Parashah 38: Korach (Korach)

Parashah 38: Korach (Korah); Numbers 16:1 through 18:32.

Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): 1 Samuel 11:14 through 12:22.
B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): 2 Timothy 2:8-21; Jude 1-25.

Summary & Overview

TORAH
Numbers 16:1 | Revolt of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram
Numbers 17:1 | The Budding of Aaron's Rod
Numbers 18:1 | Responsibility of Priests and Levites
Numbers 18:8 | The Priests' Portion

Last week we looked at when Israel approach the border of the Promised
Land. This is where the enemies became greater, and how this relates to us,
as we approach the border of the time, nearing the end, how our enemies
become greater as we approach His Second Coming. We looked at Spiritual
Warfare and how to overcome these Giants in our lives. This week, the enemy
is not external, but the attack is from within, where the spirit of Satan infiltrates
the leadership within Congregations. This makes him a very difficult enemy to
identify and why deception is so severe in the last day Church, the Seventh
Church that is mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

The Science of Rebellion

Num 16:1-3 Now Korach the son of
Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi
separated himself, with Dathan and
Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son
of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and
they rose up before Moses with some of
the children of Israel, two hundred and
fifty leaders of the congregation,
representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered
together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, You take too much
upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and
YHVH is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the
assembly of YHVH?
Korach was the son of Izhar, that means fresh oil or shining oil. Izhar was the
son of Kohath, the son of Levi, who was responsible for carrying the Ark of the
Covenant and all the furnishings of the Tabernacle. This shows us that Korach
came from a good family line with great attributes, and his fathers were used
mightily in the Kingdom of YHVH, but something went wrong with Korah.
This implies that Korach had the appearance of a Godly man, but beneath the
surface, he was a rebel. No one made YHVH as angry as Korach did, that
resulted in a severe judgement, not only on him, but his followers as well. It is
very difficult to recognise these rebellious leaders in the Congregation.
These rebellious leaders dress up with garments of Holiness and have a
Godly appearance, and people follow them without even noticing their flaws.

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This is one of the characteristics and tactics of Lucifer, the one who
masquerades as an Angel of Light, that makes it difficult to see the evil behind
the Godly faade. It takes discernment to recognise these rebels among the
people of YHVH. Korach is an example of someone who follows Satans tactics
and disguised as an angel of light who infiltrates the leadership of
Congregations, stirring evil from within. The aim of this study is to equip the
saints to identify this enemy within their camp, to remove them from their midst
so that they can be safe under an undefiled leadership.
Q How did Korach get corrupted?
Taking back Ownership: We will dissect the words of this Torah Portion to find
out why Korah rebelled and what these rebellious leaders are like, to identify
them before they cause damage to the Congregation. We believe the key to this
rebellion is found within the very first phrase of this Portion, veyi-qach qorach,
that means and Korah took himself This is the key to everything that went
wrong in Korahs life, he took himself, and forgot that he belonged to YHVH.
He forgot that YHVH redeemed him and whatever YHVH redeems, He owns.
Korah decided not to be YHVHs property anymore.
Spiritual Application: There is always the tendency
within all of us, to want to take back the ownership of
our lives, just like Korach did. It is similar to being
married, and you decide not to belong to your spouse
anymore, taking back your ownership and your
responsibilities that make the marriage work, making it
a one-sided relationship. People like this thinks that
YHVH still belong to them, but they no longer belong
to Him. We are bought with a price, and salvation is not free, it cost YHVH
the life of His Son. Salvation is very expensive and will cost you your life as
well; it will cost you everything.
Nature of Rebellion: It says that Korach, together with Dathan and Abiram the
sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took 250 men, that
rose up against Moses and Aaron. This teaches us that rebellion is never only
through one person alone, rebellion always influences and stirs up a crowd.
This is to outnumber the authority they are opposing, to overthrow them and
take over the leadership. We saw the same concept when the people gathered
together to build the Tower of Babel. The nature of rebellion is to assemble a
crowd or mob and take mass action against the current authority or leadership.
Personal Application: Scripture teaches us that the
righteous will stand alone, and be as bold as a lion.
[Prov 28:1] Every one of us will be tested if we are
willing to stand alone for the truth. Will you be bold as
a lion or flee like the unrighteous? When you stand
with the righteous group, worst case is that you are
lukewarm, but when standing alone for the Truth,
then you know that you are hot and righteous. Your
spiritual temperature is determined by the situation you are confronted with.
Rebels are cowards because Korah had to gather other people around him to
stand for his truth, 250 men came against 2 leaders. This is an indication that
he was not righteous because he did not stand alone with the courage of a lion.

