Just WHO might the 10 nations be that plot against Israel, for her destruction?? They are mentioned by name in Psalms 83, however, some of the names are not ones that are commonly in use today.
A song. A Psalm by Asaph. 83 1 God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God. 2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. 3 They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. 4 “Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” 5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah. 9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; 10 who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna; 12 who said, “Let us take possession of God’s pasture lands.” The coalition nations listed in Psalm 83 and their likely modern identities (based on work by authors Bill Salus and Joel Richardson) are the following:
The purpose of the plotting of these nations is to wipe out Israel as a nation “so that Israel’s name is remembered no more”. It is likely that the battle foretold in Psalm 83 will occur before the end-time invasion against Jerusalem described in Ezekiel 38. That battle involves the following nations: "Persia [Iran], Cush [the upper Nile region] and Put [Libya, some of Egypt and north Africa] will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer [Ukraine] with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah [Turkey, Turkomen, Turkestan and Armenia] from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you." (Ezekiel 38:5–6) HOWEVER we know from scripture that this will not and cannot happen. For YHWH says that he will destroy them all! excerpt copied from: http://tinyurl.com/onfmpdf
The Meaning of the Shofar [Below are] several passages that reference the shofar and...some suggestions as to what therefore we should remember when it is blown. In most English translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word shofar is translated either as horn or trumpet. Horn, of course, is better, since it clearly shows the difference between the use of a hollowed-out animal horn and a man-made metallic trumpet. In each of the following cases, ...whatever English word was used [is replaced] with the original Hebrew word, shofar. The Covenant on Mt. Sinai: Redemption and Revelation On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud shofar blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder (Shemot/Exodus 19:16-19). The blowing of the shofar reminds us of God's rescue from bondage, his commitment through covenant faithfulness, and the gift of his Word. The Walls of Jericho: No Obstacles Are Too Great for God So the people shouted, and the shofars were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. (Joshua 6:20). The falling of the great walls of Jericho following the sounding of the shofar reminds us that when we are in God's will, doing what he wants us to do, nothing can stand in our way. God Alone Is King: Let Us Boldly Acclaim His Rulership God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a shofar. (Tehillim/Psalms 47:5) As the shofar blast proclaim God's rule, so should we, boldly and without fear. God Is Worthy of Praise Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the shofar make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! (Tehillim/Psalms 98:4-6) The shofar reminds us that God is worth celebrating. We make a big deal over far lesser things. So let us make some joyful noise about God! The Voice of the Prophet: We Need To Speak Up More "Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a shofar; declare to my people their transgression to the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1) As the voice of the prophet is clear and distinct, the shofar encourages us to not hold back, but to speak up for God and his ways, clearly and unashamedly. God's Alarm: It's Time To Wake Up Blow a shofar in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near. (Joel 2:1) The shofar was used as a practical device to get people's attention. In this passage it is as an alarm to warn God's people of his coming judgement. One of the great Jewish thinkers of all time was Moses Maimonides. He was a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt, who lived between 1135 and 1204 AD. What he said with regard to what people should think of as the shofar is blown goes along with this: Wake up, wake up, sleepers from your sleep, and awake slumberers from your slumber. Search your deeds, repent, and remember your Creator. Some of you might catch how these words sound similar to other words written long before Maimonides, from the New Covenant Writings: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and [Messiah] will shine on you." Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:14-16) The shofar, God's alarm clock, is to alert us as to the nature of the times in which we live. It is so easy to allow cynicism and apathy to lull us to sleep. It's much easier to go along with the flow, submitting to the pressures of the culture, than to pursue the things of God day by day. As I write this, the world remembers the September 11, 2001 tragedy, which many at the time said was a "wake up call." But how many of those same people hit the alarm and drifted off to sleep again. Since then the world has experienced alarm after alarm. Eventually it will be too late. Which brings us to the next one. The Last Shofar: The Coming of the Lord Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the shofar and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. (Zechariah 9:14) The day will come, when God himself will blow the shofar to signal the return of Messiah to call creation to account, and judge the world. No more opportunities to go back to sleep. No more chances. This is reiterated in the New Covenant Writings. Since it was [possibly] originally written in Greek, we don't know if it is referencing a trumpet or a horn, but the connection with the shofar is clear as is the point it makes: I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:50-55) As the final blast marks the end of life as we know it, it also signals the beginning of the age to come, when death and all its effects will be no more. For some it will be a time of absolute dread, but for others the greatest moment of our lives. How can you be assured of eternal life? Here too, the shofar shows the way. Substitution: Life for Life He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." (Bereshit/Genesis 22:12-14) The Hebrew word here is not actually shofar, but a synonym, "keren." This reference from the first book of the Bible is foundational for everything else the shofar reminds us of. God's requirement for the offering of Abraham's son Isaac was fulfilled through the provision of a ram. All through Scripture the sacrificial system, as established by God, reminded the people that an offering of an innocent animal was a satisfactory substitute for sin. While this is foreign to most of us today, it is God's way, all the while pointing the people of Israel to the perfect and final offering of the Messiah on our behalf. His life was accepted in place of ours, so that all who trust in him would live forever. It is no coincidence that among all the things that happened to him during his unjust arrest, trial, and execution that he was mocked by the Roman soldiers by their placing a crown of thorns on his head. Yeshua, like the ram of Abraham's day, found himself caught in a thicket, and offered in our place, so like Isaac, we too may go free. The shofar gives us so much to think about, but it is all meaningless unless we are in right relationship with God. By accepting Yeshua as God's provision, everything else becomes clear. The shofar sound not only will reverberate in our ears, but the fullness of its meaning will find its way into our hearts. Click here to listen to the shofar now. michael servetus, john calvin & martin luther -- old buddies whose history we should all know!5/9/2015 Back in February, I was doing a little reading up on church fathers. You know, those guys the western church holds in high esteem and with high, almost god-like regard. I already knew some less-than-savory things about Martin Luther, the [supposed] father of the reformation that, frankly, made my stomach turn, but thought I had better follow a few rabbit trails that kept coming up and see if I was able to find anything new, anything interesting.
