(Exhortation and teaching given by brother Yaacov Cramer at the 2009 Sukkoth site)

Shalom chaverim; and welcome to the first day of Sukkoth 2009.

It is an honor to be able to address you all, and a blessing to attend this Feast with you.

Since only The Oleary family have really met us, and that only for a very short time, I will give you a bit of background about myself.

We are from Southern Michigan, and a very rural area at that, surrounded by farm country and some woods. Chaver became my wife  late last spring, and has been a real blessing to me and to the ministry there. We live a on a small 3 acre farm raising a few sheep and a rather large garden.

I was born in that area and at age 8 (approx) started attending the 'church of Christ' which was just about a block away. Because my friends' dad was the pastor and for vanity reasons, I attended with perfect attendance for the next 6-7 years.

At age 19 I got my papers from Uncle Sam and was sent to S.E. Asia. After getting over there I realized that with all the time I had spent in 'church', the only Scriptures I had ever read were the memory verses given to us in Sunday school class, so I went to the PX and purchased my first King James Bible. I ended up reading it from cover to cover in about 3-4 months. In the process of reading it I noticed a lot of discrepancies in what it said and what the church had taught me. So I re-read it and this time I took notes of those things which I did not understand; such as why the church kept Sunday instead of the Sabbath, and why did we not know about the Feast days? Why had I never heard the pastor teach that eating pig was unclean?

I ended up with 2 pages of questions, so when I got back to the States I took them to the pastor. (By now a different pastor was over the congregation.)

Needless to say; after a few questions which he could not answer I was told to leave and not come back. The later admonitions being completely unnecessary as I felt I had been lied to for many years.

6-8 months before I got out of the army, I had found an add for a free magazine called "The Plain Truth". Since army wages were very poor, I was all for a free magazine for I loved reading and since I had been searching the Scriptures, the title "Plain Truth" just sort of stuck out at me.

Although this magazine did point out many things going on in our world from a Scriptural perspective, they had very little doctrinal teachings in it.

So about 2 months before I got out I went on a fast; not something I was at all familiar with, but had seen the example of in Scriptures.

Just after this fast I found out about another magazine being published by WCG called "The World Tomorrow". This went much deeper into doctrines and I then found out that Worldwide was a Sabbath keeping; Feast keeping, organization.

The first summer I was out I wrote to Pasadena Ca. for a ministrial visit which didn't come about until late in that fall, but I was told after my first visit that I could attend the local congregation which was about 50 miles away. Until 1995 I considered WCG as the only true "church".

At the Feast of Tabernacles 1993 I purchased an NIV study bible. In the preface I found something which would change my whole outlook on Scriptures. This was where I first came across the Set-Apart Name. It was also around this time frame that Joseph Tkach Sr. was given the leadership of Worldwide, and one of the first magazines he had published was about The Name, it even had a picture of a stained glass window with the tetragrammaton in it.

After J. Tkach Sr. died his son retracted all the scriptural doctrines in order for WCG to become more recognized by "worldly churches'. I stayed with them until 2001 as there was a core group of us who would meet after Sabbath services every week to discuss the doctrinal changes and our understanding of Scriptures on them. Slowly this group fell apart and I spent 3 years keeping Shabbat with my 2 sons.

Finally; in 2004 I found out about a "Believer" who lived around 19 miles from me.

From that day to this my life has become a growing experience. Constantly learning and studying, and one area of study which I find very challenging and important is prophecy.

I would like to look today at Yehezqel/Ezekiel 11.

This was/is a dual prophecy, to be filled in part in Yehezqel's time; but the ultimate fulfillment would be in the end times.

Verse 1> And the Ruach/Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the House of YHWH, which faces east. and see, at the door of the gate were 25 men, among whom I saw Ya'azanyah, son of Azzur; and Pelatyahu, son of Benayahu; heads of the people.

