The Lost Teachings of Jesus

2009-12-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

The purity of the Messiah's Gospel didn't take long to corrupt after His and the Apostles' departure. Paul stated in the book of Acts that "after his departure, grievous wolves would come in" and devour the flock.

Within a few hundred years the Gospel of the Hebrew Messiah had been completely stripped of its Hebraic flavor and foundation and recreated it into a Gentile counterfeit.

In so doing, many of the doctrines that have been handed down to us from the Church fathers have been based on verses that were mistranslated from the original inspired manuscripts. In addition, many times the Messiah and Apostles would employ idioms that were well-known to the hearers of that day, that have long since been lost.

An example of an idiom today would be as follows. Let's assume the Ambassador of China made a speech here in the US. Afterwards, the President said, "Ambassador, you killed 'em out there."

Of course, the idiom "you killed 'em" would leave the Ambassador perplexed as to what the President was really trying to say. And in coming to his own conclusion, he might assume that the President was stating that he was so boring that the audience became like dead men.

That is an example of an idiom, and how easily it can be interpreted as the exact opposite of what was meant.

One serious, yet humorous, example of how doctrine can run amok when the Hebraic foundations are removed can be seen in the idiom of Mark 16 where Jesus states that His followers will be able to "take up serpents and drink poison" and not be harmed.

To the hearers, there was no doubt about what the Messiah was teaching. Snakes and scorpions were Hebraic idioms for false doctrines. In short, Jesus was saying that you can refute come into contact with false doctrines and teachers, and because of the leading of the Holy Spirit within you, you will not be harmed or lead astray because you will know falsehood as soon as it strikes.

I do not even need to mention how this passage has been misinterpreted to the damage of those who have innocently done so. They have truly been "destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Fortunately, beginning with Martin Luther, God has been in the business of restoring the fullness of His Word. From salvation by grace alone, holiness and healing, to the gifts of the Spirit, all have been restored within the last several hundred years. And today, the restoration continues as the Father is revealing a whole new level of understanding of the Gospel that is coming with His revelation of truths that have been lost for 1800 years.

Pastors, teachers and laymen alike are discovering these truths. One such person is NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White. The following is a short video of his search and discovery of these truths that have been lost.

As Daniel stated, in the time of the end "knowledge would increase."

And that is the purpose of this site....... to regain information that has been lost, overlooked and sometimes downright twisted, so that we can know the Truth in HIS fullness. For in these "last days," it is the pure Word of God alone that can guide us safely home.

**********************************************************************************
Dear Reader,

I will present the Truth as I understand it, however, let the reader realize that the current restoration of Truth is an ongoing process. Where I have made errors or incorrect assumptions, I will be quick to correct them as they come to my attention. And in light of this fact, I ask you to check behind me and call attention to anything you believe to be in error. Feel free to email me with your thoughts and feedback.

Enjoy,
David Tanner

Making Him Lord

2009-12-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

Jesus is not only Savior, but Lord. He cannot be divided. We cannot accept Him as Savior, but decline Him as Lord.

Traditional Christianity has espoused that, as witnessed by these comments of Martin Luther, "after accepting Him as Savior, there are no options to accepting Hs Lordship." This is correct!

Sadly though, we have not completely thought through the implications of that statement.

How do we make Him Lord? By following His commands. It's that simple. And these are the very commands that we have just repented for breaking, only to turn around and say "we don't have to keep the law anymore." (I'm actually laughing as I write this. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what we've done. That's what I blindly taught for 20 years!)

When Jesus said "if you love me keep my commands," He was talking about the commands HE spoke to all of our forefathers that were eventually codified by Moses.

HIS commands were put into effect from the beginning of creation, NOT on Mt. Sinai.

Consider the following partial list of the "pre-law" keeping of the "Law/Commandments."

Offering of sacrifices - Cain and Abel sacrificed. Noah sacrificed.
Laws against murder - Cain and Abel.
Kosher laws - Noah took on "clean" and "unclean" animals into the ark.
Prohibitions against eating blood - Genesis 9:4
Prohibitions against idolatry - Tower of Babel
Prohibitions against adultery - Genesis 12:17
Prohibitions against homosexuality - Sodom and Gomorrah
Commandment of circumcision - Abraham
Feast of Unleavened Bread - Genesis 19:3
Passover - Sacrifice of Isaac
The law of the firstborn - Isaac blesses Jacob

Obviously, to differentiate between pre-law and post-law commands doesn't hold water. The Word of God has always existed and always will.

Therefore, to repent for breaking His Law and then throw out the Law you just repented for breaking makes no sense.

It is HIS laws that determines what sin is. And now that we have the Holy Spirit to enable us to finally KEEP these commands, it is a sign of the power of God that we can now keep them, whereas before we couldn't.

It is "the Law" that He wrote on our hearts. He did not do away with the need for them. The only thing that was changed was our ablity to keep them.

I heard a preacher recently say that the only function of the Law was to be a schoolmaster to bring us to the realization that we need a Savior. Well, that is ONE function of the Law, but not the only function.

The Old Testament Law tells us how to live AFTER salvation because it defines what sin is. It spells out what God expects from us. It lays out for us His Appointed Times in which He says He will meet with us.

Western Christianity has also espoused that "only the laws that are repeated in the New Testament are still applicable for today." Of course, the Scripture does not say this anywhere, but it is another one of those doctrines that have been handed down to us from the Catholics that came about as a desire to take everything Jewish out of the Scriptures. (Hey, why did they leave Jesus in there? Wasn't He Jewish?)

Then why don't we observe the seventh day Sabbath like Jesus, the disciples and early church did? This was repeated in the New Testament, and nowhere in the NT does this Law ever change.

Why don't we observe the Feasts of the Lord like they did, in the New Testament? Why don't we observe Passover as Jesus and His disciples did on the night before He was crucified? Nowhere in the Scripture is the Passover ever changed to communion. It's just not in there! Communion is a tradition of man.

Why don't we eat kosher as they all did in the New Testament? After walking with Jesus for 3 years, Peter was still eating kosher long after the OT Law was supposedly done away with.

Why don't we drain the blood from our meats before we eat them and refrain from eating strangled animals as we were told to do in the New Testament? Acts 15:29

As you can see by these few examples, when someone talks about "making Jesus Lord of your life," he is preaching something that he is not doing if he claims that "he is no longer under the law." (We are no longer under the Law in its aspect as schoolmaster.)

Our problem is that we have decided to pick and choose WHICH of the Old Testament Laws we want to follow and which we don't. I am not saying that we have done this consciously, for no true believer would do that. But over time, traditions of men creep in and we don't even recognize them.

One such tradition is how the doctrine of "tithing" is taught. Every protestant pastor will insist that tithing is still in effect. But their justification is that since it was practiced pre-law by Abraham, then it is still valid today. Well, as we have already seen, ALL of the Law has been since creation. There is no such thing as "pre-Law."

However, one of the aspects of the tithing law that is not taught is the fact that an Israelite could give his tithe to any Levite that they chose to give it to. This is quite a different commandment than modern Christianity's tradition to give it to your local church. This a doctrine arrived at through a faulty undertanding of what it means to "bring the tithes into the storehouse."

So, in conclusion, making Him Lord simply means doing what He says. What does He say?

If you love me keep my commandments.

It takes a lot of twisting and theologizing to obscure the simple and obvious meaning of this statement. And it is only by keeping His commandments that we can make Him Lord.

Snake Handling

2009-12-13T01:45:00.000-08:00

The purity of the Messiah's Gospel didn't take long to corrupt after His and the Apostles' departure. Paul stated in the book of Acts that "after his departure, grievous wolves would come in" and devour the flock.

Within a few hundred years the Gospel of the Hebrew Messiah had been completely stripped of its Hebraic flavor and foundation and recreated it into a Gentile counterfeit.

In so doing, many of the doctrines that have been handed down to us from the Church fathers have been based on verses that were mistranslated from the original inspired manuscripts. In addition, many times the Messiah and Apostles would employ idioms that were well-known to the hearers of that day, that have long since been lost.

An example of an idiom today would be as follows. Let's assume the Ambassador of China made a speech here in the US. Afterwards, the President said, "Ambassador, you killed 'em out there."

Of course, the idiom "you killed 'em" would leave the Ambassador perplexed as to what the President was really trying to say. And in coming to his own conclusion, he might assume that the President was stating that he was so boring that the audience became like dead men.

That is an example of an idiom, and how easily it can be interpreted as the exact opposite of what was meant.

One serious, yet humorous, example of how doctrine can run amok when the Hebraic foundations are removed can be seen in the idiom of Mark 16 where Jesus states that His followers will be able to "take up serpents and drink poison" and not be harmed.

To the hearers, there was no doubt about what the Messiah was teaching. Snakes and scorpions were Hebraic idioms for false doctrines. In short, Jesus was saying that you can refute come into contact with false doctrines and teachers, and because of the leading of the Holy Spirit within you, you will not be harmed or lead astray because you will know falsehood as soon as it strikes.

I do not even need to mention how this passage has been misinterpreted to the damage of those who have innocently done so. They have truly been "destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Fortunately, beginning with Martin Luther, God has been in the business of restoring the fullness of His Word. From salvation by grace alone, holiness and healing, to the gifts of the Spirit, all have been restored within the last several hundred years. And today, the restoration continues as the Father is revealing a whole new level of understanding of the Gospel that is coming with His revelation of truths that have been lost for 1800 years.

As Daniel stated, in the time of the end "knowledge would increase."

And that is the purpose of this site....... to regain information that has been lost, overlooked and sometimes downright twisted, so that we can know the Truth in HIS fullness. For in these "last days," it is the pure Word of God alone that can guide us safely home.

**********************************************************************************
Dear Reader,

I will present the Truth as I understand it, however, let the reader realize that the current restoration of Truth is an ongoing process. Where I have made errors or incorrect assumptions, I will be quick to correct them as they come to my attention. And in light of this fact, I ask you to check behind me and call attention to anything you believe to be in error. Feel free to email me with your thoughts and feedback.

Enjoy,

David Tanner

How To Use This Site

2009-12-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

All teachings on this sight assume the understanding of certain fundamental doctrines that are being restored at this time. Because of this, you are encouraged to read the "Basic" teachings first. Then, once these are mastered, the other teachings will be opened to you as well.

If you are advanced in the study of the Hebraic roots, click here to go to my more in depth site.

At the end of every post are "newer" and "older" buttons that will allow you to scroll through the most recent posts that you may have missed.

Anything on this site can be copied, linked, reproduced, quoted or plagerized. No credit to this author needs to be given. PLEASE SHARE IT! I am charging you the same price God charged me.

Rapture Theology

2009-12-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of HIS HOUSE; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Jesus told us that just before His coming, the world would be as it was in the days of Noah. In telling us this He sets forth a pattern we should be following just before His return. Get our families on the Ark prior to the coming judgment!

What is the Ark?
As far as salvation is concerned, the Ark is Jesus. He is our protection from eternal judgment. But we are not talking about salvation here. We are talking about the Ark of safety for those who are ALREADY saved, and need to be protected from the coming wrath that is meant for unbelievers.

How can we stay out of the path of the coming wrath? By entering the Ark of the written Word. It is the Scriptures and principles set forth in the Old Testament that are given as guides to us for the last days. It is the Old Testament, known as Torah, that will carry us safely through the wilderness of these last days, on our way back to the promised land. It is no coincidence that the ten commandments/the Law/the marriage contract was stored in the Ark of the Covenant. There are many other places in Scripture that confirm this Ark is the Torah. Consider the story of Isaac and Rebecca.

When Abraham (God) told Eliezar his servant (Holy Spirit) to go get a bride for his son Isaac (Jesus), Eliezar went to Abraham's money hungry relative Laban (the church caught up in materialism) to TAKE OUT a bride/Rebecca (the remnant) and bring her back to Isaac. She traveled through the wilderness on TEN CAMELS (the ten commandments/the Law/Torah) and met Isaac in the wilderness of the Negev (our literal wilderness journey back to the land of Israel during the tribulation) and he accompanied her back to the land, and then the marriage took place.

So the pattern is that the remnant will be called out of the lukewarm church by the Holy Spirit to meet Jesus in the wilderness. This is the same pattern given in the exodus as well.

We will be riding on the 10 camels/10 commandments/Torah. Noah rode the Ark/Torah and we will ride the 10 camels/Torah. This is happening WHILE THE GREAT TRIBULATION BATTLE IS GOING ON. THEN we will go into the land and have the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Of course, if you are like me, and were brought up believing rapture theology, you find this all irrelevenat because you believe the rapture will protect you from the coming time of tribulation. But again, that is not a theology that is consistent with Scripture. I will give you just one of hundreds of examples that could be used to prove this point.

The Rapture
Rapture theology says that we will be raptured to heaven and have the marriage supper of the Lamb BEFORE we enter into the promised land. This theology breaks the above pattern, therefore it is false.

Now let's superimpose that pattern over another one.

Deut 24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

The pattern of the above Scripture is that you don't get married just before going to war. You don't get married and go to battle, therefore, if we are raptured up to the marriage supper of the Lamb, AND THEN the battle of Armegiddon comes, this breaks the pattern.

This pattern is reinforced in Revelation.

Rev 19:1-2 And AFTER THESE THINGS I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
The battle of Armegiddon has already been fought, and then:

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB IS COME, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Notice this supper happens AFTER the battle not before.

Conclusion
As in the days of Noah, the church is eating and drinking and having a big time, not knowing that the flood is coming. They are marrying their false gods of gold and silver and luxury. They are building bigger buildings, programs, shows, dramas and exciting new music programs to attract the masses, not worrying about the coming hour of tribulation, THINKING THE RAPTURE WILL SAVE THEM!

THIS IS A LIE. This is one of, if not THE strong delusions we were warned about.

We need to get our minds off of material blessings and on the coming judgment, and prepare.