Boy, did I find interesting. Wow! Enter John Calvin and Martin Luther and their bff Michael Servetus. I obviously knew about Calvin and Luther -- I grew up in the Christian church, but the other guy was a no-name in my world. Wikipedia often comes in quite handy -- and if you don't trust them, they (usually) are well-sourced so that you are better able to do a little (or a lot) more research yourself. On the surface Servetus is just a slightly-above-average guy of the mid-1500's ... but that is the end of the simplicity. The more intimate details of his life are like a Russian spy novel. Whether you love or hate him depends on whose version of the story you're reading. Servetus was most likely born in Spain, and is probably the namesake of the Catholic Saint Michael's Day (which is celebrated on his birthday), but that hasn't been substantiated (and frankly, doesn't really matter to me at all). More importantly, he was an early follower of the reformation, as well as a contemporary of John Calvin and Martin Luther, having worked, studied and written with them. Furthermore historically, he was a theologian, physician, cartographer, and Renaissance humanist, as well as the first European to correctly describe the function of pulmonary circulation, as discussed in his book Christianismi Restitutio (published in 1533). Even though I indicated that Calvin, Luther and Servetus were best buddies, I confess that was a poor attempt at sarcasm on my part. The three men did know each other, well, and they worked, at first - in cooperation. Later, that all changed when Servetus' views on certain accepted church doctrine began to evolve somewhat. From that point on they began to work against each other. In the end, two of them had a rather far-reaching hand in the third one's death, more specifically, his murder. I won't spoil all the details for you. It's a tangled web of inquisition, aliases, travel and intrigue, prison escapes, stealth, as well as back-stabbing accusations and lying, religious intolerance, hatred, domination and shocking evil, all in the name of Christ -- just like any modern-day Hollywood thriller and too many true-to-life stories. And sadly, like most "entertainment" coming out of Hollywood, someone "gets dead" while others walk away free and unburdened by their own choice to do evil, and even attain great infamy and the worship and admiration of millions of unsuspecting followers. I'll let you figure out the who's who in this page-turner. Oh! those rascally reformation church fathers. What paragons of divine sanction they were! Read about all the intrigue and subterfuge for yourself -- and then do some follow-up research using some of the links at the end. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Servetus Gena Turgel, Auschwitz Survivor, Author: I Light a Candle
Krakow-born Gena Turgel was 21 years old when she and her mother were told to strip naked and wait in an Auschwitz gas chamber. "We walked into that room—stone floors, openings in the ceiling which I can still see in front of me—and we were trembling," Turgel said in a video interview posted by The Israel Project. "It was bitter cold—waiting, waiting." Turgel said she did not know to expect a shower of Zyklon B—the hydrogen cyanide that would suffocate multitudes of prisoners, pushing them to claw at the walls and one another, to try reach for clean air near the ceiling. As they waited, Turgel saw "walking skeletons in every sense of the word—heaps of bodies lying everywhere; you could not distinguish whether they were men or women." After waiting, no poison fell. (TIP) "As we came outside, the women there said how wonderful it was to see us. They screamed with happiness," Turgel told the Associated Press in 2005, suggesting the gassing system must have been broken. "They said, 'Don't you know? You were in the gas chamber.' I lost my voice. I couldn't produce any saliva." "I have two daughters and a son, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. It's a wonderful feeling to have family and to see it all—I was so thankful to God for that," Turgel added. "Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins." Isaiah 40:1–2 For the sake of this generation and the generations to come, may each of us, whether Jew or Gentile, take it upon ourselves to actively keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. On Yom HaShoah and every other day, we must not be silent, but vigilant, understanding that there are a growing number on the international scene who do not share the sentiment "Never Again." While there are no easy answers for why the world allowed the Holocaust to happen, let us diligently ensure that it does not happen again. Well, simply, IT DOESN'T. So, how long was Yeshua in the tomb? How do we know? The traditional timing has bugged me my whole life. This article (explanation) is by Scott Ashley. About one billion Protestants and another billion Catholics believe that Jesus Christ was crucified and entombed on a Friday afternoon—"Good Friday"—and raised to life again at daybreak on Easter Sunday morning, a day and a half later. Yet when we compare this to what Jesus Himself said about how long He would be entombed, we find a major contradiction. How long did Jesus say He would be in the grave?
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" Matthew 12:40 The context in which Jesus Christ said these words is important. The scribes and Pharisees were demanding a miraculous sign from Him to prove that He was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. "But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah'" Matthew 12:39. This was the only sign Jesus gave that He was the promised Messiah: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (emphasis added throughout). Traditional timing doesn't add up The Gospels are clear that Jesus died and His body was hurriedly placed in the tomb late in the afternoon, just before sundown when a Sabbath began John 19:30-42. By the traditional "Good Friday to Easter Sunday" timing, from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown is one night and one day. Saturday night to Sunday daybreak is another night, giving us two nights and one day. So where do we get another night and two days to equal the three days and three nights Jesus said He would be in the tomb? This is definitely a problem. Most theologians and religious scholars try to work around it by arguing that any part of a day or night counts as a day or night. Thus, they say, the final few minutes of that Friday afternoon were the first day, all day Saturday was the second day, and the first few minutes of Sunday morning were the third day. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? The trouble is, it doesn't work. This only adds up to three days and two nights, not three days and three nights. Also, John 20:1 tells us that "On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb." Did you catch the problem here? John tells us it was still dark when Mary went to the tomb on Sunday morning and found it empty. Jesus was already resurrected well before daybreak. Thus, He wasn't in the tomb any of the daylight portion of Sunday, so none of that can be counted as a day. That leaves us with, at most, part of a day on Friday, all of Friday night, a whole daylight portion on Saturday, and most of Saturday night. That totals one full day and part of another, and one full night and most of another—still at least a full day and a full night short of the time Jesus said He would be in the tomb. Clearly something doesn't add up. Either Jesus misspoke about the length of time He would be in the tomb, or the "Good Friday–Easter Sunday" timing is not biblical or accurate. Obviously both cannot be true. So which one is right? Understanding God's time is the key The key to understanding the timing of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection lies in understanding God's timetable for counting when days begin and end, as well as the timing of His biblical festivals during the spring of the year when these events took place. We first need to realize that God doesn't begin and end days at midnight as we do—that is a humanly devised method of counting time. Genesis 1:5 tells us quite plainly that God counts a day as beginning with the evening (the night portion) and ending at the next evening—"So the evening [nighttime] and the morning [daylight] were the first day." God repeats this formula for the entire six days of creation. In Leviticus 23, where God lists all of His holy Sabbaths and festivals, He makes it clear that they are to be observed "from evening to evening" (verse 32)—in other words, from sunset to sunset, when the sun went down and evening began. This is why Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, followers of Jesus, hurriedly placed His body in Joseph's nearby tomb just before sundown