The Name of God in Action with Keith Johnson (Open Door Series - Part 4)
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Keith: For that which we just heard, and that which we're about to hear, we will have to leave our place of comfort. The Creator of the universe is doing something right now around the world, and people who have a certain level of comfort are being removed from their place of comfort. I know that because it's happened to me, it's happened to Nehemia and the list goes on, and on, and on.
Now that we've made this switch and stretched our legs, I want you to consider something right now, and that is that the Creator of the universe now wants to do something for you. He wants to take away what you're willing to give Him, and He wants to give you what you're willing to receive. He wants to take away what you're willing to give Him, and he wants to give you what you're willing to receive. So, would you do an act of receptivity? Would you just take your palms, like this? Let's stop again, put your palms down. I guess I should be fair to you about what I'm going to ask you to do. It's not fair to have you put your palms like this and then say a prayer, because it just might be that the prayer might be answered and you might say, “Wait, I didn't know the end result.” So, let me explain to you what I'm going to pray.
I only simply want you to put your palms like this if you're willing to let the Creator of the universe take away what He wants to take away, and give you what He wants to give you. Now, I need to warn you. Sometimes He answers the prayer. Let me say it again. If you take your palms, and you say, “Father, take away what You want to take away and give me what You want to give me,” there are times where He'll answer that prayer. And, you know, sometimes He'll do it just like that. I just have to stop for a moment, because in this room there are people that are holding on to some things that they must, say, “Must.”
Crowd: Must.
Keith: ...let Him take. There are other people that are here that have closed themselves to receive what He wants to give them. And so, they must…say, “Must.”
Crowd: Must.
Keith: ...open their lives for Him. So, let's try this, only if you're willing. Take your palms and let's pray. Father, for this opportunity we thank You. We do not take this lightly to be in this city at this time. We do not believe that this is simply just an act of obedience on our part. We believe that You have called us to this place. It is the day before the meeting. Your word says that there was a call for sanctification. Right now, Creator of the universe, take away what You want to take, and give us what You want to give us. In the end we'll give You all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor. You are worthy to be praised. And all the people said together, “Amen.” You may have a seat.
Oh, oh, now look at y'all. Everybody, stop. Everybody, stop. Everybody, stop. Don't move. No, don't move, now. Don't try to get back. Stop where you are. Look around at what everybody's trying to do. What everybody's trying to do is, “Okay, that was good, let me get back to my place of comfort.” Oh, you don't understand. You don’t understand. You don't get to leave that place that was not comfortable. Now, turn around, teshuva. Repent and get back to the spot you were just sitting at. Don't you try. Don’t you try. Don’t you try. Go back to the uncomfortable spot. Some of you are like, “I don't like that, I don't know that person.” It's okay. Now look up here. Look up here. Everyone, just go like this. Palms again. Give me, say, “Give me.”
Crowd: Give me.
Keith: What You want to give me.
Crowd: What You want to give me.
Keith: And take away.
Crowd: And take away.
Keith: What You want to take away.
Crowd: What You want to take away.
Keith: Including my discomfort.
Crowd: Including my discomfort.
Keith: Now have a seat. You all, I'm so excited to be able to share after Nehemia spoke, because many of you may not realize the significance of what just happened. You had a Jewish man who happens to be a Hebrew scholar, who is a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls project. He's got his undergraduate from the Hebrew University. He's got his graduate degree in biblical studies from the Hebrew University. And he just stood in front of you and gave you information that could change your life. However, there are so many of us who have preconceived ideas, that regardless of what we hear, we ain't moving. Can I get an Amen?
Crowd: Amen.
Keith: It kind of reminds me of... You see for me, I like what Michael says, “If you have a dog in the fight...” I never had a dog in the fight. I was minding my own business at a good old fashioned 1,200-member, large church. I was the Chaplain for the Minnesota Vikings, traveling around the world, doing evangelists. I had a great job, great gig, great family, everything’s fine. The Father meddles with me, but you see, I didn't have the baggage that so many people have, so that when I began to learn information, it wasn't about me recreating something, it was about it being downloaded into my life. And once I learned it, there was no choice, I had to embrace it.
So many of us that are sitting here today have been conditioned in our minds in certain ways and in certain areas, so that when new information comes, there's just something in us… If we don't move from our place of comfort, we will be stuck. There will be no stuck-ness this weekend. Jeremiah 16:21 says this, “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know.” That's amazing. The Father said this, “I'm going to make ‘em know.” This time, say, “This time.”
Crowd: This time.
Keith: “I am going to make them know My power and My might.” And then, after that, “They shall know that My name is…” and, of course, we have those four consonants. And I understand the battle over this issue, and I will tell you that I am presently, even as I stand before you here in the state of Texas, in the midst of controversy over the fact that I chose to open the scrolls to the public. When I opened the scrolls to the public regarding these four letters, they kicked me off TV.
Crowd member: Hallelujah.
Keith: Hallelujah? He said, “Hallelujah.” Listen, you all, I did a really radical thing. I thought - and this was really an assumption on my part – I thought truth was more important than tradition. No, I'm telling you. I thought that especially this group of people... And I will tell you right now, some people are a little nervous about me talking about this. The reason I want to challenge you all, in the Messianic community especially, is I think there's an opportunity for the Messianic community to lead the charge in truth if we're willing to break tradition… if.
