Guest Post: Torah, Covenants, Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven

My younger brother guest posts today. I've read through it - I won't lie to you, fine blog readers, it's a tough read. It's deep. We're so used to our simple grace teachings in Christianity; the Jewish understanding of Torah and the Kingdom of Heaven goes into such great detail.

I hope you all can absorb some of this deep teaching on malkhut Elohim (the kingdom of Heaven)! Messiah talked so much about the kingdom of heaven, yet we often do not realize this has long been a Jewish concept.

Shalom fine readers, and thanks, bro, for the guest post!

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In Judaism, there are said to be 4 levels of understanding Torah: p'shat (literal), remez (hint; elevated), drash (search; explanation), sod (hidden; spiritual). The Hebrew word "pardes" is a notarikon/acronym of these 4 levels (PaRDeS). Pardes means orchard or garden in Hebrew, and is the direct ancestor of the English word "paradise". Pardes can easily be correlated in name for Gan Eden (Garden of Eden), out of which flowed 4 rivers. The Mishkan (Tabernacle) and Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) are both replicas of the same pattern of Gan Eden. In Gan Eden, there was located in the most holy place the Etz Chayim ("Tree of Life", symbolic of the 10 Emanations/Spirits of Elokim), akin to the Aron HaBrit (Ark of the Covenant) where the Spirit of Elokim descended from the Shamayim (Heavens), in the most holy place of the Mishkan/Beit HaMikdash. To make a greater connection, Beit El, where Ya'akov saw the ladder to the Shamayim, is actually the place where the actual Beit El (House of God), Beit HaMikdash, was built in Yerushalayim. It is likely that the same place of land where the holy place of Gan Eden existed is the same place of Beit El, where the Beit HaMikdash was built, in Yerushalayim. It should be no surprise this is the place Adonai chose to be his dwelling place on earth.

The restoration of the Malkhut-Adonai (Kingdom of Adonai), which is correlated in the Tanakh with Sukkat-David (Tabernacle of David), Malkhut-David (Kingdom of David), has everything to do with restoring Gan Eden, Pardes, Paradise, and the understanding of the Torah (as it was known by Adam in Gan Eden). In fact, from the time of the sin of Adam and Chavah, a series of covenants were made with the offspring of the righteous leading up to the final return back to Gan Eden which will begin to take place at the coming of Mashiach ben David who will restore Sukkat/Malkhut-David.

As time continues, things become more dense and more detailed because of the ever-increasing number of b'nei-Adam (sons/children of Adam; human beings). What began as a personal relationship between Adam and Adonai eventually became much more at Sinai, when the descendants of the chosen righteous ones had been established through the passing of the righteous seed. From Noach all the way down to Avraham, then down to Ya'akov/Israel and all his sons and their offspring. Very physical, but yet very spiritual. As the pattern of exile and redemption cycled for the first major time (besides that of Adam's exile from Gan Eden), was the eventual bondage of the Yisraelim in eretz-Mitzrayim (land of bondages; land of Egypt). When they had lost the divine knowledge of the Torah as was passed from Adam to Noach, from Noach to Shem, from Shem to Avraham, from Avraham to Yitzchak, Ya'akov and his sons, the Israelites needed to be refined. They were brought out of Mitzrayim by the hand of Adonai, and brought to Har-Sinai where the Torah was first delivered to mankind since the creation of Adam.

At the split of the two kingdoms of Israel, north and south, Ephraim and Judah, the righteous remnant remained Judah while Ephraim became entirely integrated with the goyim (gentiles). "Jew" is Yehudi in Hebrew, which means Judaite, a member of the House of Judah, the righteous remnant of Israel. Not that the House of Ephraim would be forever lost, but Judah carried the authority of Israel since it was the only part of Israel which remained Israel and loyal to Adonai and his Torah. Mashiach would come from Judah. So, as time goes on, things become more detailed. The Rabbis of Judah begin expounding upon the Torah as did the Mashiach, and building upon the Torah a beautiful house of customs, so long as none of them contradict the Torah. The Oral Instruction passed down from Moshe at Har-Sinai and the halachic authority passed from him to the elders who were appointed (Ex. 18:13-26; Dt. 1:9-18). These elders showed the people the way in which they must "walk", i.e. halacha (from the Hebrew "holech"="walking"; Ex. 18:20). Their judgments were regarded as the judgments of Adonai himself (Dt. 1:17), and even regarded as Torah itself (Dt. 17:11). First their authority was in small matters (Ex. 18:22, 26; Dt. 1:17) but later expanded into greater matters (Dt. 17:8), they were later known as the Great Assembly which Adonai had placed his Spirit upon (Num. 11:16-17; 24-25). Upon Judah's return from Babylonian exile, Ezra established the council of elders (Ezra 7:25; 10:14, 16) and they began making halachic decisions (Ezra 10:10-19). At this point, since only Judah remained as Israel, the observances of Israel became known as Judaism, named after Judah, the Jewish people. This would be the faith and people that Mashiach would come from and graft the lost Israelites back into.

So from Adam to Judah, one thing remained the same - personal relationship with Adonai amidst all the increasing details. It still is just as simple, yet that simplicity is expounded upon greatly and it is a great blessing for a man to be able to take upon himself the task of building a personal relationship with Adonai, walking (holech; halacha) righteously in his sight, and delving into the knowledge and understanding of the ever increasing details, which like the Jewish traditions and halacha, are built upon the rock-solid foundation of the beginning and the Torah.