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His strength was in numbers, relying on man, but the righteous will stand alone,
relying only on YHVH.
Spirit of Esau: We find another reason why Korach rebelled. The name Korach
is also found in Gen 36:5,14, where Korah was one of the descendants of Esau,
who became the nation called the Edomites. They lived in a region South of
Canaan, Kadesh-Barnea, where opposed Israel and denied them access to the
passageway that led into the Promised Land. This reveals to us the spirit of
Esau that entered Korach, who will oppose YHVHs people to enter the
Promised Land.
Spiritual Application: We saw the same concept
when Yshua came closer to the border or time
where the spirit of Satan entered Judas. That act of
Judas was actually not restricting YHVHs Plan, but
that was the Plan altogether. Opposing Yshua led to
His death that brought salvation to al. In the same
way, the Spirit of Esau will try to infiltrate the
leadership of YHVHs people, to block the
passageway that leads to the Promised Land. This opposing spirit that
infiltrates the leadership within the Body of Messiah is the same spirit that
entered Korah, the spirit that entered Judas, and that same spirit will enter
the Antichrist as well, that spirit is the spirit of Satan. Satan will not succeed
because YHVH uses everything Satan does as part of His Restoration Plan.

Identifying Rebellious Leaders within the Congregation

It is important for us to learn to recognise this internal enemy so that we will
not be influenced and deceived by his tactics and be part of his rebellion against
YHVH. How do we give him a seat of power? We submit to him by becoming
rebellious just like Korahs followers. Remember that this enemy is a spirit that
influence current members within the Congregation. Here is a list of his
attributes:
First Attribute - Slander: The rebel will come to you and talk to you in private,
slandering the current leadership, sowing seeds of doubt
regarding the leaders authority, to sway you away from
the leaders authority. The rebel will gain their strength
from numbers and the backing of the people, rather than
from YHVH. When you have a problem with the
Leaders, there is a way to approach the Leadership to
resolve any issue with their teachings, but we will
discuss this later on in this Study.
Second Attribute Physical Point of View: The rebel
fails to recognise the spiritual reality that lies behind the
physical because they are spiritually blind. An example
of this is whenever Israel complained; they vented
against Moses or Aaron, someone they could see, rather
than against YHVH Who they could not see.
They always complain about something tangible,
because they do not see the spiritual that is at work behind the physical. When
you have a problem with someone, what do you do first? Do you bring this
person to YHVHs attention and pray for them so that they can change, or are

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you one of the people who complain about the leader, venting to someone you
can see? Peter said in 1 Pet 5:7 to cast your burdens upon Him, for He cares
for you. This will resolve the issue or allow YHVH to work in that person to sort
them out.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon YHVH, and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Korah had a problem with Moses and Aaron, and he did not consult YHVH, but
rather stir up the people to deal with this issue from mans point of view
because he is a leader that is spiritually blind.

