My name is Henry M. Morse, I am the Messianic Rabbi of Congregation Sha’ar Hashamayim in Stoughton, MA. I have been asked to address you today on behalf of our religious liberties.
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As much as I am grateful for the religious liberties clause in the Bill of Rights, I acknowledge that there is actually a higher calling than even that. I will use this Right as long as I have it, but when men and women who are called to serve the public in their elected positions instead oppress the citizens, I will defer to that higher calling.

That calling is a Scriptural one that transcends the law of man. For when finite men oppress and abuse us, I am still obligated to do the right thing, and I don't need the permission of men to do that. That calling from the Lord is to protect our children from harm at all cost.

As Yeshua (Jesus) said in the book of Mark, chapter 9, verse 42 (NASV):

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.”

We are commanded to bring no harm to our children by Yeshua… or else.
In the book of Exodus, chapter 1, verses 15-17 (NASV) we read:

And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah, and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared the Lord, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.

Just as the Hebrew midwives in Egypt refused to obey Pharaoh when commanded to kill the Hebrew children, we make a stand today to protect our children in the same manner… no matter what Pharaoh says or does.

As Pastors, Rabbis and religious leaders our obligation to serve is the greatest calling one can have; but, that being said, we must serve. There is no other option if we are to fulfill our calling. There is a greater onus on those who are called.

James 3:1 (NASV) Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that at such we will incur a stricter judgment.

In all actuality preacher, priest, politician or rabbi, we are called to serve. No one has the right to tell us that our faith is invalid regarding this matter. We say to all who oppose us in this matter – keep your hands off of our convictions of faith!

I call to action pastors and rabbis to do your job and protect the flock from those who would deny those rights. Moses was a man who was not deterred from his calling in spite of hardships. Things don't always immediately work out the way we want them to. Life is full of tension and struggle. But if the cause is worth it, then let us also not be deterred in our struggle to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

It doesn't take a great Biblical scholar to understand that the Scriptures forbid us from ingesting the toxic ingredients in these vaccines.

Leviticus 17:10-12 (NASB)   ‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ Therefore, I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.’”

If I am not going to give my children blood to consume, why would I want to inject blood cells directly into their body from aborted babies?
 
Why would I want to inject mercury, formaldehyde, or other toxic elements into my children or grandchildren that could poison their blood?
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The Canaanites of the ancient Middle East were a vile and evil people. They would offer their first-born on the fire altar of Molech and Chemosh as a sympathetic gesture in hopes that if they made this appeasement offering, the gods would in fact bless the rest of their offspring. We are under no obligation to offer our children on the altar of big pharma for the sake of anyone else,especially when – at best – it is a crapshoot whether or not our children will be harmed or killed.
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Lev_18:21  “You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”
Jer_32:35  They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

These are our convictions from the highest source, the Lord Almighty; Government and big pharma have no business telling us different.

In WW2 the Jehovah Witnesses were exempt from fighting because of their religious convictions; they were considered conscientious objectors and pacifists. Ministers were also exempted, as were divinity students.

Adding to that list there were…

• Brethren groups,
• Anabaptist groups,
• Mennonites
• Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Some Pentecostal groups,
• Seven Day Adventists
• Worldwide Church of God
• Pax Christi - A Catholic peace movement
• Fellowship of Reconciliation - A group formed in 1914 to unite pacifists regardless of denomination.

There is a definite precedent set in our country’s history in regards to religious liberties being honored, even in times of war. Why, then, would those same liberties be totally ignored when it comes to the matter of vaccines, which are far from the emergency scenario that is posed to our country in times of war?

The first 16 words of the First Amendment have two protections for religion. The prohibition of an establishment of religion keeps the government from advancing or privileging religion. The protection of free exercise keeps the government from unnecessarily interfering with our religious practice. The First Amendment also includes our freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
 
Me thinks that in the writing of the First Amendment, its inclusion of these rights in the same place was not coincidental. Each one of these rights reinforces the other.
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If you force our children to take these or any other vaccines for the purpose of receiving an education or entering into public places, you have trampled on our religious liberties in the most egregious manner and have in every way transgressed our rights.

So here is my challenge to those who are part of the leadership in the faith community: Get on the bandwagon and roll up your sleeves or this incursion of our rights will eventually also bite you and your congregation. Remember our faith is in the Lord – not the Government.

To our politicians: I call you to remember that you have a sacred task of serving us, not ruling over us. This means all of us… not just those who voted for you. I challenge you to do your homework about these drugs and the adverse effects that they have had on so many Americans. Stop trying to take our rights from us.
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Oh, and one last thing to note: If we find that you have had your hands in the pockets of big pharma, watch out! We are coming for you. We will fight you at the ballet box; we will fight you in the courts; we will fight you in the poll of public opinion and you will lose, because we are John Q public and we have rights and a voice. We will not surrender our rights and we will not be silenced!

I realize I have not written a respectable blog of any length for a while. I try my best to not just write for the sake of writing. I don’t want to waste your time or mine just spewing my opinions on a subject that has not been solicited by you or that doesn’t have urgency to it. But this time I have been pressed to the limit, and I must write – I am compelled. Whether it is directly from the Lord or just because of a deep sense and need of defending the Scriptures, I know not. But in my best Elizabethan English, hereth I goeth.
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I want to address a subject that affects our society today in a way that I have not seen in my lifetime. I have addressed this subject in the past, but not this directly. I would indulge you to read on as I address the subject of the abortion and homosexual agenda that has plagued our society. Both are of the same ilk in the debauchery and transgression against the Lord. Both are to be found everywhere, infiltrating, indoctrinating and influencing every corner of our society.