Now, when Mashiach came, he established among the sects of Judaism which was right. This established an elite sect of followers of this great Jewish teacher and Mashiach who were zealous and tenaciously observant of the mitzvot of Torah. These were called the Netzarim, named after their great teacher, Yeshua HaNetzer. It is no coincidence Netzer means offshoot branch. Halachic authority was handed from Mashiach to Kefa ("Peter") and the later-established Netzari Beit Din.

As time has continued, the astounding understanding of the Torah, on all 4 levels becomes more and more revealed. The studies of the Jewish Rabbis and Masters in the Talmud, Khetuvim Netzarim, Zohar, Bahir, Tanya, Sefer Yetzirah, and other Jewish writings have expounded upon the teachings and understandings of the Torah greatly. They are there for us to benefit from, not for us to reject in the ignorance of a mere talmid (disciple). The teachings of Yehoshua/Yeshua must be viewed in the lenses of these ancient Jewish teachings of his time and before, not in a modern and non-Judaistic view. This great Mashiach taught teachings that stressed complete Chassidut (Piousness) and complete submission to the Torah and to Adonai's will. Yeshua's taught his talmidim to observe the mitzvot of Torah zealously both outward and inwardly. Much later, a sect of Judaism arose called Chassidism. This sect stresses observing the mitzvot with complete contentment and submission, in every way. In fact, Chassidut explains that it is a mitzvah in itself to go above and beyond just simply obeying the Torah mitzvot. Precisely what Yeshua taught. In this comes the concept of tikkun haolam, the repair of the world.

When the Ba'al Shem Tov, Rabbi Yisrael ben El'azar had his soul ascend into Shamayim and went to the "palace of Mashiach", the Beit HaMikdash in the Shamayim, he asked Mashiach "when will you come?" and the response was "when your wellsprings of Torah will overflow". Compare this to the words of Mashiach in Yochanan (John) 4:11,14. Like other Jews who were told either by Adonai himself or their Rabbis to keep quiet about Yeshua, could Rabbi Yisrael have been told by Mashiach to keep quiet about him publicly, because the time of Ephraim to come out of the goyim hadn't happened yet? Who can be sure? I will never dismiss the language and teachings of Chassidic Judaism as nothing significant or non-inspired. I think over the years as the blindness to both houses of Israel existed, those who honestly sought Elokei-Yisrael had mercy in his sight.

So what is the purpose of all the covenants that add upon one another, covenants made with mankind, other covenants made with Avraham, Israel, David, and so on? To restore the world with the establishment of Malkhut-Shamayim (Kingdom of Heaven), establishing pardes (Paradise) on earth once again as it was in Gan Eden. And as time continues, new situations and problems arise, the need for halacha is there; not only for those reasons, but also to instruct us in the proper ways to carry out the mitzvot of Torah. When it is all boiled down to a base level, our actions should be based out of this motive (as Hillel and Yeshua both taught): to love Adonai your God with all of your heart, soul, and might. On that principle the rest of the Torah is based upon.

As Hillel said, "Be of the disciples of Aaron--a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah" and as Yeshua said, "happy/blessed are those who make peace for Malkhut Shamayim is theirs". This making of peace has to do with peace between the righteous. As for the wicked who oppose the teshuvah (repentance) and aliyah of Israel and oppose the advancement of Malkhut Shamayim and the work of Mashiach, they should be destroyed and "peace" made with them is a false peace. As the Torah tells us "destroy the seed of Amalek". This mitzvah can be applied spiritually and physically.

It is through the observance of Torah and obedience to Adonai that advances Malkhut Shamayim, therefore all who follow HaAdon (the Master), Yeshua, should be the most zealous for the Torah and to understand p'shat, remez, drash and sod, and to apply the mitzvot to their daily lives on all levels. Unfortunately, 'Akel Kartza (HaSatan) has been able to take Yeshua's tallit off and replaced it with the garments of a Roman king. No more do people associate the Living Torah with the Torah, instead calling him a son of Z--s, a pagan Greek god, a christ. Let us fix the image of the Image of Elokim, Yeshua, first by removing his pagan name and removing the pagan garments off his back and replacing them with his real name and with his tallit.

Through the observance of Torah, the world becomes fixed. We are acting way of our Master when we do this. Tikkun haolam comes about through all who observe the Torah and become chassidim who draw people to the Torah. It is not done through some fake "love" or tolerance, it is done through true ahavah, the love of the Torah which is different from the definition of love as defined by all the goyim. When Mashiach ben David comes to do his work, he will not display the love and tolerance of the goyim and he will rule with an iron rod and restore the Torah to the supreme righteous standard that it is and through this he will establish peace.

When he does this, the world will be established in peace as it was in Gan Eden. We will be returned to that state. The Temple will be rebuilt in Yerushalayim where Gan Eden was built, and the 4 rivers of Pardes will flow from it, meaning the Torah will go forth from Zion and the Word of Adonai from Yerushalayim. The yetzer hara of a man will be annulled as the Ramban states, and some of the writers of the Khetuvim Netzarim allude to. Then, the Torah will be written on our hearts and you will not have to tell your brother to know Adonai, because all will know him.

That is the final outcome and purpose of all the convenants, and the summation of all the details and complexities that time brings on and all the halachot and Torah-amplifications of the Torah teachers. May we see this redemption and restoration soon in our days, and may we act our part in the observance of the Torah and the carrying out of the truth on earth. As Rabbi Yossei would say, "All your deeds should be l'shem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven)".

L'shem Shamayim!

The Meat of Torah

The Torah, the first 5 books of the Jewish and Christian bibles, is the foundation and cornerstone of the Scriptures.

