UNDER WHOSE TENTS SHOULD WE DWELL? 
By Rabbi/Brother Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky 
President Your Arms To Israel 
Revised 12/20/00 


A MISSED PROPHECY! 
 

Genesis chapter 9, verses 26 & 27, give the Bible believer one of the most clear references in all of Scripture to the true revealed will of Yahuwah, regarding exactly which customs and traditions the body of Messiah must adopt. These verses are among the greatest and yet the most neglected of all Messianic prophecies in all of Scripture. Most of us have no problem quoting Isaiah 53 or Isaiah 7:14 as Messianic references to Yahshua, yet the devil has blinded most of the Roman and Babylonian religious world into quickly glossing over Genesis 9:26 & 27, or worse, ignoring the text completely. It is amazing that when Satan sets out to bury the Davar Yahuwah, believers receive a spirit of stupor. These verses never are really studied in depth and then practically applied. Your Arms To Israel will seek to place them before you so that the light of truth can focus in on them.

In these verses Noah the prophet of Yahuwah prayed and prophesied all at once. He prayed that at some future time and place, all the sons and daughters of Japheth (Gentile nations) will join with Shem ( all Israel ), and be obedient to the call to join with greater Israel. It was Noah's mouth verbalizing the desires and will of Yahuwah, that Japheth would one day be enlarged and blessed under the tents of Shem.

It is clear from verses Genesis 26 & 27 of Genesis 9, that the only place that the sons of Japheth (Gentile nations) will find truth and spiritual enrichment is under the tents of Shem. In these fascinating pronouncements Noah prophesied that the day would come through the Brit Chadasha and through its mediator, Messiah Yahshua, that Japheth will be enlarged physically, materially and most important, spiritually, under the dwellings of Yahuwah of Hosts, which is synonymous with the dwellings of Shem.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION 


That was and always has been the formula for the acceptable offering up of the former Gentile (non- Israelite) nations as a sweet smelling savor in the nostrils of Yahuwah- Elohim Of Yisrael. It is also interesting to note that despite this Messianic pronouncement upon earlier Gentile nations, the prophet Noah posed this declaration in petitioner's form. In other words he asked Yahuwah to bring it to pass, even though it is Yahuwah's revealed will for this to come to pass.

In other words, Through his spiritual sensitivity and discernment, Noah sensed that despite Yahuwah's revealed will, something in the future would go astray. Something bothered Noah about this Messianic prophecy's ultimate fulfillment. This hesitancy led him to declare the will of Yahuwah as a prayer, knowing that some circumstance, or some group of circumstances would oppose it from being fulfilled properly. 

Genesis 10:5 states in very obvious terms that the ones being called by Yahuwah to live out their days under the tents of Shem are the Gentile nations. This verse tells us that the sons of Japheth would settle the coastlands of the earth, or the areas farthest away from Jerusalem around the globe. 

These verses further imply that Japheth would be in serious error and rebellion should he ever choose to unilaterally remove themselves from the place of Yahuwah's calling and Yahuwah's favor. As an interesting footnote, notice that the Canaanites would become slaves to both Shem and Japheth as long as both of them remained faithful to the ways of Shem. If either the future Israelites( Judah and Ephraim) or future non-Israelite believers in Yahuwah (Japheth), departed from the dwellings of Shem, they would not be able to enslave the Canaanites, rather the Canaanites would enslave them. Historically this has played out at times when the Israelites were engaged in paganism and thus captured by various pagan nations. 

The Canaanites in these verses are not and never have been a reference to black people in general, or the demonic myth that their lot is perpetual slavery to whites!. The Canaanites Yahuwah speaks of here, are the pagan nations both black and white, who reject the Elohim of creation that Japheth and Shem both are called to enjoy under the tents of Shem. Zechariah 14:21, leaves no doubt that Canaanites are not blacks but pagans, who will not be allowed in the millennial temple of Messiah, because of their uncircumcised hearts. Those who teach that these verses are Yahuwah's curse on black people, are theologically ignorant, racially biased, deeply saturated in sin. Unfortunately many sons of Japheth, especially in the so-called exclusive white identity cults, believe this lie. This lie was alive and well in the deep south of the United States for many years before the era of civil rights.

