Friday, December 2, 2011

And now for something completely indifferent...

...I could do yet another post about how Christmas is poopy and that we have the choice not to embrace it, but meh.  Instead, I'd like to get all interactive and ask you to submit your worst story of "flirt to convert/missionary dating".  I don't care about perfect spelling or grammar so much as I care about a powerful testimony about how this practice has failed you or someone you know.  The entry that I dig the most will be published by yours truly on here.  So good luck, and may Yah bless you into the newt year.

Friday, November 4, 2011

In praise of northern Nazarenes

Please don’t think that we say “eh” and “aboot”.

Thank you for returning the one idiot who does to their village, as they’re making the rest of us look bad (see Proverbs 10:10-23).

Please don’t think we travel by dogsled or canoe.

Thank you for understanding that this would pose an unclean problem should a doggy die + we have to touch it (see Leviticus 5:1-2).

Please don’t think our winter lasts three seasons.

Thank you for taking time to visit, and discovering it’s so nice here you might just fall in love with things (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Please don’t think that I live in an igloo of ice.

Thank you for realizing this would be impractical come spring as it would melt and my mezuzahs would fall down (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Please don’t think of me as caring about hockey or beer for that matter.

Thank you!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hats off

Peace all, and happy Rocktober!  Although it is a bit sad for some to welcome even more seasonal changes, there are also some reasons to rejoice in addition to Sukkot.  One would have to be that we’ll no longer be subjected to Lazy Rhonda living in her backyard most days, letting her apparently disturbed doggies out to yell at everything and nothing at all as she subjects us to the equally disturbing view of her in Daisy Dukes or too short summer dresses; ugh.  And shortly, it will be winter.  This got me thinking about how soon I’ll have to whip out my winter hat, which got me thinking on hats in general.  Headgear can be a source of division, particularly with us Messianics.  But seeing as truth will always divide and we shouldn’t live in fear of that, let’s study it: 



THE TEXT

The passage of Scripture most commonly cited in regards to this topic would probably have to be the words of Shaul in 1st Corinthians 11:3-15.  Before I dig into it though, I’d like to bring up a few simple points in order to lay a solid foundation.  Firstly, the terms “long” and “short” are relative; what one may consider long may be considered short to another and vice versa.  Nowhere has Yahuah told us what is acceptable and what’s not down to the exact inch.  Secondly, if you think that these words were written just for Jewish believers then please go read my blog on dispensationalism while I go suck on some yummy pasta for a brief moment.  Oh that’s good, if only Chef Boyardee could be ministered unto.  And thirdly and most importantly in my view is the context of the passage, one that’s apparently easy to miss.  Before I continue, let me just preface it by repeating that I am NOT in any way a Shaul hater; I believe the Renewed Testament writings are quite clear about his love and obedience to all the Torah.  I also believe that his personal opinions to an assembly in Corinth are not on the same context as Torah commands from Yah to all Israelites everywhere for all time, and so did he.  He was like you and I or anyone else for that matter, he had opinions on things and was allowed to.  Back in 1st Corinthians 7:6 he says that even though he doesn’t think marriage should be sought out amongst most single believers, he also doesn’t think his opinion to be on the same level as a command: “But I say this as though to the weak, not as a commandment”.  I admire him a great deal, I just don’t adhere to trying to label someone as a sinner for wearing or not wearing head wear when Elohim Himself doesn’t.  To replace the rules of Him with the opinions of anybody is a most serious offense, one not to be taken lightly.  This is why Yahushua took issue with the Pharisees and Saducees, they had either added on to or outright replaced His Father’s laws with those of Rabinnical opinion; those of Talmud.     



FOR MEN

Brother Shaul’s personal take was that men shouldn’t cover their heads during prayer or prophesying, as we read in the 4th verse: “Every man who prays or prophesies while his head is covered dishonors his head”.  He repeats this theme in the 7th verse: “For a man ought not to cover his head, because he is the likeness and glory of Elohim; but the woman is the glory of the man”.  He also doesn’t seem to dig the hippy look, as we read in the 14th verse: “Does not even nature teach you that it is a shame for a man when his hair grows long?”  Some think that Shaul used covering and hair synonymously; I personally don’t for reasoning I’ll get into later.  Now I don’t have any trouble with someone saying they respect Shaul so much that they want to follow his words of Scripture not supported by Torah, but if you’re going to do so then don’t it with hypocrisy.  I am taking aim at those Messianic congregations that won’t admit men unless they are wearing a head covering, to their own shame.  By making it into a mandatory rule, it not only goes directly against brother Shaul’s words but it also seeks to add to Yah’s laws.  Could it be the leadership fears offending their more Orthodox members?  Maybe they place the Talmud on the same level as the Torah or higher?  Perhaps they are greedy for power?  I don’t know, but I’m not even going to get into how the kipa hat (not Kepha, Peter’s real name) is a sign of bondage that was forced upon all the Israelites during Greek captivity.     


FOR WOMEN

We see that he holds the opposite perspective in regards to women by reading the 5th verse: “And every woman who prays or prophesies while her head is unveiled dishonors her head, for she is on a level with her whose head is shaven”.  What I find particularly intriguing is the verse that follows it: “For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or to be shaven then let her be veiled”.  The reason I don’t believe hair is being referred to here is because if it was then the verse would make no sense at all: “For if a woman is not veiled with HAIR, let her also be shorn; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or to be shaven then let her be veiled”.  So in other words, if a woman is shaved then take her and shave her?!  It’s also been said from the pulpit that the reason it was shameful for a woman to have short hair/no hair was because that’s the look the prostitutes had who hung around the temple.  That may or may not be so, but since it’s not in the text I’m not going to go there.  What is in Scripture is that this is a shameful/humbling thing done to foreign women taken as captives during battle as seen in Deuteronomy 21:10-14.  I personally wouldn’t have a problem if I had a Nazarene queen that covered her head during prayer, as long as she understood she was following an opinion of Shaul and not a law of Yah.  Would you?  Shalom.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Revelation revisited

Shalom everyone, hope summer found you safe and happy.  I’ve put the blog up on a bit of an auto-pilot in recent months, because in all honesty; a pale white boy needs some time at the beach.  Also, letting other people post their truth on here from time to time helps to make this site different; thanks again ladies.  But I’m back, to enrage some and entertain others with my thoughts.  I’m thinking about the changing seasons now, and how some of you are making the change to go back to school for more edumacation.  So, why not briefly look at a book that’s all about change; about how things will one day be?  You guessed it, Revelation time!  It can be confusing and hard to read though, so let’s shed some light on a few misinterpreted/mistranslated verses and see what happens:


“LORD’s” DAY = SUNDAY?
At the beginning in 1:10 we read: “I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of The Lord and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet…”  Seeing as Yahuah’s name was taken from us and replaced with the awful title of Lord (Baal in Hebrew) in the common translations, most Hebraic ones correct this to say the Day of Yah.  It’s a common thought amongst many believers that this Day of Yah mentioned here refers to Sunday, despite that fact that Sunday is nowhere to be found in the text no matter what version you have.  Why?  Probably as a result of tradition, that of conditioning people to believe that Sunday is the Sabbath so therefore it must be the Lord’s Day.  The Sabbath is actually and has always been Saturday but I really don’t have the time to get into that here, just look into what “Brother” Constantine did in 321 to find out more.  So if it wasn’t on a sunny little Sunday that Brother Yohanon got caught up in the Holy Ghost trance, then what day was he talking about?  Well, a quick glance at previous Scripture passages (Acts 2:20-21 being just one of several) plainly describe this Day of Yah as the great day of His wrath; Judgment Day.  Speaking of Acts, let’s look at 20:7 quickly: “And upon the first day of the week (Sunday), when the disciples came together to break bread, Shaul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.”  So what we have here is simply an instance where some brothers came together to sup and hear a good message, and it just so happened to fall on a Sunday; nothing more and nothing less.  But some would like to use this verse as proof that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, the height of speculation in my opinion.  One would have a somewhat better case if it said this was a restful custom of theirs, but it doesn’t say that.  They’d also have a somewhat better case if it said this went on in a synagogue, but it doesn’t say that either.  I’m just saying, that’s all.