So, we just had an opportunity to have a legitimate Hebrew scholar stand in front of you and speak the name. Now, I'm gonna get to this, because it's very important. Jeremiah says here, “They shall know that my name is...” and I will leave it right now for those four letters. We all agree on the four letters, Amen? Nobody disagrees with that.
I want to take you back to the Old City of Jerusalem. After I was with Michael for a few days and I met my friend Zakki and we've told you the story about the Torah scroll, the next day, Nehemia and I are supposed to be going to a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. And what he was planning for us to do was to go under the Old City of Jerusalem into the tunnels. How many of you all have been to the tunnels in the Old City of Jerusalem? It's a very, very powerful experience.
And as we were preparing to go, I asked him the question that I had asked many Jewish people before, “Can you tell me something about the name of God?” And every time I asked this question, I heard usually three responses. “His name is too holy to pronounce. It's too profound for you to understand. It's too powerful for you to know; therefore, you are prohibited from learning it.”
And this caused a great struggle in me, because the year before, though I had spent all of these years involved in regular, good old fashioned evangelical ministry, the Creator of the universe was calling me, bringing me to the Hebrew scriptures, beginning to learn things that I had not learned before. And I kept finding over and over again, in my newly acquainted Hebrew Bible, these four letters, Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, 6,828 times in my Hebrew Bible, the Bible that Yeshua would have read. He would have also seen these four letters over, and over, and over. And so, I would ask my Jewish brothers and sisters about this, and I'm telling you, to a person, they said, “No.”
I'm sitting at the Old City of Jerusalem. I ask Nehemia Gordon, who loves to answer questions, “Nehemia, can you tell me about the four-letter name?” “Absolutely, do you have a piece of paper and pencil?” Sounds familiar? What did the Pastor ask Nehemia, “Do you know about the four letters?” And Nehemia says, “Do you have a piece of paper and pencil?” Let me tell you what I love about this. Nehemia has yet to give me simply his opinion regarding this matter. What he has challenged me to do is search the scriptures for myself. And then the blessing was, he gave me the access to the tools wherein I could dig for myself.
But I'm gonna tell you why I did it. I did it for people like you. Because, you see, I am of the opinion that some people would say, giving information to those that are not in control takes away your influence of power. I would say that your "influence of power" is not supposed to be that way, anyway. I believe what the people need is an opportunity to understand it for themselves.
So, as I'm in the Old City of Jerusalem, I asked Nehemia the question. He said, “Do you have a piece of paper and pencil?” I write the Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey. He says, “Well, there are some manuscripts, two specifically, that actually have places… not in every place in the manuscript, places in the manuscript, where the name is written ‘Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey’ and the scribe, and we do not know why, places in not two vowels, but three.” Why is this important? What does this have to do with me?
Well, if you're reading in the Hebrew manuscripts and you come across the name “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey” with two vowels, that is an impossibility for you to be able to speak. That was them operating by the ban, but for some reason, say, “Some reason.”
Crowd: Some reason.
Keith: ...there were some scribes, say, “Some scribes.”
Crowd: Some scribes.
Keith: ...who got caught up as they're going like this in the Hebrew Bible, and for some reason, say, “Some reason.”
Crowd: Some reason.
Keith: There were some scribes, say, “Some scribes.”
Crowd: Some Scribes.
Keith: ...who decided to add a third vowel into the four-letter name. Why did they do it? Maybe it was subconscious, maybe it was the Holy Spirit, somebody say, “Maestro.”
Crowd: Maestro.
Keith: But they put the four consonants and three vowels so that if you came across it, you'd have to be able to speak it.
Now, I'm sitting with Nehemia, he tells me this story. I said, “Okay, Nehemia.” And he goes on to explain more. Now, I'm living with Michael. Michael is giving me time, freedom to run, do whatever I want to do. I sit there with Nehemia, and he says, “According to the oldest, most complete vocalized Hebrew manuscripts, the name would be...” and he pronounces the name. As soon as he does this, there's a man standing next to us with a tallit and tzitzit, and he does a radical thing that cannot get out of my mind or my heart for the last 10 years.
Now, when I travel, I travel with this gun case. And I've had some situations happen when I go into the airport, where the TSA get a little nervous with a bald-headed black guy with a gun case, and they've asked me questions over and over again. It will go through the deal, and they'll say, “Supervisor.” And the supervisor will come, and as it goes through, the supervisor will stop and ask me what it is. And I love to tell this one little story, because as Nehemia and I are traveling along, this thing goes through the TSA and the lady says, “Supervisor.”
The supervisor comes and all he does is he grabs my gun case, holds it out in front of me and says, “Well?” And I wasn't in the mood to play around with this man, I said, “It's the horn of God.” And the supervisor said, “You mean, like the one they blew when they were taking around the walls of Jericho? I know about that,” he said. “And I'm telling you right now,” he said, “We could have revival right here.” This is what the supervisor said. And you all, I've had so many stories where this has happened.
The reason I'm bringing this is because when Nehemia proclaims the name found in the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex, and proclaims the name, this man - and we don't know where he came from, who he was - but he blew this horn of God two times. What I will tell you all is, I have been arrested by this sound. I can't get enough of His name, and I cannot get enough of the sound of the shofar. So, before I get started, say, “Before.”
Crowd: Before.