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, PREPARED AN ARK to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Sunday, or Sabbath?

2009-08-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

Audio teaching - running time 40 minutes

A Blessing You Can't Get On Sunday

2009-06-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here is perplexing question. If God is spirit, as opposed to matter, then how can He create matter out of no matter? How can He create something out of nothing?

And yet we know He DID create something out of nothing.

So, how did He do it?

Consider this illustration. If I am matter, a flesh and blood person, and I move, then the spot I was formerly occupying will be filled with something that wasn't there while I was occupying that space. By moving, I created a VOID, thereby allowing something else to fill that space.

This same principle applies in the creation. Since God is spirit, when He created the physical world, He simply withdrew Himself allowing matter to fill the VOID.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and VOID.....

So for six days God "worked" by withdrawing/holding back his Presence. Then, on the seventh day, Sabbath, Saturday, He quit working/holding Himself back and allowed His Spirit to rush into His creation.

Hence, we are told to work six days and rest on Sabbath just as He is. But, unlike God, for us to work, we go out and do things. For us to rest, we withdraw from the world.

THEREFORE, it is only when we draw back that His Presence is allowed to rush in. There is a SPECIAL blessing and protection you can only get by observing the Sabbath. You wont get it on Sunday. It's not there. You meet on His terms... or not at all.

So, now let us consider Isaiah 58.

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on MY holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

By keeping His seventh day Sabbath, as opposed to man's, we expose ourselves to Him, and are blessed and empowered by Him to a degree that cannot be received on any other day.

The tradition that we have been handed down from Roman Catholicism that the early Church changed the Sabbath to Sunday is one of Satan's greatest accomplishments, and has caused us to live beneath our calling and intended blessing for two thousand years.

Paul and the Law

2009-06-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

As I have tried to point out on this site, there are hundreds of statements in the New Testament indicating that Jesus, the disciples and the early church all kept the Old Testament law. But there are also other "hidden" statements as well. In this posting, I want to look at one such "hidden" treasure that relates to the Apostle Paul and his attitude toward keeping the requirements of Law.

One way that the Holy Spirit "hides" truth in the Scripture is by using chiastic structures.

A chiastic structure is a literary technique employed by the Holy Spirit that reveals the central theme of a portion of Scripture. It can be diagrammed as follows:

www.restorationoftorah.org

This technique is employed over and over by the Holy Spirit, both in the Old and New Testaments. One such example can be found in Acts 21. (The full text of Acts 21 can be found following at the conclusion of this posting.

A. Seven Days
...B. Four Daughters
......C. Among the Gentiles
.........D. AND THEY ARE ALL ZEALOUS FOR TORAH
......C. Among the Gentiles
....B. Four Men
A. Seven Days

Why would the Holy Spirit deliberately organize the Scriptures in such a way? It is obvious that the "hidden" message/emphasis of this passage is the keeping of the law.

Did Paul keep the Law?

The Holy Spirit says "yes."

__________________________________________

ACTS CHAPTER 21

1 And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:
2 And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth.
3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.
6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again.
7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.
10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.
16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,

Oral Tradition

2009-05-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone that has ever seriously studied Scripture has no doubt read from the accounts of Josephus the historian. His first century account of life at the time of Jesus is indespensible in filling in the details, and giving us a greater understanding of the times and customs in which our Savior lived.

I doubt there are very many pastors today that do not have a copy of the Works of Josephus on their bookshelf.

Like the Works of Josephus, there are many other contemporary accounts written by the Jewish teachers dating back to thousands of years before Jesus' day. Some of these accounts are compilations of the oral tradions of the rabbis that have been handed down for thousands of years. Though these compilation are not necessarily "inspired writing," they were handed down by "inspired" men of old, and as such were quoted as truth by Jesus and the Apostles.

I Can't Find It!
The details of the following three New Testament accounts which describe Old Testament events cannot be found in the Old Testament.

Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

You will not find Michael disputing with Satan over Moses' body. You will not find Jannes and Jambres mentioned. Nor will you find that Jacob was leaning on his staff as he blessed Joseph.

How did these three separate writers know of these events?

Traditions, Truth and Torah

Without a doubt, Jesus came to destroy the traditions of men that had crept in and perverted the truth of the Scriptures. Here we find Him drawing a clear line between the Truth of the Scriptures/Torah and the false teachings of the religious authorities of His day.

Mark 7:9-13 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

But, we also find that He upheld the "traditions" that were based on the truth of the Scriptures.

Matt 5:21-22 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matt 5:33-34 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

Each time Jesus said "you have heard it said," he was quoting the oral traditions of the rabbis. And make no mistake, He was not contradicting what they had taught, but was simply bringing it to its fullest meaning.

Jesus Himself had been raised and trained in the Rabbinical traditions which He often quoted.

As in the three passages above, we find that Jesus, as well as the aposles, often quotes extra-Biblical teachings (either written or oral) and encouraged them to continue to be followed.

II Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

It is very ironic that we, the Church, have accepted the opinions of the early church fathers as if they are inspired, yet, we completely disregard the writings of the TRUE church fathers WHO WERE THERE, and who understand the Hebraic mindset, idioms and expressions of the day.

The early church fathers rendered opinions and wrote commentaries based on their presuppositions of what the Scriptures were saying after the Scriptures had been filtered through their Greek mindsets and logic. But the writings and oral traditions of the rabbis are Hebraic testimonies and teachings that were based on EYEWITNESS accounts, and they can only be understood through a Hebraic lens.

Which do you want to trust YOUR salvation, protection and blessing to?

I would encourage you to begin to add some of the rabinnic teachings to your Bible Study routine, and you will find the Scriptures come alive as never before.

Here are a few sites for your further study.

Messianic Israel Alliance
This page gives commentaries for sections of the first five books of the Bible known as the Torah. These commentaries on the Torah Portions are written by Messianic believers.

Aish
Torah Portions articles are posted weekly and range from Beginner level articles to Advanced and mystical teachings. The "Lively Parsha" article is a good one to start with.

Breslev
Good teaching articles by Rabbi Breslev

Breslev Torah Portions
Rabbi Lazer Brody

Who Did God Make The New Covenant With?

2009-05-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

It is interesting that among the disciples, it was Paul, the Pharisee of Pharisees, that declared the gospel should be taken to the Gentiles. while the other disciples were quite content to stay in Jerusalem and minister only to the Jews.

This seems backwards, as Paul, a wealthy Pharisee, trained under the prestigious Rabbi Gamaliel, would have been the last one of the apostles to go to the "dirty" Gentiles. By contrast, one would think that the dirty, poor, uneducated Galilean fishermen who already lived in close proximity to the gentile nations would be more anxious to minister the gospel to the nations than to the pompous Jews in Jerusalem.

So, in light of the above, from where did Paul get the idea that the new covenant was to be preached to the Gentiles?

From Jeremiah 31:31.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, AND with the house of Judah:

This is where being an expert in the Scriptures differentiated Paul from the other disciples, for in the disciples' world, there were only Jews and Gentiles. This is how they had been trained by their culture. As far as they were concerned, the northern ten tribes of Israel that had been dispersed among the nations 700 years earlier no longer existed. So naturally they assumed that only the remaining three tribes of the southern kingdom, Judah, Levi and Benjamin (with a few of the remnants of the northern tribes mixed in), were who the Messiah came to redeem. (This church is still making this mistake today in that we lump all 13 tribes together and call them Jews, a term which Scripturally only denotes the tribe of Judah and/or the southern kingdom.)

But Paul understood from Jeremiah 31:31 that there were actually three people groups in the world: Jews, ISRAELITES that were scattered among the Gentiles, and Gentiles. He also understood that the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 was not made just with the Jews, but also with the dispersed of the northern kingdom of Israel. He understood that the new covenant included the "whole house" of Israel (Ezekiel 37:11, 39:25 See below for Scripture references). Therefore, Paul went to the Gentile nations where the lost sheep of the house of Israel had been disbursed, to preach the good news of reconciliation to the Father.

Of course, the other disciples should have known this as well as Jesus told them while He was in their presence that "I am ONLY sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt 15:24) But they, like us today, probably heard Him say "Israel" and just assumed He meant "the Jews."

But Paul knew the reference to the "lost sheep" was a reference back to the words of the prophet Jeremiah when Israel was called "lost sheep." (Jeremiah 50:4-6)

So the bottom line is this. Paul went to the Gentile nations because THAT'S WHERE ISRAEL WAS! Paul was not going to take the good news of the gospel to the Gentiles, although Gentiles have always been allowed to join Israel. No, Paul was going to Israel which was scattered "among the Gentiles." (See "among the Gentiles" Scripture references below)

The New Covenant Was Not Made With Gentiles
This goes against everything we have been taught, but what we have been taught is WRONG. It is the traditions of men. We need to check these things out for ourselves. The truth of the Scripture is this: Jesus came to reconcile ALL Israel to Himself at His first coming. THEN, at His second coming, Israel will be the witness to the nations that they were originally created to be. (Exodus 19:5,6 and Isa 2:1-4)

As Jeremiah 31:31 states, the new covenant was made only with the two houses of Israel, NOT the Gentile nations.

Now having said that, we need to realize that in the process of redeeming Israel from among the Gentiles, that many of the Gentiles would, and have, turn(ed) to the Lord.

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

Why Is This Distinction So Important?
Because once we understand that the new covenant was made with Israel, then we do not fall for the lie that says "the Church has replaced Israel." None of the promises made to Israel have been forfeited, nor have any of the commandments of the Lord to Israel been changed.

We, the Church, ARE Israel. We WERE lost, but now we are found. We WERE strangers and foreigners to the Commonwealth of Israel, but now we have been grafted BACK IN to the olive tree known as Israel.

And our job is to learn how to be the priests and witnesses to the nations that we have been redeemed to be. But we can never learn how to do that if we just think we are Gentiles that have replaced Israel and all that Old Testament stuff.

No! It is all that Old Testament "stuff" that teaches us HOW to be the priests we were created to be! Do you know how to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles? You better learn, cause that will be your job in the millenial kingdom.

Zech 14:16-21 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

It is YOU, the remnant of Israel that the New Covenant was made with. Let us begin to understand that we are not simply lowly Gentiles saved by grace and making it into heaven by the skin of our teeth. NO! WE ARE A NATION OF PRIESTS AND KINGS. We are a royal priesthood, that has been RESTORED to our rightful place in the kingdom.

These are some big shoes to fill, but little by little, we can begin to grow in the knowledge of what it means to be a part of Israel. And as we begin to follow the instructions of the Old Testament that we have ignored for too long, and as we begin to keep HIS commandments, then we will begin to ride upon the high places of the earth as is the heritage of the sons of Jacob.

Isa 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

________________________________________________________

Scripture References

NEW COVENANT
Jer 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
Ezek 37:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

Ezek 39:25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL
Matt 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Jer 50:4-6 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

AMONG THE GENTILES
Hosea 8:8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be AMONG the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be AMONG the Gentiles in the midst of many people . . .

John 7:35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed AMONG the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from AMONG the Gentiles are turned to God:

Acts 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are AMONG the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

Gal 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach AMONG the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach AMONG the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

ISRAEL A NATION OF PRIESTS AND WITNESSES
Exod 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Isa 2:1-4 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

What Satan "Really" Wants

2009-05-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

We all learned from an early age in Sunday School that what Lucifer really wants is to be like God, ie. to be worshipped as god.

Isa 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

But how does he try to become like the Most High? What is his plan? What are his tactics? If what he really wants is to be worshipped, then how does he achieve his goal?

The Moed

There is an interesting clue in the above verse. The word translated "congregation" is the Hebrew word "moed."

This is the Brown-Driver-Briggs' definition of "moed."

4150 mowed` or moed` or (feminine) mow` adah (2 Chr. 8:13)-

an appointed place, an appointed time, a meeting
a) an appointed time
1) an appointed time (in general)
2) a sacred season, a set feast, an appointed season
b) an appointed meeting
c) an appointed place
d) an appointed sign or signal
e) the Tent of Meeting

This is Strong's definition of "moed."

4150 mowed` (mo-ade');

or moed` (mo-ade'); or (feminine) mow` adah (2 Chronicles 8:13) (mo-aw-daw'); from 3259; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):

KJV-- appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synogogue, (set) time (appointed).

The literal meaning is that of a season or time of appointment. But by implication, it can also mean an assembly, or congregation.

Here are a few other verses that contain "moed."

2 Chr 8:13
13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

Lev 23:2-4
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Gen 1:14
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Ps 104:19
19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

The moed are the appointed feasts of the Lord. Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles being the three most important. The moed are the Sabbaths and solemn assemblies of the Lord. These are the assemblies that Lucifer desires to sit himself upon.

So, having the understanding of the literal meaning of the word "moed," we can now paraphrase Lucifer's boasting in Isaiah 14:13 as follows:

"I will preside over the seasons (moed), feasts, solemn assemblies and the ordained times of worship that Yahweh has set aside for himself. I will receive that worship unto myself."

Therefore, the answer to our question regarding Lucifer's tactics is that he "perverts" the ways of God. He does not try to stamp them out. He does not need to. He simply "changes" them in very subtle ways, and points them away from Yahweh.

Daniel 7:25 says of the anti-christ, who is inspired by Lucifer, "he will think to change the times and the seasons."

Lucifer is a changer.

What Is Wrong With Change?

For the purpose of illustration, let's take the Passover as our example. Jesus said "as often as you do this (celebrate the annual Passover), remember me." But this Passover meal was "changed" into an unprescribed ceremony called communion, so we no longer celebrate Passover.

You may reply, "we are still worshipping God in communion. We are not worshipping Satan. Just because we are not doing it the Old Testament way does not mean we are worshipping Satan."

The same is often said of Sunday worship. Christians believe that it really doesn't matter which day they worship on, as long as they are doing it "unto the Lord."