I also ask you to please read this to the end as I am going to be writing in a manner that is direct without pulling any punches.

The one thing that these topics have in common is they are looked at by our culture and society as civil rights issues. This way of presenting them is brilliant in that it disguises the true nature of what they are: In plain, simple terms they are issues of morality – or the lack thereof.

Both of these issues have the same underlying theme: “Let me do with my body whatever I want to do, when I want to do it, whatever the sexual perversion may be, and then let me hide the results by never dealing with the root cause.” By only having to deal with the outcome and making that the issue, they are camouflaging the sin, because all they concentrate on is the end result. “I have a baby I don’t want or can’t deal with right now.” Therefore, the issue becomes the burden of this fetal tissue in my womb keeping me from my aspirations or goals. After all, “it is a right that I have to my bodily autonomy.”

This is a slick, wily way of never having to deal with the fact that they have made sex a recreational activity instead of a sacred act between one man and one woman. Relationships are casual and disposable, so why shouldn’t the results also be disposable?

It is no different with the homosexual agenda. They have cleverly found a way to hide the act of sexual perversion and only concentrate on the aftermath: AIDS, suicide, depression, etc.

So, if we restate these matters from the beginning of the act, it changes the entire dialogue. How does this sound to you? “I wanted to have sex out of wedlock whenever I desired, with whomever I wanted it with. I didn’t want to have a child. It was inconvenient to my life”. Or,“My parents will kill me,”, or,“it is my right to bodily autonomy” etc. Therefore, I never mention what transpired before the pregnancy, I only dealt with the aftermath. Then I re-labeled it so you wouldn’t look at me as a floozy but a struggling civil rights activist who works for the rights of women everywhere for bodily autonomy. Then I came up with an entire new way to re-label the package. It’s called, “a woman’s right to choose” instead of abortion. It’s in “the law of the land”.

It is the same with homosexuality. “Now we fight for the rights of LGBTQ citizens everywhere”. We see them in every TV show and commercial.  They are in politics becoming bedfellows with the strangest allies–Islam, the religion that throws them off buildings in Islamic countries. How bizarre is that? Now they want to push the envelope even further and demand rights for pedophiles.

But if we see the act of sin before the civil rights parades and political wrangling, we can see that they want to pervert any form of morality and normalcy to even our children. Has anyone ever heard of drag queen story hours taking place in our libraries? This is behavior that people would have been arrested for in my generation. It’s plain and simple child abuse. It’s always just about one simple issue–sexual perversion and licentiousness.

Sexual perversion is not a civil right;it is a civil wrong! No one can tell me our country is better off for the 60 million children who have been killed since the 1973 Roe-v-Wade Supreme Court decision.  No one can convince me that same-sex marriage or sexualizing our little children with homosexuality and transgenderism has, in any way, been good for our youth. They are babies who barely just stopped wetting their pants. They can’t deal with sexual emotions. Most of them are still trying to figure out what foods they like.

All we see in our country from so many of our doctors, teachers, preachers and law makers is that there are a bunch of educated idiots who can’t tell the difference between a boy or a girl. We have lost our collective minds.

What makes this matter even more heinous is that so many so-called Christian denominations support this madness. Being as careful as I can,yet without pulling any punches, I would go so far as to say that if you call yourself a believer in the Messiah and support this behavior, you might as well remove your rainbow flag and replace it with a flag that has a phallic symbol on it;or any other pagan fertility symbol, for that matter.

1Corinthians 6:9-10  Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 

It seems that all these folks want to do is normalize perversion so that they can do what they want with social impunity, while good folks do nothing because they either lack courage or wisdom on how to deal with these matters.

I say, I will not be silenced. I have a call to speak out against the destruction of our society and an obligation to protect our children. This call came from the Word of the Lord and is the highest authority – even higher than the constitution.

Matthew 18:1-6  At that time the disciples came to Yeshua and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hungaround his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Don’t be deceived by these workers of iniquity. We need to call sin what it is. But let’s first deal with our own sin as well.

Matthew 7:5  “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

So, let’s get our stinking thinking right first so we can be used by the Lord to make a difference in our society.
Selah.
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Shalom uvracha b’Yeshua
Rabbi Henry

The Evolution of a Concept Through Term Manipulation.


In the 60s and 70s, people wanted a sexual revolution. What did they expect would happen when they got it? When sexual relations became nothing more than a recreational activity, all hell broke loose. But to give some sense of legitimacy to this immorality, there needed to be a way to spin it so they could escape the penalty of their indiscretion and sin. The easiest way to do this was to redefine and substitute terms with more socially acceptable terms that would be divorced from the original intent of the action – their desire to sin sexually. This issue has one common denominator: freedom of sexual promiscuity.

Today they use terms like the ones below as a substitute to mask the true intentions. 

LGBTQ instead of I am inordinately and sexually attracted to my same gender and I would prefer to have sexual relations with them under the guise of these letters and call it a protected civil right.

Transgender instead of I am confused because I just can’t figure out what gender I am, so I dress like a girl, but I am anatomically a boy and I use that as an excuse to say I was born in the wrong body.

Pedophiliainstead of I am a pervert who is sexually aroused by minors who are vulnerable to suggestions.

Abortion instead of I have been sexually promiscuous and don’t want to be inconvenienced by my indiscretion, so I will kill my baby in the name of female reproductive rights. After all, it’s only fetal tissue.