Keith: I want to take you back to the Old City of Jerusalem. Would you do me a favor? Imagine this. You're me, the Methodist. You're at Michael's house, you don't even know what you're doing there. You're just following every single day according to Isaiah, whether you turn to the left or to the right, may you hear the voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Every single day, all I'm doing is walking by the Spirit. All I'm doing is waiting to hear, left or right. All I'm waiting for is, who should I meet? Who should I talk to? What should I say? Where should I go? Come on, somebody. All I'm doing is taking step, by step, by step.
And then I meet this nut who breaks the tradition of proclaiming the name according to the information found in the manuscripts. He proclaims the name. Bow your heads. This is not an altar call. This is simply an opportunity for you to focus for a moment, hearing my Jewish brother proclaim the name and listening to the sound of the two blasts of the shofar. Nehemia, I want you to stand up, if you would. And all I simply want you to do, nice and loud, that the world might be able to hear, according to all of your studies and according to all of the information, and according to the inspiration, dealing with the oldest Hebrew manuscripts back and forth. As we're sitting in that place, all I want you to do is proclaim it the way you proclaimed it on that day, and then I shall blow the shofar.
Nehemia: Yehovah.
Keith: [blows shofar] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know you all caught that last little four notes, Yud-Hey-Vav-Hay. Did y'all hear that? Did that move anybody else? Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay. Can I do that again? Would that be all right with you all? I'm gonna get to the message here. There's something about hearing the sound. I think they tell me, eventually, we're going to hear this sound again. From what I understand in the Book, it says that when they came to the mountain for Shavuot, there were loud blasts of the shofar. One more time. Can I play the four letters, Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey?
Crowd: Yes.
Keith: If you're open, put your palms like this.
Keith: [blows shofar] Oh, my goodness. [blows shofar] When I hear this man tell me this information, it begins to cause a great call on my life. I came to Israel for three things which I did not know, to encounter God's time, God's Torah, and God's tetragrammaton, the four letters. Ten years later, I come to find out, when Michael and I are sitting in the office together, he says to me, “You know, Keith, for 10 years, you've been dealing with this.” He said, “For 40, I've been dealing with God's time, God's Torah, and God's name.”
I am so excited to be here today, because I think that what is happening is that we are being put into a situation where we can take our joint efforts to proclaim God's time, God's Torah, and God's tetragrammaton, His four letters, throughout the earth. In order to do that, we have to stay in the place of what I call “a little bit of discomfort.” The other thing we'll have to do is to dig, say, “Dig.”
Crowd: Dig.
Keith: Here's a picture under the Old City of Jerusalem. There are massive stones, you all, I think Nehemia told me 600 metric tons. Some of these stones are under the Old City of Jerusalem that are holding it up. And when I saw that information down there, and I saw the way that this place was built, I thought, “What would it be like if you gave people a biblical foundation for their faith?” So, that is why we came up with the Biblical Foundations Academy, which has published the information for you to have, and inspiration. I want you to say again these words that Nehemia has already taught us. Say, “Avinu.”
Crowd: Avinu.
Keith: Shebashamayim.
Crowd: Shebashamayim.
Keith: Our Father who is in Heaven. And then in the second part, “Yitkadesh,” say, “Yitkadesh.”
Crowd: Yitkadesh.
Keith: Shimkha.
Crowd: Shimkha.
Keith: Now, let me tell you something that I think is really, really interesting. Yeshua is standing in front of these people on the mountain. We've actually been to the mountain where we believe, according to the information that we have, was the actual mountain where he preached. There's an outcropping that's there with this beautiful… like an auditorium almost, where you would be able to speak. I can speak in the language I'm speaking now in the volume, and you can hear it far, far, far away.
He does this radical thing. Why didn't Yeshua say this. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be My name?” I feel you over there, okay. He went like this, “Oh, boy.” Why didn't Yeshua stand up and say, “Hallowed be My name?” He said, “Hallowed be Your name,” because he understood that His name is holy. What he was also calling the people to is what we call a “call to action” to sanctify the name of His Father. And yet, when you open up your English Bible, you don't even get to interact with this holy name. Depending on your tradition, or your denomination, or your particular group or fellowship, they've already told you, “No, you can't know this name.” Yet Yeshua stands up and makes this radical statement. He says, “May Your name be sanctified.”
When I see that, I'm thinking to myself, “Okay, He could have said anything.” Obviously, after introducing the fact that he's speaking to the Father, the first thing he says out of the mouth is the name, the name is to be sanctified. Your name be sanctified in both Hebrew and Greek. It is "a call to action" and not simply a poetic pronunciation, a call to action.
I want to show you guys a picture. This is Reggie White, and that's Nehemia, I’d say, when he had hair and probably, I don't know, quite a few more pounds on him. Michael’s in the background. I want to call Michael a name right now, it's kind of funny. I don't think he'd be offended by this. Michael does more things that you guys would... You don't even understand the things that he does, the places where he's actually had influence in people's lives and never takes credit for it. Can I say that again? There are things that Michael Rood has done, and is doing right now, that he'll never take credit for. But God has used him.
This picture that's up on the screen of Reggie White and Nehemia Gordon, again, is another result of Michael Rood saying, “Yes, Reggie, come and I will host you.” He's the one who introduces Reggie to Nehemia. Unfortunately, Reggie has passed away, but he was a man of passion, a great football player. He played for the Green Bay Packers, and won the Super Bowl. He loved the name of God. He loved God and he loved the word. He goes over to Jerusalem, and he says to Nehemia, “Hey, Nehemia. I would like to see the Aleppo Codex, this most important Hebrew manuscript, which is connected to every Jewish Bible that we know.” And Nehemia says, “Sure.” He goes over to the museum and shows him a picture of a wonderful little Aleppo Codex. And then, Nehemia tells him something that I'm sometimes so glad he did. Nehemia says, “Well, what you're seeing right now is not the real Codex. The first two pages are real, but everything behind it is simply a fake.”