But are they?

Worshipping Idols

Lev 19:4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

"Idols" is the Hebrew word 'eliyl which has a connotation of naught, good for nothing, or worthless.

In other words, an idol is nothing. When you worship an idol, you are worshipping "nothing."

Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 8:4 "As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one."

Paul agrees with Leviticus by stating that an idol is nothing, but then in 1 Corinthians 10:20 he says that "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God."

Wait a minute! Sacrificing to nothing is also considered sacrificing to idols? How can this be? How can nothing be something?

To the western mind this seems like an impossibility. But to the Hebraic mind, this is completely reasonable.

Let me call this the principle of "defaults."

For example, if there is no light, then by default, there is darkness. If there is no righteousness, then by default, there is sin. Anywhere that does not contain the Presence of God is, by default, hell. And since all worship must have an object, any worship that is not directed purposefully and specifically at the Father is, by default, unto demons.

Any worship that is not directed at Yahweh, as prescribed by Yahweh, AS PRESCRIBED BY YAHWEH, is unto demons.

The Testimony of Moses

This is an excerpt from The Song of Moses:

Deuteronomy 32:16 “They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger.
[17] “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread.
[18] “You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.
[19] “The LORD saw this, and spurned them Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.

When did Israel sacrifice to demons while under Moses care?

The incident of the golden calf. But what we miss is that they were not worshipping the calf as God, they were worshipping God by the calf. They called their celebration a "feast unto Yahweh." (Exodus 32:5)

In their mind they were worshipping God. They were just doing it in their own way.

This same theme is repeated in Leviticus 17:4 where God tells the Israelites that the only way He would accept their sacrifice would be if they brought it to the door of the tent of meeting. If they chose to sacrifice the animal any other way other than the prescribed way, God would not accept it.

Two Congregations

Keeping the above principle in mind, as we will return to it later, let's ask another question.

What makes an assembly of people the congregation of God?

The assembly must be based on the "mowed." They assemble when and how HE says to assemble. Their assembly/mowed is based on HIS seasons/moed.

Therefore, any group of people can be a "congregation." The type of congregation/moed they are will be determined by the moed they follow.

Now, consider the following New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament "moed" we were discussing earlier.

Acts 13:43
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Rev 3:9
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Strong's definition
4864 sunagoge (soon-ag-o-gay');

from (the reduplicated form of) 4863; an assemblage of persons; specifically, a Jewish "synagogue" (the meeting or the place); by analogy, a Christian church:

KJV-- assembly, congregation, synagogue.

What makes this particular group a people in Revelation the "synagogue of Satan?"

It is not people falling down and worshipping Satan. It is not Satanists. It is not witches. For if that were the case, the "synagogue of Satan" would be easy to spot. They wouldn't be able to mingle in with the people of God undetected.

But this "synagogue" mentioned in Revelation "appears" to be a part of God's people. They are not worshipping idols on the surface. They are not making altar sacrifices to Satan. They profess to be followers of Yaweh. They call themselves Jews/Christians! ("Jews" simply means "of Judah." Christians follow the Lion of the tribe of Judah. So this would not have been a strange way to refer to Christians in the first century, especially since the early church was mostly Jewish.)

So what makes them the "synagogue of Satan?"

They assemble when HE (Satan) says to assemble. Like the congregation in the wilderness, they worship based on man's ways, not God's moed.

Let's say it again.

THEY ASSEMBLE HOW AND WHEN HE (SATAN) SAYS TO ASSEMBLE!

It is that simple.

God has always insisted that anyone who chose to worship Him would do it in the way HE prescribed. Anything else is demonic.

Conclusion

So the conclusion of all of this is that Satan wants our worship.

He attains it by deceiving Christians into thinking that they are worshipping God, when in fact they are worshipping him. For any worship, even if the one worshipping believes in their heart that they are worshipping God, that is not done as the Father prescribes is inspired by Satan, and received by Satan.

And as he sits on the mount of the congregation of the Church every Sunday, he laughs at God and smugly says "look at your people worshipping me. They have completely ignored your word, and your seasons, and your precious sabbaths!"

"Who is God NOW?"

It is by deception that he draws true worship away from the Father and to himself.

And this is why those of us that are returning to our roots make such a big deal out of the unprescribed and unholy worship offered to our Father on Sunday, Easter and Christmas.

We refuse to worship demons any longer!

We will no longer give Satan what he really wants!

We've Had It Backwards

2009-05-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

We have been taught that Jesus presented Himself to Israel and was rejected. Therefore He turned to the Gentiles (Plan B) and put Israel on the backburner till later on. But the truth is just the opposite.

When God brought Israel out of Egypt they were to be a nation of priests to be a witness to the whole world. However, they sinned in the matter of the golden calf and forfeited that priesthood. In fact, they had to have a priesthood established so that THEY could be saved.

So the truth of the matter is this. God started off with the intention of Israel witnessing to the world. But since the sin of the golden calf, God has put the world on hold, while He has dealt with Israel. Then, once He gets Israel redeemed and "restored," (Plan B) THEN they shall be a "light to the nations."

Acts 1:66 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time RESTORE again the kingdom to Israel?

Isa 49:66 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee FOR A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Once He gets us fixed, THEN we can go back to Plan A and win the world.

The Lord's Day

2009-05-02T15:46:00.001-07:00

Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the LORD'S DAY, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the DAY OF CHRIST is at hand.

Guess what? "The Lord's day" and "day of Christ" are actually the same in the Greek.

Lord's day is kuriakos hemera. Day of Christ is kurios hemera. The difference in kuriakos and kurios is simply possesion. Kuriakos means "of the Lord," or "belonging to the Lord," while kurios simply means "the Lord."

So, if it is saying the same thing, why is it translated differently?

When the Roman Catholic church translated the Scriptures, by using two different words, it hid the fact that the same thing is being said. In so doing, the Roman Catholic church was able to say the verse in Revelation meant John was getting his revelation on the Lord's day, or the first day of the week, or Sunday. The verse in Revelation could then be used as a proof text that the Sabbath had been changed from Saturday to Sunday.

Either BOTH passages are talking about the Sunday Sabbath, OR BOTH passages are talking about the day of the Lord when judgment comes at the end of the age.

My personal conclusion is the latter. So I do not view the “day of the Lord” in Revelation as a verse that can be used to justify a Sunday Sabbath.

What's your thoughts?

Who Changed the Sabbath?

2009-05-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

In Ungers Bible Dictionary under the topic of "Sunday," we find these comments:

"We fail to find the slightest trace of a law or apostolic edict instituting the observance of the 'day of the Lord'; nor is there in the Scriptures an intimation of a substitution of this for the Jewish Sabbath. The primal idea of the Jewish Sabbath was cessation of labor, rest; the transference of this idea to the first day of the week does not appear in the teachings of Christ nor of his apostles. Nor in the Council of Jerusalem, when the most important decisions are reached relative to the ground of union of Jewish and Gentile Christians, is one word found respecting the observance of the Sabbath."

So, here we have Merrill Unger, in his Bible Dictionary, a work that is on the bookshelf of every Protestant pastor in America, stating that there is no Biblical justification for changing the Sabbath.

He continues in another place, "There is neither in this writer nor in the Barnabas epistle an intimation that Sunday was regarded as in any way a substitute for the Jewish Sabbath, nor yet a continuation of it; rather it was a new institution. It is, however, impossible to determine the time of its beginning; no impressive enactment, like that in the case of the Decalogue, was needed. . . . Not until the 4th century do we find a statement intimating that the Jewish Sabbath, with its sanctions and duties, was transferred to the first, or the Lord's Day. . . . The observance of the Jewish Sabbath in the churches of the Jewish Christians continued for the first five centuries." (from New Unger's Bible Dictionary)
(originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (C) 1988.)

Now let's ask the obvious. Who changed the Sabbath?

Thematic Analysis

2009-05-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Thematic Analysis, which I will usually refer to as "patterns" is the connection of certain similar words, themes or phrases in different parts of the Scriptures.

One of the primary benefits of this study technique is that details from one story can fill in the blanks in another story. Another benefit is that it will keep us from doctrinal error. Examples of both are below.

TAMAR
2 Sam 13:3-19
3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
4 And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
5 And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat.
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
9 And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him.
10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
16 And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
17 Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.
18 And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.

When you read the word "subtil" above, this may spark your memory to recall another story in Scripture that contains this word.

Gen 3:1
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

What is this thematic connection telling us? That Johadab is a "type" or "pattern" of Satan. In watching how Jonadab operates we can learn how the Adversary operates. In this story, we can also see the results of listening to him. Destruction and hatred.

It is interesting that "Jonadab" means "God is willing," which seems strange that such a man would have a good name and not a bad one such as "God's enemy." The upon further reflection we can think of another man who was used of Satan, yet was a good man. Peter. This is another thematic connection of this story that can only be understood by going back to the original Hebrew language to understand the root meanings of the names, which always are a clue as to the character of the person.

Jonadab's father was Shimei which has as its root "shama" which means "called one." Peter was certainly a "called one."

There are several other thematic connections in the story above and I have highlighted a few of them.

Sodom and Gomorrah
This story is an example of a thematic connection that can keep us from doctrinal error.

Gen 19:12-22
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.

Notice the angels didn't take him out. He had to leave himself, at their instructions. He also determined where he would go. He did not go up to heaven, but simply to a deserted area where he would be safe and hidden.

Now let us consider passages in Revelation of the coming time of judgment and the location of the saints during this time.

Rev 7:2-3
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

These angels were not able to bring any judgment until God's people were sealed/protected. The angels who came to Lot said that they could do nothing until he was protected.

Rev 12:4-6
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

The above is a clear picture of the coming Great Tribulation of 3 1/2 years. Just like Lot, the woman fled to the wilderness. She was not raptured out of trouble, but was sustained by God during it.

We have the same thematic connecting during the drought in the days of Elijah. We was sent to a place where he was sustained by God for THREE AND A HALF YEARS!

IKing 17:3-9
3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

Again, he had to get up and go. He was not raptured out of the time of judgment.

As we have seen, thematic analysis and the recognizing of patterns in the Scriptures is one of the ways our Father teaches us and protects those who love Him, and who love Him enough to spend time in the Word. Those who don't, will be Left Behind, not from the rapture, but from the second exodus which is the ONLY protection against the coming time of wrath. He has not appointed us unto wrath, and He will protect us from it. If we let Him.

Jer 16:14-16
14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Peter's Sheet

2009-04-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ah, bacon. Ham. Sausage. Shrimp. Catfish. Oysters. All my favorites!

About 8-10 years ago I began refraining from eating these things. I haven't been "religious" about it. If I go to someone's house and all they have is non-kosher food, then I will eat it.

However, as a general rule, I try to please my Father by following his instructions, as well as being a silent witness for Him with my lifestyle.

Before this, I used to believe Peter's vision of the sheet full of unclean animals, and God telling him to eat, was God doing away with the dietary laws. And then, I actually read the passage for myself!

Acts 10:9-28
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

But, when I actually read the verses for myself (Instead of just taking the "experts' opinion on the matter)I realized that Peter understood that the vision was not about dietary laws. In verse 28 he plainly states that he understands the vision is about "man."

There are other clues in this story that point to this conclusion.

Peter plainly states that he has observed the dietary laws his whole life.

Now, if Peter had understood that Jesus did away with the law, then why was he continuing to follow it?

The vision troubled him for this reason:

He spent three years with Jesus and never saw him disobey the dietary laws. He did not disobey them in Jesus' presence either. Nor did any of the disciples. All of the disciples continued to follow the dietary laws until their deaths.

So he is perplexed because he thinks that God is telling him something different than Jesus modeled. And he fully understands that Jesus did not come to do away with God's instructions given in the Old Testament, but to model them.

But, after dealing with Cornelius, a Gentile, Peter finally "gets it," and realizes that the vision is not about calling creeping things (non-kosher food) unclean, but about calling the Gentiles unclean.

There are also two witnesses to this interpretation found in Ezekiel 8:10 and Hosea 2:18, where the house of Israel is referred to as "creeping things."

It is possible that the Holy Spirit brought these verses back to Peter's remembrance and he realized that God is not talking about food but men. . . . specifically Gentiles.

It should be very clear that this story cannot be used as justification for disobeying God's dietary instructions that He desired Christians to continue to follow.

If we call ourselves disciples of Jesus, why don't we do what He did?

Kosher

2009-04-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 14: 1-21 is God's list of food that He has created for man to eat.

Some say that we no longer need to live by this list, because that is part of the old law that was done away with.

But the truth is that we are all already eating kosher. It's just that the difference between their kosher and my kosher is that they have made their own list, while I follow my Father's list.

To my Christian brothers, their list includes buzzards, ravens, horses, dogs, cats, snakes, etc. They would not dream of eating any of these things. They are considered unclean. To my friends, these are not food.

And they are right. These are not food.

But, according to God, there are some other things that are also not food.

Shrimp, pork chops, barbeque, catfish, oysters, bacon, sausage, etc. To God, these are not food. They are not to be eaten.

Consider the following New Testament verses:

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times (today) some shall depart from the faith (instructions of God), giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (The devil's doctrine has always been "did God really say/mean that?);
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy (They will talk against something, but still do it); having their conscience seared with a hot iron (They have done it so long that they just accept it as truth without question);
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Paul says here that in the latter times there would be false doctrines that promote not eating meat (vegetarianism). Why would anyone think abstaining from eating meat would be a spiritual thing? Because many of these cults and religions consider God to be in all things, and if you eat an animal you are eating God.

For instance, you would not go to India and eat a cow. It is considered sacred, and not eaten. This is the practice that this verse is speaking against.

Likewise, Paul points out that there would be another doctrines rampant in the latter days that certain religious organizations would require abstaining from marriage. We all know one such organization with this doctrine...the Catholic Church with its celebate priests.