Sexual orientation,as if the only two sexual orientations have not worked since the creation of mankind, I have to make another category for my perversion ,so I pretend there are many different genders and I have an orientation to one of the many various different orientations.
 
Gay pride,because I needed to make my sexual perversion socially acceptable so that I would not feel any shame for my sin. So I am going to make a day that celebrates perversion and show that I am proud to be a pervert by pulling everyone else into my insanity, so we can all celebrate sin together.

Men attracted to boys,becausenothing says love like taking advantage of little boys, just like ancient Rome.

Simply speaking, you can trace all of these terms back to one simple issue:
As the song goes...
“You gotta go where you wanna go,
Do what you wanna do,”
With whomever you wanna do it with.

When you bring all of these terms back to the common denominator, it all has to do with what you do with your private parts and who you do it with. This is as clear as can be when you view the obvious fruit of this behavior. Almost every TV show and commercial has some homosexual character. The goal is to make this behavior normal. Now the supposed misuse of pronouns is all the outrage. If you call someone by the wrong pronoun, it can be considered a hate crime. We don't even have enough common sense among all of our educated idiots to see that simple and clear scientific evidence and biology absolutely prove there are only two sexes. That has been the case for humanity since day one. Libraries all over the country are now featuring drag queens reading books to children, as if this is some innocent new little fad. Little boys dressed in drag are featured all over the Internet performing in front of grown men. If we can't see the absolute debauchery and insanity of this kind of behavior, then there is no hope for our society. 
 
No one can tell me that our society is better off because of the slippery slope we have been on now for well over 50 years. Approximately 50% of all marriages end up in divorce. 77% of all black children are born out of wedlock, 49% for Hispanics. Since the 1973 Roe V Wade decision to make abortion legal,61 million babies have been murdered.Now, NY passes a law to abort a baby on the day of its birth and other States are considering the same.Here are some statistics to make my point.

• Every 13 Seconds, someone, somewhere, files for divorce.
• 66% of divorces are filed by women
• 4% of people in the military file for divorce each year
• 50% of children in the U.S. will see their parents divorce in their lifetime
• 43% of children in the U.S. are living without their father involved in their lives
• 41% of first marriages end in divorce
• 60% of second marriages end in divorce
• 73% of third marriages end in divorce
• The average first marriage lasts 8 years

 A tree is known by its fruit, and the degradation of an entire society that considers blatant sin the norm is doomed, just like every other society that was done in by the same immorality.
Once the Lord-ordained family unit is destroyed,then that is the end of civilization as we know it. This has been Satan’s plan from the get-go. We can see it throughout all of history.
 
Sexual relationships are a gift from the Lord to be shared between a husband and wife for a lifetime. This is the only context in which this is acceptable. Every other expression of sexuality is a perversion of the Lord’s plan for mankind. So don’t be confused by the enemy’s plan to destroy all that is pure and right. What is not right is when sexual relations became recreational and not holy to be shared between one man and one woman.
 
Gen 1:27  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
Gen 1:28  God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 
Gen 2:21  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 
Gen 2:22  The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 
Gen 2:23  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 
Gen 2:24  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 
Gen 2:25  And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 
 
Heb 13:4  Marriageis to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 
1Co 6:9  Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 
1Co 7:1  Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 
1Co 7:2  But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. 
1Co 7:3  The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 
 
These are simple instructions that if taken seriously by a society will bring peace and harmony to all. It is a pretty simple plan, yet one that Satan has been trying to pollute right out of the gate.  But if we call things what they are, as the Lord intended for them to be called, there is no confusion at all. 

There are approx 1.8 billion Muslims in the world if only a small amount of them rises against us we are in trouble. They have a stated goal to take over the world by Jihad. Jihad can be by violence or by demographic known as hijrah. They are successfully doing it all over Europe. They out birth the local population and eventually they are in control. Remember not every German was a Nazi in the beginning until it was too late. Then to avoid retribution they followed suite very quickly.

Islam teaches that they can lie to promote the cause, it is known as Tekiah. They can also make false peace treaties until they can become stronger than their enemies, known as a Hudnah.

The history of Islam is as clear as can be. they want to conquer in the name of their god no matter the cost. Read the Koran if you have not yet had a chance it is all spelled out. I am sure there might be some Democrats who are aware of this but their voice is scarce. I don't see them anywhere. All I see is Naivety or willful deception on their part. The voice of political correctness and tolerance seems to be the loudest voice. The problem is that they are willing to tolerate anything seeming to be more noble than the rest of us lowlifes, I mean anything, even self destructive behavior. The liberals are full of double speak. All they do is for the purpose of keeping the masses compliant and giving them over to their base instincts. They accept all manner of sexual perversion in the name of tolerance. If we don’t accept this behavior we are then branded intolerant. Then they make allegiances with the least tolerant segment of society, Muslims. They kill the most vulnerable in our world and defend it as a woman's reproductive right. How about the right to keep it in their pants so that killing a baby for their convenience sake does not become mislabeled? The slippery slope they are headed on is self destructive and Satanic. I am sorry to say that not many Republicans are really any better. It is time to take a stand against blatant evil. No more compromise. We need to call it what it is no matter what the rest of society says.
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Isa 5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 
Isa 5:21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 
Isa 5:22  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; 
Isa 5:23  that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 
 
 

In the book of 1st Kings chapter 12 we see the son of Solomon Rehoboam takes rule of the united Israel after his father’s death. The outcome is not good as he decides to take the poor council of his contemporaries instead of the wisdom of his elders.
 