Reggie says, “That ain't good enough for me. I want to see the original,” that's what Reggie said. Nehemia said, “Oh no, you don't understand. Nobody sees the original. The Prime Minister has never seen the original. The original is in a vault that nobody gets to go to.” And Reggie didn't care, so Nehemia says, “Okay, I'll call, just to show you that you can't do it.” Nehemia calls the museum and says, “Listen, I've got a man here named Reggie White, he plays for the Green Bay Packers. He wants to see the original Aleppo.” “Nobody's seen the original Aleppo Codex, the Prime Minister doesn't see the original Aleppo Codex. Nobody sees it. It's in a vault, nobody sees it.”
An hour later, Nehemia gets a phone call. “Is Mr. White still interested in seeing the Aleppo Codex?” One of the greatest contributors to the Museum is a Green Bay Packer fan. He says that if Reggie will sign a picture, he will take him into the vault. Now, most people don't know this. Most people don’t know this. Mr. Smarty over here, Nehemia, when I called and said, “Hey, listen Nehemia, Reggie White wants to experience the same thing I did. Michael's over there, we're over there.” And Nehemia is like, “Who is he?” “He's a football player.” He's like, “Football? What, he plays soccer?” Nehemia didn't know who he was. I say, “He's a Green Bay Packer.” “I don't know who he is. Okay, he can come,” Not realizing that God was going to use the influence of a football player to get Nehemia to see something that he had dreamt and wanted to see his entire life.
They go into the vault, and there is the Aleppo Codex. Now, you all, there's so much information I could tell you about this. I actually put some in the book, “His Hallowed Name Revealed Again.” And certainly, you can go on the Internet to understand the significance of the crown jewel, the crown manuscript, the Aleppo Codex. But here's one thing that happened. After Reggie comes out of the vault, he says, “I want a copy.” “Well, Mr. White, you need to understand something. We made about 500 copies of these several years ago in the ‘70s, but there are no more left.” An hour later the phone call comes. “We have found 100 unbound copies of the Aleppo Codex.” He says, “I'll take four.” Four. He gives one to Nehemia, gives one to Qadry Ismail, gives one to myself, and he takes one for himself.
When he comes home from Israel, he says, “Keith, I've got a gift for you.” And he walks in, you all, and I don't know if you've ever seen it. Go to the interview that Michael and I and Nehemia did. We actually brought the Aleppo Codex which the other television station says it will not show the public. I will say this, I had brought the same Aleppo Codex, the Leningrad Codex, into a Texas television station, put it on top of a table, was about to teach about the very name found in that manuscript. And the week before they show the public that particular episode, they canceled it. And let me tell you why they canceled it. Because they were afraid of the information. Can I say it again? Because they were afraid of the information, because if I give the information to you, and you take that information for yourself, all of a sudden, we've got conflict with the tradition.
How many of you all know, I'm tired of tiptoeing around the tulips of tradition? Now, here's where God works. Let me tell you where God works. They kicked me off the television station where I was going to be sharing the manuscript that my friend, Reggie White, brought from Jerusalem, so you could see the information for yourself. And when it happened, I said to myself, “Oh Father. You've got to be kidding me.” It was just time to give the information and they canceled it at this moment. My interpretation, can I give you my interpretation? My Father in Heaven said, “They're not worthy of this information.” Why? Because it's more important to them to deal with tradition than with truth. And what the Creator of the universe is doing in this hour is, He's breaking down the barriers of tradition. He's beginning to move in places where He does not normally move. He's starting to call people from the east, and the north, and the south, and the west, and He's calling Gentiles and Jews alike. And this is causing a stir deep down in the bowels of the religious police. The spiritual border patrol is not happy that we continue to cross borders, giving information and inspiration where they have not given us their authorization.
Somebody say, “We don't need your authorization. We've got the One that created the borders, and He's told us to break the borders.” You all, I'm telling you something. God is doing something right now that we should be able to take our ears and perk them up and say, “Father, is it possible that you're going to move me from my place of comfort?”
You all, the night that Nehemia told me about this information, I went back to the apartment. I stayed up all night looking through every single page of my Hebrew Bible, until I found a place where the four letters were there with the three vowels and an accent. Now, you gotta be saying, “Wait, what does that matter?” What it matters is, if I don't see that, I can't proclaim it according to those manuscripts. I spent all night in Michael's apartment, looking, looking, looking. And it didn't matter to me what time it was, and then I found it.
The first place in Genesis 3:14 in the Leningrad Manuscript, which is the oldest, most complete manuscript that every English Bible that's in this room is based on, the Leningrad Manuscript. Here's the good news, you all. In 1975, in 1985, in 1989, in 1990, we don't have access to the Leningrad Manuscript. In 1991 Maestro tells Gorbachev, “Open up the museum, that they might be able to proclaim My name.” In 1991, glasnost comes and the Leningrad Codex is all of a sudden photographed, so that I can go on Amazon today, get it, and bring it into my house. All of a sudden, my friend, Reggie White, who goes over to see Michael and Nehemia gets a copy of the Aleppo. Somebody say, “Two witnesses.”
Crowd: Two witnesses.