So this verse is not saying that you can eat all meats indiscriminantly. It is saying to only eat the meats what were created to be received with thanksgiving....and that would be the kosher ones, for the New Testament always agrees and confirms the Old. There is never a change or doing away with the Word of God.

Notice, he tacks onto the end of the verse, the qualifier, "them who believe and know the truth." In other words, if you "believe" in the Messiah, AND you "know the truth" of God's Word (Kosher commands), then you can eat anything that God has created for food.

So the question then comes back to "what has God created for food," and what has He created that was not for food."

Some of Christianity has their own list, but this verse is talking to those who follow His list.

So, to say we are not under kosher laws, but then to eat kosher based on your own list, is hypocrisy ("speaking lies in hypocrisy"). And we don't want to present ourselves as hypocrites to the lost world that we are trying to win.

Gematria

2009-04-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

John 21:8-14
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

Why 153 Fish?
In Hebrew, each letter has a corresponding number. For instance, in English, let's say the letter A equals 1, the letter B equals 2 and the letter C equals 3. So, if we want to find out the numerical value of the word "cab" we simply add 1 plus 2 plus 3. Therefore, the word "cab" in English would have a numerical value of "six."

Gematria
In Hebrew, the numerical sum of each word is called "Gematria." It is therefore no coincidence that the gematria of 153 is the sum of the phase "sons of the living God."

Who was Jesus sent to fish out? Israelites. The "sons of the living God." And in this story we see that they ALL will be found and caught and not one of them would be lost.

Who are the "sons of the living God?" You and I! The restored house of Israel, about which Jesus said "I am ONLY sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

In Hosea we see that God divorces Israel and scatters them to the ends of the earth. They forget who they are. But yet, in the latter days, these same people would be called "the sons of the living God."

Do we know a people who live far away from the land of Israel, who are a numerous people and who call themselves "sons of the living God?" You bet!

Only Gematria could help you understand this passage of the fish.

To find out the Gematria of any Hebrew word, click here.
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References

Hosea 1:9-10
9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Rom 9:25-27
25 As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27 Esaias also crieth concerning ISRAEL, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
(KJV)

Hosea 2:23
23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

1 Pet 2:9-10
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Living Above Sin

2009-04-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

We all have a daily battle living above the pull of sin.

One of the greatest weapons we have in this battle is the observance of God's times and seasons.

These cycles of days, weeks, months and years are constantly reminding us of who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going.

There are cycles within cycles, as the weekly Sabbath cycle is contained within the monthly New Moon cycle, which in turn is contained within the 7 feasts of the Lord that are celebrated annually.

I believe one of the pictures of Ezekiel's vision of the wheel (cycle) within the wheel that God is trying to paint for us is the cycles within the cycles.

So what does this have to do with helping me rise above sin?

The word in Ezekiel translated as wheel is "owphan." It is spelled with an Aleph, a Pey, and a Nun.

Aleph carries a meaning of "power," while Pey means "commands." Nun carries a connotation of "perpetuation." Literally, this word "owphan" means "power to perpetuate the commands."

Sinning is doing the opposite of God's commandments. Do we want to live above sin? Following the cycles of Yahweh will give us the "power to perpetuate the commands."

The Fence of Safety

2009-03-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

About twelve years ago, the Father revealed to me that we had left the Hebraic roots of the faith, and began to reveal truths to me that I was not yet ready/willing to act on. I taught a little of what I was learning to my friend David Gardner, but, at the time, he thought I was crazy.

Well, God does have a sense of humor, as God led him BACK into Torah before He led me. So, when David began telling me about his experience in following Torah/Law/Instructions of Moses, I did not want to deal with it again.

But there was one thing he said that kept sticking in my mind. He said Torah is like a fence around a yard that keeps the little kids safe while they are playing. And the fence is not there for the purpose of keeping them in confinement, but for the purpose of keeping bad stuff outside of the fence from coming in and harming them. He said that, contrary to what we had been taught, Torah was not bondage and legalism, but freedom. We are free to do anything we want within those boundaries that are there to protect us.

He said that now that he was under Torah, and observing the instructions of Torah, that he felt free. He knew where the boundaries were, whereas before, when all he had was the gospel of grace, he always wondered "am I doing enough?" Is God pleased with me?

THE QUAIL
After the children of Israel got tired of the manna (bread/Word/Torah), they lusted for flesh.

It is interesting that the word translated "flesh," the root of which in Hebrew means "to carry, preach or tell good tidings." This would be the equivalent of the word "gospel" in the Brit Chadash (New Testament). It is the same word used in Isaiah 61 that Yeshua read in the synagogue saying "He has anointed me to preach 'good tidings' to the meek."

Yahweh told Israel that He would give them flesh for 30 days and they would be sick of it.

In Numbers 11:31 we are told that the flesh that they were given were "quails." The root of "quails" is "selav" which means "sluggishnes, or slow in flight due to weight."

At the end of thirty days, those who lusted were killed by a plague and buried. After that, Israel was able to move on to Hazeroth, which is the Hebrew root word "chatser."

Strong's Concordance gives this definition of "chatser." ...in its original sense; a yard (as inclosed by a fence); also a hamlet (as similarly surrounded with walls):KJV - court, tower, village.

CONCLUSION
The point of the manna and quail is to teach us that all grace/gospel/NT keeps you in the flesh, exposed to judgment and plague. Oh you are saved, just not protected and blessed. You will go to heaven when you die, but you will just get there a lot sooner than the rest of us.

By contrast, there was no plague as long as Israel remained within the "Chaster," wall, protection of the manna/bread/Word/Torah.

The good news of salvation must be combined with the instructions of the Torah for us to remain in that place of safety.

Refusing to come under the instruction of Torah makes one sluggish and slow. This concept is highlighted in Hebrews 12:1 where we are told to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

We run slow when we are "weighted" down.

It is interesting that those who "lusted" were killed, and THEN Israel, or the remnant that was left, was able to move on to Hazeroth, that fenced in "yard" of safety.

David was right. Now I am inside the fence. After 48 years, I am at peace, safe behing the walls. As that great old gospel hymn says, "I've finally found what I'm looking for." And U2 can find it as well.

Who Is The Church?

2009-03-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

History and Prophecy
After the reign of Solomon, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms known as Judah and Israel.

Because of the disobedience of both nations, each were exiled. Judah (the Jews) returned to the land from Babylonian captivity after 70 years. However, the northern kingdom of Israel did not return, and were eventually scattered to the four corners of the earth as prophesied by Isaiah. 1

Hosea stated they Israel would so dispersed into the nations that they would cease to be a people. In other words, they would even forget who they were. 2

However, Hosea and Ezekiel both prophesied that the two kingdoms would return to the land and become one kingdom again, with David/Jesus as their king. 3,4

This return would occur in the "latter days." 5

Not My People
In Hosea, Israel is called "not my people," and God said the He would "not have mercy" on them. 2 He divorced Israel His bride and scattered them among the Gentiles. 5

Now, when we consult the writings of Paul and Peter to the Church, we discover some interesting phrases they use to describe the Church. They say the Church at one time were "not a people," but now "are a people." 6, 7, 8

Peter also quotes Hosea by calling the Church that had received "no mercy" as now having received "mercy." 8

Later, in Ephesians, Paul refers to the Church as those of you who were far off," and the Jews as those of you who were "near." 9 This is an obvious reference to the two kingdoms; Israel being "far off" among the Gentiles, and the Jews being "near." This idiom would have been familiar in that day, as it was the same used by Solomon when he prophecied the future captivities of both kingdoms.... one "near" and one "far." 10

The Bottom Line
The covenant of God with the nation of Israel was not just a spiritual one. The covenant with Israel was/is literal. 11 Israel was promised a literal land, a physical kingdom and that her people would physically become a great multitude of nations. These covenants have not been broken by God, nor have they been forfeited to an entity known as the Church. The Church has not "replaced" Israel. No, it's better than that.

The Church "IS" Israel!

WE are the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" 12 that Jesus came to bring back into the fold.

We are Israel not only spiritually, but physically as well, as most of the ten northern tribes of Israel can be traced in their migrations to the western nations 13 where Christianity has flourished.

Why is it that THOSE nations that readily accepted Christianity? Because they were of the seed of Israel, and didn't even know it. But now, 2000 years later, just as prophesied 14 Isreal is coming to her senses (see The Prodigal Son) and realizing who they are.

What Time Is It?
Scripture tells us that when Israel realizes who she is and returns to the Lord with her "whole heart," that will be a sign that we are at the end of the age. There are many idioms such as "in that day," "the end of the age," or "the day of the Lord" that refer to this end period of time. 5, 15

Also, we can confidently believe that all of the blessings and the promises from Genesis to Revelation are ours if we observe and do all the commandments of the Lord. Jesus said "if you love me, keep my commandments." For the New Covenant was not made with a Gentile people, but with none other than the house of Judah and Israel, or, in otherwords, the "whole house" of Israel. 16

In light of the above, let us be about the business of learning and obeying the instructions of our loving Father so that we can "ride the high places" of the earth! 17

References
1 Jeremiah 9:16 I will SCATTER them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.

2 Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will NO MERCY upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. 9 Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are NOT MY PEOPLE, and I will not be your God.

3 Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

4 Ezekiel 37:21-22 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

5 Deuteronomy 4:27-31 And the Lord shall SCATTER you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the LATTER DAYS, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

6 Romans 9:24-26 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were NOT MY PEOPLE; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are NOT MY PEOPLE; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

There are only one people under the sun who are called "children of the living God." That's us. The restored house of Israel.

7 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have MERCY on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

8 1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were NOT A PEOPLE, but are now the people of God: which had NOT OBTAINED MERCY, but now have obtained mercy.

9 Ephesians 2:11-13 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of ISRAEL, and STRANGERS from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were FAR OFF are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

10 2 Chronicles 6:36 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land FAR OFF or NEAR;

Daniel 9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are NEAR, and that are FAR OFF, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

Zechariah 6:12-15 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord. And they that are FAR OFF shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.

11 Genesis 12:7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this LAND.

Genesis 13:15-18 For all the LAND which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for FOREVER. And I will make thy seed AS THE DUST OF THE EARTH: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

12 Israel in exile are called "lost sheep." It His first coming, Jesus only came for the "lost sheep of Israel." That is not to say that there are not many from the Gentiles who have attached themselves to Israel and become believers in the Messiah. But Israel has so assimilated among the nations, and has so forgotten her identity, that she looks like, eats like and worships like the Gentile nations she resides among. It will be at His second coming, after "all Israel (Judah and Israel) has been saved" that He will return to gather not just the "lost sheep of Israel," but all of humanity.

Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been LOST SHEEP: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

Matthew 10:5-7 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am SENT ONLY unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

13 The western/Gentile nations where God scattered Israel, nations that were not even known at the time of this writing, were commonly referred to as the "isles."

Isa 42:1-4 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the GENTILES. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the ISLES shall wait for his law.

Isaiah 49:1 Listen, O ISLES, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the eaUNTO THE END OF THE EARTH.

Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it IN THE ISLES FAR OFF, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

14 Two days is an idom for 2000 years. Peter tells us that a day with God is the equivalent of a thousand years. Therefore, when Hosea says "two days," it is an expression used of "two thousand years.

Hosea 6:1-2 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. AFTER TWO DAYS will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

15 Isaiah 10:20-21 And it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

Isaiah 13:9-10 Behold, THE DAY OF THE LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on THE DAY OF THE LORD, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

16 Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jeremiah 3:18 In those days the HOUSE OF JUDAH shall walk with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

17 Isaiah 58:13-14 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to RIDE THE HIGH PLACES OF THE EARTH, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will SET THEE HIGH ABOVE ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

The Seven Sons of Leah

2009-03-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

One of the patterns of Scripture that can teach us a deeper level of understanding of the Father's mind and heart is the number 7. Sevens in Scripture carry a sense of "completion" or "fulfillment." Sevens can also be symbolic of the Messiah. Hence, He came to "fulfill" the law.

The Patriarch Jacob had twelve sons, from which we get the term "the twelve tribes of Israel." Seven of those sons were born to Leah. Because she was hated and Rachael was loved, she felt she could win the love of Jacob by giving him children. These feelings are expressed in the naming of her children.

In order of birth, here are their names, and the meanings of their names which shows what Leah was thinking when she named them:

Sons Born to Leah by Jacob

Reuben – See I have a “son” a “first-born son”
Simeon – I have been “hated” as opposed to my sister Rachel, but now my husband will love me
Levi- and now my husband will “really love me”
Judah – “Praise” God, now my husband will surely love me as I have given him 4 sons!

These Sons were born to Leah after Rachael had cut off her access to Jacob
Issachar – “wages” – I have earned my wages (paid for with, mandrakes) and I know have access to the Lord
Zebulon – surely my husband will “dwell with me in honor,” because I have born him all these sons
Dina – I have reached “final judgment” in this conflict with my sister Rachel. (Dina is the feminine version of Dan. Dan carried a connotation of "judgment, but the feminine form of Dan can also mean "bride.")

So what is the naming of these seven sons teaching us about the Messiah?

Messiah came as God’s "son" – see, Reuben, a “son”
He was “hated” by some- Simeon
And “loved” by others – Levi
We should “praise” Him – Judah
Because he paid the “wages” of sin– Issachar
Soon he will come to “dwell” with us – Zebulon
And we will be his “bride” after the “final judgment” - Dina

One last note on the hidden story that we find in names. Rachel finally gives birth after years of barreness. After Joseph is born, she has Benjamin, and she dies during childbirth. As she is dying, she names him "ben oni," which means "son of my sorrows." But Jacob will not have one of his sons named "son of my sorrows," and renames him "ben yamin," which means "son of the right hand."

In the naming of Benjamin we also have a shadow of the Messiah, who was "a man of sorrows" and now sits at the "right hand" of God.