Third Attribute Sugar Coated Poison: Korah said to Moses and Aaron, You
take too much upon yourselves, for all the
congregation is holy, every one of them, and
YHVH is among them. Why then do you exalt
yourselves above the assembly of YHVH?
The enemy within will always use some truth and
twist it to his advantage. He used sweet words and
told Moses and Aaron that they did a good job by
leading the people to walk in holiness. Then he
added the poison is saying that they took too much
upon themselves, to achieve this and is not sustainable. Then came the stab
or accusation saying that they lift themselves above the Assembly, insinuating
that they elevated themselves to a leadership position. Korah accused Moses
and Aaron of what he was intended to do; you always see people as you are,
not as they are. Korah fails to see that Moses and Aaron were chosen by YHVH
and opposed and questioned their authority.
Think about it, can two ordinary men lead out a multitude of people, all by
themselves, feeding and looking after at least 2,000,000 people, travelling
through the Wilderness? It was definitely YHVHs idea, His anointing and His
resources that made this possible. Korah did not recognise YHVHs Supply,
YHVHs authority or YHVHs choice to use Moses and Aaron.
Personal Application: YHVH does make decisions in your life, He chose
your parents, and He chose your children, He placed you in a particular
family in a particular location where you grew up, as well as the area you live
now. He decides who you will interact with and who He will send across your
way. He gave you your abilities; your social status and whether you will be
rich or average or poor. The question is, will you accept and allow His
choices to fulfil its purpose in your life, or are you going to rebel against
YHVHs choices, just like Korah and the 250 men did. Let His will be done,
and His Kingdom comes in your life. He gave you everything you need to
guide you and shape you unto the vessel He wants you to be so that He can
use you in His Kingdom and form you into His Image at the end of the day.

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Fourth Attribute Self Appointed: Rebellious leaders elevate themselves to a
position of leadership. Moses did not choose to be a
leader, he neither applied or campaigned for this
role, YHVH chose him. On the contrary, Moses
actually told YHVH that he is not capable of leading
the people because of his speech impediment.
YHVH usually choose people who know they are not
up to the mark to fulfil the task, just like Joshua, so
that He can equip them and empower them to
become great leaders, always dependent on Him.
Korah had leadership attributes but chose himself, and that made him think he
is the man for the job. Never follow a self-appointed leader, if they are not
chosen and anointed by YHVH, they will lead you to spiritual death, just like
the 250 men that died that day with Korah.
Fifth Attribute Pride: When Korah accused Moses of elevating and
appointing himself over the Congregation, what
was Moses response? Did he pull out his
credentials, did he list all the great things he has
done to prove his authority? No, Moses fell on his
face and prayed to YHVH. This proves why YHVH
chose him because he was the humblest man on
the face of the earth. Corrupt leaders will defend
themselves and list all their credentials, tell people
of all the things they have done so that they will support and follow them. A real
leader will be humble and stand in the gap for the people, falling on their faces
asking YHVH for help, whenever a threat appears that will harm the people.
That is why Yshua is a Prophet like Moses because He gave Himself for His
people and is the humblest Person that ever walked the earth.

Attributes of a True Leader

Looking at all the wrong attributes, we can formulate the right attributes a true
leader of YHVH should have:
First Attribute Clean Speech: A true leader is someone that do not
campaign or use techniques, bad-mouthing people to promote themselves.
They keep to themselves and do not discuss other people; they rather pray for
those who oppose them. When there is a problem with someone, they will
discuss the issue with that person and not with other people.
Second Attribute Spiritual: True leaders are spiritually inclined and always
see YHVH behind the scenes and recognise that their capabilities come from
above, not from themselves and know they are anointed for the task.
Third Attribute Speak the Truth: True leaders will not sugar coat the truth
to push their hidden agenda. The truth will only be used for the benefit of the
upliftment of the people.
Fourth Attribute Called & Appointed by YHVH: A true leader will understand
spiritual authority, they will not try to defend their position but ask YHVH to show
the people that he/she is a true leader, appointed by YHVH. When Moses and
Aaron were accused, he said that YHVH would show who the true leaders are,
he will never defend himself but let YHVH reveal the real leader.