MARRIAGE SUPPER = PIG ROAST?
Near the end we also encounter a couple of things that can be taken out of context, which I will deal with individually.  Firstly, in 19:9-17 we read of the marriage supper of the lamb.  The Lamb here is obviously Yahushua Who we are to be married to, but what about that supper?  I’ve heard it said that this meal is going to be a ham dinner, much like Ishtar.  Interesting, seeing as neither ham nor Ishtar are mentioned here.  Also problematic, seeing as if Yahushua breaks His Father’s Torah by sucking on snout/celebrating an unclean holiday then He isn’t really the Messiah.  Well, if we look at previous Scripture we’ll see that there is a feast involving a lamb mentioned several times.  Passover is given in Exodus 12 and observed by Him in the gospels, known to most as the “last supper”.  It’s clearly not temporary, as it will still be done in the coming kingdom as we read here.  Neither is it just for Jews, but for all who want to covenant with their Creator.  As I tend to say on here, I don’t know everything but I can take an educated guess and say that we probably won’t be doing the whole potluck BBQ thing with our blessed Savior in the distant future.     

TATTOOED MESSIAH = REALLY?!
Another possibly confusing matter can be found in 19:9-17, in 19:16 to be specific: “And He had a name written on His garment and thigh, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (or more correctly Master of Masters).”  Sounds just a little like a tat, right?  Not if you look back at Leviticus 19:28: “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor make any marking upon you, I am Yahuah”.  So although a case could be made for piercings as long as they’re not done for the dead, ink would appear to be totally out of bounds.  And it bears repeating that if Yahushua at any time violates His Father’s Torah then He’s not really the Messiah, and we’re all hopelessly lost.  So what gives?  The answer lies in viewing it from a Hebraic lens, meaning that it was first written in Hebrew.  The Hebrew word for thigh is ragel, while the Hebrew word for banner is dagel.  The r character or “resh” just so happens to be almost identical, quite similar to the d character or “dalet” in modern Hebrew text.  In all likelihood, what has happened here is that when it was brought from Hebrew into Greek the translator mistook the dalet for a resh.  Now it makes perfect sense, hallelu.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Testimony time with the charismatic Miss Kathy

I am around 27 years old and am one of 3 children, as I have 2 sisters.  My dad was in the Navy and my mother was a CNA.  I come from a very dysfunctional, very broken and very oppressive family.  Some of my earliest memories are of my father beating my mother.  Very early in my childhood my father also began abusing myself and my 2 sisters.  We were also met with neglect; we hardly saw a doctor or a dentist.  On at least 2 occasions my teachers at school had notified my parents of my need for urgent and immediate medical attention and told my parents they had strongly considered reporting them to social services.  When I heard my parents discussing this, I remember asking Yahuah to have them reported but they were not.  My parents were professed Catholics and we went to Mass maybe 5 times.  I felt no genuine connection to Yah during those times; I felt a curiosity which quickly faded after having appealed to Him numerous times only to be met with silence.  I remember wailing uncontrollably into my pillows so no one would hear, sometimes even pulling my hair and scratching my face as a result of my deep frustration and anguish and sense of hopelessness. 

These cries and pleas and wails all carried the same question – why Yah?  Why were these things happening?  During this time my parents got divorced and re-married (to each other).  My mother was gone for over a year and this proved devastating.  All I knew was instability and apprehension; even the good times were stained with fears and doubts.  The abuse and neglect my sisters and I endured wore on our appearance much like dirty clothing did – for all to see and laugh at.  As a result, I was utterly rejected and continually sneered at by my peers for the larger part of my childhood.  My little self felt as if everywhere I turned I was confronted with disapproval and insults, my sisters marked the only 2 constants in my life.  Somewhere in the midst of all these experiences, I had emotionally rejected the idea of a relational Yah.  I was convinced that if He did exist, He was passive and cared nothing for His children.

Finally many years later, through an uncanny series of events the authorities were notified of what was happening.  Finally I had a voice.  My dad was arrested and dishonorably discharged from the Navy after almost 20 years of service while my mom was deemed unfit to gain sole custody and we were thrust into the custody of the State.  Though I wouldn’t realize it for at least a decade, this heralded the beginning of Yah’s rescue plan for my life.  My sisters and I lived in a child care facility for over a year; it was here that Yah showed me that there were others - many others who had it worse than I did.  Had I continued to believe there were no others like me, had Yah not granted me this perspective then the ghosts of my past would’ve surely chased me to a pit of depression and loneliness.  

Despite the reprieve given to me, I felt no inclination toward Yah.  I felt it was the ways and systems of the world which saved me from my parents.  The 3 of us were eventually ushered back into the custody of our mother and we all moved to Montana.  What ensued was another 6 years of distress, instability and isolation.  We were poverty stricken; the 4 of us shared a 2 bedroom trailer.  My mother was addicted to prescription pills; chain smoked 2 cigarette packs a day in the house, trailed various boyfriends in and out, and was always in and out of work.  Food boxes and stamps were the source of our meals.  Despite all this, my hope burned bright and my fortitude took root.  I was not defeated.  It was during my high school years that I began to experience what I would later refer to as “the calling”.  Interestingly, I referred to this feeling as “the calling” well before I came to Yahshua.  I felt some large, invisible and all-encompassing thing beckoning.  For a while I thought of this vast unnamable thing simply as the universe or fate.  Vast and unnamable it may have appeared, but close, palpable, and powerful it felt.  I held a deep desire to explore this unseen presence or design or power or whatever it was which continued to pull on my heartstrings.

As “the calling” continued to declare itself, I began to identify it as more of a personality and this personality felt familiar; strikingly familiar.  It was as if this presence and I were woven of the same cloth.  Little did I know the King of the universe Himself was calling me into His set apart family.  Despite these altogether supernatural curiosities and feelings – I continued to reject the idea of Elohim.  I had for the first time in my life, a very close group of dear friends.  These people are to this day some of the brightest, happiest, and most altruistic people I have ever known.  They were all atheist or agnostic.  My first introduction to religion was through the madness of my parents and my first introduction to atheism was through the kind words and loving acceptance of my dearest friends.  During this time, I intellectually rejected the idea of a relational Creator.

I graduated and left for college.  I moved to Missoula, a city 300 miles away.  Not too far from home, but far enough.  Life went on as the calling persisted.  I in no way was flourishing or making progress or healing from all that had occurred over the previous 18 years.  I was stumbling through the wilderness while my older sister Cheryl was still living at home with our mother in Bozeman.  Our younger sister Annie, who was 15, was visiting a friend of hers in Minnesota.  Then tragedy struck.  Cheryl called to inform me that our mother pawned all of our belongings including our car and moved to Florida to be with our father who had just been released from prison.  One word came to mind – Annie.  What about our 15 year old baby sister?  I was crushed and I felt abandoned all over again.  What about Annie?  I couldn’t let her fall into the hands of the State all over again, meanwhile shortly thereafter she had returned to Bozeman from her trip to Minnesota.  She came on a Greyhound, arrived late at night, with 2 trash bags of belongings and no one there to pick her up.  She called me in the dorms crying that no one was there so I was heartbroken.  Quickly I decided to move back home to be there for my 2 sisters, the only remaining family I had left.  Our mother called me once before I left the dorms to tell me that she didn’t think she’d done anything wrong.

The next 5 years provided me with another season of tremendous hardship.  Cheryl became a stripper out of desperation and Annie was all but lost to us.  She suffered from grief/depression and coped by abusing drugs, got into trouble with the law and began to disappear for long periods of time.  All through the many sorrows and all through the joys I never once had a parent to call.  I tried to be the life raft which kept my little family afloat, but at times this was impossible.  There was one crisis after another and I entered into an unhealthy and destructive romantic relationship which lasted for 4 ½ years.  I began smoking cannabis daily and became addicted to cigarettes, my drinking also increased considerably.  Thankfully I never abused hard drugs.  I tried to navigate through the hazy fog of drugs and failed time and time again.  I was lost, broken, confused and scared.  I felt incapable of change, I felt fundamentally flawed.  During this time I had many medical issues, there were a number of dental emergencies.  I also temporarily lost my vision due to a condition I developed called bilateral uveitis, thanks are to the Father for restoring my sight.  I didn’t know how to get out of this pit and out of desperation I began my search. In the beginning it was my search for truth.  As my search progressed, like a trumpet sounding, it was made clear to me that this pure truth which I so dearly sought after, was no less than Yah Himself.  Thus began my search when a monumental thing happened - I moved to Portland.