What Is the Full Armor of God?

2009-03-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Exodus 39:1-43 Priestly Garments
The account of the priestly garments completes the description of the mishkan/temple in Exodus and symbolizes the service of the priesthood of YHVH. The garments are prophetic in nature and represent different aspects of the ministry of Yeshua/Jesus. As His kingdom of priests and holy nation, His bride and ambassadors of His Word, we are called to “clothe ourselves” in these priestly garments, as they significantly reflect the image of our Messiah. Wearing them reflects His very nature, and represents the heart and image we are to walk in daily. As believers in the Messiah of Israel, we are part of His priesthood and the priestly garments are for us today (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 6:10-17). May we be found wearing the garments of Yeshua that sanctify and purify our walks daily and keep our hearts and minds protected and strong in Him (Isaiah 11:5; Isaiah 59:17; Psalm 132:9; Isaiah 52:7; Isaiah 49:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).

Exodus 39:1-21 The Ephod and Breastpiece
The ephod and breastplate of the priestly garments were made of the same fabric materials as the curtains that surrounded the mishkan: blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, but with the added content of pure gold. We have learned that pure gold represents the divine nature of the Messiah. Gold also represented a conductor of His Presence. In order to prepare gold for the garment, it first was hammered into a paper-thin sheet, then rolled and cut very finely to produce a thread-like quality for weaving into the garments. These garments held stones, set in gold, which were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes. These items of clothing with the living stones were held together with a belt wrapped around the waist, known as the belt of truth, the truth being the Torah. These garments were known as the armor of God. When the twelve tribes come together in the teaching and instruction of YHVH, walking in faith and righteousness not of their own but that which comes from a personal relationship with the living Torah, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, they will again be a vast and mighty army of YHVH the Elohim (Isaiah 59:17; Ephesians 6:10-17).

There was an electrical charge in the mishkan. When a priest went in to minister before YHVH he would walk into the Holy Place with bare feet against the earth floor. The priest would be grounded or shod with the gospel, the Torah, and be physically and spiritually in the power of YHVH.

The priest experiencing YHVH’s power would know His faithfulness. This can be seen as the shield of faith. It was not a faith of the priest’s own but a trust in YHVH’s faithfulness, which “extinguished all the flaming missiles of the evil one.” Having faith in Yeshua’s faithfulness gave the priest peace and self-control. According to Hebraic understanding faith is an action word; therefore, it is not merely a mental state but a lifestyle, that of trust-grounded obedience and a pursuit of holiness. For us today, this is His will for our lives. Living according to the Torah, His teaching and instruction called holiness equips us with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, which cleanses our hearts and minds. The miter or sacred diadem on the priests’ foreheads, made out of pure gold and engraved like an inscription on a seal, and tied with a blue cord (symbolizing Yeshua), declared them HOLY TO YHVH. This is called the helmet of salvation, and is also understood as the signet ring, the mark or seal upon us. When we actively do and speak the Word, the shield of faith/holiness and the sword of the Spirit put out the flames of the enemy.

Put on the whole armor of God (armor is zanah: Hebrew for armor; any type of military equipment, sword or shield; that which brings life, and representing the Messiah), that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (wiles is zantah: Aramaic for strategies or wiles; hooked or barbed fish hook or any other trap; that which brings death), so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that come from the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:11, 13-15).

Paul, a Pharisee, quoted Torah and wrote of the priestly garments as described through the prophet Isaiah, a prophet who gave a message from YHVH for the elect not to be easily ensnared by false doctrines. Paul referenced the words of Isaiah as a prophetic warning for us today, not to be lured into false teachings that would become a snare of the enemy to us. The armor of God in Ephesians 6 is priestly apparel, not a Roman soldier’s armor. We need to know God’s teaching and instruction, the Torah, in order to see and recognize a counterfeit teaching.

He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak (Isaiah 59:17).

But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist (Isaiah 11:4-5).

And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me (Isaiah 49:2).

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7).

As we clothe ourselves in Yeshua, we put on the priestly garments. We wrap ourselves in Him as our hearts and minds are transformed into His image and nature. The priestly garments were designed to set YHVH’s people apart from the world with its worldly system and influence, enabling us to serve in the heavenly kingdom.

This is the foundation we are to build on. There is no other.

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with YHVH's people and members of YHVH's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Yeshua the Messiah himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in YHVH. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which YHVH lives by his Spirit.

Don't Start With John

2009-03-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

People come to the Lord and we start them in John. But, if we want believers to have a good foundation for their faith, I'd suggest we start them at the beginning.

Genesis sets the pattern for everything that will happen from creation until time exists no more.

As you all know, God loves to use movies, music and other everyday things we all have in common to teach me His principles. So, when I am teaching, I just use these same illustrations to get across what I am trying to say.

Well, this evening my son Matt was telling me about a conversation that he and a friend from school were having about the Bible. The friend hadn't been brought up in church, nor was his family particularly religious. As they talked about the Bible and different things, Matt told him to start reading in Genesis, NOT the New Testament.

He said that just like a movie that has a sequel, you can watch the sequel and understand a lot of what is going on, but to really fully understand the sequel, you need to have already watched the first movie.

I'm thinking, wow, what a great illustration. Looks like God talks to him in the same way he talks to me.

As I pondered this thought I remembered the movie Trading Places with Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy from waaaay back in 1983. In the movie, two Wall Street Tycoons, the Duke brothers, go broke while Murphy, a broke bum, gets rich ....hence..."trading places."

Well, five years later, Eddie Murphy comes out with the movie "Coming To America," which really has nothing to do with "Trading Places," except one small scene in the movie in which Eddie Murphy hands some money to two bums on the street.

As they count the money, the camera zooms in and IT'S THE DUKE BROTHERS! They look at each other, smile, and brother Randolph looks at his brother and says, "Mortimer, we're back."

This has to be one of my favorite scenes of all time as the thread from one movie is inserted into another, and catches you completely by surprise.

But, let's ask ourselves a question here.

What if I hadn't seen the first movie, and then I see this scene in the second movie. Would I understand what Randolph meant when he said "Mortimer, we're back?" And if I didn't, how likely is my conjecture going to correct on what that scene is REALLY about?

I'd say impossible!
And so we have this book. It's called the Bible. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Matt says you wouldn't start reading any other book in the middle, so why would you do that on the most important book you will ever read?

Good question.

The 390 Years of Israel

2009-03-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

EZEKIEL 4:4-6 . . .

"Then God said to Ezekiel, 'Now lie on your left side for 390 days to show Israel will be punished for 390 years by captivity and doom. Each day you lie there represents a year of punishment ahead for Israel.

Afterwards, turn over and lay on your right side for 40 days, to signify the years of Judah's punishment. Each day will represent one year.'"

God tells Ezekiel each day he lies on his side will represent one year of punishment for Israel because of their sins against God . . .

390 days Judgment against the 10 northern tribes 'Israel'
+ 40 days Judgment against the 2 southern tribes 'Judah'
= 430 years Judgment against nation Israel

Prophecy BEGINS . . .

In 606 B.C. Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity by Babylon for exactly 70 years ...

430 years of judgment determined against nation Israel
- 70 years fulfilled during the Babylonian captivity
= 360 years remaining in judgment against the nation of Israel

The MYSTERY of 360 Years . . .

There should have been a total of 360 years left in judgment against Israel AFTER their release from Babylonian captivity exactly 70 years after the Babylonian captivity began ... but where was the remaining 360 year judgment in Israel's history??!!

The 7X Factor of God's Judgment . . .

Bible scholars could not find anything historical that fulfilled these 360 years left in the judgment UNTIL a close look in the book of Leviticus revealed a tartling prophetic warning ...

"And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I (God) will punish you seven times more for your sins."
(Leviticus 26:18)

"Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I (God) will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins." (Leviticus 26:21)

"And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I (God) also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I will chastise you seven times for your sins.: (Leviticus 26:27-28)

"I (God) will scatter you among the nations and draw a sword after you; your Land shall be desolate and your cities waste." (Leviticus 26:33)

The 7X factor of God's judgment against nation Israel. God warned Israel if they continued in their disobedience He would multiply their judgment by 7 TIMES!

Prophecy Fulfilled . . .

Now, let's apply the 7X factor to the remaining 360 years of judgment against Israel . . .

360 Remaining years of judgment
x 7 The prophetic '7X' factor
= 2,520 Years of judgment remained against nation Israel

God gave the Jews the most sophisticated calendar on Earth. It is both a Lunar AND a Solar calendar. The Jewish calendar uses a 360 day lunar (and prophetic) year and then adds a 'Leap Month' on specific years to accurately coincide with the Solar cycle ...

The Bible uses 360 day years for prophecies and expects us to add the appropriate 'leap months'. So, the easiest way to unravel this prophecy is to convert this prophecy into days ...

2,520 years
x 360 days
= 907,200 days of judgment remained against Israel AFTER the Babylonian captivity

To convert the 907,200 days found in this prophecy into our 365.25 day solar years . . .

907,200 days ÷ 365.25 days = 2,483.78 years of God's judgment remained

Now, let's look at this remarkable prophecy again . . .

606 B.C Israel taken into Babylonian captivity
- 70 Years for 70 years
= 536 B.C. End of first 70 years of judgment
+ 2483 Years Now add the 2,483 years remaining in this judgment
+ 1 Year Add 1 year because there is no "0" B.C. or A.D.
= 1948 AD! End of judgment against nation Israel

The literal/physical Israel is back as a Nation . . . in 1948!

But the story gets even better. If we look only at the prophecy about Israel (not the including the Jews, and calculate the 390 years we come to an amazing conclusion.
,
Ezekiel was commanded by God to lie on his side for 390 days (one day for each year pertaining to the exile of Israel). God said He would give Israel 7 times punishment if they refused to obey. This gives a total of 2730 years (390 x 7). Israel was carried away captive to Assyria in 720 BCE. From 720 BCE, to 2730 years later brings us to the year 2010.

Man's Days Shall Be 120
Consider the Jubilee years (one Jubilee = 50 yrs). God said in Genesis that He would not strive with man forever because he is yet flesh, saying that man’s days shall be 120 years. (One Jubilee X 120 Jubilee years = 6000 years). From Adam (around 4000BC) to the present day (2000 AD) also equals 6000 years. God told us in Psalms and in Peter that one day is as 1000-yrs. God creating everything in six days and resting on the seventh day, it is the same as to say, after six-1000 year days (or 6000yrs), He will also rest on the 7th-1000 year day (1000yrs), called the Millennium Rest.

The last three Jubilees were: 1867 (The final emancipation of the Jews in Austria and Hungry), 1917 (The 400 yr Ottoman rule ended - Balfour Declaration), and 1967 (The Six Day War - Jerusalem was re-united); It's pretty easy to figure out the next Jubilee year (1967 + 50yrs = 2017). We are at this threshold today, approaching the 120th Jubilee year (6000 yrs), the time of the restitution of all things.

IF, IF, IF we are understanding this prophecy correctly, and 2017 is the restoration of all things, the beginning of the millenial reign of Messiah, then the tribulation begins 7 years prior, in 2010. This works out perfectly with Ezekiel's prophecy given above which ends at the year 2010.

I don't know about you, but God sure has MY attention with this!

The Prodigal Son

2009-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Please read Who Is The Church? prior to reading this article.

(Please remember as you read, we are saved by grace, not works. But after salvation, we ARE expected to keep the commandments of the Father out of obedience.)

The parable of the "prodigal son" (Complete text follows this article) was understood quite differently in Jesus' day than it is today, as any story involving a younger and older brother would have been understood to have been a reference to the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

Seven hundred years earlier, the northern kingdom of Israel (10 of the 12 tribes) had been scattered among the Gentiles by God because of their disobedience. Hence, in the time of Jesus, those in the land were primarily Jews, which simply means "of the house of Judah." (Judah was the southern kingdom that was made up of 2 tribes: Judah and Benjamin)

As usual, Jesus leaves the Pharisees with a bad taste in their mouths by implying that the Father would actually accept the younger son back. No Pharisee would dream of God allowing a fornicator and swine eater to enter the kingdom, but the implication here is unmistakable. So at the time of Jesus' telling of this parable, the hearers would have known that the younger son referred to Israel, scattered among the nations, indulging in riotous living and unclean habits, with a tendency toward sex, drunkeness, materialism and idolatry. These are all clearly in violation of the commandments that the Jews prided themselves on keeping.

Of course, as with all Scripture, there are different levels of meaning in this parable. On the surface, Jesus was praising the idolatrous, pig-eating lost Israelites who were responding to the gospel, while portraying the elder brother (the Jews) as having a bad attitude.

But there is a deeper meaning as well, as the parable looks forward to the last days when the northern kingdom of Israel, today known as "the Church" will "come to themselves" and realize who they are. They will return to the land of Israel from "a far country." They will literally come from the "ends of the earth." (As a side note, it is interesting that the state of Washington is as far away from Israel as you can get. Israel was scattered to the north and west, to the 'ends of the earth." That would literally be Washington, USA. Could the western nations be the remnants of scattered Israel?)

The Blessings
Upon returning to his Father, after having been a servant of one who had not been his father, he was welcomed, forgiven and given four things. A ring, a robe, shoes and a feast. The symbolism to the nation of Israel/the Church is as follows.

A ring - Authority - We can speak on behalf of our Father. We are of his household and He has entrusted His riches to us. Remember that during his time on earth men marvelled that Jesus even had "authority" over the wind and the waves.

A robe - This is speaking of the mantle of Jesus who is our High Priest. We are now a kingdom of priests as well. We can intercede on behalf of others to the Father.

Shoes - Shoes are symbolic of us doing his work. Now that we realize who we are, we are to fish out others within the Church so they can realize who they are as well. We don't come back to the Father's house just to get fed and watch TV. We are to work.