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Fifth Attribute Humility: When a true leader is confronted by a situation,
he/she will fall on their faces and seek YHVHs will. This shows that they are
dependent on YHVH and a real sign of humility dependency on Him.
Combining these attributes with what we learned when we studied what it
means to take a Nazarite Vow, we studied in the Torah portion called Nasso:
Sixth Attribute Dedication: This is associated with the aspect of not taking
part in anything that is associated with the grape of wine, uncovering your
nakedness (sin), similar to what happened to Noah. Be dedicated to the cause
and do not let sin and worldliness distract you.
Seventh Attribute Teach the Word timely: This attribute is derived from the
requirement not to cut the hair, where Rebecca watered the camels, revealing
herself as the Bride, sharing the Word.
Eighth Attribute Guard, Protect and Preserve the Word: This attribute is
derived from the requirement to stay away from dead bodies and is linked to the
double portion that came upon the head of Ephraim. This means that a true
leader will guard and preserve the Word and teach it in its purist undefiled form.

Testing Leadership & Consequences of Rebellion

The First Test

Num 16:16-18 And Moses said to Korah,
Tomorrow, you and all your company be
present before YHVHyou and they, as
well as Aaron. 17 Let each take his censer
and put incense in it, and each of you
bring his censer before YHVH, two
hundred and fifty censers; both you and
Aaron, each with his censer. 18 So every
man took his censer, put fire in it, laid
incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with
Moses and Aaron. 20 And YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron,
saying,21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may
consume them in a moment.
The first test was where Moses told Korah and his 250 men, each to bring a
censer or fire pan as an incense offering before YHVH. This was a test to see
how they will respond. If they said, no, because they remember the incident with
Aarons two sons that died when they brought Strange Fire offering before
YHVH, they would have been spared. They all failed the test and agreed to
bring their incense offerings before YHVH. You cannot bring an offering to
YHVH if your heart is full of rebellion. You have to repent first and then bring
your offering.
Num 16:31-35 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these
words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its
mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men
with Korah, with all their goods.33 So they and all those with them went
down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished
from among the assembly.

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 34 Then all Israel who was around them fled at their cry, for they said,
Lest the earth swallows us up also! 35 And a fire came out from
YHVH and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering
incense.
Their strange fire offerings caused their
deaths, and YHVH judged them. Only the fire
pans remained, and Moses directed that to
gather all the fire pans and hammer them into
a metal covering that would cover the Altar and
be as a sign and reminder of the peoples
rebellion. Not only that, Korah and his
household were swallowed alive into the earth.
By this YHVH showed that He chose Moses
and that those who rebel against Him will be
will not go unpunished.
Num 16:41-48 On the next day all the congregation of the children of
Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, You have killed the
people of YHVH. 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had
gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the
tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of
YHVH appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of
meeting. 44 And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 45 Get away from among
this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. 46 So Moses
said to Aaron, Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put
incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement
for them; for wrath has gone out from YHVH. The plague has
begun. 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the
midst of the assembly, and already the plague had begun among the
people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the
people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague
was stopped.
After the rebellious leaders had been judged, their followers came to Moses and
Aaron, accusing them of being murderers of YHVHs people. They fail to see
that the judgement actually came from YHVH, having a fleshly or physical
interpretation of these events. Their poor judgment of the situation and their
rebellious hearts, caused them to still rebel against Moses and Aaron, and this
resulted in YHVHs judgement to be released on them, and 14,700 people died
that day. It could have been more if Moses and Aaron had not made atonement
for the people.
Spiritual Application: Failing to see YHVHs hand in a situation can be
dangerous is if causes you to still rebel against YHVHs leadership when
things do not turn the way you think it should go. It is not your weaknesses
and your flaws that will be judged, it is your rebellion that will be judged. The
final plague or judgement that will come on YHVHs people will be during the
time of the Great Tribulation, where He will consume all those who rebel
against Him. This rebellion is called the falling away that will come before
the Second Coming of Messiah. The events we see here in Numbers 16, are
prophetic and will repeat in the End Times.