I began to read everything I could get my hands on regarding Yah, I began to be fascinated with the eastern mystic religions.  Books like The Siddhartha, The Hindu Vedas, The Baghavad Gita and The Kabbalah captivated me.  Slowly I began reading more contemporary books such as “The Celestine Prophecy”, “Ishmael”, “A Course in Miracles” and others.  I became fixated on New Ageism and this was perhaps the most dangerous part of my search.  These books are so very dangerous because they blend truth with falsehoods and offer it up as one seamless truth.  There could be no more a spiritual slippery slope than that of New Ageism.  It’s self-exalting and self-directing, the author of every book I read claimed to have received special revelation from a messenger of Yah or from Yah Himself.  Every single one of these books contradicted each other and this begged the question, “If indeed Yah did send messengers, why would He send them with conflicting messages?”  Clearly, either they were all frauds or it was the work of something more sinister.  I concluded that at least some of the authors really did believe they had a genuine spiritual experience and although this didn’t lead me to truth directly, it did affirm my belief in a supernatural world and in supernatural activity.  I assumed that if there was deliberate deception occurring in the spirit world, so too must there be goodness in the spirit world. 

In retrospect, I see that these books chronicled various types of demonic activity.  What’s interesting to note is not that every one of the books I read contradicted one another on many levels but all of them had one theme in common – they aimed to dethrone the scriptural Lamb.  This caught my attention because clearly these messengers were false messengers and clearly they had a common agenda.  What did they have against the Redeemer?  As I continued to read these accounts, I became more confused.  I had no fruit to bear for all my searching, I was deadlocked.  None of it made sense yet I knew Yah was there, I could feel Him as I prayed all the time.  I Prayed He would reveal Himself to me in truth as I lived with my sister when I first moved here.  She was always on the go when I had no job for almost 2 months.  I had no friends but what I did have was time and a computer, those were my only 2 resources.  One night out of sheer loneliness, I ventured into a spiritualism based chat room.  I met many nice people there and chatted about Yah so that it helped curb my need for social interaction.  There I met the acquaintance of one of the most influential people I would ever meet.  He was an older believer and quickly became a mentor of sorts.  He astounded me with his knowledge!  This man had amassed a great deal of knowledge in science, history, and scripture. 

We talked about current events, art, Yah and history.  I thought this man is truly gifted as he began to share with me details of meditation.  Naturally I began asking questions about his belief in the Yah of The Scriptures.  What struck me about his answers besides the fact that he was so astute, was how matter of fact he was.  He was unapologetic when he told me 3 things.  If I was to find truth it had to be a result of my own seeking and desire to know truth.  2nd he told me Yah had given me the ability to discern pure truth through the Ruach Hakodesh and 3rd any adopted truth must be consistent with scripture.  Indeed, all truths to be adopted are found solely in scripture.  What happened next is very difficult to conceptualize.  Shortly after meeting Robby, it dawned on me – I’m spending all this time reading about various interpretations of truth yet I won’t even as much glimpse at The Scriptures.  Why not?  Why not at least research them to find out if they can stand the test of time, if essential doctrine makes sense philosophically and intellectually?  Why not research these things before I write off faith altogether?  And so it began, I slowly pulled back the curtain of my misconceptions and began to peer into the light.  Suddenly pieces were falling into place, questions were being answered and questions I hadn’t even thought to ask arose. 

My dear friend Robby continued to witness patiently and diligently as I began renting videos.  I was in and out of bookstores eager to read the next one addressing these sacred mysteries.  I realized The Scriptures are historically accurate, indeed why would it lend itself to historical scrutiny were it not?  In fact among other ancient documents, it remains quite unparalleled.  It was a beautiful discovery and I felt like a proverbial archeologist who couldn’t quit digging.  I was hungry for Yahshua and I was thrilled at the mention of His name, overjoyed at His finding.  I kept digging when I realized quickly that the more I felt myself starting to believe in The Word, the more I was rejecting everything I had previously adopted as true.  I started to second guess myself.  What was I getting myself into?  I thought I was losing all semblance of everything I thought to be true. Then Yah showed me the following quote in the midst of my doubt: "If 1000 old beliefs are ruined in our march to truth, we must still march on."  I continued to march on and was almost there.  I felt myself inching closer to faith as I began praying in the name of Yahshua.  I appealed to Yah to answer my prayers, to continue to reveal His truth to me and to with a clear and unmistakable finality engrave the name of Yahshua the Messiah on my heart if indeed everything that scripture said was true.

I prayed for the gift of faith and I felt so close.  Then it happened, late one night.  I was crying because I was overwhelmed in doubt, confused again.  I knew once I believed, Yahshua would become life itself and this presented a huge risk.  I had been deeply betrayed all my life; trust was a huge step for me.  All this talk of promises, of redemption, and restoration, and forgiveness seemed too good to be true.  The mere depth of His love and sacrifice seemed otherworldly and implausible.  His second coming, the new heavens and the new earth left me flabbergasted.  The magnificence and glory of Yahshua was so far-reaching it couldn’t be true; I was too scared to believe.  I didn’t want to find out I was wrong, I began to sob and ask Yah to confirm Yahshua in my life if He was indeed our Savior.  I could no longer stand the confusion and not knowing, and then Yah showed me the verse that would change my life forever.  I opened up my Scriptures and asked Yah to speak to me.  He showed me the following verse: 2 Corinthians 11:3.  “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled the woman through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the Messiah.”

I knew that instant, I had been deceived all my life.  In that moment, He revealed that everything prior to Yahshua had been deception and that only in Him would I know truth and life.  I remember saying, “Yahshua my Messiah, count me as a believer, You have won me.”  After that utterance, I felt my heartbeat for Yahshua for the first time.  My life has been completely transformed, through and in Yahshua the Messiah I have conquered all former addictions minus smoking.  I have completed school and returned home to a beautiful niece, I have found an incredible online community through the people that Yahshua brought me to.  I am rescued, I am redeemed, I am thankful.  Praise Yahshua, every moment in darkness was more than worth if in the end I am delivered into His arms.  My life can be encapsulated in two words - glorify Yah. Amen.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Bridal quiz

The following comes from James Trimm, in spite of his interest in the Apocrypha/Talmud; “tithing” and need to call himself Rabbi it’s solid.


1. 1st Peter (actually Kepha) 1:20-21 says that the Scriptures are to be understood:
(a) as we feel in our hearts.
(b) not by private interpretation.
(c) as our priests or pastors interpret them.

2. According to 1st John (actually Yohanon) 2:6 and 1st Corinthians 11:1, believers should walk:
(a) free from bondage to the “Jewish Law”.
(b) as Yahushua the Messiah Himself walked.
(c) as taught by the Ishtar Bunny.
(d) as taught by our “rabbis”.

3. In Luke 4:16 and Acts 17:1-2 Yahushua and Paul (actually Shaul) were usually:
(a) going to church on Sunday.
(b) going to synagogue on Sabbath.
(c) going to mosque on Friday.

4. According to Matthew (actually Matittyahu) 5:17-19, Yahushua came to abolish His Father’s laws; true or false?

5. In Romans 3:31 Shaul:
(a) made void the Law.
(b) established the Law.
(c) abolished the Law.
(d) taught we are freed from bondage to the Law.

6. According to Jude (actually Yahudah) 1:3, the true faith was delivered to mankind:
(a) seven times.
(b) one time.
(c) two times.
(d) three times.

7. In Ephesians 4:3-6 there are this many true faiths:
(a) two
(b) many
(c) one
(d) none

8. According to Zechariah 8:23, Yohanan 4:22 and Romans 3:1-2; the true faith is a form of:
(a) Christianity
(b) Judaism
(c) Islam
(d) Mormonism

9. In Acts 24:5-14 the true faith was known as:
(a) Christianity
(b) Sect of the Nazarenes
(c) Jehovah’s Witnesses
(d) Islam
  
10. According to Exodus 20:8-11, the Sabbath is:
(a) Sunday (the first day of the week).
(b) Saturday (the seventh day of the week).

11. In Mark 2:27-28 and Colossians 1:16 the Sabbath was created by:
(a) The Pope
(b) Moses (actually Moshe)
(c) The Messiah
(d) Santa Claus

12. Also according to Mark 2:27-28, the Sabbath was created for:
(a) the Jews only.
(b) the people of “Old Testament” times.
(c) all mankind.

13. In 1st Yohanan 3:4 and Romans 7:7 sin is defined as:
(a) moral failure.
(b) transgression of the Law.

14. According to Yohanan 1:29, Yahushua came to:
(a) do away with the Law.
(b) take away sin.

15. In Romans 6:15 Shaul says:
(a) we should not continue to sin.
(b) don’t worry about sin since it’s transgression of the Law Yahushua ended.