A lot of people ask why I place so much importance on Torah. Why not grace? Why not forgiveness? Why not just Jesus?

My answer is that there are already enough folks teaching grace, teaching forgiveness, teaching "ask Jesus into your heart." We've made a lot of converts this way, but not nearly enough disciples. Torah is a disciple-maker. It contains hands-on, righteous instructions from God himself on how to live a holy life for God while on earth. Without Torah, there would be no Israel, without Israel, no prophets, without prophets, no Messiah, without Messiah, gentiles would still be worshipping the Greco-Roman pantheon.

Torah is a prerequisite to grace and forgiveness. Torah is a prerequisite to Messiah. Torah is the foundation, and it is our inheritance as lovers of the Messiah of Israel.

Torah is big! Jewish scribes estimate there are 613 commandments in the Scriptures. That's a lot of commandments!

A summary of the 613 is found in the Decalogue, what's called the 10 Commandments, or more accurately, the 10 Statements.

The 10 commandments can be divided into 2 groups: 6 commandments about loving others, 4 commandments about loving God.

Messiah, then, when speaking to Judaism's leaders, boiled down the 10 commandments to 2 commandments, both of which are from the Torah:

• Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.


• Love others as you love yourself.

Messiah told us that all the Torah and the prophets hang on these 2 commandments.

It's amazing to think that all the hundreds of commandments in Torah -- covering everything from clothing to diet to atonement to God's own appointed times -- can be summed up in these 2 commandments!

I've created a little diagram of this profound statement. Interesting to visualize this -- all the Torah hanging on these 2 commandments, a summary of the 10 commandments, a summary of the whole Torah and prophets!

(Click image for full size diagram.)

The importance of these 2 commandments should not cause us to discard the other 611, as some in Christianity have done. As Paul says in Romans, the whole of the Torah is holy and righteous, beneficial for our instruction. I firmly believe that Torah is righteous instruction for all, not just the physical children of Jacob. For example, Isaiah told us even gentiles should not be separate from God's people, but should welcome shabbat with all Israel. And Zechariah states how all nations will one day go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feasts. And Paul tells gentile Corinthians to keep the Passover, one of God's appointed times described in Torah.

The Torah is the plumb line, our reference point of right and wrong. Discard it, and we're lost in a sea of moral relativism, as some of the Christian Church is today.

So, AMEN! The Torah is righteous for all, God's own instruction and wisdom for Jew and gentile.

Someday I'd like to map all 613 commandments and see just how they fit with one another. That will be one heckuva chart! :-)

Shalom fine blog readers.

Shabbat Shleva

Meha Shamayim - Shabbat Shleva, Sabbath of Peace




Shabbat shalom, have a rest-filled Sabbath, fine blog readers.

Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Revival

"I'm now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they have no discernment."

Maybe you've heard about Todd Bentley, the tattooed, unorthodox Evangelical Protestant preacher whose Lakeland, Florida revival has taken the Evangelical sect of Christianity by storm.

Maybe you've heard about their claims of supernatural healings, at least 13 resurrections from the dead, people being delivered from evil. Maybe you've seen it broadcast on GodTV or watched some of his claimed healings on YouTube.

Maybe you've read about the deceptions, the healings that really weren't, or the fake resurrections, the Emma-O angel visitations, or his praising of William Branham (a Christian who was deceived towards the end of his life), or heard about his latest extra-marital affair and divorce, causing him to step down.

I've been hoping for a long time the error in Todd Bentley's movement would be exposed, and it appears that is now happening.

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Thank you, Lord, for exposing the falsehoods and the things that were not from you.
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I've been hoping and praying the falsehoods would be revealed because a lot of people, including some close Christian friends, got into this and were deceived. I do not take pleasure in seeing Bentley's family torn apart. I do not claim to be on higher moral ground when it comes to sin. I am only happy to see that the error in this claimed revival is being exposed, and that people are repenting of it.

Charisma magazine, one of the large Evangelical Christian magazines, issued a statement on Todd Bentley today, as Bentley recently announced he's stepping down and will be divorcing his wife, Shonnah, due to an extra-marital affair. Charisma magazine asks,

Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the beginning?

Among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear: "This is God. Don't question." I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God. We're spiritually hungry—which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people will eat anything.

Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up.

Why didn't anyone in Lakeland denounce the favorable comments Bentley made about William Branham?

This one baffles me. Branham embraced horrible deception near the end of his ministry, before he died in 1965. He claimed that he was the reincarnation of Elijah—and his strange doctrines are still embraced by a cultlike following today. When Bentley announced to the world that the same angel that ushered in the 1950s healing revival had come to Lakeland, the entire audience should have run for the exits.

Why didn't anyone correct this error from the pulpit? Godly leaders are supposed to protect the sheep from heresy, not spoon feed deception to them. Only God knows how far this poison traveled from Lakeland to take root elsewhere. May God forgive us for allowing His Word to be so flippantly contaminated.

A prominent Pentecostal evangelist called me this week after Bentley's news hit the fan. He said to me: "I'm now convinced that a large segment of the charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they have no discernment." Ouch. Hopefully we'll learn our lesson this time and apply the necessary caution when an imposter shows up.

Why did God TV tell people that "any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic"?

This ridiculous statement was actually made on one of God TV's pre-shows. In fact, the network's hosts also warned listeners that if they listened to criticism of Bentley, they could lose their healings.

This is cultic manipulation at its worst. The Bible tells us that the Bereans were noble believers because they studied the Scriptures daily "to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11, NASB). Yet in the case of Lakeland, honest intellectual inquiry was viewed as a sign of weakness. People were expected to jump first and then open their eyes.