A feast - In first century Judaism, if you said you were going to "keep the feast," it would be understood that you were talking about Passover. Passover symbolizes salvation/forgiveness. So when the Father gave the son a feast, he was forgiving him of his rebellion. As we annually celebrate Passover, we are reminded that our salvation and forgiveness has nothing to do with anything we have done. We are only saved (passed over by the death angel) because of Him.

We are living in these days where the younger brother/Church is beginning to realize who they really are, and are turning to the Lord with their whole heart. They are turning back to the Scriptures and away from the traditions of men because we realize that we have not replaced Israel, but have been grafted BACK in, and we should be keeping ALL the commandments of the Father that we have been blind to for over 2000 years.

The prodigal son did not replace the Father or the older brother. No, he came back and submitted to the rules of the house. He was estranged because he initially broke the rules, so it would not make sense for him to come back to the house, ask the father to forgive him for breaking the rules, and then turn right around and start breaking the rules again.

Likewise, when we accept Messiah, we are repenting for breaking God's rules. Yet, we have been taught that because we are not "Jews," that Old Testament stuff (the rules) is not for us. So, as a result, we go right back to breaking the rules we are repenting for breaking.

This realization by the Church of who they are and that the Old Testament instructions of the Father ARE still applicable to us is evidence that we are living in the last days.

Who are the Gentiles?
Jesus did not come for the "Gentiles." He came for a people that had been scattered "among the Gentiles." Israel was scattered AMONG the Gentiles. (Ezekiel 11:16,17, Ezekiel 36:19, Zechariah 7:14)

John 7:35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed AMONG THE GENTILES, and teach the Gentiles?

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from FROM AMONG THE GENTILES are turned to God:

Acts 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews WHICH ARE AMONG THE GENTILES to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

In Romans 11:25 we are told that we would be blind about who we are until the "fulness of the 'Gentiles' has come in." The word translated "Gentiles" is "ethnos" which literally means "tribe or nation." The verse actually could be translated "until the fullness of the tribes comes in."

Was not Jesus sent ONLY to the "lost sheep/tribes of Israel?"

Matt 15:24 But he answered and said, I have ONLY been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Indeed, the New Covenant was not made with Gentiles, but with the House of Judah and the House of Israel. (The 12 tribes. The book of James was written to the 12 tribes)

Jer 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

If you are part of the New Covenant, and you are not a Jew, then you MUST be from the house of Israel. You are the younger son who is "coming to Himself" and going back and receiving the blessings that go with being a son. There are only two sons in the Father's house. There is not a third one named "the Church."

And if we are Israel, whether by birth, or as a true foreigner (Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, etc.), there is only "one law" for the native born and for the foreigner.

Exod 12:48-49 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 ONE LAW shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

It is the whole of Scripture that we have erroneously been told that we are "no longer under."

YOU and I are the prodigal.
__________________________________________________________

Luke 15:11-32
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Followers of "The Way"

2009-03-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry that it has been so long since my last posting, as the gold market got real busy this week. But thankfully, today is Shabbat and I have time to sit down and share a few of my recent thoughts.

This morning I was thinking to myself...."what should we call ourselves?" Are we Messianic, Hebraic, Christian or Israelite? What label best describes us?"

In the video on Reggie White, his wife was asked the same question, and she answered, "we just call ourselves believers." I like that answer, and that is about as close to the truth as you can get.

However, it does not differentiate between what we believe and what other traditional believers believe. Not that we have to make ourselves stand out...but I would like to present myself in a way that would make others ask "what's so different about the way you believe?"

With that in mind, I think the next time I have to label myself to someone, I think I will just say, "I'm a follower of 'The Way,'" with the implication being 'the Way' that the original disciples of Yeshua followed.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 19:8-9 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of THAT WAY before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

Acts 19:23 And the same time there arose no small stir about THAT WAY.

Acts 22:3-4 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And I persecuted THIS WAY unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after THE WAY which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

I think Paul's words about in Acts 24 sums up what I believe. I am a follower of Yeshua, and worshipper of Yahweh, and a believer in the law/Torah. And not only a believer but a doer.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Notice He does not say that those who believe on Him shall be blessed. No. The blessings come from hearing Torah and keeping it. (Those who believe on Him shall be saved.)

This is the Way that I want to be known for following.

Using the Search Feature

2009-03-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

To find all articles containing a particular word or Scripture reference, simply type in that word(s) into the white Search Box in the top lefthand corner of this page and click "Search Blog."

For example, if you type in "Isaiah 15," you will be shown every article that contains that Scripture reference.

If you type in "northern kingdom," you will be shown every article that contains that phrase.

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Plan B

2009-03-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, New-Testament-only Christians get a little upset when we start talking about the Two House Doctrine, as traditional theology states that Plan A didn't work for the nation of Israel (the Jews), so God gave up on them and went to the Gentiles with Plan B.

They believe that Plan A was about the law and Plan B is about grace.

But the trouble with that theology is that it doesn't hold up to the test of the Scripture. Take the following for example:

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Notice that this "New Covenant" was made with BOTH houses. There is no Plan A for Jews and Plan B which is with the Gentiles only. There is one plan, and it is for everybody, and it is for NOW.

It is not for the Gentiles now, and then the Jews later, after we have been raptured out of here.

Now I know some of you won't believe me because I am using an Old Testament verse above to prove my point, so let me give you one from the NT:

Heb 8:6-11

6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 For FINDING FAULT WITH THEM, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH:

9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; BECAUSE THEY CONTINUED NOT IN MY COVENANT, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

In the NT as well, we see He is still making this New Covenant with both houses.

Also note, that in verses 8 and 9 He tells us why He had to make a New Covenent; because THEY continued not in My covenant."

The problem wasn't with Him, or the covenant, or the law. The problem was with us!

So wouldn't it make sense that if the problem was with US, then He would change US, not the law?

So, since the Law wasn't the problem, it wouldn't be logical for us to think he threw out the Law, would it?

And while we're at it, let's consider this as well.

When we get saved from sin, we promise to turn from our sin and sin no more.

What is sin? 1 John 3 says that it is "transgression of the law." So if there is no law, there is no sin. And if there is no sin, then why do we need to get saved?

On the other hand, if there is sin, then the law must remain. And if we were sinners because we were breaking the law, and we agree to turn from our sinful ways, then the only way we can do that is by OBSERVING THE LAW.

So the Law must still be in effect.

The truth is this. It IS still in effect, and it is for BOTH houses to follow, both the Jew AND the Gentile.

This is the clear and simple truth of Scripture. Don't let man's doctrines cloud the issue for you.

Fasting

2009-03-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Wednesday October 8, 2008 and continues through nightfall on Thursday October 9, 2008 .

Sukkot begins at sunset on Monday October 13, 2008 and continues through nightfall on Monday October 20, 2008 .

from aish.com

"Following the Golden Calf, Moses pleaded with God to forgive the people. Finally on Yom Kippur, atonement was achieved and Moses brought the second set of Tablets down from Mount Sinai.

From that day forward, every Yom Kippur has carried with it a special power to cleanse the mistakes of Jews (both individually and collectively) and to wipe the slate clean.

Though while Yom Kippur atones for transgressions against God, this does not include wrongs committed against other human beings. It is therefore the universal Jewish custom - some time before Yom Kippur -- to apologize and seek forgiveness from any friends, relative, or acquaintances whom we may have harmed or insulted over the past year. "

Today is Yom Kippur, the only day of the year that we are instructed to fast. His burden truly is light, isn't it? This is not a "Jewish" feast but a feast for ALL of God's people. That includes us.

Although the Jewish people have added many extra man-made requirements to be observed on this day, I have chosen to observe this day by simply not eating and spending more time in prayer and meditation on the areas that Yahweh would have me improve on in the coming year.

As time goes on, I may add some other practices to my observance, but as for now, this is where I choose to start.

As my friend Joan Pennington has taught me, "start somewhere, do something. It doesn't have to be much at first. The Father will lead you over time into a full observance of all of His appointed times."

I hope each of us will take this opportunity to "start somewhere," no matter how small our "fast" may be. I believe our Father will honor our committment to Him.

For more on Yom Kippur go to Judaism 101.

Who Was the Law-Giver?

2009-03-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

The story of the exodus from Egypt is a picture of our salvation and life in Yeshua Jesus our Messiah.

I say Jesus, because it was Jesus that redeemed Israel. It was Jesus that met with Moses on Mt. Sinai and gave the Law/Torah, and it was Jesus that was the Bread of Life in the desert, and the Rock from which the life-giving water flowed.

James 4:12 says that "there is only one law-giver who is able to save."

JESUS was the "law-giver."

Therefore, it is interesting to contemplate the following.

Israel was saved by grace. But they had to put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, which was an act of faith, in order to be saved.

So.....they were saved BY grace THRU faith. Hmmm, where have I heard that before? (Hint: Ephesians 2:8)

Then, AFTER they were saved by Jesus, they were led to the mountain where they received the Law/Torah from Jesus!

The giving and keeping of instructions of Jesus comes AFTER salvation because one cannot keep the law without a relationship with the Messiah!

Application For Today
Today, in New Testament times, we are saved by grace through faith, JUST LIKE ISRAEL was in the Old Testament! And just like Israel, we now have the ability to keep the Law/instruction which is given to us AFTER salvation for our blessing.

Many mistakenly assume that "law" was how you got saved in the OT and "grace" is God's mode of operation in the New Testament. As this pattern and many others clearly demonstrate, this is simply not true.

Salvation has ALWAYS been by grace thru faith, and then comes obedience.

Like Nicodemas, we have been blinded to this obvious Truth in Scripture for 2000 years. And WE are the generation that He has honored by revealing this Truth to.

What Commandments?
If Jesus said in John 14 "if you love me keep my commandments," what commandments was he talking about?

Well, considering that all the commandments of the Old Testament were given by Him, and there was not "New Testament" written at the time He made this statement, what commandments do you think He was referring to? Could it possibly be the ones He gave to Israel on Mt. Sinai?

Then why aren't we following them?

Jesus was the Law-Giver
In case you are still not convinced that He was the law-giver, consider the following verse:

Ex 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

You see, Yeshua, in saying "if you love me keep my commandments" is referring back to the Old Testament commandments THAT HE GAVE.

Let us love Him by keeping His commandments.

The Feasts of God

2009-03-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

an excerpt from Eddie Chumney's "Who Is The Bride of Christ?"

"The festivals described in Leviticus 23 are a blueprint of heaven. In Leviticus 23:1-2, 4, these festivals are described as the "Festivals of the LORD." Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 12:3). Since Jesus is Lord, the festivals of the Lord, are festivals of Jesus. If these festivals are the festivals of Jesus, every Christian should understand them and celebrate them. These are the festivals which God gave to His people to celebrate. They are a blueprint of heaven and will be celebrated for ALL ETERNITY!

Jesus will fulfill all the Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23. The seven Biblical festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23 are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

The first four festivals teach about the first coming of Jesus. Jesus died on Passover, was in the ground the next day during the feast of Unleavened Bread and was resurrected three days later on the feast of First Fruits. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit was outpoured upon the believers who assembled at the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

The fall festivals teach about the second coming of Jesus. The resurrection of the dead will take place on Rosh HaShanah. Jesus will set His foot on the Mount of Olives on the day of Atonement or Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles teach about how things will be during the 1,000-year Messianic Age.

Therefore, the festivals of the Lord will give GREAT INSIGHT regarding the first and second coming of Jesus. They will teach about his death, burial, and resurrection, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the dead, the coronation of Jesus as King over all the earth, the wedding of Jesus to His Bride, the seven year tribulation, the second coming of Jesus and the 1,000-year Messianic Age!!!

Traditionally, Christians view the Biblical festivals to be exclusively Jewish feasts which are "under the law." However, Leviticus 23:1-2, 4 tells us very clearly that these are FESTIVALS OF THE LORD. Since Jesus is Lord, these are the feasts of Jesus. God in His divine wisdom ordained that these festivals were to be celebrated by BOTH the Jew and the non-Jew on a joint basis (Deuteronomy 16:10- 11,14-16)."

Keeping the feasts annually, as Jesus told us to do (see note below), is our dress rehearsal for the millenial kingdom and the marriage supper of the Lamb. If you haven't rehearsed and practiced, then you won't know what to do. Because of this, you may not know how to act and what to wear. Then you may show up in inappropriate attire, and be thrown out.

Matt 22:8-14
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Bottom line? Keep the feasts of the Lord/Jesus.
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Note:
Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples.

Luke 22:14-15
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Commenting on this observance, Paul points out:

1 Cor 11:25-27
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

The message is clear, "Each year when you celebrate Passover, remember that it points to me."

Passover has not been done away with and replaced by communion. No where in Scripture can you any support for that "tradition of man."

Not Appointed Unto Wrath

2009-03-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Rev 17:4-6 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Gold is representative of purity and worth. Something valuable and precious.

So if the system of Babylon (the lukewarm mixture of the Laodicean Church) is a gold cup with filthiness within it, that certainly is illustrative of mixture.

On the outside this Christian religious system looks like it is pure and holy. But on the inside, it is defiled with the mixture of God's Word and the traditions of men. (An example would be claiming that Sabbath had been changed to Sunday.)

Of course no one ever discovers this because no one ever digs down deep enough in the Word for themselves to discover it. I never did!

We just take what the preacher spoon feeds us and we go on our way. After all, your parents believed it so it MUST be true. (I'm not saying they aren't saved and I'm not saying they didn't mean well. I'm just saying "they were wrong.")

We have inherited lies.

Jer 16:19 O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely OUR FATHERS HAVE INHERITED LIES, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

Also, golden cups were part of the untensils of the temple service. Just as Nebuchadnezzar took these and his grandson Belshazzar profaned them, so have we ignorantly profaned anything to do with the temple service, which could be viewed as symbolic of anything to do with the "Old" Testament.