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 2 Thes 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not
come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is
called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as YHVH] in the temple of
YHVH, showing himself that he is God.
Korach means ice or hail and is found in Psalm 147 describing the
judgement of YHVH that will come upon those who do not adhere to His
Statutes and Judgements.
Psa 147:15-20 He sends out His Command to the earth; His Word runs
very swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail (Korach) like morsels; Who can stand before His

cold? 18 He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to
blow, and the waters flow. 19 He declares His word to Jacob, His Statutes
and His Judgments to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
This judgement is in the form of ice and cold wind, that represents Korah.
YHVH will send a curse of corrupt leadership to come upon His people that will
cause this great falling away.

The Second Test

Num 17:1-5 And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the children
of Israel, and get from them a rod from each fathers house, all their
leaders according to their fathers housestwelve rods. Write each mans
name on his rod.3 And you shall write Aarons name on the rod of Levi.
For there shall be one rod for the head of each fathers house.4 Then you
shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where
I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose
will blossom.
We had touched on this in the previous Torah Portion in Numbers 15 when we
studied the Commandment of the Tzit-tzits and how it is connected to Aarons
rod that budded. This is found in the phrase, blossoms bloomed, where the
root word for blossom is "tzee-tseeth" toyo, is the same word translated as
tassels or fringes. YHVH asked each one of the Tribes to present a rod, and the
rod that budded was an indication of who YHVH chose to lead His people.
Spiritual Application: If you are a Leader, are your Blossoms Blooming?
The Fringes is a reminder to keep the Commandments and is more
applicable to Leadership within this context, to show if you as a Leader follow
YHVHs Commandments, even the smaller ones like the Tassels, and do
they take every Word of YHVH serious?
The second principle we can draw from this is that YHVH chooses His
Leaders. You cannot decide to be a leader, YHVH will choose you if he
wants you to lead His people. When people vote a leader in, it normally
always ended up in disaster as confirmed in the Book of Judges, where the
people followed the system of the world, and appointed their own leaders that
caused them to go astray. This caused them to end up in captivity and
bondage. YHVH chose His leaders today through the Gifts of the Spirit,
anointing and equipping them for the task to lead His people.

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Leadership and the Assembly
Q - Why do we need Leadership and a Structure?
Eph 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some as Apostles, and some as
Prophets, and some as Evangelists, and some as Shepherds and Teachers
(12) for the perfecting of the set-apart ones, to the work of service to
building up of the body of the Messiah,
YHVHs Leadership takes on different roles within the Body of Messiah and is
as follows: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, Teachers and Elders.
Remember that Yshua is the Head of His Body and all these attributes of
Leadership existed within Him, and He can only be manifested in His fulness if
these anointed leaders are present and one or echad in a Congregation. All of
these offices can collectively be grouped under the title Elder, Leader or
Overseer. Each Congregation can have multiple Leaders or Elders, each
fulfilling one or more of these offices.
Apostles: Paul was an Apostle or sent one, someone who goes out and
bring unity among different Assemblies within a particular area, even across
the world. They build bridges between the various Congregations to ensure
that the collective Body of Messiah is healthy and functioning and in unity.
Prophets: Prophets are people who are appointed by YHVH to speak
into the Congregation, setting things straight that are wrong, or giving
direction the Assembly should take. Prophets are people who speak
the Words of YHVH to bring the flock back into the safe boundary of
the Torah. YHVH uses these anointed people to reveal His vision for
that particular Assembly so that He can achieve His Plan and purpose
He has for that particular Congregation in that time.
Evangelists: These are Leaders who are appointed to go out and bring
people into the Body of Messiah. They are the gatherers that are well
networked within the community. They are not afraid to spread the Word
of YHVH and to share the message of Salvation through Messiah Yshua.
You might have people like this in your local assembly who are anointed to go
out and fish for souls in the world.
Shepherds: These are leaders within the Body of Messiah that have the heart
for people who look after the spiritual and physical well-being of the
Congregation. Shepherds can be Teachers as well, but their primary function
is to care for the flock and to visit and encourage people who are in need of
help and spiritual guidance.
Teachers: Teachers are not only there to reveal the Word to people, but
also teach them how to search and study the Scriptures on their own.
Their primary function is to equip the saints so that they can be active
members of the Body of Messiah. To train up the Soldiers so that they
can overcome all the tactics and attacks of the enemy in this life
called the Wilderness. Teachers have a great responsibility to ensure
they only teach the Truth.
Jas 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers,
knowing that we shall receive greater judgment.