16. According to Scripture (Exodus 27-31, Leviticus 6-24, Numbers 10-19 and Deuteronomy 5:29), the Law was:
(a) only for “Old Testament” times.
(b) for all generations.
(c) eventually to be abolished by the Messiah.

17. In Deuteronomy 4:2-12:32 it’s ok to take away from the Law, true or false?

18. According to Deuteronomy 13:1-11, if anyone after Moshe were to teach that we should no longer keep the Law then we should:
(a) only accept this if their prophecies are fulfilled.
(b) only accept this if they perform miraculous signs and wonders.
(c) reject them immediately.

19. In Acts 25:8-28:17 Shaul taught:
(a) against the Jewish Law.
(b) against the Temple.
(c) against Jewish customs.
(d) none of the above.

20. According to Romans 7:12, Shaul tells us the Law is:
(a) holy, just and good.
(b) bondage we need freedom from.

21. In Romans 7:14 Shaul also tells us the Law is:
(a) of the Spirit.
(b) of the flesh.  
       
 
22. According to Ezekiel 36:27, the Holy Spirit will:
(a) witness to as that we are freed from bondage to the Law.
(b) cause us to keep the statutes and ordinances.

23. In Scripture (Acts 20-27 and 1st Corinthians 5-16) Shaul observed:
(a) the Passover.
(b) day of Pentecost.
(c) the Yom Kippur.
(d) all of the above.

24. According to Revelation 12:17, the last days remnant will be a people who:
(a) accept the Messiah and reject the Law.
(b) accept the law and reject the Messiah.
(c) accept the Messiah and the Law.
(d) none of the above.

25. A Jewish person would have to change their religion to accept their own Messiah, true or false?

Friday, June 3, 2011

Guest blog by the lovely Miss Leah

Narrow praise
 
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  Book of Matthew 7:13-14, the words of the Messiah.

Narrow is the way.  Narrow.  And few find it.  What could this path look like?
Imaginations lead me to images of a secret path long forgotten; one over-grown with weeds, thorns and briars.  Crouching is not enough to discover its veiled mystery.  A deliberate mission of unveiling must be undertaken.

Yet one does not even become aware that such a road exists unless something stirring within eludes and draws one to the truth of its nature.  How difficult heeding this tiny, fleeting whisper which woos of other paths, can surely be.  The path which one does currently stand upon is beset with jewels, sparkles, and glitter; all the things which entice the eye, the mind, the soul.

Narrow or wide?  Easy or difficult?  Carnality of human nature will naturally follow the easy open road.  But the spirit within man, desirous of greater and deeper truths, hungers for the narrow, illusive ancient path to life.

Reflecting upon this verse this morning, it sobers me to my current positions, both spiritual and physical.  I find myself lusting for the sparkle of the broad way.  With all its lights, chorus and production, the excitement it generates is captivating.  It's entertaining.  But then Matthew 7:14 reminds me that the path to life may not, at first, appear so lustrous, but it is indeed, the only, narrow entrance way to what it is I truly seek: life.  Entertainment yields a grand mirage of life, but the Messiah is the only One capable of providing a cup full of the promise.

I am in no position to judge what path one may have made their current route, but if what Yahshua says is truth; the majority of us are on the wrong road.  Psychology teaches that no one wants to be wrong.  We all have an innate desire to be “right”.  But those who find it are few.  Wrong about where I misplaced my keys is one thing.  Wrong about matters of life, I find exceptionally much more difficult to swallow.

Perhaps, for a moment, we should briefly glance south, peering down towards toes and feet.  What path is it we stand upon?  Is it so wide there's room to lay length wise?  Or can you barely see the difficult path extend beyond the edges of your form?  Does it sparkle or is it a dusty dirt road?  Not that there is anything wrong with sparkles!  But though life is often entertaining, entertainment is rarely life.

After a deeper exploration of the unoriginal Greek, the broad path is said to be “entered into”; denoting a certain degree of passivity.  While the Greek for “find” in regards to the narrow path, clearly expresses a direct and deliberate searching, seeking; pursuit and discovery.  The word is “heurisko”.  In light of the contrasting connotations, perhaps it's that Yahshua was stating that there will be few who will seek and actively pursue the path which leads to life; and therefore never find it.  It as if we naturally enter this world landing on the broad and easy path, routinely plopped upon it by a less than dutiful stork. 

It takes our deliberate attempt to leave the broad and seek the narrow....like Alice's chase for the illusive white rabbit, torn almost directly from the pages of Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland.  In order to continue the chase down the tiny path, Alice must somehow squeeze herself through a narrow doorway she must, first shrink herself in order to fit inside.  Who knew Carol was so spiritual?

So did you look?  At your feet, silly.  What does your path look like?  What does your “way” reveal?

Currently, my running shoes are ready for the adventure of a chase.  And at the end of this narrow and humble road I seek, is the Savior, and not a white rabbit, Who holds the keys to praising life.

To "praise".  I've been sitting on this revelation for a few weeks.  Partially, due to business, and partially, I believe, so that I could gain even more depth and understanding regarding this topic.

This revelation was opened to me with Psalm 117.  Psalm 117 is the shortest of all the psalms, composed of a mere two verses.  Yet, it swells with vibrant wisdom contained within its mysterious brevity.  The psalm is as follows:

“Praise Yahuah, all you nations!  Extol Him, all you peoples!  For His kindness is mighty over us, and the truth of Yahuah is everlasting.  Praise Yah!“ (ISR)

When studying the original Hebrew, which the text was written in, so much more can be captured than from what the English language is able to express, alone.  I began dissecting the first “praise” in verse one.  Here, the original word is “halal”.  Halal means to shine; flash forth light; be boastful; the use of a clear, sharp tone; to be foolish; to sing one's praises; to boast oneself.

I've often pondered myself and questioned via prayers, what does it mean to praise?  There are scriptures upon scriptures which allude to “praising Yahuah,” yet who has a clear understanding of what it means to praise the Creator Yah?  Many commentaries have been written, and if you were to walk into any mainstream Christian church, you'd more than likely experience a time of “praise and worship”.  This “praise and worship” time is normally composed of the playing of musical instruments and singing.  Some congregations may involve dance or drama, but they are fewer in number.  It has become so commonplace (the correlation of music to worship), that “praise and worship” has all but become synonymous with spiritual music.  I agree that the use of instruments, songs, hymn, singing, and the like, are certainly a means to worship and praise.  But there is an intuitive nature within me which cries that it is so much more.

So back to my dissection of Hebrew.  Halal, at first; struck me in its reference to the utilization of light.  At once, it brought to my mind, the image of a photo being “snapped”, captured by a sudden bursting forth of light via flashbulb.  This warmed my heart, as I have often sensed His guiding Spirit, inspiration, and glow in capturing a certain scene by means of a shutter and lens.  Other photographers I've spoken with, also speak of their greatest photographs being captured by a means of inspiration.  It is not our creation which we esoterically capture, but by capturing His beauty, we somehow become co-creators with the divine – boasting of His marvelous handiwork, as the scriptures describe it.

Which brings us back to another possible definition for halal: to be boastful.  If one is like me, the word “boast” automatically rouses notions of arrogance, sports; and esteeming oneself above the rest.  Yet, I find a different connotation from “boast” in this definition.  This boasting arises without the self as the sole purpose of the boast.  The self becomes a mere vessel to point the boastful finger at another.  It is like that neon orange “DETOUR” sign which, at first, draws attention to its bold statement, only to redirect the traveler to a more important location.  I see this kind of boasting in the boast used to praise.

I have a very talented friend which this form of praise reminds me.  This friend is a fabulous tailor.  He is skilled in color, design, sewing, and displaying his unique fabrics.  Everywhere he wears his divinely inspired fashions, he gets looks, comments, accolades, and inquiries as to how one can obtain one of their own.  The means in which my friend carries himself is in the most humble manner.  There is no need for him to draw attention to himself, for the clothing shouts for itself!  In this way, his boastful clothing draws on-lookers to him and his talent.  But it does not halt there.  For my friend always points his admirers to the source of his skills.  He gives credit to another.

All this was gathered from the first “praise” in verse one.  The second “praise” is translated the same but has a different Hebrew root word.  The original word here, is “shabach”.  Shabach means to soothe, still; stroke.  I see this relating to praise in the hands of a potter, smoothing his clay upon his wheel.  I see it in the stroke of the artist's paintbrush.  I see it in the way a playwright soothes his audience with the graceful orchestration of plot and setting.  I see it as the hand which soothes the ill, stroking frail hands and soothing a broken spirit.  I see this praise as one which nourishes the soul, stirring it in a calming and regenerative fashion.