Notice carefully the location of this gate, for in Yehezqel 44: 1-3 we learn that this is YHWH's gate, the gate where our High Priest; Yahushua HaMashiach enters in and leaves the Temple.

We also notice in verse 1 that there are 25 men. These men are standing at the door of the Temple. There were in the days of the Temple, 24 orders of Priests who served within the Temple, plus the High Priest, 25!

Also; if we read Yehezqel 8:16, we see that these men are standing in the Temple but worshipping the sun in the east.

Although I have yet to find it, I believe this has either a spiritual and/or physical fulfillment today.

Now let us look at verse 13.

>" And it came to be, while I was prophesying, that Peletyahu son of Benayahu died. And I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, and said, 'Oy Master YHWH! Are YOU making an end of the remnant of Yisrael? "

Notice that this is a prominent son of one of the leaders in Jerusalem  who has died as prophesied in verse 1.

Yehezqel is familiar with the fact that this is only a remnant of Yisrael, but does he fully understand that YHWH has HIS eyes on all the remnant?

Amos did!!! See Amos 9:9+14.

Verse 15 >"Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your kinsmen, and all the house of Yisrael, all of it, are those about whom the inhabitants of Yerusalem said 'keep far from YHWH' , this land has been given to us as a possession."

Do we have "brothers" who tell us to stay away from YHWH? or perhaps HIS Torah?

Verse 16 >" Therefore say, 'Thus said the Master YHWH, "Although I have sent them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the lands, yet I was for them a set-apart place for a little while in the lands to which they came."

Here is an amazing proclamation. Abba YHWH was/is a 'set-apart' place for HIS called out ones in dispersion. Even in exile, YHWH was watching over HIS Chosen people.

There are many verses throughout Scriptures that point to this exile. Ps./Tehillim94:14; Jer./Yermiyahu 16:13-17; and Micah/Mikah 4"7 are a few.

Yehezqel/Ezek.11:17 >" Therefore say, 'Thus said the Master YHWH, "And I shall gather you from the peoples, and I shall assemble you from the lands where you have been scattered, and I shall give you the Land of Yisrael."

What a beautiful picture of the Second Exodus. Just as Abba YHWH gathered the children of Yisrael out of physical Egypt, so will HE gather (note: future tense) HIS People from all the nations of exile, to return to The Land, [Yisrael].

This is very important; for we see no rapture off to heaven.

Matt. 5:5 "The meek shall inherit the earth..." was Yahushua a meek man?

Matt 5:3+10 Both speak of 'The Kingdom of Shamayim/Heaven'. This is YHWH's Kingdom as spoken of in Rev. 21:1-4. A Kingdom here on the 'renewed' earth. And notice verses 3-4; there are mortal people living there who are called "HIS People"

Verse 18 >"And they shall go there, and shall take away all its disgusting matters and all it's abominations from there."

When HIS Chosen People shall go into The Land, [Yisrael]; when they are regathered and become one in HIS Hand as seen in Yehezqel/ Ezek. 37:16-28.

We know this prophecy has not been fulfilled because the disgusting matters, (detestable things in some Scriptures) are still there in The Land. These are the idols and sacrifices offered to idols. And the abominations are still there, i.e. Roman alters, pagan alters, and things associated with false mighty ones.

Verse 19 >" And I shall give them one heart, and put a new spirit within you. and I shall take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."

A heart of flesh upon which HE can write HIS Torah. This is a heart of unity, not division.

Verse 20 >" so that they walk in MY Laws, and guard MY Right-Rulings, and shall do them. And they shall be MY People and I shall be their Elohim."

How do we become "HIS People"? By walking in obedience to HIM, Keeping the Torah and HIS Right-Judgments. Yermiyahu/Jer. 7:23; 31:33; 32:38-41; Heb. 8:10; Rev, 18:4.

Many are the prophecies which point us to both a 2 house understanding, and the fact that we need to be keeping Torah if we expect to be among those entering into HIS Kingdom.

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