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Elders are the spiritual Leaders in the Congregation that can function
in one or more of the leadership offices and must comply with the
guidelines listed in the following passages:
1Pe 5:1-5 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am
also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Messiah, and also
a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (2) Feed the flock
of Elohim which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not
by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready
mind; (3) Neither as being lords over Elohim's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. (4) And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away. (5)
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for Elohim resists the
proud, and gives grace to the humble.
Tit 2:1-8 But you speak the things which become sound doctrine: (2)
aged men (elders) to be temperate, sensible, discreet, sound in faith, in love,
in patience. (3) Let the aged women (female elders) likewise be in reverent
behavior, not slanderers, not enslaved by much wine, teachers of good; (4)
that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their
children, (5) to be discreet, pure, keepers at home, good, subject to their
own husbands, that the Word of Elohim may not be blasphemed. (6)
Likewise exhort the young men to be discreet; (7) In all things having
shown yourself a pattern of good works: in the doctrine, purity,
sensibleness, without corruption, (8) in sound speech that cannot be
condemned, that he who is opposed may be ashamed, having no evil thing
to say of you.
1 Tim 3:1-7 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of an
overseer, elder or leader, he desires a good work. 2 An overseer then must
be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good
behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not
greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who
rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all
reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will
he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with
pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover, he must
have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he falls into
reproach and the snare of the devil.
Elders and Leaders of the flock must comply with the following to function as a
leader, serving the people of YHVH:
Elders and Leaders should have life experience and wisdom to oversee
the flock. They should have the heart for the people and able to teach.
They must have their own households in order, husband of only one wife
and his children that submit to them, and respected as the head of the
house.
The leader must be gentle, not argumentive, not violent, and have good
moral conduct and testimony among people they interact with.
The leader should not seek riches and covet after worldly things and
money.

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 Leaders should be equipped with the Word and mature in their faith so
that they will be able to teach people in the Ways of YHVH, setting the
right example.
Leaders should understand Biblical Doctrine and filter out man-made
traditions so that they only teach things in line with Scripture.
Leaders should be discreet, tactful and very careful when they speak,
being sensitive to the audience not to confuse or offend new believers
who have a limited understanding of the Word. They should meet people
at their level to meet them on their level and build them up to maturity.
Elders and leaders should be sound and robust in their faith, not
wavering or compromising the Truth, be humble and teachable, if in
error, be willing to change.
Leaders should love for the flock and put their well-being above their
own; the same love Yshua has for us, love the people, serving them
unto death.
Leaders should always be patient, especially dealing with complex
issues or with new believers who are still enslaved by sin. Always foster
healthy relationships, so that they have respect and trust of the people
that will allow them to speak into their lives.
Have a pattern of good works, live out the words they preach.
Stand up for the truth, oppose lies, and set right the wrong in a loving
diplomatic way, ensuring the understanding of YHVHs standards within
the Assembly.
The flock in the Congregation must:
Submit under the leaders and elders, take their counsel
and follow their example.
Submit to one another in the Assembly, learn from one
another, supporting and assisting the weak, so that they can grow to
maturity in a safe and loving environment.
Be humble, have an empty cup, rather be ready to receive than to give,
so that you can be equipped and changed into YHVHs image. They
need to partake in conversations and ask questions to grow together in
faith and truth.
Be discreet and be tactful when you speak to others so that you might
not offend new people and cause your brother or sister to stumble.