In saying the New Testament is valid, but the Old Testament we don't have to keep, we are mixing truth and error. It is a cup of mixture. It is the doctrine of Balaam.

God is warning us now of our mistakes and blindness to the fullness of His word because He does not want us to have to be killed by drinking from the "cup of mixture."

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Application
I believe that in the tribulation, the whole Church will drink of a bitter cup. Even Jesus had to drink it, and asked the Father, "remove this cup from me."

But that cup of God's wrath will not harm us if we have withdrawn ourselves from the mixture of truth and error.

An Old Testament Picture

We read in Numbers 5, when a husband thought his wife was sleeping around, he brought her before the priest and she was forced to drink for a "cup of bitter waters." If she was innocent, nothing would happen to her. But if guilty she would swell and rot.

We Church WILL go through the tribulation. We will drink the cup. But those who have kept themselves pure and spotless will not be touched by His wrath, for we are not appointed to wrath, and He will keep us from the hour of temptation.

But on the other hand, many in the Church will experience the wrath of God, because they have refused to remove themselves from the coming judgment. God has not intended the wrath to come for His people the Church, just as He did not create Hell for man. But in both cases, if we persist in our disobedience, we must suffer the consequences.

We are not appointed to wrath. Let's make sure we don't receive something that was never intended for us.

Not Afraid Of The Future

2009-03-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

Aside from being a hilarious movie, Home Alone also has an interesting message hidden deep within.

Kevin begins the movie scared of everything. As the movie progresses, and he overcomes one challenge after another, he finally come to the point where he states "I'm not afraid anymore!"

Growing up, every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night, I heard about this big mean God who punished sinners and sent them to hell. As bad as I didn't want to sin and go to hell, I just couldn't live above sin.

Saved every Sunday night, and backslidden backslidden by Monday.

As a result, kind of like Kevin, I lived a life of fear. Fear of hell. Fear of the tribulation. Fear of Armegeddon. Fear of people who kill and torture Christians.

What a relief it was to find out about grace years later. Burning in hell no longer depended on me and my righteousness, but on His.

Yet there was still this fear of all that tribulation and end times stuff that haunted me until the last few years.

For instance, when I would read passages like the following, I would always think to myself, "man, I sure hope I'm not here when all that stuff starts happening! What if there isn't a rapture? I don't know if I can handle that."

Rev 8:10-12 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

But now that I understand Torah a little better, I no longer live in fear of the future. In fact, I live in excited expectation of what lies ahead, for WE are the generation that all of the Fathers looked forward to. We are the people of the Second Exodus that will be far greater than the first. WE are the people who will see miracles in the wilderness far greater than those witnessed when Israel left Egypt.

THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Thematic analysis is a Hebrew technique for studying the Scripture that simply states that when you see a theme, or word or phrase that recurs in seemingly strange or random places, then God is trying to get across a deeper truth to you.

For instance, when we see the phrase "bitter waters" in the above passage, (Wormwood means "bitterness.") we immediately are reminded of Israel in the exodus at the place of "bitter waters" known as Marah.

Ex 15:23-24 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

The Father is telling us that there is a connection between the story of the Exodus and this passage in this future "day of the Lord" that John saw in his vision.

There is another connection in the falling of the star/meteor to earth. It will be so powerful that we are told it will blacken the sun and moon. We can also find this theme of a blackened sun/darkness in other Bible passages as well.

Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
KJV

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

What do all of these have in common? They occur at the end of days, the "day of Lord" that John saw at the "end of days."

But there is another place in Scripture where darkness envelops the land as well, and that is in the story of the Exodus.

Ex 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

So we have here another connection with the Exodus and the judgments in Revelation.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FEAR?
Now that I understand from the above thematic connections, and literally hundreds of others throughout the Scriptures that tie these two events together, I realize that my Father is telling me that we will go through this time of trouble and judgment on the world, just as Israel went through the time of judgment on Egypt.

And how do we come through? Safely tucked away from the chaos and confusion in the Goshen He has prepared for us. We know this because the rest of the story of the plague of darkness goes like this:

Ex 10:23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Our Father will keep us, if we follow and obey him. And how are we to obey Him, and avoid the plagues to come?

Ex 15:24-26 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, AND WILL GIVE EAR TO HIS COMMANDMENTS, AND KEEP ALL HIS STATUTES, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

I am in Torah. I follow the Commandments and Statutes. Therefore the promise is mine. I will not be plagued. He will not bring bitterness, darkness or plague on me. To the contrary, he will be a Healer to me. He will hide me in Goshen in the time of darkness.

And because of this......."I'm not afraid anymore!"

God Is One

2009-03-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Scott Dryer recently made an interesting distinction that, on the surface seems like splitting hairs, but at its root is a foundational issue. (A house rests on the foundation. If the foundation is faulty, then everything that is built on it will be out of whack as well.)

I have always accepted the trinity doctrine that says that God is one (Echad) in the sense that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are 3 equal manifestations of the Godhead. Sort of like segregation back in the 60's....separate but equal. 3 in 1.
Scott makes the case that this view of God has lead to a faulty foundation as follows.

This may not have been written anywhere, but at least in the subconscious, traditional Christianity has looked at Yahweh/God the Father as the God of the Old Testament. He is more or less the God of the Jews.

Then, Yeshua/Jesus came along and closed the door on the Old Testament era (dispensationalism), and the harsh OT God who told the Jews to physically kill their enemies, gave way to this loving, kind, forgiving Jesus who would always turn the other cheek.

THEN, after He left, came the era of the Holy Spirit, where we listen to that voice inside us to determine what to do and how to live. This approach can be diagramed as follows: Yeah, we still consider some of the things in the OT that God said, and we even look to Jesus a little more as our example, but, for the most part, the Holy Spirit is our standard. HE is the current manifestation of God that is to be followed. Again, you will not find this theology written anywhere, nor will you get your pastor to agree with this if you lay it out to him. But it is obvious, simply based on the fractured/denominational/divided state of Christianity that this is the case.

1 Cor 3:3-4

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

There are divisions because different groups place importance on different aspects of the Godhead.

Some follow the Father, some the Son, and some the Holy Spirit, and all in varying degrees.

TRUE ECHAD

True echad looks at Yahweh, Yeshua and the Ruach Ha Kodesh as a continuum. This concept can be diagramed as follows.

Visualizing Yahweh in this way forces us to view Him as all-inclusive. Everything flows from the Father, through the Son and Holy Spirit forcing us to keep all three in view when determining theology. (Two or three witnesses.) Any theology must find its root in Torah (The God of the OT).

This keeps us from falling into the trap of discounting a previous truth in favor of a "new" revelation. It also keeps us from falling into the trap of inventing some new theology that cannot be found in Torah (A couple obvious examples of this are the rapture doctrine, the tithing doctrine and the replacement of Shabbat with first day of the week rest.)

Another example, traditional Christian theology states that when Israel rejected Messiah, then the "church" received all of those forfeited promises, and physical Israel ceased to exist, and some new organization known as the "church" started.

By viewing the Godhead as a trinity, we can replace Yahweh with Yeshua, so therefore, we can replace Israel with the church.

Without this erroneous foundation of the trinity doctrine, dispensationalism cannot exist (Faulty foundation = faulty doctrine.).

THE WITNESS OF YESHUA

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Jesus had no new teaching. Nothing He said was not ALREADY in the Scripture. Yahweh and his Word are one. Yeshua was the Word made flesh. Nothing is lost or gained when we move from talking about Yahweh to Yeshua. There is no Old Testament and New Testament. God is One.

Likewise, the Spirit will teach you nothing new. He will only repeat or remind us of what we have ALREADY heard.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

CONCLUSION

As we have pointed out in previous posts, every Scripture has several meanings. There is the surface meaning. In Luke 12:53 we are told plainly that in the last days our trust in Yeshua will divide us from even our closest family members.

Luke 12:53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

But there will also be a deeper, hidden meaning as well. I believe the verse above is telling us that in these last days, the thing we have to be on guard against is not atheism or Islam. The error of these are obvious.

No, we must be on guard against what appears to be Biblical Christianity on the surface, but yet at its core, at its foundation, it divides the Father against the Son. This is why we recite the Shema every morning to remind ourselves that Yahweh is One/Echad.

Dispensationalism, trinitarianism and denominationalism is the very opposite of Echad.

The Infiltration of America

2009-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

from Egypt Online

The word "hyksos" comes from heka khasewet, which means "foreign rulers" and was used by the Egyptians to describe the kings of nearby areas. During the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos invaded Egypt and formed the 15th Dynasty that ruled Lower Egypt for just over one hundred years.

There are other ideas revolving around the idea of an invasion free of actual battles. In these ideas, the Hyksos were not a unified tribe who decided to take over a neighboring country, but smaller groups of similar people who migrated to Egypt from other areas such as Western Asia . The newcomers met no resistance because the leaders in place were either busy with larger problems or were not capable of ruling effectively.

Over the years, or so this alternative idea goes, some foreigners had gained positions in their local government and realized the ineptitude of their rulers. Deciding it was in their best interests not to pay tributes and do as asked by a weak leader, these men infiltrated the Egyptian government and claimed the reins for themselves.

Notice that these people "infiltrated" a government that has initially befriended Israel. The Scripture say that a new king arose who "knew not Joseph."

Hmmm, let's see.

A nation that was once friendly to Joseph/Israel/Ephraim, was infiltrated by foreign people, the government was taken over by stealth, they turned on Joseph, and Isreal had to leave a land that had been their home for over 400 years.

Ring any bells?

As I said in my last post, America is no longer the America we grew up in. Its leadership has been hijacked by leaders with foreign ties and ideas. Our leadership are ALL globalists. They trample the Constitution and dishonor the God of our fathers. These people are not just one particular political party. They are Democrats AND Republicans. They are conservatives AND liberals. They are church denominational leaders. They are the leaders of our educational system. They are college professors. They are owners of the press/media.

Get the word out. Show your fellow Israelites the parallel between Egypt and America, and maybe you can shake them out of their slumber.

The Future Battle With Esau and the Rapture

2009-03-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Just happened upon this two house verse in Ezekiel 35 after listening to Rico Cortez* teaching entitled The Kiss of Esau. I highly recommend you download some of his teachings.

(Ezekiel 35 is below in its entirety.)

Ezekiel prophesies against Mt. Seir. These are the descendents of Esau, also known as Edomites. (Gen. 32:3) Today they are mostly the Islamic nations who still have that hatred of Israel as did their father Esau.

He tells that Yahweh will make them desolate because of their hatred and jealousy of the children of Israel. He also condemns them for shedding the blood of the children of Israel in the "time of their calamity," which is also known as Jacob's trouble. This is a time yet in the future.

God says he will fill the mountains and the valleys and the rivers with their slain bodies, which refers to (Rev. 14:20, Ezekiel 39:12) the future battle of Armageddon.

Then in verse 10 we see that Israel is "two nations."

We know that Israel was composed of a northern kingdom called Israel and a southern kingdom called Judah. They were separated but prophesied to come back together in the "last days." (Ezekiel 37)

The northern kingdom of Israel was scattered "among the Gentiles." These are those who became "the Church." In Hosea God called the nation of Israel "not my people" when He divorced thema and scattered them. Then Paul and Peter both turn around and describe the Church as those who were "not a people" who now ARE a people.

1 Pet 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Rom 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

There we have it. In the future there will be two separate nations that comprise Israel, and they will battle with the descendents of Esau during the great tribulation. These nations are the Jews and the Christians. They will be together side by side, in battle with Esau BEFORE the return of the Lord.

Sorry guys, there is no rapture.

________________________________________________________________

Ezek 35 1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.
9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
10 Because thou hast said, THESE TWO NATIONS AND THESE TWO COUNTRIES shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the Lord was there:
11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.
12 And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.
14 Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.
15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Building Blocks Of Creation

2009-03-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Do you know that there is a scientific explanation for a lot of things we call "miracles."

I believe that what we often call a "miracle" is simply something that has happened that we do not yet know the scientific principle that governs it.

If you would have shown a flashlight to the original colonists, they would have considered what they were viewing as a miracle.

Music
Science has known for years that music can bring healing.

There is a vineyard owner in Italy that plays classical music over his vineyard. He is well-known in the area because his grapes are bigger and sweeter than any others in the region. He states that the grapes on the edges of the field that are the greatest distance from the music are not as big and sweet as the others.

Again, regarding music, doctors will tell you that one of the best things for depression is to listen to classical music.

So is this a miracle, or is there a rational, "scientific" explanation behind this phenomenon?

Energy
It is a scientific fact that everything in creation, at the atomic level, is nothing but energy. And this energy, depending on how it is structured into molecules, creates differing objects.

For example, the reason we see the color red is different than green is because the molecules are formed in a different pattern in each one, giving off a different energy vibration on each.

Rabbis taught 500 years ago that the planets are moved by sound waves (vibrations produced by energy). Today, scientists tell us that each planet emits a different and unique sound.

The Zohar, an ancient rabbinical writing, states that the music of the sun is so wonderful that if the ear of man was not blocked from hearing it, he would not be able to exist because his soul would leave his body.

Now contemplate Paul’s statement below:

2 Cor 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

How much more true would this be in the presence of Yahweh.

Which is probably the scientific explanation as to why "no man can see Yahweh and live." I would guess that it is also the reason why Moses glowed when he came down from the mountain. He was vibrating at the Father's frequency, at least on a miniscule level.

These principles of vibrations apply to written words as well. The letter “A,” when written on a piece of paper, emits a different vibration than the letter “B.” Could this be why God instructed us to write Scripture verses on small pieces of paper and wear them on our foreheads and the back of our hands? (frontlets)

Deut 6:7-9 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Aleph-beit
The Hebrew language is the language of Creation.