Just because we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit does not mean we check our brains at the church door. We are commanded to test the spirits. Jesus wants us to love Him with our hearts and our minds.

Because of the Lakeland scandal, there may be large numbers of people who feel they've been burned by Bentley. Some may give up on church and join the growing ranks of bitter, disenfranchised Christians. Others may suffer total spiritual shipwreck. This could have been avoided if leaders had been more vocal about their objections and urged people to evaluate spiritual experiences through the filter of God's Word.

Why did a group of respected ministers lay hands on Bentley on June 23 and publicly ordain him? Did they know of his personal problems?

This controversial ceremony was organized by Peter Wagner, who felt that one of Bentley's greatest needs was proper spiritual covering. He asked California pastors Che Ahn and Bill Johnson, along with Canadian pastor John Arnott, to lay hands on Bentley and bring him under their care.

Bentley certainly needs such covering. No one in ministry today should be out on their own, living in isolation without checks, balances and wise counsel. It was commendable that Wagner reached out to Bentley and that Bentley acknowledged his need for spiritual fathers by agreeing to submit to the process. The question remains, however, whether it was wise to commend Bentley during a televised commissioning service that at times seemed more like a king's coronation.

In hindsight, we can all see that it would have been better to take Bentley into a back room and talk about his personal issues.

The Bible tells us that ordination of a minister is a sober responsibility. Paul wrote: "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others" (1 Tim. 5:22). We might be tempted to rush the process, but the apostle warned against fast-tracking ordination—and he said that those who commission a minister who is not ready for the job will bear some of the blame for his failures.

Can anything good come out of this?

That depends on how people respond. If the men assigned to oversee Bentley offer loving but firm correction, and if Bentley responds humbly to the process by stepping out of ministry for a season of rehabilitation, we could witness a healthy case of church discipline play out the way it is supposed to. If all those who were so eager to promote Bentley now rush just as fast to repent for their errors in judgment, then the rest of us could breathe a huge sigh of relief—and the credibility of our movement could be restored.

I still believe that God desires to visit our nation in supernatural power. I know He wants to heal multitudes, and I will continue praying for a healing revival to sweep across the United States. But we must contend for the genuine, not an imitation. True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility, reverence and repentance—not the arrogance, showmanship and empty hype that often was on display in Lakeland.

We are weathering an unprecedented season of moral failure and spiritual compromise in our nation today. I urge everyone in the charismatic world to pray for Bentley; his wife, Shonnah; his three young children; Bentley's ministry staff; and the men and women who serve as his counselors and advisers. Let's pray that God will turn this embarrassing debacle into an opportunity for miraculous restoration.

I have stated my belief that much of Christianity won't recognize the radical Jewish Messiah when he comes. Messiah's Jewish, pro-Torah nature will be so foreign to gentile Christianity, many will discard him, just as the religious leaders of Yeshua's time discarded him. Many Christians expect the pacifist lamb of the nations, but will receive the triumphant King of Israel.

If that weren't enough, the Evangelical thirst for signs and wonders and the ease at which millions have been deceived is more concerning. How much more easily will we be deceived when the anti-Messiah who in all likelihood will go by the anglicized name of Jesus, performs all kinds of signs and wonders and set himself up as God in what will be the 3rd Temple?

Paul's vision of the great apostasy seems ever more likely. Paul warned us through his letter to the Thessalonians,

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way.

For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom. He will oppose himself to everything that people call a god or make an object of worship; he will put himself above them all, so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.

Don't you remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is restraining, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For already this separating from Torah is at work secretly, but it will be secretly only until he who is restraining is out of the way.

Then the one who embodies separation from Torah will be revealed, the one whom the Master Yeshua will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the glory of his coming.

When this man who avoids Torah comes, the Adversary will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders. He will enable him to deceive, in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are headed for destruction because they would not receive the love of the truth that could have saved them. This is why God is causing them to go astray, so that they will believe the Lie. The result will be that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken their pleasure in wickedness, will be condemned.

Todd Bentley's Lakeland Outpouring was just a tiny example of false signs and wonders, and yet it deceived millions.

How much easier and how many more will the "man of lawlessness" deceive and lead astray?

Champions!

This weekend was a battle to the finish, almost losing 2 playoff tournament games, but we pulled it out (and have the skinned knees to prove it!): We are the men's softball champions!

Paul's breaking forth in joy

Much of Paul's letters, which make up a majority of the New Testament, consist of rhetorical questioning, argumentative and Scriptural reasoning, and intellectual diatribes about how this Yeshua changed the faith in the God of Israel.

This kind of writing should come as no surprise, seeing as how Paul was a Jew trained as a Pharisee under one of the great rabbis of Judaism, Gamaliel, the grandson of the great Rabbi Hillel whose own teachings foreshadowed many of Yeshua's.

It's an eye-opener, then, to see Paul break with that mold of intellect and bust out in a kind of joyful song, inline, right inside one of his letters:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
His paths beyond tracing out!

Does anyone understand the mind of the Lord?
Has he ever needed counsel from mere men?

Who has ever given anything to God,
that God should repay him? None!

Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise!
Yes! Yes! Amen!

Whoa! Paul's starting to sound like he's one of those "on fire for God" people.

What brought about this rather uncharacteristic break from Paul's usual deep intellectual musings?

He understood, just a wee bit, what God planned with the Jews and gentiles. Where this thing is ultimately headed. He got a glimpse of just a tiny piece of God's plan for Israel and where the gentiles fit in.