Different types of Rebellion within Leadership

There are different kinds of rebellion within leadership, some started off good
but got corrupted along the way. We are going to study some of these rebellious
leaders so that we can identify them in our midst and remove ourselves from
their authority so that we will not receive their punishment. These are examples
of the tactics Satan use to infiltrate and corrupt the Body of Messiah.
1 Sam 15:22-23 So Samuel said:Has YHVH as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of YHVH? Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of YHVH, He also has
rejected you from being king.

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Leaders that got Corrupted through Disobedience: Saul disobeyed YHVH
by saving Agag, the king of Amalek, and livestock from which
he wanted to sacrifice to YHVH, but YHVH has not
commanded him to do so. To the people, it looked like a
noble thing, but to YHVH it was an act of rebellion. He
followed his own will, worshipping YHVH the way he thought
was right. Samuel rebuked him and said that YHVH rejected
him as king because he rejected YHVH. This grievous sin
eventually led to him losing his kingship and ultimately his
life. Sacrifices and burnt offerings are part of worship and are good if done as
part of obedience. Some forms of worship can be done by disobedience and
rebellion, and are similar to the sin of witchcraft and idol worship. Satan was the
first rebel, and if you rebel, you obey or worship Satan. This is why YHVH takes
rebellion so seriously and punish it so severely.
Matt 16:21-23 From that time Yshua began to show to His disciples
that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it

from You, Master; this shall not happen to You! 23 But He turned and
said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me, for you
are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.
Leaders that became Fleshly: If you set your heart and
mind on the things of man, rather than the things of YHVH,
He will rebuke you as being of Satan. These are very harsh
words Yshua said to Peter, and we see that if you follow
your own ways, or way of thinking, you are doing Satans
work. This is the same as twisting the things of YHVH just
a little bit, but enough to bring deception. You should not focus
on the physical, but rather on the spiritual so that you will not become like Peter,
Saul and Korah. All of them were on the path of rebellion, allowing the tactics of
Satan to work through their lives. Peter repented and was spared, but the
others received severe judgement.
Jude 1:8-11 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject
authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in
contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses,
dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, YHVH
rebuke you! 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and
whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they
corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of
Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in
the rebellion of Korah.
Leaders that are Aggressive and Dominant: There will be leaders like Cain
who would like to serve YHVH their way, and rather destroy others than to
change their ways. Do not follow leaders like Cain, they are
aggressive and operate from the wrong spirit.
Leaders that allow Mixing: Some leaders compromise like Balaam,
who allows mixing pagan traditions with the Ways of YHVH. There
will be leaders like Balaam who bring in false worship into the

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Assembly, causing their followers to rebel with them. Test everything to
Scripture and do not blindly follow these leaders.
Self-Appointed Leaders: Then there are false leaders like Korah, who will
infiltrate and try to overthrow the existing leadership. Do not be part of them and
distance yourself from their rebellion. They are rebellious leaders like Korah
who will be punished, they and their followers.
Do not Speak against these Leaders: Jude warns us not to
rebel against authority figures, the Angel Michael did not even
spoke against Satan, but said, YHVH rebukes you. Do not
speak against leaders and people of authority, YHVH will deal
with them and sort them out if they are in the wrong. It is your
job to pray for your leaders. We will look at how to deal with a
situation when you have an issue with a leader or their
teachings.