The question needs to be addressed head-on at this point. If Gentiles and Israelites can only be enlarged spiritually under the tents of Shem, or under the things found in the future nation of Israel, then we must take a closer look at what else is found under the tents of Shem beside the Elohim Of the Israel. You will find His Torah, His Shabbat (seventh day), His laws of Kashrut and His appointed times (Leviticus: 23). Noah reminds us through his prophetic Messianic prayer, that only under the tents of Shem can Yahuwah's fullness be found. Yet, apostate Roman and Babylonian based theology has often played the harlot and has wrongly taught the world as well as the redeemed, pagan theologies for nearly two thousand years. Many in these religious systems have removed Messiah's followers from Shem's tent, as well as removing Shem from his own tent and forcibly moving Shem into the tent of Japheth, where idolatry, heathen practices and many other ungodly "isms," such as popery are found.

That is theological anti-shem-itism!! Christmas, Easter, Sun-Day worship, Maryology , the modern Eucharist celebration of transubstantiation, are all designed to steal the hearts of Yahuwah-fearers everywhere, through this unlawful relocation of Yahuwah's people from one tent to another. (Noah feared this REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY, through the shifting of doctrinal tents) Daniel 7:25 reminds us that the soon -to-come anti-messiah, will reinforce Japheth's teachings that have sinfully changed Yahuwah's Torah and Yahuwah's appointed times and seasons! For this reason the anti-messiah is referred to in holy canon as the man of lawlessness. Traditional Judaism has also become sinful and fallen short of the glory of Yahuwah in this matter. Traditional Judaism has removed itself from the Messiah of Shem, the final blood-sacrificial atonement produced by the Elohim of Shem and the New Covenant of Shem. Rabbinical laws as outlined in Talmud have in many instances left the tents of Shem for the tents of the rabbis and their fallacious teachings regarding the dual nature of Torah. The rabbis have taken it upon themselves and added the oral torah ("torah she b'al peh") and actually elevated it above the Torah written by the hand of Yahuwah, revealed to His people on Mt. Sinai. HaAdon Yahshua rebuked this self imposed removal from the tents of Shem by the children of Shem in Matthew 15:9, where He accuses the leaders of Jewish-Israel of teaching the commandments of mere men as if they were Torah. They also have removed the Cohanim (priests) from the seat of Moses and seated themselves upon it without divine sanction! Therefore they do not now speak for the Israelite nation. Traditional Judaism needs as much teshuvah (repentance from ungodly traditions) as does the so called historic church! This call to live under the tents of Shem is for all people, Jews, returning Ephraimites, or non-Israelites, who desire to walk in obedience and faithfulness to Yahuwah's chosen and revealed center of spiritual enlargement. The tents of Shem is where Yahuwah has put His name and this tent goes anywhere Torah truths are brought forth! 


PLACE OF ENLARGEMENT


This enlargement of Jews, Ephraimites and Gerim was to take place under the commonwealth or the governmental jurisdiction of Israel and not Rome or Babylon. Ephesians 2:9, 13-14, John 10:16, Isaiah 42:4 and 21, all make it abundantly plain and simple to comprehend, that the plan of the ages was to gather all people (including Ephraimites) from among the nations and plant or replant them under the tents of Shem to experience everlasting joy in unshakable truth. Yahshua Himself reminded His talmidim that He would gather other non-Jewish sheep and bring them into "this fold meaning greater Israel, or the Israelite fold (John 10:16). It was Messiah's will that Gentile sons of Japheth join returning Ephraimites (returning Israel) and become one with Jewish-Israel in these last days, not replace it, torture it, belittle it, or ridicule it! It would be only under those tents of Shem, where enrichment, nourishment, abundance and obedience, could produce a Spirit and fruit-filled life unto Yahuwah! According to Genesis 49:10, Shiloh the "sent or anointed-one," will gather all Ephraimite individuals along with individuals from Gentile Japheth nations , to dwell between the Torah honoring feet of the tribe of Judah! Instead, much of the religous world has disobeyed Yahuwah, by putting Israel's offspring (Jew & Ephraimite) in alliance with both Rome and Babylon and their syncretistic mixture of of spiritual sianide.

Isaiah 42:4 also is a most fascinating piece of Scripture. Here we see that the coastlands nations (including ten tribe Ephraim), would not only wait for Messiah (Isaiah 42:1), but also for the Torah that Moshiach was going to bring them. Through Torah observance and discipleship, He will gather the Gentiles (nations) and turn them from spiritual Canaanites into the offspring of Shem by dwelling in the righteous Torah-observant tents of Shem. Needless to say, this means that all Japheth's righteouss children will observe those things contained in Torah such as Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (New Moon celebrations) and the Feasts Of Yahuwah, throughout the present age, into the millennial age and into eternity itself. These ordinances of Torah are eternal. In Zechariah 14:16-18, Japheth is ordered to celebrate Succoth (Tabernacles), or choose to suffer physical and spiritual famine! Isaiah 2:1-3 and Micah 4:1-3, both speak of Japheth's children who will travel from across the globe to Jerusalem in the last days, to learn Torah! 


