of all the promises, and have eternal life, and are no longer foreigners.  Turning themselves around, or “repenting” of sinning against the Covenant, their hearts have changed, and their will is to serve and obey Yahuah (read Is. 56).  Those who have not received a LOVE for the Commandments, but rather repel them and teach others to repel them, have received a strong delusion to believe in the lie. Those that have accepted Yahusha’s death as atonement, and entered the Covenant through the waters of immersion have been “circumcised” with a love of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments - by the Messiah, Yahusha!

  Men have twisted many things. They lack Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge, which is what the Ten Commandments would give them.  Here is an example of apostasy: During the 4th century, the Roman Emperor Constantine I “decreed” the Edict of Constantine (321 CE), causing every citizen to REST on the Pagan’s day of worship, the “Day of the Sun,” now called “Sun Day.” They were sun worshippers, and this edict was enforced under penalty of death. Just a few years later, at the “Council of Nicea” (325 CE), he and his son Crispus set up the “Universal” (Catholic) date to observe for “Easter,” a fertility rite of the Earth Mother, Ishtar. He had called Natsarim** elders to this “Council”, and many of them fled for their lives.

     Sun-day was now the “Sabbath,” and it has continued to this day in the minds of those under the influence of this “strong delusion.” Now you may be seeing a glimpse of light coming on as you realize that one man imposed this “change” of the “times and law”, referred to at Daniel 7:25. Over the centuries, the religiously powerful rulers of the Catholic institution have carried on this delusion, and it crossed-over into the Reformation just a few hundred years ago. All during the Catholic/Universal tyranny that gripped Europe during the Dark Ages, the “Jewish” faith was severely persecuted. They (the Jews, or Yahudim) were faced with the choice of flee, convert, or die. Being highly intelligent, educated people, the Yahudim often agreed to convert to Catholicism, and follow its plan of “salvation” through the sacraments administered through the Catholic priesthood. These Yahudim converts were called marranos, which meant swine or filthy to the Catholic institution (because they do not eat pork). They were considered Neo-Christians. The Inquisition considered them to be heretics, and burned many of them at the stake.  In contrast, we see that the record at Acts 15 not only endorses the original Sabbath Day, but encouraged the Gentile converts to learn more in the places of study, called "synagogues" throughout the world:

"For Mosheh of old time has in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogue every Sabbath day."  This was speaking of Mosheh in the sense of the TORAH, and can generally apply to the first 5 books;  but TORAH is also what Yahuah calls His TEN Commands.  But, note well that Ya'aqob (James) referred to that "dreaded" word, SABBATH in his statement.   Whoa  -  perhaps even YaAqob would be considered one of those "Judaizers" by today's Christians for talking about the Sabbath the way he did.

     Before the Hekal (Temple) was destroyed in 70 CE, to "Judaize" referred mostly to the teaching that ADULT males had to be physically circumcised in their flesh in order to be saved, or to fellowship with other Natsarim.   Shaul cleaned Kepha's clock over this kind of attitude.  We can read about this correction at Galatians 2:14:   

"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of Gentiles, and not as the Jews, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews?"   (Some translations use the word "Judaize" in this passage, however the word "Judaize" was not invented until the 16th century).  In Paul's time, many adult Gentile converts (those called to obey the Ten Commandments) were being compelled to be physically circumcised, when all they had to do was be immersed into the Name of Yahusha!   He circumcises our HEARTS with His Covenant, the Ten Commandments, and our immersion in water is the outward sign of our circumcision of the heart- by Mashiak Yahusha.   Although there are still some who teach adult male circumcision, this has thankfully been exposed by Scripture to be wrong. Today, a "Judaizer" is what you may be called if you want to keep the Ten Commandments.