The Arabic understanding of “stroke” is in relation to waters, such as in stilling a wave.  This automatically takes my mind to Yahshua's calming of the stormy sea in Mark 4:39.  Yahshua spoke to the sea, “Peace, be still.”

Psalm 117 is addressed to “all you nations.”  For a religion which originated in Hebrew culture and among the Hebrew people, the invitation is not limited to their ethnic descendants.  It encompasses the native and the foreigner, alike.  It extends to all the world, all of creation.  For, as verse two declares, “For His kindness is great over us, and the truth of Yahuah is everlasting.  Praise (“halal”) Yah!”

Perhaps my brief introspection into what it means to “praise” has shined forth some light of illumination upon what many of us have always known to be a deeper truth.  I hope all the artists out there, no matter what your preferred medium may be, is encouraged and inspired to keep making praises among all of creation, in the way that only you are able to co-create!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Dissing dispensationalism

Shalom.  Last month’s blog on KJV Facts was such fun that I’d like to fact-find another matter, dispensationalism.  Also called replacement theology, dispensationalism is the relatively new doctrine of the law either having been done away with by the death and resurrection of Yahushua or being something just for the Jews.  Since I briefly touched on how He didn’t come to annul His Father’s Torah in my blogs on James and Galatians recently, I’ll only answer a couple of the most common objections.  Firstly, this sentence at the end of Mark 7:19 saying “And thus He declared all food clean” was added at a much later time and some translations even admit this in their footnotes.  Secondly, the three sheets of unclean animals in Kepha’s Acts 10 dream represent three Gentile converts that soon come to visit him as he explains himself later.  Now moving on…    

Exodus 12:49: “One law shall be to him that is native, and to the stranger that sojourns among you”.  Who is being spoken of here?  Israel (more accurately Yisrael).  So who then is Israel?  Israel is a country in the Middle East and so much more, it’s the nation (people group) that Yahuah chose to covenant with.  There are Israelites all over the world, not to be confused with Israelis; those who are born in the land of Israel.  Israel consists of twelve tribes, the Jews being but one.  In other words, all Jews are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews.  Since the letter J is barely 500 years old, the actual term for them is Yahudim, from the tribe of Yahudah or “Judah”.  I personally believe in the two house teaching, that most former Gentiles are either engrafting into Israel or returning ancestors of the Israelites who were dispersed across the earth during the Assyrian raids of 722 BC.  Only the southern tribes remained, Yahudah and Benyamin.  These are historical facts, not theories or errors.  Yah has repeatedly promised His prophets to exile/restore these lost Israelites to their covenant (Isaiah 11-49, Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 4-37), thus we have the true Messianic/Nazarene Israelite movement taking its hold.  There’s only one way for all believers to live, it’s Torah and not Noahide Laws. 

If that’s just a little too “Old Testament” then don’t worry, the lost sheep of Israel are also alluded to in the gospels (Matthew 15 and John 10).  People hear that the two house teaching is a controversial thing, which is due to the false doctrines that various extremists seek to attach to it.  Some like to claim that their long-lost Israelite blood will be what saves them, in which case the Messiah died in vain; heresy indeed.  Others like to solely lay claim to being these lost Israelites, shutting out everyone else.  Mormons, Black Israelite and White Ephraimite groups would be the main examples.  This is elitist at best and racist at worst, and has no place in the law.  I think it would be cool if I found out I had some Israelite ancestry in my heritage, but that’s all it would be.  He mercifully accepts all who repent and we don’t need the approval of a “rabbi” or their congregation.

Often times when I try to explain my beliefs to others I’m asked if I’m somehow “trying to be a Jew.”  Sigh, a Messianic can be a Jew who finds Yahushua but also a Gentile who finds His Torah.  It’s a harsh reality, but it’s the twelve tribes of Israel that will have gates into the coming kingdom and not the twelve denominations of dispensationalism as we read in Revelation 21:12: “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.”  Nowhere in Scriptures is Israel replaced with some new entity called the “Church”, and all promises made to Israel by the Master are still valid.  The goal as outlined in Romans 11 is to engraft into Israel if we’re not already and many people say they understand this, just as long as you don’t remind them that being in the family of Israel includes obeying the family rules.  If you do then you may be told that they’re “spiritual Israelites”.  Sounds good on the surface but no such thing exists in Scripture, we’re either Israelites or we’re not.  The prodigal son is returning to Elohim after some lawless living and wasted riches.  At any rate, here are some facts our dispensationalist friends won’t dig.  Oh well, the truth can only set us free.  Let’s begin:


The early church father Marcion was so anti-Semitic that he wanted to do away with all things Jewish and even wanted to have a “Christian Bible” made up.  Fortunately his contemporaries disagreed and the idea received minor attention before dying out.

It wasn’t until the 1800’s that John Darby of the Plymouth Brethren picked up on Marcionism and expounded on it, thus garnering the title “Father of dispensationalism”.

In 1827 he came up with the “secret rapture” doctrine, being that there would be two second comings.  This was challenged, so he came to “new revelation” that the only way it could work was if the Scriptures were divided into categories for Jews and Christians.

He used 2 Timothy 2:15 as his justification: “Study to show yourself approved by Yahuah, a worker that needs not to be ashamed; rightly dividing the word of truth”.

If Darby was the father of it, then surely Mr. Scofield was dispensationalism’s agent.  He claimed that the Our Father in Matthew 6 was a Jewish prayer that shouldn’t be recited by Christians.  Odd, seeing as Judaism doesn’t recognize the Renewed Testament.

It was his 1909 publication of the Scofield Reference Bible that carried the message to people in a way that made it popular.  It too was challenged, sadly to no effect though.


- For more info on the 2 house teaching please see http://www.1shepherd1flock.webs.com/ and http://thismessage.webstarts.com/ .

Friday, April 1, 2011

King James: Rollin' in his grave?

Happy Passover, this time of year makes me think about how the King James Version is the only one that falsely replaces Passover with Ishtar (more commonly known as Easter) in Acts 12:4: “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people”. I’m also thinking about how that fuzzy little Ishtar bunny never seems to give any answers to the questions that some have. Questions like what is the perfect “Bible” translation? If there is no perfect translation, then which’s the best? As far as which one is the best, that depends on who you ask but my personal choices are any that are rooted in a Hebraic understanding. By that I mean the translations were done with the understanding that the “New Testament” was originally written in Hebrew/Aramaic and not Greek as has historically been the accepted thought. I know that so far the oldest existing manuscripts we have for the Renewed Testament are written in Greek, but there’s much evidence to support these manuscripts as having been translations of earlier Hebrew works. There’s also obvious mistranslations made in carrying it from the one language to the other, this partly explains why many find the Scriptures to be confusing.


You’ve probably guessed it by now, but I don’t believe there is a perfect translation; and I sure don’t believe it’s the King James. Before I go on I’d just like to say that I’m aware of how many common translations omit verses pertaining to baptism and I’m thankful that the KJV doesn’t do that; but it’s still not perfect and Acts 12:4 is but one reason why. And many people have heard it’s the best translation out there so they just go with the flow without ever questioning why, I pray that they may find this blog to be insightful. I’m also writing this for the KJV activists (they come in all denominations with one in particular seemingly most fervent), those who get together to publically burn other versions because they believe the King James is perfect based on 1 Corinthians 13:10: “And when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away”. Good grief. I’m by far no expert on sword fighting, but I’ve a hunch that this verse is really referring to what the rest of the chapter is: love coming and completing us. The power of love is so great that if we do everything else in life just about perfectly but don’t walk in it then we’ve missed the whole point. Speaking of points, mine is to share some historical facts about the King James that you may or may not know; so please enjoy:


The King James was in actuality commissioned by his acting wifey (some say he was gay), the Queen.

The original 1611 version is the first one to give us the false name of “Jehovah”, and hovah/howah really means wickedness in the Hebrew (see a concordance).

The texts used to compile the King James are missing so many words that translators had to insert several ones in order for it to be read properly, you can check this for yourself by noticing all these added words in italic within a KJV or by seeing it too in a good concordance.

Not in the original 1611 version but in a later one, the King James is the first one to give us the false name of “Jesus”.

To those who’d have us believe the Renewed Testament was wholly written in the original “inspired Greek”, even if we pretend it was there’s still an accuracy problem. The Renewed Testament texts of the KJV are only partially Greek, the rest being later Latin and even later English ones; oh me oh my.