If the Jewish falling out initiated this worldwide coming together, their recovery is going to set off something even better: mass homecoming! If this thing Jews did by rejecting Messiah, even though it was wrong for them, turned out for your good, just think what's going to happen when they get it right and see Messiah! Nothing short of life from the dead!

But how is it going to happen? Paul concludes with some interesting observations about how God has worked his plan with the gentiles, and suggests he'll use the same plan with Israel:

There was a time not so long ago when you were on the outs with God: living rebelliously, doing whatever felt good, living for yourself. But then Jews slammed the door on Messiah and things opened up for you. Now Jews are on the outs. But with the door held wide open for you, they have a way back in. In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in. That's what's going to happen with Israel -- they are temporarily in rebellion to God by rejection of the Messiah, but God will use this as an opportunity to show kindness and welcome them back in.

What amazing wisdom! Giving discipline to those who rebel and generous grace to those who are lost, making us all come back to Him, one way or another.

And with that realization of part of God's plan, Paul was set him off into a joyful praise of the Lord, admiring God's ultimate wisdom -- far beyond our limited comprehension -- in his dealing with humanity.

We don't always understand God's dealings, especially as they're happening. Angry replies of, "How can this be from God?!" or "How could God exist and still let this happen?!" I've heard people say, as a child dies of cancer, or as some other tragedy occurs.

But when you look back and see how he it all unfolds, man, the question becomes, "How can this NOT be from God?!".

How can the Jewish rejection of Messiah be from God? How could he let such a terrible thing happen to his own people?

Simple. He's got a plan. And that plan involves God using that terrible tragedy to open up access to himself to the gentiles. End result? Today, 1/3rd of the entire gentile world knows the God of Israel. Who could've predicted that? How can that NOT be from God?!

Cool thing is, we haven't even seen it come to its completion yet. We've only got a partial picture revealed. The whole thing isn't here yet. If I were Paul, I'd break out in song too.

Shalom to you fine blog readers on this shabbat the inestimably wise God of Israel made for us. Shabbat shalom.

Taboo Facts from Scripture

God's ways are different than this world's.

Really.

Think about that for a minute -- different than this world's.

So different, in fact, by the end of this blog post, I guarantee many of my secular readers will be saying, "That God of the Bible that Judah's talking about can't be God, because that God doesn't fit my understanding of what God should be!"

Yes, you will be determining whether God is real by what you want God to be. And because you will find out that God is not who you wish him to be, you will question whether he's God.

Because God does not fit into your modern, pluralistic, western idea of God -- all love, peace, equality, tolerance, never raising a finger of judgment, never condemning an immoral act -- you will say, "That's not my God!"

And for you religious folks who already believe God, you might be in for a little shock too. What I will show here will go against some of your doctrines. You might question whether all of Scripture really is from God, because you too have been influenced by our pluralistic, secular western culture, and have your own ideas about who God is.

You will see why no one talks about these things, why they're so taboo! Because secular people will refuse to see a God who doesn't fit their definition, and religious folks will be weakened because their doctrines don't hold water.

Nonetheless, these taboo facts should be stated, if only to get a better picture of who God really is. Minus man's doctrines, ignoring secular conjecture.

So here are some taboo statements from Scripture, stated as concise and matter-of-factly as I can. Explanations for tricky ones at the end.

If any of you have some to add, or think I'm wrong about any of these, or have questions, please ask in the comments.

Without further ado,

Sexuality

The Torah prohibits male homosexuality and calls it sexual immorality on par with promiscuity, adultery, incest, and promiscuity.

The Torah does not mention female homosexuality, however Christian Scripture lumps both male and female homosexuality as sexual immorality.

Jewish and Christian Scriptures do not mention masturbation.

Polygamy is not commanded, but neither is it outlawed.¹

Pornography is adultery: Messiah stated that if a man so much as looks at another woman in lust, he is committing adultery in his heart.

No mixed marriages: if you're an Israelite, God commanded that you do not marry a non-Israelite.

Servitude

The Torah does not command slavery, but neither does it outlaw it.²

In the New Testament, Paul comments on slavery, admonishing masters to be kind to their slaves, but does not abolish or condemn the practice.

God commands the wife to serve the husband, and the husband to serve God; the husband is the head of the family.

Hatred & violence

God commanded Israel go to war against the peoples occupying the land he gave them.

God killed the firstborn child of each family in Egypt.

God destroyed the cities of G'morah and S'dom and all the people within because of human sin, likely sexual immorality including homosexuality.

God commanded the Israelites in the Torah to destroy and drive out the people that were occupying the land he promised to Israel.

God does not love everyone. God spoke through a prophet, "Jacob (Israel) I loved, but Esau I hated."

Esau's grandson, Amalek, was especially hated by God; God commanded that Amalek's name be blotted out of memory, as God would be continually at war with Amalek and his descendants for what they did to Israel.³

The writer of Psalm 137 hated Edom (Esau) with passion, going as far to say happy is the one who seizes Esau's infants and dashes them on rocks.⁴

The writer of Psalm 139, attributed to King David, encourages the reader to hate those that hate God.

Messiah commands that you pluck out your eye if it causes you to stumble, or cut off your arm if it causes you to sin, or cut off your foot if it causes you to sin.

God commands that a woman's hand be cut off if she broke up a fight by grabbing one of them by the testicles. Yes, really.

King Josiah performed what many would call a religious cleansing in Israel⁵, including killing priests of other religions and tearing down their altars and places of worship, and was considered righteous for doing so.