ONE TORAH FOR ALL


The Genesis 9 prophecy is reiterated by Yahuwah-Elohim elsewhere in Scripture. Numbers 15:15-16, states that Yahuwah gives one Torah and one set of customs to believing Israelites (both houses) and believing non-Israelites. That's right! Yahuwah has called grafted-in non Israelites and returning Ephraimites to obey and follow Israelite customs because there is no such thing as a pagan Torah, neither is there any room in Israel for pagan customs that are forbidden in Scripture. Torah forbids any type of uncleanness no matter how trivial man may consider it in the Kingdom Of Yahuwah. In First Corinthians 11:2, Rav Shaul calls non-Jewish Ephraimites and former Gentile sons of Japheth in Corinth, to hold fast to Israelite traditions and customs (Torah not Talmud), since it would be vain, self-defeating and spiritually non-profitable for them to follow their former ignorant and idolatrous customs, that led them astray in the first place (I Corinthians 12:1). 

Lest you think that this admonition is found only in the Torah, check Acts 15:20-21, where the Ruach Hakodesh, orders all Japheth's children along with the Ephraimites returning (v19) with them who are saved, to begin a Torah observant life by: keeping four basic mitzvahs (commands) with which to start their renewed walk with Yahuwah. Then they are instructed to continue to go to the traditional synagogues, to get further grounding in elementary Torah instruction, since Moses or Torah is preached in every city, every Shabbat through the weekly Torah Parsha (portion). 

Despite the fact that these unbelieving synagogues rejected the Messiah and the New Covenant, the Jewish elders at Jerusalem told the talmidim who had been rescued from the nations (Israelites and Gerim), that the traditional synagogue was still a good place to get BASIC Torah training (NOT ONGOING MESSIANIC DISCIPLESHIP AND GROWTH), since they were too busy and too preoccupied with teaching the greater things of Yahuwah such as Yahshua's atoning blood and bodily resurrection . If that doesn't shock you into believing the case that dwelling under the tents of Shem is for all returning Ephraimites along with all Japheth's righteous children, then nothing anyone ever tells you, will change your thinking! 

In Matthew 23:1-3,Yahshua tells all the disciples to observe all things found in Torah (what Moshe said) that are biblical. First Corinthians 5:7-8, reminds a predominately non Jewish Israelite body of believers in Corinth, to keep the Feast of Passover with pure hearts. In Romans 15:10 and Deuteronomy 32:43, Yahuwah calls non Israelites to join and rejoice with His people Israel, not for His people Israel to rejoice in the bankruptcy of the often pagan ways of Japheth! First Corinthians 7:19 instructs us that circumcision and uncircumcision are nothing before Yahuwah in the New Covenant. Race and nationality or the tent of your origin or birth does not impress Yahuwah (Galatians 3:28 & 29). The tent of your dwelling via your own choosing, does in fact make a world of difference and is the ONLY thing that impresses Him, because according to these verses, Torah observance or "keeping the commandments of Yahuwah", is for all His children and is eternally essential to sonship! You and I cannot escape Yahuwah's call on our lives to be obedient to Him by striving to keep and nurture all His instructions (Torot), all His statutes and all His commands. 

The litmus test for love and obedience to Yahshua is passed with flying colors, when His children dwell in the tents of Shem and keep His commandments (John 15:10). The individuals who know the truth, yet still choose to dwell in the vile religous systems of Rome and Babylon, must while there is still time, repent in sackcloth and ashes of paying homage to other gods. False mighty-ones were the cause for the destruction of ancient Babylonian civilization and will again be the cause of the destruction by fire of the Babylonian religous system, that has enslaved born-again Israelites (killing and persecuting Jews and binding Ephraimites to bible truth and Israelite identity) in spiritual darkness for 2000 years. According to prophecy in Revelation chapters 17-19, the Babylon system will be destroyed by fire from Yahuwah Almighty during the Day Of Yahuwah's Wrath. First Peter 4:17-18 soberly reminds us that Yahuwah's judgment for paganism and idolatry will begin with the saved redeemed people of Yahuwah. Cleansing begins with us not the religous systems. The systems that bound us to Japheth's tents, are destined for ultimate and total destruction. Only repentant cleansed individuals, willing to relocate their doctrinal and national tents, can escape this judgement outlined in the book of Revelation. The people are salvagable! The systems that bind them are not!!