The Greek texts that were used in the KJV Renewed Testament were commissioned by Yohan Frovan in 1514 to Desiderus Erasmus, with Frovan giving him a strict deadline in order to beat a competing publisher to press.

Because he was so rushed he only had time to access 7 authentic Greek texts (the oldest of which being only from the 11th century), the rest he then back-translated from Latin.

In addition to being hurried along, the printer made numerous changes after he handed his work in; leading him to freely confess that it was “thrown together rather than edited”.


Now let me just say this before I get accused of trying to destroy anyone’s faith: I’m not going there. Well, not faith in Yahushua at least. But if busting the myth that the King James is at best perfect and at worst the most accurate translation available then I am gleefully guilty as charged. My plea is that all of us question what we’re told is truth, dig into the Scriptures more and firmly plant our faith. Until later, take care of your shalom.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Galatians gazed upon

Round two, let’s see if Galatians tells us we’re “free” from the law of Yah.  As I mentioned in my take on James, Shaul was called to minister to formerly Gentile converts; and we read him state this himself in 1:15-16.  This is also seen in 2:2-9, with Barnabas ministering to them in addition to Shaul.  Now although there appears to be some difference between Jews and Gentiles as far as who ministered to whom, there is absolutely none in regards to fellowship within the body of Yahushua.  Peter (Kepha) segregated himself from the Gentiles when fellow Jews arrived with Yakov, and Shaul was so dismayed that he publically called him out on it to his face.  We find this incident over in 2:11-14.  In the remainder of the chapter, 2:15-21; very interesting verses are appearing that some misinterpret to justify their disregard for Torah obedience.  Shaul proclaims how we’re not under the law and it seems that’s where many stop reading without taking the context into account.  I’ll submit to you that he’s clearly saying we’re not under the law FOR SALVATION, not that it’s done away with or for Jews only (dispensationalism).  When he says he’s dead to the law he means he’s dead to faith in it for salvation, such faith is not living; non-existent.  This is so clear, because as many times as he mentions the Torah in this passage he also contrasts it to the salvation of our beloved Yahushua.  Apparently certain brethren were embracing/spreading a new doctrine that following the Torah saves, this of course was never true as Yahuah’s plan of salvation has always been to come by grace through faith in His Son; so Shaul rebukes the heresy.  And he does so by quoting the law, in case anyone still thinks he had hated it.

He continues to do so entering the third chapter and I don’t have any trouble with it, as long as his words aren’t twisted to teach how grace/faith is some recent discovery which negates the Torah.  Sadly though that seems to be the message preached over the last decade, and I think Shaul would be heartbroken to see this trend transpire.  Perhaps all of us should seek to be balanced as believers, to just ask if it’s possible that the same Father who gave the grace of Yahushua also gave us His law and both are good to the point of being followed.  As a mentor of mine says, being able to unlearn false things is just as important as being able to learn new truths.  Most know cursed are those who fail to do all of the Torah (everyone), and the good news of how Yahushua came to take away the curse if our faith is in Him.  What curse?  Well it can’t be the law, not according to 3:12: “Now the law was not from faith, but whoever is a doer of those things that are written in it will live (temporally) by them”.  I still don’t know everything, but I know that if by Torah obedience I’ll be blessed with life then I’m not about to dare call the Torah a curse.  He’s redeemed us from the curse of the law, NOT the curse which is the law.  Given the context, my opinion is that “curse of the Torah” simply refers to the fact that all who violate it are cursed in that we’re guilty of death; without the Messiah of course.  Likewise, the law does not negate the promise Yahuah made in sending us the Savior to free us from eternal death so I don’t have a problem with the end of this chapter either.  That’s what we’re freed from, yes the Torah is a tutor pointing to everyone’s need for a Redeemer; including those who previously may have mistakenly done it for redemption.  




Shaul carries this theme into the fourth chapter to those desiring to be under law for salvation, but I feel as if getting into it in depth would be terribly repetitive.  I will just say that verse 10 is another one where reason seems to get left at the door: “Days and months and times of year you observe”.  This is said in a negative context, so a lot of people seem to think this means the Sabbath is now done away with despite the fact that it’s not even mentioned here.  I’ll admit that there isn’t anything to go by to logically determine what days exactly he means, but I can take an educated guess based on what he said in Romans.  That’s where he rebuked the assembly in Rome for observing special days of fasting that they either made up or adopted from those around them, ones not found in Torah.  Maybe those in Galatia did the exact same thing, it’s entirely possible.  Our dear misunderstood brother gets more specific in the fifth and sixth chapters, saying that the portion of Torah dealing with circumcision doesn’t save.  We see this same subject dealt with in Acts and Romans.  Bear with me here, but my dispensationalist friends who believe Yahushua’s death did away with the law are partially right.  It obviously did away with the sacrificial/ceremonial part of the Torah, as He is our sacrificial Lamb of Yah.  It also succeeded in doing away with the circumcision part (in adult converts), which Yahuah had promised to do in Jeremiah by circumcising His law on our hearts.  Therefore we should now have a love for it, so that we can call it good and practice it.  In conclusion, I personally don’t come away from reading Galatians with any desire to stop attempting to follow the law as my general pattern of loving; I just don’t.

Friday, February 4, 2011

James justified

Greetings again dear brothers and sisters, my apologies for the extreme length of the last post but I feel as though the content was vital enough to warrant it; vital for everyone – including the vain.  As Lupercalia (more commonly known as Valentine’s Day) dawns upon us once more I am prompted to quickly comment on another trend I’ve personally witnessed a number of times, that of many but not all young women in Christianity or fresh out of it who will only go for pretty boys with a musical ability of some sort.  Are they so shallow that the size of a man’s guitar neck is more important than his heart?  Time to grow up ladies, shall we?  Ok, now on to what I really want to dig into.  Let me just say that I’m not one to sword fight, but recently a friend tried using James (Yakov) as “proof” of disobedience; which inspired me to re-examine/defend what I believe it says.            

I find it interesting that anyone would attempt using James of all the Renewed Testament books as evidence in an anti-law argument, seeing as it tells us in the very first chapter that we shouldn’t be deceived into only hearing the word but not doing it (1:22-25).  What word?  I submit to you that word here is referring to Torah, as is the case many other times in Scripture.  This theme carries on into the second chapter.  A potential problem with seeing this though comes from a common misunderstanding of verse 8: “And if you fulfill (do) the Torah of Elohim in this as it is written that you shall love your neighbor as yourself”.  Quoting the “Old Testament” book of Leviticus, how about that?  Our Messiah Yahushua also quotes this in the gospels and in fact He calls it the greatest command of the law/prophets.  What He is not saying is that the whole of the law has been suddenly whittled down to just love, yet this is a popular enough belief with many.  I’ve also heard it said that the law has been downsized to the Ten Commandments.  If this were true though we could do all sorts of other disgusting things that aren’t covered by the 10, such as commit incest; drink blood and torture others.  If this were so then we would have to conclude that everyone in Scripture after Yahushua who observed any aspect of Torah not covered by the 10 was a deceived fool, good grief.  Not at all, but at this point the anti-law defense usually moves over to the realm of dispensationalism.

This doctrine can easily be shot down by the fact that there is no longer “Jew” or “Gentile” in the Messiah, but for the sake of argument let’s use our imaginations and pretend otherwise.  “Now Matt, Shaul only did acts of Torah in front of the Jews a few times in order to appease them for the purpose of being all things to all men”.  While it is true that he took a Nazarite vow so that some Jewish brothers who thought he was against the law would see contrary, it’s also true that the primary audience of his ministry was in fact “Gentile” and there are instances that can’t be ignored where he either proclaims obedience to the law or actually observes it in front of them.  There is no problem however when we view the commandment to love as the root of the Ten which is in turn the root of the rest, a tree of teaching if you will.  Another common area of misunderstanding is 2:10: “For he who keeps the whole Torah and offends in one thing is found guilty of the whole Torah”.  So because we can’t keep all of the law should we then not even try to do what we can?  Or as Shaul put it, should we go on sinning so that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  Moving on to verses 14-26 we encounter those well known words in James that promote works.  What works?  Works of the law I’d say, founded out of love for Yahuah sending His only Son to save us by His atoning blood. 
In chapter 4:11-12 we are told not to speak against the Torah, that doing so it is as bad as wrongly judging our brother.  Often when we see loved ones struggling with a particular sin (violation of Yah’s law) and say something out of concern, we can be met with the response that we’re somehow judging.  Well, we’re supposed to.  I mean rightly judging, done out of love and not hypocrisy and/or condemnation.  Because if Scripture says there is a wrong form of judging, that implies there’s a right one.  And there is, Proverbs quoted in the very last line of James: “Let him know that he who turns back a sinner from the error of their ways will make alive his soul from death and will blot out a multitude of sins”.  In conclusion, I personally don’t come away from reading James with any desire to stop attempting to follow the Torah as my general pattern of living; I just don’t see it.                  