When Israel was on its journey to the promised land and began fornicating with Moabite women who introduced idol and Ba'al worship, Moses commanded they be killed: "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."

In response to Moses' command, a Levite named Pinchas saw one of the children of Israel fornicating with a Midianite woman in front of Moses and the whole assembly. Pinchas drove a spear threw both of them, and was considered righteous for it.⁶

God commanded that the parents of rebellious, gluttonous, drunken son can put their child on community trial if they choose. If the son is found guilty, he should be stoned to death.⁷

Jesus was violent on at least one occasion and was considered righteous for it.⁸

Jesus was not tolerant of other religions. In fact, he actively subverted the religious leaders of his time.

Jesus called people names: hypocrite, white-washed tomb, prophet-stoner, thief, murderer, son of the devil, to name a few.

Dress and appearance

God told us that clothing made of mixed materials is forbidden. Yes, really.

God commanded that men do not shave the sides of their beards or heads in mourning for the dead.

God told us that tattooing, piercing, or otherwise marring oneself in mourning for the dead is wrong.

Christian doctrines

The term "trinity" is not found anywhere in Scripture.

There is no Scriptural basis for a "3-in-1" God, either from the Christian or Jewish Bibles.⁹

No where in Scripture is a record of anyone asking Jesus into his heart.

The apostles, including Paul, ruled that new gentile believers should start by follow 4 laws from the Torah, 3 of which are dietary. Modern Christians do not keep any 3 of them.

Easter, Christmas, Lent, and many other Christian holidays are not found in Scripture.

Adoration and Eucharist (Communion) are not found in Scripture. Penance (confession to Catholic priests) is not found in Scripture.

Paul commanded gentiles keep the feast of Passover, yet Christians do not keep this.

Christians do not keep a succinct commandment of their own Messiah, where he told his followers to keep the Torah.

Alcohol is permitted throughout Scripture; even Jesus drank strong wine.

The word "church" does not appear anywhere in the gospels.¹⁰

Jewish doctrines

While modern religious Jews wear hats (either yarmulkes, top hats, or turbans), there is no such commandment in Scripture.¹¹

While modern religious Jews do not shave their beards or sidelocks, there is no such general commandment in Scripture, only a specific one in relation to mourning for the dead.

The Jewish practice of separating meats and dairy is not found in Scripture.¹²

According the the Jewish Bible, in the book of Daniel, the Messiah must come before the destruction of the 2nd Temple. The Temple was destroyed ~30 years after Jesus.

While many Orthodox Jewish men in Israel live off welfare and study Torah as their profession, there is no such commandment in Scripture. It is arguable they are breaking a commandment to work by the sweat of their brow.

God instituted animal sacrifices; only blood atones. Since there is no Temple, Jews have no atonement for sin.

There is no commandment that the Temple must be in Jerusalem.

There is no commandment that there must be a Temple. ¹³

God commanded Israelites to occupy all the land He promised them which includes all of modern-day Israel, all the Palestinian territories, all of Lebanon, large parts of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.

God commanded Israel to drive out the inhabitants of the land he gave them, otherwise they would be a thorn in Israel's side.

Israeli democracy is not Scriptural. The western idea of democracy itself is Greek, not Scriptural, and it's triumph in Israel is a postmortem defeat of the Maccabees.

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Whew. Have you deleted this blog from your bookmarks yet?

We just exposed the trinity, Roman Catholic sacraments, democracy, the sinner's prayer, Palestinian rights to Palestine, Jewish religion, Christian religion, the church, homosexuality, Israelite mixed marriages, pacifism, and Christmas. Oh, and I mentioned that God hates some people!

See what I mean? God is not your idea of Him.

For many of you, your mind is fighting you, trying either to explain away God's deviation from your understanding of what he should be, or trying to discredit these things and put them aside.

But a wise person understands God's reign is very different from the world's perception of good. God's goodness doesn't always match our idea of goodness.

God isn't what the world wants -- a tolerant, passive, many-paths-to-him, never angry kind of God. God isn't what the world expects.

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1. Several of the patriarchs, including Abraham, Solomon, and possibly Moses had multiple wives. We must remember that at this time in history, many women died in childbirth. Polygamy may have been a way to ensure the survival of one's offspring. Messiah later commented on marriage, saying, "From the beginning, God made them male and female, and for this reason a man shall leave his parents and cling to his wife." This statement suggests a monogamous, heterosexual relationship as God's ideal for humanity.

2. Instead, it regulated slavery, perhaps because the agricultural society of the time so heavily relied on it. Our western minds, perhaps thanks to Hollywood, tend to picture slavery with an abusive slaveholder whipping some poor slave. The reality would have been different, however: slavery at that time was much like the employer/employee system of today, where one serves another in order to survive. Israelites were not allowed to take fellow Israelites as servants.

3. Who is Esau's descendants today? Some have suggested they moved into the Middle East with his near relatives of Ishmael and his descendants. Ishmaelites today are modern Arabs. Another theory according to Jewish tradition, Esau's descendants were the progenitors of Rome.

4. The psalmist hated Edom (Esau) for their taking Israel captive and sending them to Babylon as slaves, saying, Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it they cried, "tear it down to its foundations!" O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

5. Josiah tore down all the houses of worship of Ba'al, rounded up their prophets and families of prophets and killing them all. He destroyed the fertility Asherah poles setup in the Temple courtyard. He removed the Topheth, where parents were sacrificing their children to Molech. He dug up the bones of pagan priests and burned them on their own altars, then destroyed the altars. He used tax money to repair the Temple in Jerusalem.