YOUR NEW MESSIANIC NAZAERENE YISRAEL LIFESTYLE


If you are a saved Israelite (Judah and Ephraim) or Ger who has become Israel via relocation to Shem's tent, and are being awakened to your former spiritual bondage then your lifestyle must reflect that move away from Japheth's SUN DAY based systems of theology, which housed that idolatry. Your Israelite roots and the accompanying awareness that you really do belong to the chosen people both physically and spiritually, can be destroyed by lack of biblical unction based in applying new knowledge you know have! (Hosea 4:6). 

As Second Corinthians 6:17 says you need to come out from among them (Japheth's ways) and touch not the unclean thing. It isn't being non-Semitic that makes these systems bad, unclean or dangerous. No, not at all! It is however, their paganism and idolatry and antinomianism that make their practices unacceptable before Yahuwah Of Hosts! 

We must all take to heart the warnings of YAHUWAH in Jeremiah 10:1-5, as serious issues with Yahuwah. Believers in Yahuwah are not allowed to copy, imitate or emulate the ways of the pagan societies among whom they dwell. Yes! That means that a Christmas tree is not something to be laughed about. Many Jewish believers have Christmas trees in their homes, because someone told them that it was harmless. Only by living under the tents of Japheth, would these warnings be ridiculed instead of taken seriously. Under the tents of Shem there are not supposed to be Easter bunnies, Easter ham bakes, or women at the Sun-Day school picnic selling pumpkins for Halloween. 

If these writings offend you, it is because you have sadly become so unwittingly indoctrinated by idolatry and pagan promiscuity, that the plainness of these truths is more to you, than the pagan practices themselves. Well pause for a moment and think how revolting it must be to our Holy Father Yahuwah, who forbids us to engage in this debauchery and yet lovingly and gracefully puts up with us, because of His great love for us. For the PRESENT TIME [ONLY] mercy rejoices against judgment (Yakkov 2:13)! 


THE RUTH PRINCIPLE


The classical pattern for Israelites (Jewish Israel and non Jewish Israel) dwelling within Shem and within the ways of Shem, is found in the Book Of Ruth. Ruth joined Yahuwah's people and didn't start a new nation, compete with or replace an existing one. She was grafted into the established people of Yahuwah. This "Ruth Principal" was later elaborated upon by Rav Shaul in Roman 11:17-21.Rav Shaul taught the same "Ruth Principle" taught by Noah and by all the prophets of Israel. In the modern ANTI-SHEMITE religous systems the "Ruth Principle" has all but disappeared. Most Christians, Messianic Jews and even most traditional Jewish seminaries, don't have a clue about this biblical principle. 

While the proud Roman and Babylonian religous systems rightly proclaim that "Your Elohim is my Elohim", they conveniently forget Ruth's full understanding of Yahuwah's calling, (by falsely saying and acting like) by adding "nevertheless your people will not become my people" and where you are buried in Jewish cemeteries isn't good enough for us Spirit-filled holy rollers. 

Which makes one wonder what kind of spirit these folks are truly filled with! Instead of following Yahuwah's plan, she proudly substitutes her own plan and declares I rather desire to totally suppress and replace you! If followed obediently the "Ruth Principle" pertaining to true non Israelites and returning Ephraim-Israel, will have the righteous redeemed children of Japheth and Ephraim joining and rejoining the Commonwealth of Israel. In simple lexicon this literally means drinking the wealth of Israel and having those same spiritual riches shared and held commonly. 


JEWS ARE ONLY COMFORTABLE IN SHEM'S TENTS! 


Only under the dwellings of Shem do we find Jew and non Jew as one in Yahshua! One of the most striking features of a modern Messianic Nazarene Yisraelite assembly is the oneness between Jews, Ephraimites and Gentiles. We all are equal and celebrate Yahuwah as Israelites, with the lesser and former identifications as Jew, Gentile, male, female, bond, or free, having been superceded by the greater title of Israelite! 

A close look at the dwellings of "religious Japheth", will often reveal the absence of even a single born-again Jew in residence in that worship service. Under the tents of Japheth, the Jew all but disappears from the face of the professing religious landscape and from the tapestry of the body of Messiah. His uniqueness literally vanishes! Revelation 14:12, brings this entire matter to a grand conclusion. The redeemed faithful and patient saints among the Jews, Ephraimites and non-Israelites, are identified for us by Yochanan. They are those who have come to faith in Moshiach and who by obedience to the ways and commandments of Shem, please Yahuwah and overcome the world, the false religious systems, the flesh and are willing to permanently dwell in Shem's tents!! 

Selah.