Contrary to popular belief, neither our ELOHIM (God) nor His Divine Son gave mankind "religion" nor were we ever told to give ourselves any kind of labels. Yet, people today are placing all kinds of labels on themselves: Christian, Messianic, Hebrew Roots, etc. If we absolutely have to put a label on ourselves, we prefer the label of "Netzarim", or Nazarenes, because they were the original followers of Yeshua (whom Christians call Jesus) who lived according to Torah and the Ketuvim Netzarim (writings of the Netzarim).

We, at The Refiner's Fire, believe that YHWH (most likely pronounced Yah-way) is the Creator; that Yeshua (which means "YHWH is Salvation") is our Messiah; and that Torah ("Divine Instructions in Righteousness/the first five Books of the Bible) are as valid for Believers today as they were "in the beginning." Netzarim follow an ancient and future calendar based on Torah...

Yeshua did NOT come to bring any "new religions" or to "abolish" God's original Instructions in Righteousness without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living - but yet there are many who are teaching this lie! In Matthew 24 Yeshua Himself warned His disciples that it would happen, and Paul (whose writings Christians have misunderstood and are using as "proof" that Torah was abolished at the cross) wrote to his friend, Timothy the following warning - which is rapidly unfolding in these end times that we are experiencing right now:

2 Timothy 3: 1. But know this: That in the latter days hard times will come: 2. and men will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, boasters, proud, revilers, unyielding towards their own people, deniers of grace, wicked, 3. unloving, addicted to irreconcilable malicious gossips, ferocious, haters of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, inflated, attached to pleasure more than to the love of Elohim, 5. having a form of respect for Elohim but wide from the power of Elohim. Them who are such, repel from you. 6. For of them are they who creep into this and that house and captivate the women who are plunged in sins and led away by divers lusts, 7. who are always learning, and can never come to the knowledge of the truth. (AENT)

Yeshua - the "Arm" (Isaiah 53) and the Word of YHWH (John 1:1-14) was a tallit-wearing, Torah observant, Seventh Day Sabbath and Feast-keeping, kosher Jew who came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH; not to bring any "religion" or to abolish his Father's Torah. NOR did he come to replace YHWH, his Father. Yeshua, whose divine and human natures existed separately yet side-by-side, never claimed to be the Father; he was YHWH's MESSIAH - the one who ultimately martyred himself on our behalf. YHWH didn't die on that cross/stake; the flesh-and-blood human, Messiah Yeshua, did....

Yeshua Mashiyach (whom Christians call Jesus) who was DIVINE because of His Divine Nature, made a way for each one to receive the anointing of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy/Set-Apart Spirit) and learn His Word according to the Tanach/"Old Testament" which consists of the Torah/Instructions in Righteousness, the Neviim/prophets; and Ketuvim/writings. Yeshua was a Jew living in a Jewish land among Jewish people. All the apostles were Jewish as were the writers of the Gospels (except for Luke, Colossians 4:11-14). (Some insist Simon was a Caananite, using Matthew 10:4 as proof; but the Aramaic word "qanana" can mean both "Caananite" and "zealot." In Luke 6:15 and Mark 3:18 both words "tanana" and "quanana" are translated as "zealot.")

Philippians 2:5 And think you so in yourselves, as Yeshua the Mashiyach also thought; 6. who, as he was in the likeness of Elohim, did not regard it sinful to be the coequal of Elohim; 7. yet disinherited himself and assumed the likeness of a servant, and was in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man; 8. and he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the stake. 9. Wherefore, also, Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names; 10. that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, of (beings) in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11. and that every tongue should confess that Master YHWH is Yeshua the Mashiyach, to the glory of Elohim his Father. (AENT)

More than his literal birth name Yeshua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), and more than the perfect reputation that his name represents. Yeshua bears the Name of YHWH, the "name above all names"! Yeshua has the Name and reputation of the Father YHWH in him (John 17:11) and the name means "YHWH is Salvation" (Matthew 1:21). (The angels, for instance, only have YHWH's title of ELOHIM within their names: GabriEL, MichaEL, RaphaEL....)