1Ki 12:1  Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 
1Ki 12:2  Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 
1Ki 12:3  Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 
1Ki 12:4  "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 
1Ki 12:5  Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed. 
1Ki 12:6  King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" 
1Ki 12:7  Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." 
1Ki 12:8  But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. 
1Ki 12:9  So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 
1Ki 12:10  The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 
1Ki 12:11  'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" 
1Ki 12:12  Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "Return to me on the third day." 
1Ki 12:13  The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, 
1Ki 12:14  and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." 
1Ki 12:15  So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 
 
As a result Jeroboam, who was in exile in Egypt for rebellion against Solomon,also rebelled against the rule of Rehoboam and took with him the northern 10 tribes and split the country.
 
1Ki 11:26  Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. 
1Ki 11:27  Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 
1Ki 11:28  Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 
 
We see that Jeroboam is actually promised an inheritance and a Kingdom if he only obeys the voice of the Lord.
 
1Ki 11:29  It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 
1Ki 11:30  Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 
1Ki 11:31  He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 
1Ki 11:32  (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 
1Ki 11:33  because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 
1Ki 11:34  'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 
1Ki 11:35  but I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 
1Ki 11:36  'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 
1Ki 11:37  'I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 
1Ki 11:38  'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 
1Ki 11:39  'Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.'" 
1Ki 11:40  Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 
 
But alas and alack, neither Rehoboam nor Jeroboam make the decision to serve the Lord. The Kingdom is split and the rest is history - not a good history either.
 
1Ki 12:16  When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel departed to their tents. 
1Ki 12:17  But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 
1Ki 12:18  Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 
1Ki 12:19  So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 
1Ki 12:20  It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. 
1Ki 12:21  Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 
1Ki 12:22  But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 
1Ki 12:23  "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, 
1Ki 12:24  Thus says the LORD, ‘You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.’” So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD. 
 
When Jeroboam enters into his rule, he does something totally contrary to the instruction of the Lord and makes up new rules that will solidify his control over the northern tribes.
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Jeroboam's Golden Calves
1Ki 12:25  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 
1Ki 12:26  Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 
1Ki 12:27  If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." 
1Ki 12:28  So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." 
1Ki 12:29  He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 
1Ki 12:30  Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 
1Ki 12:31  And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 
1Ki 12:32  Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 
1Ki 12:33  Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense. 
 
His rebellion is no different than the rebellion of the Children of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt. They also worshiped a Golden Calf in the name of the Lord. Actually they both called the Golden calf by the name of the Lord. To this day that boggles my mind – they could be that rebellious against the Holy One of Israel.
 
Jeroboam sets up idols in a false temple, chooses his own illegitimate priests and invents a feast to resemble Sukkot on the wrong day,one month later. To summarize I’ll quote Frank Sinatra, “I did my way”.
 
So, you might ask, how does this blog have anything to do with Christmas? Well, if the Lord changes not (Mal 3:6), If He is He same yesterday today and forever (Heb 13:8), If He did not endorse the actions of Jeroboam to do His own thing in regards to building a pagan temple with a golden calf and establishing a contrived holiday of his own invention, then why would the Lord tolerate the same actions in the church? Good intentions are not good enough when we have the Word of the Lord with clear instructions on what we are not to do. When we look at Xmas it clearly has all the same characteristics that were present during the time of Jeroboam, Selah.

​Everyone who knows me knows that I really hate the political feeding frenzy that happens in our country every time there is an event of great importance, whether it is about gun control, abortion, immigration, or the homosexual debate. I don’t hate dealing with the issues; I just hate the frenzy of sharks that pounce as soon as they see a drop of blood in the water. What I hate even more is that the same people who call the Scriptures a hate-filled book invoke those same passages out of context to defend their political agenda.
The current issue that is on the lips of every political pundit and in the headlines of every news station is the internment and separation of illegal aliens and their children. Even though I am addressing this topic initially, it is not the crux of my blog today.
What I would really like to address is what the Scripture says about how we should deal with the topic of the alien stranger and sojourner. My calling in life is to defend the integrity of the Word. I get tired of folks using and abusing the Scriptures for whatever political or social agenda they have on their minds.
If we deal with the issue properly, we have to examine not only the translation of the passages themselves, but we also have to take into consideration the total context of each verse. This includes dealing with the language, who the author is, who the author is speaking to, what are the issues addressed, the historical narrative, and cultural considerations. Another aspect of interpretation has to with the idea of whether or not we can apply a verse to ourselves, or is the author just speaking in context to the people or person immediately being addressed. If that is the case, then can we say in regards to the verse or verses, this is addressed only to those immediately in front of him, but there might be some principles here for me as well.
That being said I can’t, in a short blog, deal with every verse that has to do with the stranger, foreigner, or sojourner, but there are some major verses being used in light of this “refugee” issue that can be addressed with all of the above criteria being used to properly interpret the original intent of the author. As I said above, my goal is to defend the Word and not to deal with the political aspect. So buckle up, here we go.
While it is clear that the Scriptures do tell us how to deal with the stranger and sojourner, it is not as simple as we think.

Numbers 15:14-16 Says…
“If an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do so he shall do. As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the LORD. There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you." 
 