in John 19:39-42. A Sabbath was beginning at sundown (verse 31), when work would have to cease. Two kinds of "Sabbaths" lead to confusion As John tells us in verse 31: "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies [of those crucified] should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken [to hasten death], and that they might be taken away." In the Jewish culture of that time, the chores of cooking and housecleaning were done on the day before a Sabbath to avoid working on God's designated day of rest. Thus, the day before the Sabbath was commonly called "the preparation day." Clearly the day on which Christ was crucified and His body placed in the tomb was the day immediately preceding a Sabbath. The question is, which Sabbath? Most people assume John is speaking of the regular weekly Sabbath day, observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. From John's clear statement here, most people assume Jesus died and was buried on a Friday—thus the traditional belief that Jesus was crucified and died on "Good Friday." Most people have no idea that the Bible talks about two kinds of Sabbath days—the normal weekly Sabbath day that falls on the seventh day of the week (not to be confused with Sunday, which is the first day of the week), and seven annual Sabbath days, listed in Leviticus 23 and mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, that could fall on any day of the week. Because traditional Christianity long ago abandoned these biblical annual Sabbath days (as well as the weekly Sabbath), for many centuries people have failed to recognize what the Gospels plainly tell us about when Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected—and why "Good Friday–Easter Sunday" never happened that way. Most people fail to note that John explicitly tells us that the Sabbath that began at sundown immediately after Jesus was entombed was one of these annual Sabbath days. Notice in John 19:31 his explanation that "that Sabbath was a high day" —" high day" being a term used to differentiate the seven annual Sabbaths from the regular weekly Sabbath days. So what was this "high day" that immediately followed Jesus Christ's hurried entombment? The Gospels tell us that on the evening before Jesus was condemned and crucified, He kept the Passover with His disciples (Matthew 26:19-20; Mark 14:16-17; Luke 22:13-15). This means He was crucified on the Passover day. Leviticus 23, which lists God's festivals, tells us that on the day after the Passover a separate festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, begins (verses 5-6). The first day of this Feast is "a holy convocation" on which "no customary work" is to be done (verse 7). This day is the first of God's annual Sabbaths. This is the "high day" of which John wrote. Several Bible commentaries, encyclopedias and dictionaries note that John is referring to an annual Sabbath here rather than the regular weekly Sabbath day. Passover began at sundown and ended the following day at sundown, when this annual Sabbath began. Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples, then was arrested later that night. After daybreak the next day He was questioned before Pontius Pilate, crucified, then hurriedly entombed just before the next sunset when the "high day," the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, began. Leviticus 23 tells us the order and timing of these days, and the Gospels confirm the order of events as they unfolded. Jesus crucified on Wednesday, not Friday Several computer software programs exist that enable us to calculate when the Passover and God's other festivals fall in any given year. Those programs show that in A.D. 31, the year of these events, the Passover meal was eaten on Tuesday night and Wednesday sundown marked the beginning of the "high day," the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus, then, was crucified and entombed on a Wednesday afternoon, not on Friday. Can we find further proof of this in the Gospels? Yes, indeed we can! Let's turn to a seldom-noticed detail in Mark 16:1 "Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him." In that time, if the body of a loved one was placed in a tomb rather than being buried directly in the ground, friends and family would commonly place aromatic spices in the tomb alongside the body to reduce the smell as the remains decayed. Since Jesus' body was placed in the tomb just before that high-day Sabbath began, the women had no time to buy those spices before the Sabbath. Also, they could not have purchased them on the Sabbath day, as shops were closed. Thus, Mark says, they bought the spices after the Sabbath— "when the Sabbath was past." But notice another revealing detail in Luke 23:55-56: "And the women who had come with [Christ] from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." Do you see a problem here? Mark clearly states that the women bought the spices after the Sabbath--"when the Sabbath was past." Luke tells us that the women prepared the spices and fragrant oils, after which "they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." So they bought the spices after the Sabbath, and then they prepared the spices before resting on the Sabbath. This is a clear contradiction between these two Gospel accounts—unless two Sabbaths were involved! Indeed when we understand that two different Sabbaths are mentioned, the problem goes away. Mark tells us that after the "high day" Sabbath, which began Wednesday evening at sundown and ended Thursday evening at sundown, the women bought the spices to anoint Jesus' body. Luke then tells us that the women prepared the spices—activity which would have taken place on Friday—and that afterward "they rested on the Sabbath [the normal weekly Sabbath day, observed Friday sunset to Saturday sunset] according to the commandment." By comparing details in both accounts, we can clearly see that two different Sabbaths are mentioned along with a workday in between. The first Sabbath was a "high day"—the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which fell on a Thursday. The second was the weekly seventh-day Sabbath. (To see these events spelled out in day-by-day detail, see the chart above.) The original Greek in which the Gospels were written also plainly tells us that two Sabbath days were involved in these accounts. In Matthew:28:1, where Matthew writes that the women went to the tomb "after the Sabbath," the word Sabbath here is actually plural and should be translated "Sabbaths." Bible versions such as Alfred Marshall's Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Green's Literal Translation Young's Literal Translation and Ferrar Fenton's Translation make this clear. When was Jesus resurrected? We have seen, then, that Jesus Christ was crucified and entombed on a Wednesday, just before an annual Sabbath began—not the weekly Sabbath. So when was He resurrected? John 20:1, as noted earlier, tells us that "on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb." The sun had not yet risen— "it was still dark," John tells us—when Mary found the tomb empty. Obviously, then, Jesus was not resurrected at sunrise on Sunday morning. So when did this take place? The answer is plain if we simply read the Gospels—and Jesus Christ's own words—and accept them for what they say. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," said Jesus. Matthew 12:40 As we have proven, Jesus was entombed —placed "in the heart of the earth"—just before sundown on a Wednesday. All we have to do is count forward. One day and one night brings us to Thursday at sundown. Another day and night brings us to Friday at sundown. A third day and night brings us to Saturday at sundown. According to Jesus Christ's own words He would have been resurrected three days and nights after He was entombed, at around the same time—near sunset. Does this fit with the Scriptures? Yes—as we have seen, He was already risen and the tomb empty when Mary arrived "while it was still dark" on Sunday morning. While no one was around to witness His resurrection (which took place inside a sealed tomb watched over by armed guards), Jesus Christ's own words and the details recorded in the Gospels show that it had to have happened three days and three nights after His burial, near sunset at the end of the weekly Sabbath. Try as you might, it is impossible to fit three days and three nights between a late Friday burial and a Sunday morning resurrection. The Good Friday–Easter Sunday tradition simply isn't true or biblical. But when we look at all the details recorded in the Gospels and compare them with Jesus' own words, we can see the truth—and it matches perfectly. The words of the angel of God, who so startled the women at the empty tomb, are proven true: "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said". Matthew 28:5-6, NIV Let's not cling to