     The world of Christian theology, both Catholic and Protestant, has coined the word “Judaizers” to label those who secretly or openly observe the original Sabbath day as given in the Ten Commandments.  It follows that those who hate the Ten Commandments would also hate those who observe them, and so this derogatory term, “Judaizers”, is used to denigrate anyone who would be so “filthy” as to actually obey the Commandment to rest on the 7th day of every week instead of the 1st day of the week, as any good Christian should know to do.  Wisdom is the word used as a metaphor for the Ten Commandments in the book of Proverbs, and all who hate Wisdom, love death.  We see in the book of Revelation (12:17) that the dragon (serpent) was enraged at the “woman” (Israel or Yisharal, Yahuah’s wife) and fights against her seed, “those guarding the Commands of Alahim AND possessing the witness of Yahusha Mashiak.”

(It's interesting that the 10 Commandments were called "the WITNESS"  -- as in the "Ark of the Witness")

     The Catholics are told that when Yahusha referred to the “keys” of His kingdom/government, that it was conferred on Kepha/Peter alone to personally decide what could be bound or loosed.  This is far from the intention of Yahusha!  He wasn’t giving Kepha the keys to His sports car.  Yahusha remains "Master of the Sabbath", not Kepha, or any "successor" we may believe to exist.   What He intended for us to realize is that when we have ALL learned and practiced the Ten Commandments, we will understand them and love them with His enabling Spirit (He circumcises our hearts with a love for them, which is the re-newed Covenant prophesied at YirmeYahu*** 31).  Knowing them, we can “bind” (forbid) and “loose” (permit) behavior, knowing wrong and right.   The Ten Commandments are the “eternal Covenant”, and the character of Yahuah.   These "Ten Words" are known as Torah in Hebrew, meaning “teaching”. 

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Matt 16:19-20.  These “keys”, the Ten Commandments, define what is a sin for us, and give us power (authority) over every kind of evil.   These keys lock and unlock, or bind and loose, determining evil and righteousness for us.    He “gives” us the keys by writing them on our hearts.  The Torah is also commonly called “law” by translators:

NOTE ABOUT THOSE "KEYS":   YAHUSHA, YAHUAH: same Being, Maker of all things seen and unseen. He “gives” us the keys by writing them on our hearts.    ESART HA DEBARIM  = THE TEN WORDS      

Get yourself in tune by studying and memorizing the 10 Commandments.  

Daud said that he had memorized them: 

"I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you . 
Praise be to you, Yahuah;  teach me your decrees. 
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."   Ps 119:11-16     ("Word" = Torah)

"He that has My Mitzvot, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me;   and he who loves Me, shall be loved by My Abba, and I will love him, and will reveal Myself to him."   Yahukanon 14:21

“And pray that your flight does not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” 

MattithYahu 24:20  (This statement was made concerning the conditions in the end of days!).

There's going to be a test;  we can look for the evidence in those who are saved:

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His Commandments.  The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of Alahim has truly been perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him:  the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."   

1 Yahukanan 2:3-6 

  As we learn to walk as Yahusha walked, we often encounter many conflicts between what He did, and what men say to do.

Through reading Scripture, our hearts are filled with its pure new wine, which purges out the old wine (men's teachings).
At the Council of Laodicea, a "bull" set forth enforcement of the Edict of Constantine, conflicting with the 10 Commandments:

“Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be Judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” (Canon 29 – 360 AD)

Take in a deep breath and re-read the ninth word in this "bull." 
The edict speaks of "the Sabbath." The Shabath is the sign of the Eternal Covenant, so who would think to change times and laws? (see Dan 7:25) 
The "Lord's Day" literally describes "Baal's Day", since BAAL is the Hebrew word for "LORD".
The bull orders WORK to be done on the Sabbath, so obviously what we have here is rebellion. I would rather rebel against man's commandments than rebel against the eternal Commandments that define sin given by our Redeemer, Yahuah, Who became flesh and walked among us to show us how to walk. The first woman only needed a good excuse to be deceived, and that seems to be the approach for this and all other strongholds. 

Lew White

BYNV: A translation for the next generation