So it is pretty obvious that we are to treat the alien with respect, courtesy, and magnanimity. We were called to welcome them into our assembly. But then we have to ask the questions I stated above. Who is speaking? Moses. Who is he speaking to? The Israelites.  What is the subject matter? Their entrance into His divine guidelines. We, however, are not a theocracy; we are a pluralistic, democratic republic. We are made up of many different people groups of various faiths. So to say that this law is for us is to presume that we are the same as Israel, and we are not.
This does not mean that we cannot apply these principles to our lives nationally, locally or individually. It is just not a specific mandate addressed to us as a nation. So if we apply these concepts of accepting the stranger into our land, they and we are also obligated to obey the rest of the Biblical mandate; that is to obey the mandate of “one law for all”. In this case it is the Law of Moses. In our country it would be the Constitution. If they can’t do this then they are not fulfilling their half of the bargain. You can’t have it both ways. You cannot cherry pick verses out of context to support any political agenda for any reason that suites you at the time
Remember, I am not writing this to defend or protest against the political agenda of anyone. I am writing this to defend the integrity of the Word so that people won’t be confused and continue to eisegete the Scriptures.
There are other passages that are very clear about Israel’s entering the Promised Land, that they were to have nothing to do with the foreign element.

Warning Against Idolatry
Deut 12:29-32 
 "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?  "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.”
 
In this case the children of Israel were told to have nothing to do with the foreigners. We were even told to destroy them. Which is it? Welcome them or reject them? How do we know what to do in this case? It is pretty clear. In the case above, those who were to be destroyed were polluting society in that they were willing to even sacrifice their babies on the altar to Moloch. If you are going to claim the Scriptures as your source, then you need to consider the context totally. If someone enters a country with total disregard to the laws of the land, then they are not willing to do what Numbers 15 says and accept “one law for all”. They have entered in with their own agenda are desirous to disrupt the law of the land they have entered.
​
The Temple of the Living God
In 2 Cor 6:14-18 it says…
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. 
It is pretty clear, in the passage above, that the Scriptures teach us not to join ourselves to an unbeliever in their ways. We are not to make an allegiance with or become entangled with unbelievers in a covenant relationship. But they can join with us in a covenant relationship in the Lord. This is not the same as just allowing anyone in no matter what or who they are. Everyone has to be vetted– even among the body of believers.
It seems like everyone in this debate has now become a Biblical scholar and knows the mind and heart of the Lord. I say this for both sides. I can’t state this enough: I am not addressing the political issue; I am defending the integrity of the Word.
We must remember that even entrance into the Kingdom has standards as well–it is not willy nilly. You can’t sneak in; you must enter the by the gate.
Matt 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
 
The problem is that just as universalism has entered into our world of theology, it has also entered into our politics. There is a very specific way to do things in order. Don’t obey order and all that is left is chaos. It is true for the Spiritual and physical world as well. Every verse has a specific context and must be examined as such. They are not generic. They can’t be pulled out on a whim to defend anyone’s agenda, whether political or theological.
 
Here are some more verses for you to consider in this matter. Remember, ask the right questions. Remember the Scriptures are clear that the alien and sojourner were welcome into the family of Israel, but it was always–without exception– contingent on them obeying the Law of the Lord. If they came in to pollute the ways of the Lord, there was a stern punishment for their sin. Don’t come in with a predetermined idea or agenda.
Welcome the sojourner
Exo 12:19  'Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
Exo 12:48-49  "But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you."
Exo 23:9  "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
 
Deu 10:17-19  "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt”.
Deu 27:19  “’Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”
Eze 47:21-23  "So you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves and among the aliens who stay in your midst, who bring forth sons in your midst. And they shall be to you as the native-born among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And in the tribe with which the alien stays, there you shall give him his inheritance," declares the Lord GOD.
Isa 56:6-7  "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the Sabbath and holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."
 
Have nothing to do with the nations
Exo 34:14-16  —for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.
 
Deu 12:29-31  "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.”
 
Jos 23:5-7  "The LORD your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as the LORD your God promised you. Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.
 
Ezra Prays About Intermarriage
 
Ezr 9:1-2  Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness.”
 
Ezr 9:10-12  "Now, our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from end to end and with their impurity 'So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.'
 
Ezr 10:9-12  “So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain. Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives." Then all the assembly replied with a loud voice, "That's right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do.
 
Nehemiah’s reforms
 
Neh 13:1-3  On that day they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. So when they heard the law, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.
 
Neh 13:23-26  In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon andMoab. As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people.  So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.
 
We can clearly see that there is a Biblical protocol in accepting someone into our community of faith, and it is not just a casual affair. One must come to faith in Messiah Yeshua and live and grow according to the principles found in the Word. These principles can be applied to our country as well. Let’s not be fooled by those who would distort the Word of the Lord and use it for their own political, social, financial or personal gain.
 

​In light of what is happening in Israel today, I wanted to make the point that in no uncertain terms there is no peace to be had when it comes to Islam. They are not a partner in peace and the two-state solution is only a mask used to hide the plan for the destruction of Israel and the Jews. This is the plan of Satan and has always been since the times of Joseph and then Moses. So with that being said, here are some excerpts from the Charter of Hamas who has recently made a pact with Fatah, the so-called moderate wing of the Palestinians. The only thing that is happening in this allegiance is that one gets to play good cop while the other plays bad cop so that they might obtain their true agenda – the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. I am going to keep this short so you will be able to read it without having to devote your entire day to this blog, as some of my blogs tend to get a little long winded. You will find my short commentary of each excerpt. You can find this charter is online at 
www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html?chocaid=397

Hamas Charter (1988)
The Charter of Allah: The Platform of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)                    
“In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed, it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-doers.

They are the best community and the majority of Israel is evil doers yet they are the ones on a killing rampage.