6. God considered this single act of Pinchas so righteous, God removed the plague he put on Israel for their nation-wide fornication.

7. Given the preconditions for this community trial, we conclude the son must have been at least a teenager or young adult.

8. See Righteous Anger, Righteous Violence

9. The theology of Trinity is taken from the a verse in Matthew 28 where Messiah tells the apostles to baptize in "the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit". However, some ancient translations do not have Matthew 28 present, thus this may have been a later insertion. Either way, trinity is not mentioned.

10. In modern translations, Matthew contains 2 references to "church", but there is no basis for this translation, as literal translations render it "assembly". Further, some ancient translations actually render it "house of prayer". See Upon This Disciple I'll Build My New Religion for more info.

11. The Cohen HaGadol, high priests, however, are commanded to wear turbans.

12. The practice comes from ruling of Jewish sages who saw the Scriptural commandment "Do not boil a goat kid in its mother's milk" and took it a step further and separated all meats and dairy.

13. There is, however, a commandment that there must be a Tabernacle, a kind of movable Temple.

What the World Should Know of Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av, Hebrew for 9th day of the 5th month of Av, is a day of mourning for Israelites everywhere. It has been called the saddest day in Jewish history:

• Over 3000 years ago, Jewish scribes tell us on the 9th day of the 5th month, the false report of 10 of the 12 scouts Moses sent to the Promised Land, as described in the book of Numbers in the Jewish and Christian bibles, brought such bad reports to the people that it caused them to say, "We would rather die in this desert than live in the Promised Land!" Because of this, Israel's taking of the God-given land was put off for an entire generation, and they instead wandered in the desert. What was a Promised-Land-bound 11 day journey from Egypt to Canaan turned into a 40 year wandering through the desert.
  
  
• 2593 years ago, in 586 BCE, on the 9th day of the 5th month, God's house in Jerusalem, which had stood for over 400 years and was built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire. The book of Jeremiah in the Jewish and Christian bibles was written during this time.
  
  
• 1938 years ago, in 70 CE, one the 9th day of the 5th month, about 30 years after Messiah's death, the 2nd Temple was destroyed by the Roman Emperor Titus. The Arch of Titus in Rome, which stands to this day, depicts Roman soldiers carrying off relics of the Temple, including the Menorah, trumpets, and the Table of Showbread. To this day, Jews refuse to walk under the Arch of Titus. A notable exception is when the State of Israel was recreated in 1948, when Roman Jews symbolically walked through the Arch in the opposition direction towards Israel.
  
  
• 1873 years ago, in 132 CE, on the 9th day of the 5th month, after 2 years of a successful Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, the Roman Emperor Hadrian finally crushed the Jewish rebellion, enslaved many Jews, banned the Torah, prohibited use of the Hebrew calendar, executed Judaic scholars, burned scrolls on the Temple Mount, and installed statues of the Roman god Jupiter and another of himself in the former Temple sanctuary. He wiped the memory of Israel and Judah from the map by renaming Judea to Palestine, after the Philistines, ancient enemies of Israel.
  
  
• ~1680 years ago, the "Holy" Roman Emperor, and founder of the state-sanctioned Catholic Church in Rome, Constantine I, (same man who officially replaced Passover with Easter) instituted a law that stated Jews be allowed to mourn their defeat and humiliation once a year, on 9th day of the 5th month, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Since that time, the Western Wall, which stands to this day, has become known as the Wailing Wall, after the wailing and crying of Jews for centuries at the destruction of the Temple, homeland, state and pride. This is the wall that US Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama recently visited and prayed at.
  
  
  US Presidential candidate John McCain praying at the Western Wall.
  After Constantine's decree that Jews remember their defeat and humiliation once a year on Tisha B'Av, 9th day of the 5th month, the Western Wall became known as the Wailing Wall.
  
  
  
  
• 516 years ago, in 1492 CE, King Ferdinand of Spain decreed that all Jews in his kingdom, including Castile, Catalonia, Aragon, Galicia, Majorca, Minorca, the Basque provinces, the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, and the kingdom of Valencia were hereby expelled. King Ferdinand gave Jews 3 months to leave, and according to an Italian Jew, the last day for Jews to leave was the 8th day of the 5th month. If any Jew remained by the 9th day of the 5th month, his property and possessions could be confiscated and he would have to pay a hefty sum to the king.
  
  
• 67 years ago, on the 9th day of the 5th month, which fell on July 31, 1941 in the western calendar, Nazi politician and leader of the German SS during World War II, Heinrich Himler presented his Die Endlösung ("Final Solution") plan to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, which called for the systematic destruction of the Jewish race.
  
  
• 66 years ago, on the 9th day of the 5th month, in July of 1942, Himler's Final Solution to the Jewish problem was formally implemented as the systematic deportation of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto began. The Final Solution resulted in the last and most deadly section of the Holocaust, which saw the murder of 6 million Jews.
  
  
• 3 years ago, in 2005 CE, the State of Israel, pressured by international politics, agreed to expel 8000 Jews from their homes in Gush Katif, as part of a "land for peace" deal with Palestinians. On the 9th day of the 5th month, Jewish farmers of Gush Katif were forced to leave their homes and farms, and for the next week, the remaining residents were expelled. Said Gush Katif evacuee Moshe Reuven,

  "I am fasting and feeling sadness over the destruction of the Temple just like any Jew is feeling. But I am also mourning over the destruction of my house, my land, my community, and all of Gush Katif, which happened the day after Tisha B'Av."

Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, falls in the 5th month of the ecclesiastical Hebrew calendar, the 11th month of the civic calendar.

This year in the Western calendar, Tisha B'Av falls on August 9th-10th. That's today! Tisha B'Av is from sundown today until sundown tomorrow. Many observant Jews worldwide fast and humble themselves on this day.

Derek Leman writes about the traditions of this solemn observance.

Adonai Tzva'ot (Master of Armies)

How lovely are your dwelling-places,
Adonai Tzva'ot!

My soul yearns, yes, it even faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to you, the living God.

Like the sparrow who finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
so my resting-place is by your altars,
Adonai Tzva'ot, my king and my God.

How happy are those who live in your house;
they'll never stop praising you!

- Selah -

How happy is the man whose strength is in you,
whose heart's desire is to travel to your house!

Passing through the dry Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength
and finally appear before God in Tziyon.

Adonai, God of armies,
hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya'akov.

- Selah -

God, see our shield: the king;
look at the face of your anointed.

Better one day in your courtyards
than a thousand days anywhere else!

Better just standing at the door of my God's house
than living in the tents of the wicked.

For the Master, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai gives favor and honor;
he won't withhold anything good
from those who walk uprightly!

Adonai Tzva'ot, how happy is the one who trusts in you!

-Psalm 84
Preach it, sons of Korah!

"How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord."

Now that's something I can get behind. That's something I can say "amen" to, heheh.

Set to music by Israel's Hope:



Shabbat shalom, folks.

Aviad Cohen - Revelation 22

I've written before about Aviad Cohen. He's a Jewish music artist, a hip-hop/techno artist formerly known as 50 Shekel. 3 years ago, Aviad came to the belief that Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel.

Since then, Aviad's taken a lot of flak from the Jewish community for this.

This past week, he's released his 2nd album as a believer in Yeshua, Fire Starter. Aviad's music is a kind of hip-hop/techno beat, not usually my cup of tea, but Aviad's heart really comes through in his songs.

One of the things I love from his albums is his reading of Scripture set to music. Here's a little sample: Aviad reading Revelation 22, the last chapter of the Scripture, where Messiah shows John a part of God's plan for the future.

I, Yeshua, have sent my messenger to witness to you these matters in the assemblies.

I am the root and offspring of David,
The bright morning star.

The spirit and bride say, "Come!"
He who hears say, "Come!"
He who thirsts say, "Come!"
And he who desires it, take the water of life without paying.

I witness to everyone hearing the words prophecy of this book:
If anyone adds to them, Elohim shall add to him the plagues written in this book.
If anyone takes away from this prophecy, Elohim will take him out of the book of Life
And out of the set-apart city which are written in this book.

He that bears witness to these matters says, "I am coming quickly!"

Amen! Come master Yeshua!

The favor of our master Yeshua the Messiah be with the set-apart ones, amen.

We Are Messianic

We stand for God's instructions in the Torah and we stand for the Messiah of the world and of Israel: Yeshua. We're unashamed of this.

We won't give in to the pressures from the Church to abandon Torah and assimilate into the Church.

We won't give in to the pressures from the synagogue to abandon Messiah.

We won't give in to the secular culture to give up on all this religious stuff and live the worldly life.

We won't be discouraged by the church's mischaracterization of us as lawheads without grace, how they paint us as being justified by our works.

We won't be discouraged by the synagogue's contempt for our faith, or by their claims we aren't Jewish because we believe Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel.

We won't be discouraged by the secular world's mockery of our beliefs, thinking us confused folks who take the Bible too literally.

Derek Leman nailed it. It's time Messianics take a stand as forebearers of Messiah, a light on the front to bring Israel back to Messiah and gentile Christians to Torah. Derek puts it so eloquently,

We need to know who we are and what we stand for. Messianic Judaism is two things: it is Messianic and it is Jewish.

Put simply, we have two strong commitments: Messiah and Torah.

People will misunderstand us as Irenaeus misunderstood the Ebionites. They will wittingly or unwittingly slander us. They will call us legalists. They will say we don’t believe in grace. They will say we are pretend Jews. They will say of the non-Jews among us that they don’t belong here. They will say Gentiles have no business playing Jew. They will say Jews don’t believe in Jesus. They will say we are half-mad fundamentalists taking the Bible far too literally. They will say lighten up on the Sabbath and dietary rules, man. They will say we just want to turn Jews into Christians. They will say everything we believe in does not matter.

Those of us who love Torah and Messiah need a strong identity and an even stronger commitment. Too often we are pressured into silence about Torah around our Christian brothers, and too often we are pressured into silence about Messiah around our Jewish brothers. Without a strong identity and commitment, what hope is there for us? We'll cave in and become Christians without Torah. Or Jews without Messiah. Or we'll give up on God altogether.

So, folks, it's time to take a stand. We're the light on the front, the harbingers of Messiah.

Be strong for the Lord, be bold and take a stand for Him in front of Jews, gentiles, and the secular world. God's called us out in these last days for his purposes. So don't let the world get you down! The world in all it's hyper-sexual, perverse, godless ways lead to destruction. But there is one way, a humble and less-worldly route, that does not end in the destroying of your life...

-- Hahah, praise Him. --

We can overcome because the God of Israel resides in us and writes his Torah as the fabric of our inner parts. Overcome this world. Turn over the tables of evil, turn them upside, throw them out of your life.

Strengthen your identity as Israelites, whether you're a Jew whose come to God through Messiah or a gentile who's joined Israel, you belong to the God of Israel and Messiah is your head.

Never lose sight of that.