In Ezekiel 46 we are told about the third temple. One of the interesting things about the temple is that when someone enters the North Gate they are to go out the South Gate, and if they come in the South Gate they must exit via the North Gate.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Now, as for the prince who enters the East Gate, which no one else may use and is closed except on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon celebration, literally “Head of the Month”), he is to go out that same gate.

The prince, we assume, is the Messiah, so I was wondering why this command? What is it about the Messiah that he gets to use the same gate, or what is it about the people that they have to use a different gate? And not just a different gate, but the one opposite the one they came in through.

Well, I don’t have an absolute answer. It has been said that this is to establish an orderly flow of people, with the Messiah watching from his gate; basically, a means of traffic control.

I think the reason may be more of a spiritual nature, and I have seen this idea in other opinions and commentaries, as well, so please don’t think I am spouting some unique, divinely-inspired revelation.

I believe the order to come in one door and leave through another is to represent that as we come to know God and worship him, we will not be the same. The person who came in the temple will be a little bit different when that person leaves the temple, having been introduced and effected (hopefully) by their worship of God and exposure to his word.

It is a pity, really, that so many people come in and go out the same gate.

They come to attend the Sabbath services, and whether it be the Saturday or Sunday Shabbat, when they leave they go home and just keep doing what they had been doing before they left their house. Maybe they learned something new, maybe they had an enjoyable time in fellowship, or maybe they just did what they were supposed to do and now feel relieved that they don’t have to do it for another week.

I used to feel better that I attended Shabbat services when I was a kid, but I also went in and out the same gate. I felt that I had done my duty, but I had no real joy or love for worship, it was something I did because I knew I was supposed to do it.

I believe that is how many people- way too many people- feel about going to church or synagogue; they do it because they get a sense of relief that they did what they were supposed to do.

It isn’t much different than how the prophets told the people God rejects their sacrifices and offerings because their heart isn’t really in it.

I have to say that I am confident, although I can’t speak for the Big Guy, that any prayer or offering to God that is not done with a heartfelt desire to do so will not please God.

In other words, going through the motions won’t get you anywhere.

So, next time you go to worship at whichever house of worship you choose to use, you may not have the opportunity to use two separate doors (you would think a really good house of worship would know this commandment and provide two ways to get in and out, right?), but you can spiritually come in one door and go out another.

Listen, remember, but do not accept anything you are told as truth until you go home and verify it for yourself in the Bible. I am not saying that your rabbi or priest or minister (whatever) is purposefully misleading you, but they are probably just telling you what they have been told.

Let God tell you what he wants you to see in his word, and the best way that will happen is for you to sit and read the Bible, praying for divine guidance and understanding given through the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit).

Of course, this really only works if you have already accepted Yeshua as your Messiah and asked for the Holy Spirit to indwell. God may still show you something to get you on the right track, so even if you haven’t asked for the Holy Spirit, don’t let that stop you. It didn’t stop me and now, 25 years later, I am so thankful that I had enough seykhl (Yiddish for common sense) to pray and act like I believed until something happened. And that something did happen months later when I fully accepted Yeshua as my Messiah, and that is when I felt the Ruach HaKodesh enter my body.

But, that’s another story, and if you want to hear it go to the bottom of the “About Steven” tab on my website.

Oh, yeah- hey! What about the Messiah using the same gate? Why is that?

Well, if you ask me (which someone just did) my answer is that he is already as worshipful and knowledgeable about God as anyone can ever be, and as holy as anyone can ever be, so he doesn’t need to use a different gate.

That’s it for now, so thank you for being here and please subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, buy my books, share these messages to help this ministry grow (invite all your friends to join), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (please click that you agree to the rules).

Don’t forget-I always welcome your comments.

Until next time, l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

This might be one of the shortest messages I have ever done, and it isn’t so much as a revelation, as a “Duh!” statement.

If you prefer to watch a video, short as it may be, I will make one for you, so click on this link: Watch the (short) video.

So, how often do we read or hear that God knows what will happen in the future? After all, aren’t there (at least) 12 prophets in the Bible who tell us all that will happen, not just in the immediate future, but in the distant future, as well?

And hasn’t every, single thing that God has told the prophets to warn the people about come to be?

So, is this because the future is something that God can see, so he tells us what will happen?

Or, is it simply because God is both eternal and omnipotent, so whatever he says will happen does happen because he makes it happen?

If you ask me, it’s because he makes the future happen the way he wants it to happen

(Everyone together go: “Duh!“)

God doesn’t have to see the future: God has a plan and he makes whatever he wants to happen happen because, well, because he can.

However, I believe there is a level of flexibility: when he chooses someone to do something, because he gave us all Free Will, we can refuse to do as God has asked of us.