The souls of its Jihad fighters will encounter those of all Jihad fighters who have sacrificed their lives in the land of Palestine since it was conquered by the Companion of the Prophet, be Allah’s prayer and peace upon him, and until this very day.

For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails.

Here they are calling for the concerted and cooperative efforts of all Muslims to fight against the Jews.

Part I - Knowing the Movement
Article One: The Ideological Aspects:
The Islamic Resistance Movement draws its guidelines from Islam; derives from it its thinking, interpretations and views about existence, life and humanity; refers back to it for its conduct; and is inspired by it in whatever step it takes.

The Koran and all of its violent rhetoric is their constitution.

Article Two: The Link between Hamas and the Association of Muslim Brothers
The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine. 

Hamas the partner of Fatah is just a “Palestinian” franchise of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Article Three: Structure and Essence:
The basic structure of the Islamic Resistance Movement consists of Muslims who are devoted to Allah and worship Him verily. They have raised the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors in order to extricate the country and the people from the [oppressors’] desecration, filth and evil.

Their goal is violent Jihad waged against the world dominant, imperialist, oppressive, evil, filthy Zionists who have a country the size of NJ.

Article Five: Dimensions of Time and Space of the Hamas:                                    Its ultimate goal is Islam, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its Constitution. Its special dimension extends wherever on earth there are Muslims, who adopt Islam as their way of life; thus, it penetrates to the deepest reaches of the land and to the highest spheres of Heavens.

Their goal is to spread Islam’s influence throughout the world. Sounds imperialistic to me. I wonder how many Jewish missionaries went out today to convert the world to Judaism by planting a bomb to themselves walking into a crowded market place yelling Jehova Oo Achbar,BOOM!

Article Six: Peculiarity and Independence:
The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinct Palestinian Movement which owes its loyalty to Allah, derives from Islam its way of life and strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine. Only under the shadow of Islam could the members of all regions coexist in safety and security for their lives, properties and rights. 
Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.

I feel so much safer now knowing that if I convert to Islam I will be safe. I feel even better knowing that their goal is to conquer all of Israel so that they can be safe as well.                 

Article Seven:                                                                                                                ” Hamas is one of the links in the Chain of Jihad in the confrontation with the Zionist invasion. The Universality of Hamas The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

Oops I spoke too soon. There goes my safety. I better not hide behind a rock or tree.

Article Eight: The Slogan of the Hamas:
Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief.

Without sounding cruel I would be very happy to see them die for Allah if this is their choice. Let’s hope they do it away from us. They can start a new movement and call it Jihad Joe.

Part II - Objectives

Article Ten
The Islamic Resistance Movement, while breaking its own path, will do its utmost to constitute at the same time a support to the weak, a defense to all the oppressed. It will spare no effort to implement the truth and abolish evil, in speech and in fact, both here and in any other location where it can reach out and exert influence.

They threaten all manner of death and destruction on all who will not submit to Islam and that is not evil speech? It sounds to me that they are the oppressors. Who are they trying to protect? 

Part III - Strategies and Methods

Article Eleven: The Strategy of Hamas:
Palestine is an Islamic Waqf. The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine has been an Islamic Waqf throughout the generations and until the Day of Resurrection, no one can renounce it or part of it, or abandon it or part of.
 
If all of Israel is their possession so much for the two state solution. Boy wait till the resurrection and they find out the truth.
 
Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
 
No Muslims mentioned here.

Article Thirteen: Peaceful Solutions, [Peace] Initiatives and International Conferences
[Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement. For renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion; the nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its faith, the movement educates its members to adhere to its principles and to raise the banner of Allah over their homeland as they fight their Jihad.

“The so called peace solutions” need I say more.

Article Twenty-Eight
The Zionist invasion is a mischievous one. It does not hesitate to take any road, or to pursue all despicable and repulsive means to fulfill its desires. The Arab states surrounding Israel are required to open their borders to the Jihad fighters, the sons of the Arab and Islamic peoples, to enable them to play their role and to join their efforts to those of their brothers among the Muslim Brothers in Palestine.” Israel, by virtue of its being Jewish and of having a Jewish population, defies Islam and the Muslims. “Let the eyes of the cowards not fall asleep.”

We are the mischievous invaders yet they want all of the land and every Jew eliminated. Can we say double standard. Israel’s existence in any way, shape, or form is an insult to them. We gave them Gaza and look where it got us today.

Article Thirty-One: The Members of Other Religions The Hamas is a Humane Movement
Hamas is a humane movement, which cares for human rights and is committed to the tolerance inherent in Islam as regards attitudes towards other religions. It is only hostile to those who are hostile towards it, or stand in its way in order to disturb its moves or to frustrate its efforts. Under the shadow of Islam it is possible for the members of the three religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, to coexist in safety and security. Safety and security can only prevail under the shadow of Islam, and recent and ancient history is the best witness to that effect.

Can’t you just feel the love. “Don’t get in our way of world conquest and we can all coexist under the shadow of Islam”. This is their history.

Article Thirty-Five
Hamas takes a serious look at the defeat of the Crusades at the hand of Saladin the Ayyubid and the rescue of Palestine from their domination; at the defeat of the Tatars at Ein Jalut where their spine was broken by Qutuz and Al-Dhahir Baibars, and the Arab world was rescued from the sweep of the Tatars which ruined all aspects of human civilization. Hamas has learned from these lessons and examples, that the current Zionist invasion had been preceded by a Crusader invasion from the West; and another one, the Tatars, from the East. And exactly as the Muslims had faced those invasions and planned their removal and defeat, they are able to face the Zionist invasion and defeat it. This will not be difficult for Allah if our intentions are pure and our determination is sincere; if the Muslims draw useful lessons from the experiences of the past, and extricate themselves for the vestiges of the [western] ideological onslaught; and if they follow the traditions of Islam.