Not Agreeing with a Leader

Q What do you do when confronted by a teaching
that is not Scriptural or sees a Leader or Elder not
walking according to the Word?
When you hear a teaching or listen to a comment
from a teacher that you do not agree with, you
should examine yourself first, and then examine the
Scripture, to see where the problem is.
Examine yourself: It might be because it does not fit your understanding, or
your doctrinal paradigm because of a different upbringing in a certain
Denomination that caused you to have a particular understanding of the Word.
The first question is; do you have a balanced knowledge of the whole Scripture?
If not, then you have to listen and keep on testing your understanding, to see if
the new information makes sense as you learn. Ask YHVH to reveal His Truth
to you so that you can know and understand the truth as He intended it. You
must have an empty cup humble attitude to be teachable so that you can grow
up to spiritual maturity.
Not trusting teachers, might be rooted in a past event, where you have
been misled or hurt by leaders or fellow believers. Ask YHVH to help you
to overcome that hurt and forgive those people because that crack in
your foundation will give you a skewed view of His Word and will cause you
to be misled or be confused.
Examine the Scripture: It might be that the leader is
corrupt and teaches false messages that will corrupt
the people. You can only know this if you know the
Word. Ask YHVH to discern the spirits if you feel
uncomfortable with the teachings or with the Leader so
that He can reveal to you is it is a safe place to be
and to learn.
Q - How can you trust the Teacher or Leader and the message he/she brings?

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You have to go to the Word and test every word that comes from the mouth of
the Teacher. Test everything he or she says according to the Word, in the
context of the whole chapter, knowing that the Word should not contradict any
other part of Scripture.
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
If the message or comment is not in the Word, then you can reject and spit out
the bones, but eat the meat that is confirmed in Scripture. Make an
appointment with the Leader to discuss the issue and ask him/her to prove what
they teach from Scripture. Remember, you have to Search the Scripture
yourself before you can comment on a teaching, it should be the Word that is
raised up against the issue at hand, not your opinion.
2 Cor 13:1 I am coming to you this third time. In the mouth of two or
three witnesses, every word shall be established.
Remember, any Doctrine should be confirmed by two or more witnesses, not
come from a verse that is a grey area and should not contradict anything in
the rest of Scripture. You must have more than one conformation elsewhere in
Scripture that supports your view, and you cannot prove anything from one
verse only, which may be read out of context. Doctrines cannot be formed from
other resources like Christian Books or the Talmud, they are commentaries
from man and should be seen as such. If you can prove the truth by two or
three witnesses or other verses that confirm what you believe, then it can be
presented to the Leader to challenge his/her teaching.
1Tim 5:19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except before two
or three witnesses.
If you have an issue, there should be more than one person having the same
concern regarding the leader. A meeting has to be set up to discuss these
matters, especially with elders present, so that any misconceptions and
misunderstandings can be addressed. If the Leader does not conform to the
Word, then the Elders have to deal with this situation and not the Congregation.
If it is only you that have an issue with the Leader, pray and ask YHVH to lead
you in the truth because the problem might be with you and your understanding
of the Word.
Num 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now
from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be
consumed in all their sins.
If there are grounds for concern regarding the teachings of the Leader, and
he/she still insists that it is the truth, even when proven otherwise, then you
have to separate yourself from that leaders authority and remove yourself from
that Assembly because YHVH will bring judgement upon that Leader that will
affect his followers as well.

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In Conclusion
YHVH sees rebellion as the sin of Witchcraft and Idol worship because it is
associated with Satans Spirit that infiltrates His leadership, and just like Lucifer
rebelled against YHVHs Authority, so will these Leaders and their followers
(believers) rebel against YHVH.
You have to know the Word in order not to be deceived by these Leaders.
Remember the context of the Book of Numbers is where we are at the border
of time, just before the Coming of Messiah Yshua, and this deception will
increase more and more, the closer we move to the border. These false
teachers and Leaders will infiltrate YHVHs Congregations and will mislead the
majority of the elect because of a lack of knowledge of His Word (left of
Matthew). Be like the Bereans and be part of the active Congregation, who
help to keep the Teachers honest to ensure that the Word is preserved and
shared in its purest form, the way YHVH intended.

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