Keith: I'm looking at the information, y'all. And I'm thinking, “Okay, this is easy. Let's simply give this information to the people.” What I didn't know is, I didn't realize just how much of a fight it was to break people out of their tradition. But I'm still fighting, because I think His name is worthy for a little effort on our part. I want to show you something, you all, and just bear with me here. After I show you this, we're actually going to start the message. This is from the book of Ezekiel, say, “Ezekiel.”
Crowd: Ezekiel.
Keith: A page from the Aleppo Codex itself. And what we find is something that goes against the scholars' statement regarding what happens with the name regarding vowels. What the scholars will tell you, and many people who have never studied it for themselves, they will tell you that the name Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey is replaced with the vowels from “Adonay,” say, “Adonay.”
Crowd: Adonay.
Keith: Now, that is a great theory, it makes sense. However, what do you do when you've got Adonay right next to Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey? In the English Bible, what it says is, “Lord God,” so what they want you to do is they give you "Lord" for “Adonay” and they give you "God" for “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey.” So, what we do is we go in and we search the manuscripts and come to find out a secret. There's not one place in the entire manuscript, where the exact vowels of Adonay are ever, say, “Ever.”
Crowd: Ever.
Keith: ...placed into the four consonants, “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey." Now, you all, I am not up here just preaching. There's actually information that you can deal with in the book. But the reason I have to give it to you is I want to show you something, if you go back to that slide. Right here, you guys, is the word “Adonay,” say, “Adonay.”
Crowd: Adonay.
Keith: Here are the four letters, Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey. Now, what you notice is this is a vowel, this is a vowel and then on the top there's a vowel and there's an accent. That little dot on the top is the kholam, say, “Kholam.”
Crowd: Kholam.
Keith: So, what this scribe does - and we don't know why - the scribe is writing along, writing along, and all of a sudden, the scribe decides to put all vowels in the consonants. Now, what's even more interesting is in the Leningrad Manuscript, which is the Bible I carried to Jerusalem and did not know what was in my possession... Sounds like some of you. Some of you do not realize what is in your possession. I'm carrying the Leningrad Codex with me to Jerusalem. Nehemia says, “Well, let me see your Bible. Oh, it's based on the Leningrad, the name is right here.” I come to find out, if I can just go back to my little vision. I have a dream, there's a scroll flying over my head. I go to Jerusalem and I find a Torah scroll. I bring it to the apartment. Nehemia opens it up to Leviticus chapter 23. And how many days is it between Pesach and Shavuot? Can somebody say “50?”
Crowd: 50.
Keith: Guess how many times the name has full consonants, full vowels and an accent in the oldest complete vocalized Hebrew manuscript in the world?
Crowd: 50.
Keith: Did y’all hear that? Fifty times where the scribe got caught up and said, “I just can't help myself. I must break the ban. I've got to go against the rabbinical ban. I've got to deal with the tradition. Kick it out,” and oops, there it is, boom, “Yehovah.” Fifty times in the Leningrad Manuscript. Let’s move on. You all, get your Bibles, let's move on.
Something really interesting happened on my last trip, when I met with Nehemia in Israel. We were dealing with a very interesting process with each other. And simply what it was, was this. We had been confronted with what I call the “spirit of Goliath,” say, “Goliath.”
Crowd: Goliath.
Keith: Goliath was from Gat, say, “Gat.”
Crowd: Gat.
Keith: ...which means he was a Gittite, say, “Gittite.”
Crowd: Gittite.
Keith: So, Goliath the Gittite had gone out before the people and he had taunted all of the armies of Israel. Nehemia and I were all of a sudden faced with the spirit of Goliath, and we had this radical idea. Let's go to the place where David battled Goliath. Now, in Israel, one of the most beautiful things about being there is you can actually go to Biblical spots, places where, when you're reading your Bible, you can physically go to those spots, and it's an amazing experience. This particular spot that I'm going to show you is called the “Fortress of Elah,” Fortress of Elah. It had only been discovered in, I think, 2009, so over the last couple of years not many people know about the Fortress of Elah.
And so, usually what people would do is they’d go to another spot not far from the Fortress of Elah, to go to the brook where they believe David grabbed the five smooth stones. When this was discovered, they had to move from their place of comfort to a new spot. Nehemia was able to find with his GPS and his connections, where this was. And so, Nehemia and I go up to the Fortress of Elah, and I wanna show you something about this. Right here, you all, is the city gate. This is the spot where the one named David would have walked out on his way to go face Goliath. Say, “Goliath.”
Crowd: Goliath.
Keith: Next picture, this is the Valley of Elah. On the other side you've got the Philistines. On this side you've got the Israelites, and they would go down into the valley of Elah, and they would have their battle. So, what Goliath would do is he would come down and the Israelites would be on the edge there, and Goliath would come down and he'd begin to taunt them, and push them, and taunt them. And it says that the Israelites would run from where they were and scurry back into the fortress of Elah.
Now, you all know the story in Samuel. David, the one who came, decided after he heard this information that he wanted to be the one to battle Goliath. Something interesting about this. I'm going to show you a picture. I found a picture of a young man, we thought, “Oh, I bet he's around the age of David, maybe, and maybe he looks a little bit like David.” But then I did something really, really radical. How many of you all think that according to what we understand, David was like, 10, 11, 12 years old? Come on, raise your hands, a young person, 13 years old? How many people 13, 14? Okay. 15, 16, 17? Okay, excellent. 18? How many say he's 18?