We have killed them before, we can kill them again, just be a good Muslim and kill, kill, kill.

I understand that my approach has been tongue in cheek. I have done this intentionally to point out the absurdity of our President and the international community to think that there is a hope of peace as long as Islam remains. Without a doubt I can fully understand why the Lord asked the Children of Israel to destroy the surrounding nations when they entered the land. If they did not they would have been annihilated. Israel would not have existed and Yeshua the Messiah would never have come to the world. Please don’t be deceived, there will never be peace until the Prince of Peace reigns. 




​

WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHRISTIANITY?
 
This question is not posed to attack Biblical faith or the claims of Yeshua the Messiah. I ask this question about the institution of Christianity. Modern Christianity is so fractured today that it is almost impossible to reconcile it to any kind of a Biblical standard. There are over 38,000 denominations of Christianity, not including the outright cults. That being said, why is there such a schism in the Christian church? What happened in the last 2,000 years to cause such a great divide among those who are supposed to be brothers and sisters in the same faith?

John 17:11  "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.

There are 24 autonomous sects of Catholicism alone comprised of the the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, made up of the Alexandrian rite, the Armenian rite, and the Byzantine rite. They are all in communion with the Pope as Bishop of Rome and acknowledge his claim of universal jurisdiction and authority. They have some minor distinct theological emphases and expressions. Then to make matters worse, there are 49 independent Catholic Church denominations that are not affiliated with or recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. There are 69 different sects of Lutheranism and hundreds of Baptist groups. Is this what the Lord planned the body of believers to look like?

2,000 years ago when Yeshua walked the earth, all of the first believers were Jewish. They lived in Israel; they spoke Hebrew and read the same Scriptures. After Yeshua was raised from the dead, it was still the same scenario. It wasn’t until after the household of Cornelius in Acts 10 do we see any Gentiles coming into the faith. Then in Acts 15 we see the Apostles trying to articulate the role of the Gentiles in the Gospel. The Apostles conclude that it was always the prophetic call of the Jews to be a light to the Gentiles as stated in Isaiah 42.

Isa 42:6  “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations…”

The Gospel was prophesied to the Children of Israel in passages like Isaiah 9:6-7 and 53, Psalm 22, Micah 5:2. The entire history of the Scriptures centers on the Jews and Israel. Yeshua was a Torah observant Jew who lived in Israel. He came to the Jews first (Rom 1:16). All of His 12 disciples were Torah observant Jews. The end-time theology revolves around Israel and the Jews (Zech 14, Isaiah 66). Yeshua will rule from the New Jerusalem during the millennial reign (Rev 21). The Gospel started as a Biblically Jewish message and it ends in the same manner. So why does it looks anything but Jewish? Does the Lord endorse the 21st century western interpretation of the Gospel?

The simple answer is that the Gospel has been intermingled with so many other pagan practices, that trying to find the root is almost impossible. Just like a plant that has been taken over with an invading foreign vine. The only way to find the root of the original plant is to carefully cut away the intruding vines and search for the original plant.

Very simply we can see through a brief historical summary how the Biblical faith has become polluted as more and more breaks from the original root grew. As I said above, everything originated with the first Jewish Messianic believers to whom it was promised. From there it was brought to the Gentile world, as it was supposed to Eph 2. It was not hard for the first Jewish believers to be outnumbered by the new Gentile believers. Even today, there are only approx 15 million Jews in the world. From thereon–after the first century–the pollution started as leadership among Gentile believers not only started to bring paganism into the faith, but they also started to develop a very anti-Semitic sentiment.

From the website of the International Christian Embassy
Jerusalemint.icej.org/news/commentary/sad-legacy-christian-anti-semitism
 
“One of the most well-known detractors of Jews was the Church Father, John Chrysostom (354-430), who accused the Jews of–among other things–idolatry and housing the Devil himself in their synagogues.”
 
“In his First Homily Against the Jews, Chrysostom insisted that, “Jews are dogs, stiff-necked, gluttonous, drunkards. They are beasts unfit for work… The Jews had fallen into a condition lower than the vilest animals… The synagogue is worse than a brothel and a drinking shop; it is a den of scoundrels, a temple of demons, the cavern of devils, and a criminal assembly of the assassins of Christ…. I hate the Jews, because they violate the Law… It is the duty of all Christians to hate the Jews.””
 
This was not what I would call a great testimony to the Jews about their own Messiah. The Gentile believers were tasked with the job of provoking the Jews to Jealousy without boasting against them.

Rom 11:1   I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I, too, am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Rom 11:2   God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

Rom 11:11  I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
Please read all of Romans 11 to get the full context.
For the first thousand years of Christianity, there were no denominations as there are today–there was Catholicism. Various offshoot groups certainly existed, but most were small and quickly snuffed out as "heresies."

The first major division within Christendom came in 1054, with the Great Schism between the Western Church and the Eastern Church. From that point forward, there were two large branches of Christianity, which came to be known as the Catholic Church (in the West) and the Orthodox Church (in the East).

The next major division was the Protestant Reformation, sparked in 1517 by Martin Luther's publication of 95 Theses against certain Catholic practices. By 1529, German princes were demanding the right to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism in their territories.
 