There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew aleph-beit (alphabet), and interestingly, the Hebrew language is the only language that requires you to use everything in your mouth to be able to sound out the letters.

Scientists have discovered with the help of computers that each Hebrew letter has its own frequency corresponding to various musical notes.

Therefore, it is not surprising that we discover that King David’s harp had 22 strings, each corresponding to a particular letter of the aleph-beit. When played, he was playing the music of Yahweh.

Now, it is obvious why his playing drove off the demonic spirits that were attacking King Saul. Light and darkness cannot co-exist.

Every spoken letter has a differing frequency, or vibration, just as every note played has a differing vibration. Therefore, various combinations of letters can produce sequences of vibrations that can bring healing or damage. There are combinations of letters that produce words that can be good, and those that can be bad.

Ps 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Prov 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Regarding the tongue, vibrations, being able to bring life and death, science has verified the fact that the above verses can be taken literally!

Source of the following: positivehealth.com
Resonance
When an opera singer vibrates a glass with their voice, they have matched the resonant frequency of the glass. As the singer increases the volume of their sound, the resonance becomes too great for the forces that holds the glass together and it shatters. Modern medicine now uses sound waves to break up kidney stones and gallstones.

Every organ, every bone, every cell in the body has its own resonant frequency. Together they make up a composite frequency like the instruments of an orchestra. When one organ in the body is out of tune it will affect the whole body. Through sound healing it may be possible to bring the diseased organ into harmony with the rest of the body, hence avoiding the need for drugs or surgery.

The principle of entrainment states that powerful rhythmic vibrations from one source will cause the less powerful vibrations of another source to lock into the vibration of the first source. Nature always seeks the most efficient state; it takes less energy to pulse in co-operation that in opposition.

Fabien Maman
In 1974, Fabien Maman was working as a professional jazz musician. He noticed that certain musical keys had an energizing effect on both the musicians and the audience.
Fabien worked with the French physicist Joel Sternheimer. Sternheimer had discovered that elementary particles vibrate at frequencies in accordance with musical laws. They found that body tissue, organs and acupuncture meridians each have a musical note.

A few years later, Fabien met Hélène Grimal, a senior researcher at the National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris. They devoted a year-and-a-half to study the effects of sound on normal and malignant cells. Using drums, gongs, flutes, guitar, bass and a xylophone, they investigated the effects of sound on healthy blood cells, haemoglobin, and the 'Hela' cancer cell from the uterus.

They found that even at 30-40 decibels the sound always produced noticeable changes in the cells. As the sounds progressed up the musical scale there would be an 'explosion' of the cancer cells at a certain frequency as the sound travelled outward from the centre of the cell to its outer membrane. The experiment yielded the most dramatic results when the human voice was used.

Fabien says, 'Near the end of the scale, usually around the seventh interval, the cancer cells exploded. It appears that the cancer cells were not able to support a progressive accumulation of frequencies.' 'The healthy cells appeared supple and able to freely receive, absorb and return the energy. In contrast, the cancer cells appeared inflexible and immutable in their structure.'

Masaru Emoto
A Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto, wanted to find a way of scientifically evaluating water quality. He decided to freeze samples of water taken from different sources to compare their crystalline structure. When pure water crystallizes it forms a pure crystal; would contaminated water also form a pure crystal?

Water was placed in petri dishes in a freezer for two hours, then placed under a microscope and photographed at a magnification of 200-500 times. Although the crystals that formed were all unique, the crystals from water of the same source were all similar in shape. Over a four-year period his team took 10,000 photographs.

Tap water from Japanese cities generally would not form complete crystals. Tap water from London formed no crystals at all. Spring water generally produced the most beautiful crystals, as did water from holy places such as Lourdes.

Masaru Emoto's next experiment was playing music to water. He placed distilled water in between two speakers and played one piece of music fully at normal volume. Then he froze the water.

Classical music produced beautiful crystals of slightly different colours. Healing music, a Tibetan mantra and folk music also produced beautiful crystals. Heavy metal music produced a pattern that looked like a crystal that had exploded into a thousand pieces. Japanese pop music produced ugly square-shaped crystals rather then the normal hexagonal ones.

Since our body is made up of 70% water, Masaru Emoto's work demonstrates that we are constantly being influenced by the sounds around us and by the information stored in the water we consume. http://www.positivehealth.com/article-view.php?articleid=231

Did you catch that last point? Our bodies are 70% water, and sound can make it be healthy water molecules or unhealthy ones. So we can truly speak life and death to each other.

Wow....science confirms the Word.....what a shocker!

In addition, we are told that sound waves never die. Every word we have ever spoken is still out there resonating and doing good or evil. We will be held accountable for these words one day, which is the reason for the previous admonition not to speak evil to your brother.

The Expanding Universe
So, when God "spoke" creation into existence, His words are still resonating throughout His creation today. Could that be why the universe is still expanding, because His creative energy continues to do what it has done since the beginning of time?

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem
Why do we face Jerusalem when we pray for her peace?

Imagine millions of believers all over the world facing Jerusalem and bombarding her from all sides with the energy of "shalom." The enemy could not prosper in the midst of such an attack.

Yes, attack!

Could we literally create shalom/peace/wholeness with simply our prayers?

I believe we can, for as we join together and speak His words of life, we can put evil to flight. If one can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight, what would happen if the whole Church were simultaneously speaking the creative words of God?

We'd change the world!

I say, "Let's do it."

The Wedding Contract

2009-03-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Deut 29:9-15 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

10 Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,

11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:

13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:

The above is the famous passage where Moses is giving Israel their final instructions. And at the end he makes a very interesting prophetic statement by saying that he is not only talking to those who were there in his presence on that day, but also to those who were not there with him that day. In other words, to the generations to come, and specifically, the last generation.

And what is he instructing both of these generations? To “enter into covenant with the Lord thy God.”

In other words, what we have traditionally called "the law" applied not only to those he was talking to that day, but to us as well.

The Wedding Contract/Covenant With The Bride of God/Christ
As we have already discussed many times in previous posts, that covenant, or wedding contract that He made with Israel was the Torah, or as the traditional church calls it, the Old Testament law.

So, who is that last generation that he is instructing to keep Torah?

To The Jews Only?
We have been taught that this would be the Jews who remain on earth after the church is raptured away. But Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10 makes it clear that this verse is not just to the Jews (southern kingdom of Judah) but to the Church (northern kingdom of Israel) as well.

1 Cor 10:1-6 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Paul is talking to the Corinthians, a gentile group of believers, better known as scattered tribes of Israel. He refers to back to this passage in Deuteronomy 29 and states that this applies to them. Just the context alone disproves the notion that Moses was only talking to that last generation of Jews who would be on the earth when Messiah returns.

Just in case there is any doubt as to the above, Paul repeats FOUR TIMES the qualifier “ALL.” The implication here is clear. Paul is stating that not only his “fathers” from the house of Judah, but your fathers as well (house of Israel) is who he is referring to above. “ALL our Fathers.” Both houses.

Can we find some more witnesses in Scripture to the above?

Hundreds, but here are a few.

On The Testimony Of Two Or Three Witnesses
Gal 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In Messiah, we are no longer two houses, but one. And that whole house is Abraham’s seed according to the promise. What promise? Deuteronomy 29.

Was Paul really talking to lost Israelites, or just gentiles/Greeks?

I submit to you that ALL the apostles knew where Israel had been scattered and that is where they went to share the good news.

Eph 2:18-19 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

“Stangers” is the term God uses in Hosea to describe Israel after He divorced them (They broke their wedding contract/Torah). Paul and Peter both use it here to let these people know who they are……Israelites.

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

James knew where they were and wrote a letter to them. In his letter he says that faith without works if dead. In other words, if you say you believe in the Messiah but don’t follow Torah, because only Torah can define what righteous works are, then you really don’t have faith.

Here is the scary part. Without obedience to the wedding contract, we cannot be the bride of Christ. Yikes!

Even Yeshua Himself said that He had not come to preach the Gospel to the whole world, but on His first coming, He was “sent ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 10:6 and 15:24.

And finally, we know the story of Paul being stopped by the Holy Spirit from going into Asia in Acts 16:6. Why was he stopped? I think it was because there were no Israelites there.

In conclusion, WE ARE ISRAELITES, either by blood or grafted in from among the true gentiles who have no Israelite blood in them at all. But either way, He is calling us back to obey the covenant that we disobeyed and got us into this mess in the first place.

When Yeshua said He was only sent to the “lost sheep” of the house of Israel, he was referring his listeners back to Jeremiah 50.

Jer 50:6-7 My people hath been LOST SHEEP: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

7 All that found them have DEVOURED them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.

WE are the lost sheep, and WE are the ones being "devoured" because we continue to rebel against the covenant that Yeshua made though Moses with all Israel (not just the Jews).

Torah is our protection. It is our guide. It is our light.

Paul makes it clear in Galatians that we are not saved by Torah. We are NOT saved by following the commandments and laws. But Moses and Jeremiah both make it clear that if we don’t obey the covenant that he made with our forefathers, then we, not just the Jews, will be devoured.

What Does It Mean To "Fulfill" The Law?

2009-02-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Matt 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

The Hebrew letter Quph, our letter "Q," relates the picture of "the back of the head." Words that include this letter portray meanings that come from this "back of the head" picture.

For instance, the Quph also portrays the idea of "not being able to see." Back of the head....can't see.....see the connection? It also portrays "needing guidance or instruction," as well as "teaching," which is needed when you can't see.

The Ruach HaQodesh (contains the letter Quph) is the Hebrew for the "Holy Spirit." His job is to "instruct" us on the things we "cannot see." The things of the flesh, we can see, so we don't need His guidance. It is the things of faith that we "can't see," that He quides us on. Therefore, as people of faith, "we walk by faith, not sight."

Now, in the above verse where Yeshua claimed He came to "fulfil" the Torah, the word translated "fulfil" comes from the Hebrew word "Qum." He said he came to "Qum" the Torah. So, now that we can apply what we have learned about the letter "Quph," we can understand that "fulfil" would have a meaning that has something to do with instruction, revelation or sight.

So we are not surprised to learn that Qum means to "give rise to," or "retore back to." Again, the connection being that if you "instruct" or "give sight" to something, then it can "rise" or "get back" to where it should be.

So when Yeshua said He came to "fulfil the Torah," he was not saying He came to put an end to it. He was actually saying JUST THE OPPOSITE. Since the Pharisees had perverted the Torah to the point where the truth of it had been hidden, His purpose was to "raise" it back to its place of prominence SO WE COULD FOLLOW ITS INSTRUCTIONS.

And how did He do this? By living it. By seeing Him ("give sight to") live the Torah/instructions of God, we now know how to do the same.

In conclusion, He illuminated/restored God's Word/Torah by His teaching and example, so that we can now "keep" it. The law is not fulfilled/ended/completed. It is fulfilled/restored/elevated and we are "guided/instructed" by the Ruach HaQodesh so that we can now keep it.

That's Quite a mouth full.

Sign of Messiah

2009-01-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

The sign of the Messiah is scattered throughout the Scriptures as the Father's way of helping us recognize the Messiah when He arrives.

Very simply the sign of the Messiah is the combination of three elements in any passage.

1) The number 3, 30, 300, 3000

2) Life (usually resurrection)

3) Death

Examples
When asked for a sign that He was the Messiah, Jesus replied that He would only give the sign of Jonah, which was three days and nights in the belly in darkness, being thrown overboard to die, and life restored from certain death as he was vomited up.

The connection is obvious. Jesus spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the earth after He died, and then was resurrected. Hence, this pattern in the life of Jonah was a sign of the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled.

Isaac was another obvious foreshadowing of the Messiah. He and his father journeyed three days to Mt. Moriah where he was supposed to die. After already considering himself dead, he was given his life back by the angel of God. Life, death and the number 3. Another interesting element of this story is that he carried the wood of his sacrifice on his back, just as Jesus carried the cross/wood of His sacrifice on His back.

Samson is another good example. Upon pushing the pillars of the structure outward, the temple fell killing 3000. We are then told that Samson killed more in his DEATH than in his LIFE. As in the story of Isaac, we have another added element that would be fulfilled by Jesus. At the time of his death, Samson's arms were outstrectched horizontally and fastened to the pillars, picturing Jesus on the cross.

This ancient Hebraic technique will revolutionize the way you study Scripture and give you a greater appreciation of the intricate and miraculous nature of our Scriptures.

2007-01-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

If you have been helped by the teachings on this site and would like to donate to this "ministry," then do the following:

1. Pray about how much you should give.

2. Go give it to someone that needs it. Thank God, I don't. If that changes, I'll let you know. LOL.

3. If you are having trouble deciding who to give it to, here are a few suggestions.

- Find a kid who would love to play youth league sports and pay his/her registration fee.

- Pay the fee for a child in your church to go to youth camp.

- Find a pastor that works a full time job and pastors his church out of love and not for money, and give it to him. He NEEDS it!

- Find a single mom and help her out. Buy her kids some clothes, toys, food, etc. Pay her light bill.

- Walk in a restaurant and ask the Holy Spirit to show you who's meal He wants you to pay for.

- Buy some books or audio teachings on the Christian roots of the faith and pass them out for free.

- Give to Bridges For Peace, the Salvation Army, the Gideons.

- Give to your local Church's benevolence fund.

- Help a local school teacher purchase supplies for underpriviliged students in their class.

- Give to a LOCAL prison ministry, or give to a pastor/minister for use in his/her prison ministry.

SOW IN GOOD SOIL!!!!! QUIT INVESTING IN BUILDINGS AND MINISTRIES AND PEOPLE MAKING A LIVING OFF OF THE GOSPEL AND START INVESTING IN PEOPLE WITH NEEDS!!!!!!!

Joyce Meyer Estate

Benny Hinn Estate

TBN's Paul Crouch Estate

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Prove your faith!

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Thanks for the money, God!

Rod Parsley