Monday, January 3, 2011

Spirit of exodus

(Note:  I’m not nor have ever been a racist or anti-Semite.  I’m anti-authorities who seek to go against the truth of our heavenly Father.  They come in many creeds.)

Happy new year, hope your last little while has been safe and joyous.  It’s a time when many will seek out new beginnings, resolutions and reformations.  I’ve got a few things bopping around in my head that I’d like to blog about, but one in particular jumps out as the most important so I’ll start out with it.  It may or may not save lives even, I don’t really know.  You see, in recent years I’ve noticed a trend.  I’ve seen it mostly in Messianics, but in some Christians too.  It seems that a lot of people believe us to be in the end times.  We might or might not be - I don’t know so I’m not going to debate that.  On one hand, things around the world do seem to be getting pretty hairy.  On the other hand, people have lived and died since Israel was reborn in 1948 that have trusted themselves to be to be the ones living in the final days.  What I do know is that many current believers feel compelled to do one thing to deal with this potential end: move away to go live there!  Not just on a missionary trip either, but for permanent residence.          

They think they’ll be safe there.  In my opinion this is odd, seeing as even unsaved non-believers with no faith in anything realize that it’s a place mired in warfare; anything but safe and peaceful.  Not to put down the Israeli people, just stating a fact here.  I believe Yahuah will seal us for protection (anti-mark of the beast for those worrying about that) as promised in Revelation 9, but still; why tempt fate?  Another point I’d like to raise is that Yahushua warned those in the land to flee in Luke 21 and not let anyone in as the prophetic end comes.  Not to mention that if/when an evil global government takes hold, yes; Israel will be subject to it too.  And lastly, if we all moved away from North America to Israel then there would be nobody left to reach the lost people here.  I’m one of the sorts that think there is a reason why Yah made us born scattered, to plant seed around us.  So then why do they believe they’ll be safe there?  Personally, I think it’s due to all the books and sites out there pointing to the North American financial system as the whorish beast.  I don’t believe it is, but that’s a whole other topic indeed for another time perhaps.

What’s more, there are vital political consequences for both “Jews” and “Gentiles” seeking to relocate there in the form of a mandatory allegiance to the Noahide Laws.  Those who promote them also love to have us wearing hats of unclean origin at the western Wailing Wall, and in truth they’re a bastardized version of the 10 Commandments.  They come not from Yah but from the man-made Talmud, while only He makes anyone righteous.  If you raise this to the powers that be they may deny it and tell you these Laws come from Acts 15 if they are “Messianic”, yet a quick comparison easily refutes this.  For the “Jewish” Messianic believer who embraces the real name of our Father, they may encounter serious reprisal for this.  For the “Gentile” Messianic believer, they may also face severe consequences for embracing the proper Sabbath and Torah in general.  What consequences?  I’ll let this excerpt from L. McGuire’s Followers of Yah tract answer, at the risk of being called a parrot and fear monger.  Dig this:



Ever heard of the Noahide (Noachide) Laws?  Talk has been going around that these are harmless.  “Hey, they were given to Noah; right?”  On the contrary, to such claims they are dangerous to EVERYONE!  “Do not be destroyed for lack of knowledge.”  (Hosea 4:6).  Say hello to the Seven Universal Laws of Man as listed by the Talmud (Sanh 56a):  Prohibition of idolatry.  Prohibition of murder.  Prohibition of theft.  Prohibition of sexual immorality.  Prohibition of blasphemy.  Prohibition of cruelty to animals.  Requirement to have just laws: you shall set up an effective judiciary to enforce the preceding six laws fairly.  These laws along with those who promote them are telling people there are 2 sets of laws, one for the Jews (Yahudim) and the other for the Gentiles (Goyim).  We know this isn’t Scriptural because we’re told:  “There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”  (Exodus 12:49)

That is the reason the Noahide Laws are dangerous!  These laws are growing at an alarming rate in popularity.  They have even reached the U.S. Congress:  “The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Noahide Laws in legislation that was passed by both houses.  Congress and the President of the U.S. George Bush indicated in Public Law 102-14 of the 102nd Congress that the United States of America was founded upon the Seven Universal Laws of Noah, and that these laws have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization.  They also acknowledged that the Seven Laws of Noah are the foundation upon which civilization stands and that recent weakening of these principles threaten the fabric of civilized society, and that justified preoccupation in educating the citizens of the U.S. of America and future generations is needed.  For this purpose, this Public Law designated March 26th 1991 as Education Day.”  Well, isn’t that just sneaky?!  And here we thought the U.S. was founded on the top ten.  Oops, guess we were wrong; huh?  Sadly, this is not just for the state of Yisrael (Israel) or even the U.S., but for the whole world: “This obligation to teach all the peoples of the earth about the Laws of Noah, is incumbent upon every individual in every era.”  (Mishnah Torah, Law of Kings 8:10).  Do you want to live in Yisrael (Israel)?  If so, are you prepared to sign forms giving your allegiance to these counterfeit Ten Commandments?

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/seven_laws_of_noah: “In January 2004, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel; Sheikh Mowafak Tarif signed a declaration calling on all non-Jews in Israel to observe the Noahide Laws as laid down in the Hebrew Bible and expounded on in Jewish tradition.  The mayor of the Galilean city of Shefa-Amr (Shfaram) – where Muslim, Christian and Druze communities live side by side – also signed the document.  The declaration includes the commitment to make a better, more humane world based on the Seven Noachide Commandments and the values they represent commanded by the Creator to all mankind through Moses at Sinai.  Support for the spread of the Seven Noahide Commandments by the Druze leaders reflects the Biblical narrative itself.  The Druze community reveres the non-Jewish father-in-law of Moses, Jethro; whom Arabs call Shoabib.  According to the Biblical narrative, Jethro joined and assisted the Jewish people in the desert during the exodus; accepted monotheism but ultimately rejoined his own people.  In fact, the tomb of Jethro in Tiberias is the most important religious site for the Druze community.”


As we can see, these laws do not say anything about the Sabbath.  When reading the following, tears fell from my eyes.  Remember beloved friends, the ones that the dragon will wage war with will be those that follow Revelation 14:12.  “Gentiles may not ne taught the Torah.  Inasmuch as the Jews had their own distinct jurisdiction, it would have been unwise to reveal their laws to the Gentiles; for such knowledge might have operated against the Jews in their opponent’s courts.  Hence the Talmud prohibited the teaching to a Gentile of the Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.”  (Deut. Xxxiii.4).  R. Johanan says of one such teaching: “Such a person deserves death (an idiom used to express indignation), it is like placing an obstacle before the blind.”  (Sanh. 59ag, 13a).  Yet if a Gentile studies the Law for the purpose of observing the moral laws of Noah, R. Meir says he is as good as a high priest and quotes: “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man shall do; he shall live in them.”  (Lev. Xviii.5).  The text does not specify an Israelite or a Levite or a priest, but simply “a man” – even a Gentile.  (Ab Zarah 26a).  Resh Laish (d. 278) said “A Gentile observing the Sabbath deserves death. (Sanh. 58b).  This refers to a Gentile who accepted the seven laws of the Noachide, inasmuch as the Sabbath is a sign between God and Israel alone; and it was probably directed against the Christian Jews who disregarded the Mosaic Laws and yet at that time kept up the observance of the Jewish Sabbath.”