Let's try again. Who says he was 10? Raise your hand. 11, 12? Raise your hands. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18? Okay, we're getting close. He was a young man. So, I'm reading the Bible, and I'm thinking to myself, “Let me check a little context.” I come to find out in the chapter before the 17th chapter of Samuel, that there's a part where Saul is looking for someone to do what? Come and play the harp. And then one of the servants says to Saul, “I know a man who is a mighty man of valor, a great warrior who plays well.” Saul brings him into his service, and we find out at the end of 16 that David did such a wonderful job, not only of playing, that Saul made David an armor bearer. Do you think a 10-year-old was an armor bearer? I don't think so. David had already fought. In fact, we find out in the scriptures that David says, “The reason I'm not afraid of Goliath is because I've already been trained with the lion and the bear.”
You see, some of us right now in our present battles, are being prepared for the real battle. David understood this, and so, David was being prepared for the battle. And then, something happens. David is about to go to fight Goliath, and what he does is, after they go through this big discussion back and forth, he says, “Listen. I cannot go in your armor, for I have not tested it.” That's what he said. “I have not tested, I have not tried, so I'm gonna have to go with my own armor.” He figures his armor, he goes down into the riverbed, and he grabs five smooth stones.
Now, what I love about studying Bible stories and adding historical information, geographical information, is that there's so much that can be learned. Nehemia and I are there, looking at where David actually was, where he fought Goliath. We go down and we see where the stones are, and then Nehemia does this radical thing. He says, “Let's ask the question, where did these stones come from?” We end up coming to find out that the stones came from this place. This place is actually called “Migdal Oz.” Say, “Migdal Oz.”
Crowd: Migdal Oz.
Keith: Now, if you're driving in Israel and you see Migdal Oz, you might think, “No big deal.” But if I show you the next verse, you'll understand the significance of David being prepared to fight Goliath with the smooth stones. The stones from Migdal Oz started up there very rough, and a great current of water would come and wash the stones down, and the stones would clash against each other. And as they're clashing against each other, they would become smooth. Say, “Smooth.”
Crowd: Smooth.
Keith: But when we come to find out about Migdal Oz, we go to the Bible and we realize something really interesting. Well, here's a picture I should show you. That's Nehemia. Nehemia is down in the valley and he's thinking to himself, “I should get some of these smooth stones for my friend Keith.” And so, look at the great servant that he is. He's down there and he's picking up the smooth stones, and he only charged me $2 per stone. Where did those stones come from? The name of Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey is a strong tower. Say, “Migdal Oz.”
Crowd: Migdal Oz.
Keith: The righteous run into it and are safe. Imagine David. I wish I could preach this for a minute. The stones come from Migdal Oz. They have clashed together. They've been made smooth, and David decides on his way to go fight Goliath, he's going to pick up stones from Migdal Oz. I wonder, if David might have known where the stones come from. I wonder if David might have known, “Hey, listen. I understand, Saul, you want me to wear your armor. But I would rather just take myself a little bit of Migdal Oz to battle Goliath.”
David is on his way, no armor, but he's got stones from Migdal Oz. And what does he do, you all? He goes out, and Goliath begins to do what he loves to do, and that he's even doing right now. And I took my jacket that has my little pointer, so you're gonna have to get that. What does Goliath love to do? Goliath loves to taunt. And there are Goliaths in your life right now that are taunting you. They are pushing, and they are spitting, and they are doing this, and they are doing that. And what is happening is people are beginning to, what I call, “scurry back up,” scurry back up into their place of safety.
When are we going to believe that what we've got is greater than Goliath? When are you gonna believe that who you know is greater than Goliath? When are we going to find more Davids that are willing to stand up, go out and face the giants of our life?
Let me tell you why he had the confidence. His confidence was not in himself. He had had an encounter with the Creator of the universe. He had been anointed already as king. He had whooped some bears and he had whooped some lions. And I want to stop and say something. Some of you have been in what I call some of the “fights of your life.” Some of you have been in battles where you're just thinking, “Man, are you kidding me? I just got out of one and you got me in another?” Some of you are sitting here and saying, “Father, when are You going to finally be saying, ‘I'm preparing you? I'm preparing you for the real fight.’” Because I'm gonna tell you something, people. There's a real fight that's coming, and God needs a remnant of people that when it is time for us, can I say this? When it is time for us to stand up and be the people of God, we're willing to stand in the name of the One who can whoop Goliath. It's coming, you all. The fight is coming, and what I'm afraid of is that there aren't enough people that aren't afraid. I've learned something. If I trust in Him, even though sometimes I've got a little fear, I will be all right.
So, what happens? Goliath does something. Goliath comes to David, and I want you to see the screen here. Goliath comes to David and he does this. He curses David, and if you open up the English Bible what it will say in 1 Samuel 17:43, “Goliath cursed David by his Gods,” in English. “Goliath cursed David by his Gods.” Keep it up there for me, if you would. If I open the Hebrew Bible, I find this. “Goliath cursed David by his God.” So, what Goliath really did is he cursed David's God.
Did you hear what I said? Goliath cursed David's God. And at that point, I'm imagining the Creator of the universe up in heaven. And before that, maybe he's just letting David do his thing. You know, whoop the bear, whoop the lion, but then all of a sudden, the Creator of the universe hears Goliath curse God. And then he kind of said, “Wait a minute, hold on now. This is a story that I can have proclaimed even in Dallas, Texas, if it's told right. That when I heard Goliath curse me, I whooped Goliath.” And how did he whoop Goliath? You all know what it says. Here's what it says.