Many believe that anyone who follows Torah is "under the law" and that the "Old Testament" was only for the Jews and that Torah is only for "the Jews." But, how can this be true, when there were no Jews until Jacob had a son named Yehudah (or Judah), who became the Tribe of Yeshudah, where the term "Jew" originated? (See Genesis 29:35; Matthew 1:1-2.) And by the way, EVERYONE up until that time (except, of course, the pagans and heathens who were believers in other gods) was Torah observant.

Cain and Abel gave sacrifices, and they weren't Jews; and Noah knew the difference between "clean and unclean" and he wasn't a Jew, either. Neither were the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - but they all obeyed YHWH! That's because they knew that He (via His Torah/Instructions in Righteousness) was showing them how to live holy, set apart lives. He meant His Torah instructions to be for ALL, as we can see in Numbers 15:13-16, wherein He reiterated FOUR TIMES that EVERYONE who chose Him as their God would have to do exactly as His Chosen people - who were what? Torah observant!

Numbers 15: 13 "'Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"

Read in context we can see that any Torah-less non-Jew/Hebrew/Israelite is an "alien"/foreigner. God was very specific what non-Jews/Hebrews were to do: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you...."Living among" means not necessarily physically, but rather, it refers to all those who have accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They MUST be Torah observant, just like the Houses of Israel and Judah were with whom God made His New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33)!

Note that YHWH did not make His New Covenant with the Gentiles; He made it with those who were obedient to His divine Instructions! Same God, same rules for both the "natural" and the grafted-in" children. It could not be any clearer....

The Tanach (OT) reveals that His Chosen were called Hebrews, which means "to cross over" - which is what Abraham did in Genesis 12; see also Genesis 14:13). The Tribe of Judah was chosen to teach the world about Torah (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2) and: YHWH caused Yeshua to be born into the Tribe of Yehudah/Judah.

Being Torah observant is not just about "reading the Old Testament" but LIVING it by being obedient to the "forever" commands found within the Torah (first five Books). Yeshua came not to replace YHWH or abolish His Divine rules; He came to fulfill - which did not mean "put an end to" but, rather, to fulfill His purpose by coming to Earth and personally showing people how to obey God through Torah, to show us how to live with each other according to his Father's Torah, and then to die as our Final SIN Sacrifice.

Netzarim try to view the entire Bible through a Hebrew mindset and adhere to YHWH's teachings instead of allowing ourselves to be swayed by man's opinions. We believe that Yeshua was predicted by, and succeeded, Moses; that He was foreshadowed throughout the Tanach ("Old Testament"); and that He did NOT abolish the Law/Torah, as He clearly stated in Matthew 5:17-18.

Why do we believe that Yeshua did NOT "do away with the law" (Torah)? Because YHWH's Divine Instructions had some "forever" commands, and "forever" hasn't ended yet! Mankind has no right to ignore YHWH, Yeshua, or Torah, and come up with thier own theology and own "religious holidays!" While the COVENANT changed as God promised in Jeremiah 31:31-33, YHWH's Torah did NOT. "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89)."

God's provisions have NOT changed; the penalty for disobedience has NOT changed; and God's promises have NOT changed. Yeshua Himself said he was here on earth ONLY to do his Father's will; not negate his Father's will or abolish His "forever" commands. We, at The Refiner's Fire online ministry, simply want to adhere to YHWH's Word:

Jeremiah 6: 16 Here is what Adonai says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask about the ancient paths, 'Which one is the good way?' Take it, and you will find rest for your souls...." (CJB)

If you have an hour to spare and you want to see something will "blow you away" then please watch this eye opening video entitled, The Hebrew language, the DNA of Creation by Rabbi Mordechai Kraft. This video is all about how YHWH created the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet, with each letter and each shape meaning something, and each letter having a numerical value. He SPOKE the universe into being with those 22 letters that contain the secrets of what "life" means for us humans....