Before I go on, I must interrupt and say the Scriptures are very clear; there is only one Torah for both the native-born and the stranger.  No one is righteous.  The seventh day Sabbath was made qodesh at the beginning (Genesis 2:3).  The seventh day Sabbath is not the Jews but it is the sign that binds believers to the Creator of heaven and earth.  Ok, back to the article:  “Rabbina, who lived about 150 years after the Christians had changed the day of rest to Sunday, could not quite understand the principle underlying Resh Laish’s law, and, commenting upon it, added that not even on Mondays (is the Gentile allowed to rest), intimating that the mandate given to the Noachide that day and night shall not cease = have no rest taken in a literal sense (Gen viii. 22) – probably to discourage general idleness (ib.Rashi), or for the more plausible reason advanced by Maimonides, who says that the principle is, one is permitted to make innovations in religion or to create new commandments.  He has the privilege to become a true proselyte by accepting the whole law (Yad Melakim x.9).  R. Emden, in a remarkable apology for Christianity contained in his appendix to Seder Olam (pp. 32b-34b, Hamburg; 1752) gives it as his opinion that the original intention of Jesus; and especially of Paul was to convert only the Gentiles to the seven moral laws of Noah and to let the Jews follow the Mosaic law – which explains the apparent contradictions in the New Testament regarding the laws of Moses and the Sabbath”.  According to the Jewish Kabbalist one does not have to embrace or even convert to Judaism.  All gentiles just have to follow the Noahide Laws.  These moral codes are believed to unite all mankind.  Point blank, the Noahide Laws replace the marriage vows/ten commandments of Yahuah!  These are not just religious laws but as we have read, the U.S. now considers them universal laws for all of mankind.  Unbelievable, but it is true!  Oh, it gets worse though.  Unlike the Torah teaching found in Deut.17:6, that requires testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses before 1 can be executed; according to the Noahide Laws it only takes 1 witness!

Who ever is found breaking one of these laws is subject to capital punishment by decapitation (Sanh.57a).  To further expound on this evidence the following is taken from The Encyclopedia Judaica 1192: “Violation of any of one of the seven laws subjects the Noahide to capital punishment by execution.”  Wow, that has my attention.  How about yours?  I must repeat to those who practice Rev. 12:17 and 14:12, this message is for YOU.  Seek Eloah now because according to these people a Gentile cannot keep the 7th day Sabbath!  The tract that you are reading will some day be considered hate literature.  Ever heard of the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act?  It was signed back on October 8th, 2004.  Not everyone should have to be hated simply because of one’s religion, race or gender but this act that went into effect just involves anti-Semitism.  In essence, if anyone speaks about the state of Israel (Yisrael) in a bad way that person is anti-Semitic.  It goes so far as to say that anyone who says the Jews were behind the Messiah being impaled are anti-Semitic.  Even the Messianic Scriptures are considered to be anti-Semitic.  Taking into consideration the Noahide Laws and this Global Anti-Semitic Review Act, it makes perfect sense why we see T.V. pastors like John Hagee saying the Jews did not reject the Messiah and that they do not need to accept Him.  I personally believe the Jewish people were not Messiah killers because Yahushua tells us the following in John/Yohanan 10:18: “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again.  This command I have received from My Father.”  Now that is power!  Sure, the council despised and hated Him because they were of their abba ha shatan and all of us are of the body of the Messiah they hated (Rev. 12:17).  According to the Noahide Laws if one believes in Yahushua the Messiah then they are guilty of idolatry.  To add fuel to the fire, if you speak the name of Eloah you are guilty of blasphemy; guilty as charged with the outcome of decapitation.  This is nothing new, the stoning of Stephen angered the council greatly because he spoke the name of Eloah (please read Acts 6 and 7).  Stephen had picked up his staff and followed in his Master’s footsteps.

See, according to the tradition only a priest is able to speak ha shem (the name); anyone else is guilty of blasphemy.  Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast to the traditions of men (Mark 7:8).  Since the Messiah came in His Abba’s name (Yahuah), He carries ha shem (the name) within His name; Yahushua.  Ponder the following: I have come in My Father’s name and you do not receive Me, if another comes in his own name; him you would receive (John/Yohanan 5:43).  Then they shall deliver you up to affliction and kill you, and you shall be hated by all nations for My name’s sake (Matt/Matittyahu 24:9).  Many of you might be thinking that was just for those early believers, there is no Sanhedrin now.  If I may, please find something sturdy to hold on to; the following information might be a lot to digest: “There is a special commandment, not connected to time; but tied to our presence in Israel to establish a Sanhedrin.  The Rambam (12th century Rabbi Maimonides) describes the process exactly in the Mishna Torah.  When he wrote it, there was no Sanhedrin; and he therefore outlined the steps necessary to establish one.  When there is a majority of rabbis in Israel who authorize one person to be an authority, he can then reestablish Sanhedrin (Israel National News, 12-09-04)”. 


The council of Sanhedrin has been established: “On October 13th the Sanhedrin, the highest tribunal of the Jewish state and religion; was re-inaugurated by a group of rabbis in Tiberias after 1600 years of absence.  According to Jewish sources, last notice of the Sanhedrin dates around 425 AD; also in the city of Tiberias.  After that, it ceased to exist (Israel National News, 10-13-04)”.  And: “Newly formed Sanhedrin ascends to Temple Mount in a dramatic but unpublicized move Monday, members of the newly established Sanhedrin ascended the Temple Mount.  Rabbi Chaim Richmond, also a member of the Sanhedrin (head of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem); hopes the body will bring about a revolution in Jewish jurisprudence.  The revival of the Sanhedrin is also considered a crucial development in preparation for the messianic age and the rebuilding of the Temple (Arutz Sheva News, 12-14-04)”.  Also: “Sanhedrin recognizes council to teach humanity the Laws of Noah when a group of non-Jewish delegates have come to Jerusalem to pledge their loyalty to the Laws of Noah.  They appear before the Sanhedrin, who establish High Council for B’nai Noach (Arutz Sheva News, 06-06-06).”

Once the pains begin, and they have begun beloved ones; they are not going to go away like some sticky band-aid.  Oh no, they are going to go forth until the seventh trump!  Yep, it sure seems like things are lining up.  Soon you will be faced with drawing the line in the sand.  Two laws, one for the Jew and one for the Gentile.  The decree (edict) will go forth: Any Gentiles keeping the 7th day Sabbath shall be found guilty of breaking the Noahide Law and must be punished to the fullest, decapitation.  No Gentile shall be permitted to speak ha shem (the name of YHWH), all who do have blasphemed and are found guilty of breaking the Noahide Law and shall be punished to the fullest; decapitation.  Now stop and ponder that “Here are the patience of the qodesh ones (saints), here are they that keep the commandments of Eloah and testimony of Yahushua (Revelation 14:12)”.  As you eat that verse, let those words be written in your being!  Clearly, the Noahide Laws are intended to replace the marriage vows (10 Commandments) of Yahuah.  All who continue to keep Eloah’s Ten Commandments regardless of what men say, will be found guilty.  The Sanhedrin has indeed been established to make sure the Seven Universal Laws of man are kept.  The Jewish High Court has been built.  The holding cells of all criminals (most likely those who have broken the Noahide Laws) are downstairs, soon they’ll be taken upstairs to the courtroom and then sentenced.  If you think you’re safe over here, think again!  Have you ever heard of the Genocide Treaty?  There happens to be 19 articles to this treaty/convention.  This is very serious, especially since article #2 mentions causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of a group.  If one causes another mental harm (as in speaking the truth about the Messiah Yahushua to a lost world) that one is guilty, and can have their trial anywhere in the world.  Yeah, it’s that bad! 







“National issue: one court for all of the world?  A United Nations meeting in Rome is wrapping up five weeks of work on a proposed international criminal court.  The new court would have worldwide jurisdiction and could investigate, indict, hold, try and punish those who committed certain crimes.  The proposed international court would subject Americans to a new world authority.  We’re talking about creating here something that exercises genuine power, real put-people-in-jail power; but that is responsible to no one but itself said Lee Casey who is a constitutional lawyer with the Washington firm of Hunton and Williams (Investment Business Daily, 07-16-98)”.  That old rugged machine is back!  By the millions, the guillotines are being stored in Georgia and other parts of the United States.  Bill #1274 of the Georgia House of Representatives – 1995/1996 Sessions HB 1274 – Death penalty; guillotine provisions Code Sections – 17-10-38/17-10-44:

A bill to be entitled an act.  To amend Article 2 of Chapter 10 of Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the death penalty generally, so as to provide a statement of legislative policy; to provide for death by guillotine; to provide for applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.  Section 1 – The General Assembly finds that while prisoners condemned to death may wish to donate one or more of their organs for transplant, any such desire is thwarted by the fact that electrocution makes all such organs unsuitable for transplant.  The intent of the General Assembly in enacting this legislation is to provide for a method of execution which is compatible with the donation of organs by a condemned prisoner.

“And I saw thrones – and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them – and the lives of those who had been beheaded because of the witness they bore to Yahushua and because of the word of Elohim, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not receive his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands.  And they loved and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years.”  (Revelation 20:4)