David says, “You come to me with javelin, with spear, and with sword, but I come to you in the name that cannot be proclaimed.” Oh, I come to you in the name that the Rabbis said I can't say. Oh, I come to you in the title that they put in the English Bible. Somebody say, “David didn't say that.”
Crowd: David didn't say that.
Keith: David didn't say, “I come in the name Hashem.” David didn't say, “I come in the name of Adonay.” David didn't say, “I come in the name of the Lord.”
Crowd: No.
Keith: David read the book that Yeshua read. Can I open up the book? I'm gonna get my shofar here in a minute. I can't see nothing. I'm telling you guys right now, I've gotta put on my readers, if that's alright. Just take a break, you all, if you would. Just take a break with me, if you would. Here's what David says.
He says, let’s see here. “You come to me.” I’m reading the book here. It says, “And David said unto the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, and spear and javelin.’” Then he says in Hebrew, “Ve'anokhi ba elekha beshem Yehovah tzevaot elohey ma’arkhot Yisrael.” “I come to you...” hold on, somebody. He says, “Ve'anokhi ba elekha beshem Yehovah tzevaot.” Can't you hear? Goliath is like, “Oh, my goodness, I done woke up the name. I thought I could just curse Him the way I wanted to curse Him, and now He's brought the name into the battle.” David called upon the name, Yehovah, and from then it was over. The Philistine only had one choice. He was going to take it in the forehead and fall face down on the floor, because the Migdal Oz knocked him out.
Oh, my goodness. I understand something. I'm gonna tell you what I understand. I understand that some of you here have been in churches where you heard the preacher jump and shout. And you heard the singing, and you heard the yelling, and you heard all that. But can I tell you something? This preacher ain't making this up. This preacher has found this information. It has inspired me to a place. Oh, I'm still the nut. I could still cut a rug. But now, what I'm doing is I'm opening up the book that Yeshua read, and I can't help but preach it to you. Do you understand what I'm saying?
I’m gonna end this way. What is the Methodist Pastor doing in Dallas for Shavuot? What is he doing hanging out with Michael Rood? What is he doing hanging out with Nehemia Gordon? What is he doing hanging out with Arthur Bailey? What is he hanging out with Dr. Karen Taylor? I'm only doing one thing, following my call.
The foreigners who joined themself, Isaiah 56, to Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, to minister to Him, can I say something to you? I want to tell you something that might be offensive. I'm not preaching to you. I'm ministering to Him. You gotta hear me now, you gotta hear me. You all, I appreciate your faces. Some of you are looking at me like, “Where did they find him? Isn't he the Methodist Preacher? My goodness.” And I can see some of you that are struggling, saying, “No, I won't. No, I won't. No, I won’t.” Hey, do me a favor. Don't look at me. Hear what I'm saying from that book. I want to minister to Him.
And if I minister and serve Him, and He says, “And to love the name Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the Sabbath and holds fast to My covenant.” What is He saying? Time, Torah, and His name. Time, Torah, and His name. Until I die, I'm glad it's on camera, time, Torah, and His name. That's all I want to talk about. Time, Torah, and His name. And why do I want to talk about time, Torah and His name? Because when the foreigners came to Israel to take them out, there were three things they told the Israelites, you can no longer do. No more time, no more Torah, and no more God's name.
I'm willing to fight the Goliaths of the life, to tell them I'm willing to stand against Goliath and say, “You can curse me by my God? No way.” I will not come to you in my own strength. I will not come to you with my seminary degree. I will not come to you with my Methodist background. Hey, I hope they're listening to me. I will not come to you with what I used to do. I want to come to you in the name of the One that is amazing. He's awesome. He's magnificent. He's available. He's able, He's willing, and He's moving right now.
So, I'm gonna end by turning it over to my 10-year friend, Michael Rood. This guy has done something radical. He got me back on TV. Thank you, Michael Rood. He is letting me share this information with the world. Now, I'm gonna tell you about it because I have to. When this book was written, it was written with the help of 500 people from around the world, 226 pages, notebook after notes after notes, over 600-plus scriptures in the back. And what I love more than anything else, in the back of this book is a CD where you can take 80, say, “80.”
Crowd: 80.
Keith: ...different names and descriptions from the Bible that Yeshua read and proclaim them in the Hebrew tongue. People are praying in His name. People are walking in His name. People are believing in His name. People are bringing it into their devotional life and into their churches. And people are starting to say, “You mean to say the name is available?” You all, Michael has done what the other TV station wouldn't do. Michael said, “Hey, they kicked it out of there? I'll take it here.” Now, Michael Rood and Abby, they've got the book. Can I get an Amen on that?
Crowd: Amen.
Keith: Now, this is the last thing I'm going to say before I turn it over to my friend, Arthur, and to Michael. Well, it's almost the last thing. Because I'm kind of mad from two nights ago. Who was here two nights ago? We had met ahead of time and Michael said, “We're gonna split this half and half. Nehemia is gonna get half, and you're gonna get half,” and I got five minutes. So now, Michael, I need the time that you were going to give me that Nehemia stole. Can I get an Amen?
Crowd: Amen.