religious traditions and ideas that aren't supported by Scripture. Be sure that your own beliefs and practices are firmly rooted in the Bible. Are you willing to make a commitment to worship God according to biblical truth rather than human tradition? Originally from Bibles for Isra'el “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Many Christians around the world have set up their Christmas trees, bought their presents to give family and friends, and depending on which denomination they belong to, are celebrating the prophetic fulfillment of the birth of the Jewish Messiah in Bethlehem in just nine days. (Micah 5:2) Armenian Apostolic and Eastern Orthodox Christians, unlike Protestants, do not celebrate the birth of Yeshua HaMashiach on December 25th, due to differences between the Armenian, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The Tanakh (Jewish Scripture), however, doesn't identify the month in which the Messiah would be born, nor does the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) identify the exact date of His birth. Scripture does give us an indication of the time of year. “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10–11) Semiramis set December 25th as the date of her son's birth, who came to be associated with Baal, on the advice of her astrologers, since the sun is at its farthest point from the earth during the winter solstice. “The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.” (Jeremiah 7:18) Over time, the sun god came to be worshiped throughout the ancient world on December 25th. It was a time of orgies, drunkenness, and the sacrificing of infants to the pagan god, Baal. Because this feast was so popular among the pagan population of Greece and Rome, the date was simply adopted as the time of the birth of Yeshua by the Roman Church. Gift-giving, Saturnalia and Violence Against the Jews Many customs associated with the season—the giving of gifts, house-to-house caroling, and the general rejoicing and festivity derived from this winter festival of Saturnalia—are a remnant of paganism that has remained attached to the Christian Church. The Christians who first observed the birth of Yeshua on December 25th did not do so thinking that He was actually born on that day. Because the pagan winter festival of Saturnalia was celebrated on that date in Rome, they were willing to have this pagan holiday metamorphosed into a Christian one. Due to the pagan origin of Christmas and the violence and excess associated with it, the Puritans (Christians from the Church of England) actually banned Christmas altogether. Although Christmas caroling today brings cheer to many Christians, in their earliest beginnings, carols really had nothing to do with Christmas. The melodies were originally written to accompany an ancient dance form called the circle dance associated with fertility rites and pagan festivities. When Was the Messiah Born? “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” (Luke 2:8) Although Christmas in December is a well-established Christian tradition, Bible scholars agree that December 25th is not the true date of Yeshua’s birth. Winter in Israel is generally too cold at night to be out shepherding flocks, and yet at the time of Yeshua’s birth, the shepherds were in the fields watching over their flocks at night. Another point to consider when determining the time of year when Yeshua (Jesus) was born is that winter in Israel is not a logical time to take a census because of the cold and rain. Although the weather can be mild in December, snow in the Jerusalem area is a semi-frequent occurrence. Just days ago, for instance, Jerusalem even saw more than a foot of snow, causing major disruptions to transportation and power. Flooding in southern Israel also resulted in two men dying when their car was washed away. So the fact that Yosef (Joseph) and Miriam (Mary) had gone to Beit Lechem (Bethlehem) to register for a census is a good indication that they were traveling in a warmer, drier season (Luke 2:1–5). When they arrived, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were so crowded that no accommodations were available at the inn. Such crowding would have been more typical during one of the three pilgrimage feasts: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) or Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths). “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:6–7) With that in mind, it is likely that Yeshua was born at the end of the harvest, during the Biblical holiday of Sukkot, in fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy that one day the Lord would "tabernacle" with His people. “My dwelling place [mishkan—tabernacle] will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Ezekiel 37:27) When the New Jerusalem is established, Yeshua will tabernacle with us forever: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3) Birthdays and the Culture of the Time “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) Yeshua was born into a completely Jewish, Hebraic culture where the date of one’s death was remembered and observed rather than the date of one’s birth. This could explain why we are certain of the date of His death (Passover), but not clear on the date of His birth. How, then, did December 25th come to be celebrated as the day of Yeshua’s birth, and what is the origin of the festival of Christmas? It was certainly not included in the early celebrations of the Christian church. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian [early Church fathers] do not show it on their list of feasts.” Later, when churches in different parts of the world began celebrating the birthday of Yeshua, they had various opinions as to the correct date. It was not until the latter part of the fourth century that the Roman Church began observing December 25th. By the fifth century, it was decreed that the birth of Yeshua would be forever observed on this date, even though this was the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of the sun-god. Mithraism—a large, pagan, sun worship cult--fostered the celebration of December 25th as a holiday throughout the Roman and Greek worlds. This winter festival was called "the nativity" and "the Nativity of the sun." This type of cult even reached Israel. Semiramis, the Queen of Babylon, (also called the Queen of Heaven and Ishtar) also contaminated the Israelites’ worship of God with Baal worship (Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17). Her influence spread far and wide because she ordered the ancient world to celebrate the birth of her son Tammuz, who was apparently believed to be the reincarnation of her son (Nimrod). She then proclaimed Tammuz to be the sun god. In the US State of Massachusetts, the observance of Christmas was illegal between 1659 and 1681. Louisiana was the first US state to institute Christmas as a holiday only as recently as 1830. Despite its association with paganism, Christmas was, and still is, celebrated by most Christians. Rabbis and Orthodox Jewish anti-missionaries often use this information to discredit Christianity as a pagan religion, saying that the story of the birth of Yeshua is inspired by the pagan festival celebrating the birth of the sun-god Sol. According to this logic, the rabbis argue that Yeshua couldn't be the Jewish Messiah! Beside the ties to Saturnalia and Mithraism that discredit the celebration of Christmas, violence against the Jews on Christmas understandably blackened the holiday among the Jewish People. According to David Kertzer, in his book The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Jewish rabbis of the ghetto in Rome were forced to wear clownish outfits and march through the city streets to the jeers of the crowd, pelted by a variety of projectile objects as part of the Saturnalia carnival (p. 74). In 1836, the Jewish community of Rome sent a petition to Pope Gregory XVI pleading with him to stop the annual Saturnalia abuse of the Jewish community, to which the Pope responded, “It is not opportune to make any innovation.” And on December 25, 1881, riots broke out across Poland when Christian leaders incited the Polish masses into an anti-Semitic frenzy. On this Christmas Day, 12 Jews were brutally murdered in Warsaw, several others injured, and many Jewish women raped. As well, two million rubles worth of Jewish property was destroyed. The Origins of Christmas Customs Although many Christians and Messianic Jews do not celebrate Christmas because of its pagan origins, the season of Christmas is a joyous time with deep significance for many other Christians. With the pagan origins of Christmas trees forgotten and / or dismissed as irrelevant today, many Christians consider the tree to be a symbolic reminder of how Yeshua became a curse for us by hanging on a tree. “Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” (Galatians 3:13) They adorn their trees with beautiful lights reminding them of how Yeshua is the Light of Life who calls us to shine His light on a dark world. “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light." (John 12:36) They give gifts to each other honoring the fact that Yeshua became the ultimate gift for them. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15) Although many consider modern-day Christmas customs helpful in sharing the joy of Yeshua and the glory of God among family, friends and neighbors, one should know the history of the traditions they keep. While the custom of decorating a Christmas tree dates back only a few centuries, the principle behind it is ancient. Pagans had a custom of worshiping trees in the forest (Jeremiah 7:18), or bringing them into their homes and decorating them (Jeremiah 10:3–4), and this observance was adopted by the Christian Church. Furthermore, sacred trees as symbols of the life force were also associated with Canaanite cults. Cylinder seals dating from the Late Bronze Age often show a worshiper standing in front of a tree. Other seals dating from the 8th to the 10th centuries BC, which depict a tree flanked by worshipers, have been found at the Lachish, Beth Shemesh, Gibeon, Samaria, and Megiddo archaeological sites in Israel. A drawing of a sacred tree with lily flowers being eaten by two ibex was discovered on a jar at the religious center of Kuntillet Ajrud. Gold pendants of the Late Bronze Age from Tel al-Ajjul (near Gaza) and from Ugarit show stylized trees growing out of a formalized goddess, according to The Harper Atlas of the Bible (pp.101–102). Sexual intercourse under these so-called "holy" trees was thought to transmit the potency and vitality of the goddess. What was really being transmitted was infidelity, paganism, and prostitution: "They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth trees, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery." (Hosea 4:1) These female deities could well have been the Asherah or Astarte who are often mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures (Tanakh/ Old Testament) as the consort of the weather god Baal. "The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs." (Judges 3:7) In at least 10 Bible references, the "green tree" is associated with idolatry and false worship. "They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree." (1 Kings 14:23) As well, the use of holly and mistletoe comes from Druid ceremonies. Some historians think that the Druids used mistletoe to poison their human sacrificial victim. Kissing under the mistletoe is a synthesis of Druid sacrificial rituals with Saturnalia sexual immorality. Christmas Today “Look! The young maiden [also translated virgin] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23; see also Isaiah 7:14) In light of these facts, many Messianic Jews and born-again Christians choose not to celebrate Christmas in any form whatsoever. Redeeming the Time "Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." (Ephesians 5:16) Although the date and customs of Christmas have pagan origins, this time can be redeemed by doing special mitzvot (good deeds) to help those who are feeling isolated, lost or alone while others are celebrating with friends and family. It’s a fact that this time of the year is the hardest for many people who don’t have family or who are struggling. We can be a "light" by bringing cheer, comfort, hope and support into the lives of friends, family, neighbors, and those less fortunate than ourselves. This season is a good time to help single parents, widows, or anyone who has fallen upon hard times. Regardless of the origins of the Christmas customs, our focus should be celebrating the Messiah’s birth and life everyday of the year because Yeshua was born in prophetic fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures to redeem the world. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) It is right to celebrate our Creator and His Scriptures (The Word) and the Messiah (The Word that became flesh). "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2:10–12) God is love and so He gives us His very best. Shouldn't we do the same? You can choose to share the love of God during this festive season by giving of yourself so that the people here in Israel and Jewish people around the world, can also come to know salvation. Many Blessings to you from all of the Bibles For Israel Staff for by grace you are saved through faith - take a look from a slightly different perspective9/2/2013 I’ve never been quite sure how to answer succinctly when someone asks me questions about what I believe and why. It seems there is always so much background or detailed information that I feel like I have to add to make any of it sound sensible (i.e. there are so many facts that are not spoken of anymore or taught to people in the pews, so many things that history has tried to forget, and so many lies that have been perpetuated as fact). Since I don't always know what "page" others are on, it's hard to know where to start or what to leave out. It's hard to get to the point and be clear... however, I get a monthly newsletter that sometimes says things in ways that truly make me feel inadequate in my ability to articulate my own thoughts.
I ran across this in a back issue and was delighted that is was so spot-on in explaining what I have wanted to say so many times about what I believe and why and how. The LORD promises to give us answers, to give us words, to lead us when we genuinely seek Him; He has proven this to me repeatedly. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He can be trusted! Anyway, the article is below... It's looooong, but I hope you will find it thought-provoking, or insightful, or an answer to something you've asked or thought, or at least a conversation starter for sometime in the future. Most of all, I pray it blesses others in some way. ================ Copied from http://lionlamb.net/v3/YAVOHHeiscoming/2011/12 By Monte Judah Is GRACE a spiritual concept brought to the earth for the first time by the Messiah? Or, did it exist in "Old Testament" times with Noah, Abraham, and Moses? If grace didn't exist before the Messiah came, then how did the previous saints get saved? I ask these questions because many churchmen have differing answers. They view GRACE and LAW as separate things, almost contradictory. But are they really? Before we go any further, let us define a couple of Biblical terms: grace is "unmerited favor," mercy is "unmerited favor." Faith is "believing the promises (the word) of God." Salvation is receiving "redemption." Redemption is "being purchased out of slavery." What is the difference between grace and mercy since both are "unmerited favor?" Grace means you received something you did not deserve. Mercy is not receiving something you did deserve. Grace is God sharing His blessings with us while mercy is God restraining His judgments against us. Most Christians don't think deeply about how grace works. They treat it lightly and casually as if it is God's duty to them. They then assume God's unmerited favor, even though they misbehave. They actually believe that grace cancels God's laws. New messianic believers experience a variety of things as they begin to believe in the Messiah and the Torah. Upon keeping Sabbath, eating kosher, and enjoying different holidays they feel "connected" to the God of the Bible and "light bulbs start turning on" in their understanding of Scripture. With them there is no contradiction between God's grace and His commandments. But they also experience rejection from many Christians, which comes as a surprise to them. The reason for the rejection goes back to the definition of GRACE and how it relates to the Torah. Many Christians believe that GRACE is something brought by the Messiah and those other saints were saved by animal sacrifices and the Law. For them, Paul's statement in Ephesians says it all. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 Many Christians (and I was one of them) are taught that there is a huge difference between what God did with Moses and Israel, and what Jesus is doing with the Church. In their understanding, this verse says that we are saved by the grace of Jesus by believing in Him only and not by doing good works, such as keeping the commandments of the Law of Moses. They have also been taught that if you keep those commandments in the Law and try to believe in Jesus that you will fall from Grace and lose your salvation. Simply said, they believe you cannot believe in Jesus if you are trying to follow Torah the Old Testament. (On a side bar, many Jews don't believe that you can keep the Torah and believe in Jesus either.) This thinking is part of replacement theology. For centuries the church has advocated that it has replaced Israel as God's plan for today and that Jesus has replaced all the patriarchs of the past. This means that according to replacement theology the New Testament and what the Church Fathers say rules the day and that whatever was said in the Bible before is only history and has no binding effect today. If you are keeping Sabbath, they see you as NOT going to church on Sunday (a decision made by the Church Fathers). Deep down inside, they fear that you are walking away from your salvation in Jesus. If they see you keeping the clean and unclean laws (kosher), they see you setting yourself up above them and guilty of self-righteousness. If you start keeping the Biblical holidays, then you are rejecting Christmas and Easter. Not participating in Christmas is the pinnacle of rejecting them and Christianity. They are now personally offended and feel they are the true believers while you are defiant and rejecting them, the family, and the faith. They will tell you, "Remember, we give gifts to one another just like God gave us the gift of Jesus, and Jesus is the reason for the season." When you boil down all of the misunderstandings and disappointments it comes back to the words of Paul in Ephesians. For by grace you are saved… Let me come right to the point of this article: the average Christian has been taught incorrectly about what Paul said (just like others things that Paul taught). The fact is that Paul is teaching the gospel which was given to Abraham and taught by Moses! The words for by grace you are saved through faith is vintage teaching of Torah. Before I explain that, let us review the letter that Paul was writing to the Ephesians and see what he said leading to this key statement about grace, salvation, and faith. The Apostle Paul was writing to a new group of Gentile believers whom he had only heard about. He had not actually visited them yet, so he wrote this letter to them. His instruction will begin with the person of the Messiah, our Savior, but he uses the Torah and the Scriptures for his basis of instruction. Once Paul had greeted the Ephesians he explained that God had from long ago planned for them to be part of God's family. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Yeshua the Messiah to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6 Paul focused on how the Messiah had provided redemption of our lives, which were lost through sin, by giving His life as an acceptable substitute, resulting in the forgiveness of our sins and the receipt of God's favor and influence in our lives (grace). He then writes that there is a "mystery" in that process which has been made known to us who believe in the Messiah's redemption. He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him. Ephesians 1:9 Any time Paul refers to a "mystery" he is referring to a very deep teaching about the Messiah's redemption found in the Torah. Let me explain further. The very first verses that define redemption in the Scriptures are found in Genesis 37. It is part of the story of Jacob sending Joseph to see to the welfare of his brethren and flock. The Messiah Himself was sent by His Father to do the same for us. Let's examine Genesis 37 closer – the story of redemption. Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem. Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." He said to him, "I will go" Then he said to him, "Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock; and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.Genesis 37:12-14 Joseph was the first member of Jacob's family to move to Egypt and be enslaved. As a result of Joseph's life the rest of his brothers joined in him Egypt and four generations later were delivered out of Egypt by Moses and the Passover. Whenever the Passover story is told, it begins with Genesis 37 and story of Joseph being sent by his father Jacob. Paul understood this teaching and referred to it in his letter to the Ephesians. It still amazes me that the average Christian today still does not know what Paul based his letter to the Ephesians on. But wait, there is still more in Genesis that Paul understood as well. When it says that his brothers went to pasture the flock in Shechem, the Hebrew text does not say it was their father's. The text actually says that they went to pasture the Aleph-Tav flock. It is a small Hebrew word pronounced "et." Even more, the Scribes who write the Torah do something special that only occurs four times in Scripture. They place "dots" above those two letters Aleph-Tav. In the King James Version of the Bible these are called "jots." When Yeshua said the words, "Think not that I have come to abolish the Torah…", and then further said, "Not a jot or tittle will pass away until all is accomplished." The word "et" with the jots above the letters is profound in Biblical text. The vast majority of Christian scholars and pastors have never heard this nor understood its meaning, but Paul knew about it. For generations Jewish scholars have asked, "Who or what is the Aleph-Tav?" The Messiah Himself answered them when He said to the Apostle John, "I am the Aleph and the Tav, the first and the last." Christians referred to their Greek not Hebrew texts ending up with Alpha and Omega. This effectively made the statement to be an exclusive New Testament idea instead of tracing it to the root of the Messiah found in the Torah. But today such tricks don't work since we can go back to the Hebrew text. This is the same dynamic that has distorted the word grace. The use of the "jots" by the scribes links this Scripture to others in Torah. Four passages are linked in this way. Those passages tell about the long-term conflict in Jacob's family. It begins with the conflict between Jacob and his twin brother Esau who wanted the blessing that Jacob received from Isaac. It includes the Messiah's redemption, the firstborn, and concludes with the final restoration at the end of the ages. But what about the "mystery" part that Paul was referring directly to? Look again at Genesis 37. The words say Jacob sent him from the valley of Hebron. TILT! Hebron is a mountain; there is no "valley" of Hebron! The actual Hebrew word used here is "emek." Emek has two meanings: mystery and valley. Valley can mean the same thing as mystery if you view it this way. You are looking down from a mountain and the path leads to a dark valley. There is, therefore, a "mystery" as to what lies before you. The valley represents a "mystery." Moses actually wrote that Jacob was sending Joseph on a "mysterious" journey that would result in redemption, a journey that would result years later in the Passover and the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt, just as God had foretold to Abram. God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions."Genesis 15:13-14 Joseph enabled Jacob and his family to relocate to Egypt and then enslavement followed according to God's words. Although this took a very long time, God is patient to prepare the circumstances to show His grace to mankind. Should I remind you that Yeshua used the Passover remembrance and the same day to make His sacrifice for us? So let's go back to what Paul was saying in Ephesians about this mystery of the Messiah in the work of redemption. …Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1:11 Again, Paul is saying that the work of the Messiah and our salvation is part of the gospel plan which God designed a long time ago. Inheritance is something passed down by previous generations, and our inheritance of the gospel originates with our father Abraham. In fact, Paul taught that the gospel was NOT given first in the New Testament, it was first given to Abraham. Here it is in Genesis. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.Genesis 12:3 And here is Paul saying the gospel was preached to Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you."Galatians 3:8 What Paul said in Ephesians is what he also taught in Galatians. God's plan for the ages is laid out in the Torah by the fathers' example. It is also God's plan to extend those very blessings given to the fathers and the children of Israel to all peoples, tribes, and tongues. The gospel (the good news of redemption) is for all people who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yeshua the Messiah IS the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! This is what distinguishes messianic believers from both Judaism and Christianity. Judaism believes in the God of Abraham but rejects Messiah Yeshua. Christianity believes in Yeshua and ignores the God of Abraham. Messianics believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They also believe in Messiah Yeshua as the fulfillment of the promises made to the fathers. For them, God does not change. There are no disputes with the testimony nor different dispensations nor Old and New divisions. Paul continues his letter to the Ephesians by reminding them of their former life before believing in God's redemption. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with the Messiah (by grace you have been saved), …Ephesians 2:1-5 But there is great contrast now with the work of the Messiah. Note how Paul is homing in on our key verse. All of his arguments have been building to this point which he states in the following verses. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 Is the book of Ephesians the only place where Paul teaches this profound conclusion? No. Paul taught much of this discussion in the book of Romans. Let's examine Paul's teaching there. But let's ask the most basic questions. If grace really is new in the New Testament with the Messiah, then how did Abraham get saved? For that matter, how did Moses get saved or all of the children of Israel including the prophets before the Messiah came? I have heard some teachers say that they kept the law or did sacrifices. Let me assure you that no one has ever gotten saved by keeping the law or by heaving a bull onto an altar. I can assure you that the Torah does NOT teach that. Even the writer of Hebrews knows that. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 Paul taught in Romans that salvation by faith originated with Abraham. Every person who has ever lived or will live in the future is saved by believing what God has promised. Believing in what God says is counted as righteousness and that believer is then led to salvation by the acceptable substitute (sacrifice) and the grace of God. Look at the example of Noah's salvation from the flood. Noah followed God's word (His instructions to build the ark) but it was God's grace that saved him. But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the LORD.Genesis 6:8 Paul wrote to the Romans emphatically arguing that doing works of the Law as the religious Jews did was insufficient for salvation. The Scribes and the Pharisees taught that salvation was by works of the law. They even modified some of the actual commandments to aggravate the situation more. This is why Yeshua argued with them. Today Judaism still teaches this tenet of salvation: "Prayer, penance, and good deeds avert the severe decree." Devout Jews pray many times each day according to their prayer books, offer gifts, and do mitzvot (good deeds) believing that God will not judge them but bring them to His future kingdom. It is salvation by works, which the Torah does not teach. Paul made his case addressing the Pharisaic argument that circumcision (one of the works of the law) was mandatory for salvation. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. Is this blessing then upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness." How then was it reckoned? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. Romans 4:8-13 Simply said it is "For by God's grace your sins are forgiven and you are saved by the same faith that Abraham had, not by the works of the law, such as the commandment of circumcision." The Torah actually teaches the following: God justly demands that payment (reconciliation and restitution) must be made for transgressing His laws. With a host of examples, the Torah also shows how we all have transgressed His laws, beginning with Adam. But according to the promises of the Torah, the Messiah graciously offers Himself to be the acceptable substitute (the Lamb of God) specified by God's justice. By believing in God's promises and trusting His grace, we receive the gift of life (forgiveness and the inheritance of His kingdom). This is what Abraham believed in. This is what Moses believed in. This is what Paul taught. This is what we believe in. This was the very argument and decision concerning salvation in the first council at Jerusalem (Acts 15). When Paul returned with the testimony of many Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua, the Pharisaic believers of Yeshua began to teach what they had known earlier that one must be circumcised to be saved and one must do the works of the law. Paul objected greatly and the matter was brought before all the brethren in Jerusalem including Peter and James. Peter stood and testified about how the first Gentiles (Cornelius and his household) had been saved. The law and commandments had nothing to do with it. …And He [God] made no distinction between us [Jews] and them [Gentiles], cleansing their hearts by faith.Acts 15:9 The Pharisaic believers tried to mix the teaching of Judaism with the Messiah when it came to the Gentiles. They first argued that Gentiles must be circumcised to be saved. Then they argued that the Gentiles must keep the Law to be saved. But the judgment of the council was consistent with Paul's teaching. The works of the Law are not part of salvation; the works of God are salvation. The Torah has always taught that salvation is determined by God's choice and His deeds, not by our deeds. But then the question arose as to what we are to do with the Law if we are saved by grace through faith. Christians also have a little bit of a problem understanding how salvation works along with commandments. How many of you have heard Christians say that if you don't go to church you won't be saved? This sounds just like the Pharisees, trying to add a commandment or two to justify themselves. Christians claim that they do not follow the kosher laws, but in a sense they do. They just have a different list of clean and unclean items from God's list. To them, wine is unclean, whereas God says it is clean; and pork is clean, whereas God says it is unclean. Christians says that salvation is by faith but if you sin openly in front of them they are convinced that you are going to hell. They believe that keeping God's commandments is the same as renouncing faith in God. Consider the irony for a moment of that last sentence! This is why new Messianics are scorned by their Christian or Jewish friends and family. They don't see Messianics confirming their practices. Furthermore, they view keeping commandments as a far more religious (serious) activity than just ignoring the faith all together. But here is the reality that Messianics experience: God has promised to sanctify any person who obeys His commandments. Sanctify means "to separate." When new Messianics keep the Sabbath, they don't understand that God picks up the world and moves it away from them. When they sense the separation, they know they did not cause it. They see others moving away from them. Consider the conflict surrounding Christmas. Many messianic brethren learn early on that Scripture says that Asherim (trees of praise) are idols before God. Jeremiah the prophet describes a man cutting down an evergreen tree, attaching boards to the bottom to balance it, then decorating it with gold and silver is committing idolatry (Jeremiah 10)! I know many Christians who in their heart genuinely love the Lord and yet have Christmas trees in their homes. When they see a new Messianic abstain from the observance, they argue that they are not considering it an idol in their heart and, therefore, they are exempt because of God's grace. While I agree that God's grace and mercy are wonderful; they are not a license to willfully sin. Besides, bowing before a Christmas to get the blessings (gifts) underneath is the act of idol worship. Their deeds betray their heart and words. God is a jealous God and He will not share His glory with any other. He wants us to be different from the world. If Christians think that they can flaunt God's grace to follow their own heart, then they have fallen from grace. Self-justification of any kind by a man moves you away from the "unmerited favor" of God. The New Testament addresses this matter even more powerfully than Jeremiah did. When Peter said that Gentiles are saved by faith just like Jews are, the Apostle James concluded the entire matter of salvation by writing a letter to the Gentiles detailing what is expected of them now that they have come to faith in Messiah Yeshua. Three essentials are specified. The answer to how the Law and salvation by grace through faith are balanced together is clearly answered. The first item of three essentials is to abstain from all forms of idolatry! Therefore it is my [Apostle James'] judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.Acts 15:19-20 Here is what is truly ironic. New messianic believers are actually doing what James' letter to the Gentiles said. This shows you how far from the teaching of the Bible that Christians have drifted when they think that the Messianics are wrong in turning to the commandments. The judgment expressed by James and carried out by Paul and Peter was not new. It is the fundamental teaching of the Torah. In fact, the commandments referred to by James are the subject of Leviticus 17 and 18 (idolatry, kosher, and sexual immorality) and are referred to as the "heart of the Law." There is no way for you to be in fellowship with other believers if you are committing these transgressions. James just reviewed the minimums (the essentials) from the Torah for fellowship. There is no question that he was referring to the Law here since he makes the following statement. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath. Acts 15:21 Essentially, James said that if you had any questions about idolatry, kosher, or immorality to refer to the weekly teaching of Moses each Sabbath. This does not mean that these three essentials are the only commandments, he is saying that a believer must keep these as a minimum. There are many other instructions in righteousness that follow. Since churches don't teach Torah on Sabbath it is understandable why many Christian simply do not know about these essentials or the other commandments of God. What little they do know is hearsay at best and outright distortions at worst. Does the Apostle Paul address keeping God's commandments after making his profound statement that salvation is by God's grace through faith? Yes, He does. Look at the verse immediately following. For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.Ephesians 2:10 Paul teaches that salvation comes first, then we are to obey the Lord as a result of that salvation. He does not teach that we do good works to be saved; he teaches that we do good works as a result of our salvation. The Apostle James says the same thing. However, he emphasizes that faith is better seen by those works than by simple confession of your mouth, which is true. Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:17 Paul goes on to say that the good works of the Messiah are not the keeping of commandments as defined by Judaism (the circumcision). The good works that we do are the same as that of Abraham and all of Israel defined by Moses. Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands – remember that you were at that time separate from the Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.Ephesians 2:11-16 Any person who is outside of Messiah Yeshua is not part of the commonwealth of Israel (the kingdom of God). They are also outside of the covenants and promises that God made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and King David. They have no hope in God. But when any person trusts God, beginning with the promises made to our father Abraham, it leads to the Messiah and we receive all that God has promised. God's salvation for us today is the same salvation for Abraham in the past. As a Jewish person, I am very sensitive to any Christian suggesting that Jews don't get saved. I truly believe that salvation is in Messiah Yeshua and that only God can make such a judgment for eternity. But, like Paul, I can repeat what God has said. Our example is Abraham; the goal of the Torah is the Messiah. In the days of the second temple period, there was another wall, not established by Moses, set up on the temple mount separating Gentiles from the courts of Israel. It was called the "middle of wall of partition." An inscription on that wall called for the death of any Gentile who went beyond the partition and entered the temple. God never established this, this was the work of Pharisees and Sadducees. Paul wrote that Yeshua's work of redemption for all has broken down this wall so that all people, even Gentile believers, may come and worship the Lord in His temple. This is not making the temple go away; it is opening it up for more access. This is not replacing the temple service; it is making it more available. Finally, Paul says that Messiah Yeshua's substitution has made every believer in Him to be part of the family He started with Abraham. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, Ephesians 2:19 We all have become the "Chosen People" by God's gracious choice. We are all part of Abraham's descendants, the "children of promise." None of us have any righteousness of our own; we proclaim God's works, not ours. We simply say, "For by grace you are saved through faith, not of works should any man boast." New Messianics need to understand that their family and friends fear that they have left the faith when they proclaim the commandments of God and keep them. You need to assure them you have been saved by God's grace working through your faith in God's promises and that the Messiah Himself has compelled you to keep His commandments when He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15 Your friends and family don't know the commandments or how to keep them. They don't realize that Yeshua was there at the creation, was there having lunch with Abraham, and was there giving the Law (His commandments) from Mount Sinai. They only know the observance of Christmas and Easter. They have no idea that Christian holidays include the mixture of other gods such as Mithra, Neptune, and Ishtar. Therefore extend grace to them just as God has done with you. Don't be discouraged by those who contest your walk. Let your light shine so others may see the way to walk as well. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Messiah, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. I Peter 5:10 So grateful for a Father, a Maker, a King Who loves me with an unquenchable love, a love so unstoppable, so deep, so indescribable that He sent His Son, filled with His own Spirit and His own Character, to this lowly world to live and then to die to take my place for my sin.
He committed no sins. He was sinless. I was born a sinner!! But my gratitude only begins there. It finally comes to the empty tomb and THAT is where the story should go! Yes, He was born! Yes, He was sent! Yes, he died for my sin, in my place! BUT. BUT! BUT if the story ended there, we should all cry out for mercy and have no hope. Hallelu-Yah though!! -- The story does not end there!! After He hung on that tree and died in my place and was buried in the tomb, HE ROSE AGAIN!! What other god can do that? What other god can beat death and ascend into heaven and sit at the Father's Right Hand??!! None other than Yahushua the Messiah, the Light of the World, the Word, the Lamb of Yahweh, my Redeemer and my Savior! No one else!! Not ever!! Praise be to The One Who sits upon the throne and glory and honor forever and ever. Amen! This scene used to mean something wholly different to me.
Here we are right in the middle of the Christmas season again. I see the decorations and trees and hearing the carols and I sigh a sad sigh filled with pain. Instead of smiles and merriment like so many who have bought into the this world's rabble, I am sad when I think about all of the things we have been told that are not true-- but more so, all of the things we BELIEVE that are not true. Or are half true. Or outright lies. How long, YHWH, until we can all know the Truth and see you? After the events of the last several weeks, my heart knows, without a doubt, that this world is not my home. I long to be in Your Presence, Sweet Savior. I long to rest at your feet and serve and worship you with whole being. I long to see the new heavens and the new earth and to see your feet standing on Mt. Zion, all things made new and right and just and whole on that great and terrible day of judgement. I praise you, YHWH. Blessed are you, oh YHWH our GOD, King of the universe, who has made us holy in Yahshua the Messiah, the Light of this world. Baruch atah YHWH, Elohenu Melech ha olam, asher kidshanu b'Yah'shua ha Mashiach, or ha olam. A Kansas Haiku
It goes forever Never ending land, oh my Someone just shoot me >:) TC and MM really did not like out first (or subsequent) drives through Kansas. Miles of NOTH. ING. OH! The complaints! We met family up that way to drop them off for a visit. On the way home to Texas I got this gem in a text from my resident poet, TC, with this gem! I think he was ready to be OUT of the car! Why is this in "intriguing reads"? Because YHWH made each of us different and thus our brains work differently. I find the exploration of how my children's brains work to be extremely intriguing. ;-) Update 12.2.2015 All of us have grown to like Kansas. It is quite pretty once you get off of the toll way. The small towns have beautiful old craftsman homes, tornado damaged areas are readily seen in some areas, old southern churches abound, when you're not on the interstate, there ARE trees on the Kansas prairie, and the people are (usually) very friendly. That is another thing that we all find intriguing: there are really two Kansases.... one you barely get to know from the tollway (and truth be told, you're ever grateful because it is bleak, barren and going by at light-speed) .... and one you can dive into along the side highways and country roads, full of beauty and grace and charm you can't find on the interstate ribbon going 85 mph. |
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