Think of Yonah, who first tried to escape God’s calling for him to go to Nineveh. Now, in this case, God was pretty adamant that it be Yonah, but how many others has God called that have not heeded his calling? We will never know because they never made it into the Bible, and we won’t hear about them on CNN or Fox news, either.

God will allow us to make our own way in the world, and he can do whatever he wants to do, in order to get us to go the way he wants us to go. But, still and all, I do not believe God will actually force us to do his will-we have to accept it.

If Yonah had not been responsible enough to tell the men to throw him overboard, maybe God would have let them all live, or had them all shipwrecked…who knows? I believe that if Yonah had continued to refuse to obey God, then God would have just sent someone else. God’s plan, which is the future to us, will always be accomplished, and that is simply because God makes the future happen the way he wants it to.

So, if someone asks me can God see the future, I will say “No. He doesn’t see the future, he makes it, which is why he knows what will happen.”

It’s that simple.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages, subscribe to both my website and YouTube channel, buy my books, and join my Facebook page called “Just God’s Word” (please make sure you agree to the rules).

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Would you believe me if I told you that when I was working as a salesman, one of the most important training lessons I ever had was about how people learn?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

It’s true! People learn in one of three ways: through seeing (visual), through hearing (aural), and through touching (tactile). The percentage of people who learn these ways is as follows:

Visual learners – 65%
Aural earners- 30%
Tactile learners- 5%

I was (if I do say so myself) a very good salesman, closing in one call 35-40% of the time, and one of the reasons for that success was that I would discover by talking with the people which way they learned, and then take that approach with them when going through my “pitch”.

For example, since most people learn visually, I used what we call the “Talking Pad”. This simply means that whatever I said I also wrote down on a writing tablet for them to see. I became so good at writing upside-down, my penmanship was actually better that way!

If I found that they were better at listening, I would talk a little slower, and if they seemed to be that rare type who learned best by touching, I would use samples a lot and allow them to hold the material.

I also used terminology that fit their learning system: for visual, I would use terms such as “Can you see what I mean”; for aural, “Can you hear what I am saying”; and for tactile “Doesn’t this have a good feel to you?”

Yes, sales is all about psychology: one saying in sales is that you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle.

So, nu? What does this have to do with God, or religion or spiritual things?

Everything!

Everything you know about God and messiah and the Bible has to be told to people, and whether they believe you or not, it is something you need to present to them in a way that they can understand you. Missionary work is sales- like it or not, that is what it is.

Shaul, that nice tent-making Pharisee from Tarsus, was an excellent salesman. He gave his customers what they wanted to hear, in a way they could accept it.

And what is really incongruent about missionary work is that we are selling something that everyone wants (eternal peace and joy), and we tell them it is absolutely free, yet so few are interested in getting it.

The problem with most people being visual learners is that it is so easy to paint a picture that they love, and they won’t go beyond learning what they see.

Pictures of people in heaven, pictures all over social media of Yeshua holding his arms open to you when you die, angels with wings protecting children, and so many other goody-goody, rose-colored glasses sort of pictorials of heaven and eternity.

YUCK! It is all wrong- we don’t go to heaven, our loved ones do not come to meet us when we die, and Yeshua is not standing at the pearly gates waiting to welcome you with open arms.

But 65% of the people seeing these pictures accept them as they are, and they do not go any further than that.

What we need to do to help people come to know God and accept Yeshua is to be able to teach using the way people learn, which means, first and foremost, asking questions. Too many people sell the steak, in other words, they talk on and on about what they know and how important this is for you to believe, otherwise you go to hell.

Sorry, but that won’t help anyone. All it will do is get those who are weak and easily scared to agree with you. But those types will accept what you say, then as soon as you leave, they will accept what the next fear-monger sells them.

The thing for believers who want to help people know God and messiah to do is to learn how the person you are talking to learns, and then approach them that way. It is always good to have some tracts with you, since most of the people will learn by reading, and also a prepared “spiel” that gives them the very basics for those who learn by listening.

When approaching those who learn by touch, well, that is a hard thing to overcome when talking about a spirit, so use terms that appeal to tactile things, like how it feels when you are touched by God, how being saved is like being hugged, and how knowing God is like having a warm blanket around you on a cold night.

We must overcome the pretty pictures all over the world in order for people to know the truth about God, messiah Yeshua, and salvation.

In fact, that is why I write a message then make a video, so that between the reading , watching, and hearing, I hit 95% of the people where they learn.

Maybe that’s why God said not to make any images of anything in the sky, on the earth, or in the water: he knew how easy it is for people to be taught lies and to twist his truth with pretty pictures that mislead people.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages to help this ministry grow. Subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, buy my books, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (please make sure you read and agree to the rules).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!