Keith: No, no Michael, I'm right on time. Now, here's what I want to tell you guys that's even more radical. Even the “Rood Awakening” can't handle what I'm telling you right now. Even “Rood Awakening” could not handle this right here. What I have in my hand is that which was banned from TV. I have it in my hand. And so, it's not at the bookstore, unless Abby gets a change of heart. But right now, it is available. Not here, after Shabbat, if you want, go to hishallowedname.com and you can get that which is banned from television, that hopefully will be put back on television when I find somebody that's got enough guts, like Michael. Amen?
Crowd: Amen.
Keith: Now, to close…Wait a minute, hold on. What did you say, Abby?
Abby: [inaudible 55:00]
Keith: Did you ever see a preacher run? That's good business on your sense. Now, don't go to hishallowedname.com. Michael Rood will have this, which is now available in Charlotte. It will be there, you all. If you get both things, I bet you they'll even give you...Somebody say, “A discount.”
Crowd: A discount.
Keith: Now to close. I gotta tell you the last thing and I'm done. Go to the slide. You guys, Nehemia only told you half of the story. This is me in Egypt. Now, he likes to take credit that it was all about me copying Nehemia, but I want to give him a secret.
The reason I wanted to go to Egypt is that when I open my Bible, I see Egypt too many times. And I didn't care that Mubarak had just been kicked out and it was dangerous. I'm not afraid of danger when I'm walking in purpose. When I'm there with Nehemia and he's the one that says, “You know what? If he goes by himself, he might end up having more stories than me. I better go with him.”
So, here's what we did. I'm almost done, Michael. Here's what we did. We go into Egypt. Nobody is going into Egypt the week after Mubarak gets kicked out. Everybody is leaving Egypt except for me and Nehemia. In fact, it was so bad that the man that was supposed to do the deal, you know, the person that's behind the booth, he wasn't even there. He was out taking a nap somewhere. They're thinking, “Nobody's coming into Egypt except for Keith and Nehemia.”
We go into Egypt. I will not bore you, but something happened to me also. Here's what it was. As we're in Egypt, we're here, the same picture that Nehemia showed. We're there by the water and I'm out and I'm praying. And there's nobody on the beach. All I hear are the Muslim prayers. That's it. Nobody else is there except for me and Nehemia. Then he and I do something really radical. He walked up the mountain. Last time I said, “No way,” because I'm carrying the backpack because he feigned that his neck was hurt. And he said, “Keith, I can't go unless you carry the backpack.” So, guess what I did? Somebody say, “Keith is smart.”
Crowd: Keith is smart.
Keith: I hired a camel. You guys, I want to close with this. We get to the top of this mountain, and what I love about what Michael is going to do tonight, he's going to share information with you about the real Mount Sinai. But can I tell you something? So many of you are just like the Egyptians that are saying this: “But I'm very comfortable on the mountain that we call ‘Mount Sinai.’ I'm very comfortable with the pronunciation I've always known. I'm very comfortable with the information I've always had. I'm very comfortable with the tradition that makes me comfortable.” But God is saying, “We're gonna have to move from our place of comfort to the real Mount Sinai,” not only with the information about the mountain, but the information about His name.
As I got to the top of the mountain, I heard three words. I had trekked up to the top. And as I'm looking across the mountain, I heard my Father say this. If you put the slide up, He said this. “You have learned.” Father, teach me to love what You love. And Yehovah, teach me to hate what You hate. Ten years later, I only heard three words. “You have learned.” I’ve learned to love what He loves. And for those of you that judged me ahead of time because you heard I was a Methodist Pastor, don't be fooled. I've learned to hate what He hates. Can I get an Amen on that?
Crowd: Amen.
Keith: And my simple prayer is this. Three opportunities, time, Torah and His name, pick a door. Pick a door. I don't care which door you pick. You want to pick time? You want to pick Torah? You want to pick His name? Get on the other side of the door and your life will change.
Tonight, after we get a chance to see this movie and see this information…You all, it's a special thing. Tonight, if you're with your wife, tell your wife, “Hey honey, sanctify.” With your kids, “Sanctify.” Friends, “Sanctify.” Call friends, tell them, “Get to Dallas, get to the hotel.” If there are people in the city, call them. People who are online, “If you can get here, get here.” Because I will tell you something and will not take it back. Yehovah has it on His calendar to meet with us in Dallas.
I want to close with this. I simply want to blow the shofar as a sign to awaken what is in you that needs to be awakened. And if you feel it, and if you hear it, and it awakened something in you, do not be slack. Respond.
Keith: [blows shofar] Thank you, Father, for Your goodness and Your grace. Thank you for Your faithfulness. Thank You for the fights in our life. Thank You for how you've prepared us. Now help us to be ambassadors of your name, that we'll be like David, that we'll kneel down in humility and get our five smooth stones, that we might face the one who curses our God. Take the name and put it into his forehead, that he might fall face down. We bless You. We thank You. We glorify You, and we magnify You on behalf of Your name, Yehovah, which is holy. We thank You, God. And everybody say it together, “Amen.”
Crowd: Amen.
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In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Yehovah in Hurricane Irma, we encounter an inspirational message of hope in the midst of great devastation. Nehemia Gordon speaks to three men in Florida who inscribed God's holy Hebrew name on their houses and learns about the miracles that ensued. These powerful testimonies to the name of Yehovah are a physical expression of Proverbs 18:10 "the name of Yehovah is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe". Carol wrote: “I LOVE THIS POWERFUL TESTIMONY! I don’t make a habit of posting in all caps, but that’s how strongly I feel about the power of this post!!!” Continue reading 