"Reformed" Christianity developed in Switzerland based on the teachings of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin. When it spread to Scotland under John Knox, the Reformed faith became Presbyterianism. Switzerland was also the birthplace of the Anabaptists, spiritual ancestors of today's Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, and Baptists.

Anglicanism was established in 1534 when England's King Henry VIII broke from the authority of the Pope. Anglicanism is often regarded as "Middle Way" between Catholicism and Protestantism, while others categorize it as Protestant. Anglicanism became Episcopalianism in the United States. Methodism, based on the teachings of John Wesley, also has its roots in Anglicanism.

From there the cat was out of the bag, and denominations and their distinctions grew like wild fire. With every one of them believing that they were the group that the Lord chose to reveal His truth to the earth. Yet none of them acknowledged the Biblical Jewish roots of their faith. As a matter of fact many of them were also anti-Semitic, claiming to love the King of the Jews but despising His people.

Martin Luther was a raging anti-Semite and wrote a booklet entitled, On the Jews and Their Lies. This booklet was a treatise against the Jews that was only rivaled by the Koran. When asked, “What shall we do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?” Luther responded:

“First, their synagogues should be set on fire… Secondly, their homes should likewise be broken down and destroyed… Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayer books and Talmuds in which such idolatry, lies, cursing, and blasphemy are taught… Fifthly, travelling privileges must be absolutely forbidden to Jews… If however we are afraid that they might harm us personally… then let us settle with them for that which they have extorted usuriously from us, and after having divided it up fairly, let us drive them out of the country for all time.”

This was but a small sample of his diatribe. Luther’s writings were used by Hitler in the book, Mein Kampf, to justify the killing of the Jews.

As I said above, the early church fathers did all they could to "de-judify" the Gospel.
Ignatius Bishop of Antioch (98-117A.D.) – Epistle to the Magnesians
      “For if we are still practicing Judaism, we admit that we have not received God’s favor…it is wrong to talk about Jesus Christ and live like Jews. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity.”
 
"Epistle of Barnabas" Chapter 4 vs. 6-7 (between 130A.D. and 138 A.D.)
     “Take heed to yourselves and be not like some piling up your sins and saying that the covenant is theirs as well as ours. It is ours, but they lost it completely just after Moses received it.”
 
Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) –  Ecclesiastical writer and teacher who contributed to the early formation of Christian doctrines.
 “We may thus assert in utter confidence that the Jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming this conspiracy against the Savior of the human race…hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the Jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people was called by God to the blessed election.”
 
John Calvin
A Response To Questions and Objections of a Certain Jew
      “Their [the Jews] rotten and unbending stiff neckedness deserves that they be oppressed unendingly and without measure or end and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone.”
 
Justin Martyr wrote an apologetic in which he was having a dialogue with a Jew named Trypho. Using Bible proof texts, Justin Martyr claimed that the Jews were originally selected by God because they were such an unspiritual group; they needed added laws. He blasted the Jews for rejecting Jesus, for killing Jesus, for leading people away from salvation. He gloated over the destruction of the Temple as being just punishment for Jewish perfidy. Justin Martyr's writings became incorporated into early Christian thought, and were a major part in the origins of Christian anti-Semitism.

As late as the 4th century Church Father, John Chrysostom, complained that some Christians were still attending Jewish synagogues. Augustine argued that the Jews should be left alive and suffering as a perpetual reminder of their murder of Christ. Jerome identified Jews with Judas Iscariot and the immoral use of money.

So I ask you, how did the “Church” and all of its divisions come to look like it does today? I think it is pretty obvious that the early “Church Fathers” might have had just a bit of the responsibility in that happening, you think?

Was this the will of the father for the “Church” to be this divided? Was this His plan to despise the very people He created for His glory? Does the “Church” with all of its hatred and anti-Semitism fulfill the  Lord’s will? You may say, but today it is not so, I say, Oh Yeah?! There are more denominations in the world today than ever before in history, and not only does anti-Semitism run rampant in the “Church”, there is an entire movement against Israel and for Islam in many major denominations.

The World Council of Churches is a collective of “347 churches, denominations, and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories.” For years, the WCC has played a leading role in harsh political warfare.” The organization’s top officials participated in the virulently anti-Semitic NGO Forum of the 2001 U.N. Durban Conference, at which Israel was labeled as an apartheid state.

Today, among some churches, there is a movement called Chrislam, where a church will have a Bible and Koran in the same pew, as if to say they are equal revelations. Major denominations all over the world endorse the BDS (boycott, divest and sanction) movement against Israel. These denominations not only boycott Israel, they advocate for the “Palestinians”, claiming that Israel is an apartheid state who oppress the “indigenous Palestinian people”. Denominations like the Episcopals, Anglicans, Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), the United Methodist Church (UMC), The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), United Church of Christ, Reform Church of America, and some Baptist groups are included in their ranks.

Have these pastors ever read the Word of the Lord, or is the main text of their devotion MADD Magazine?  The Word of the Lord is very clear in the promises made to Israel by the Lord.  Any 6th grader who can read should be able to understand these passages. Here are but few:

Jer 31:35-37  Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name:  "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever."  Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done," declares the LORD. 

Amos 9:13-15 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them," says the LORD your God. 

Joel 3:1-2  "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land. 

2 Samuel 7:22-24  "For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.”
 
Now I ain’t 2 smaht myself. But even a dummi lyke me can figure dees verces owt.
 
The problem is that people aren’t reading the Word their listening to misguided preaches who studied the “Church” fathers who were mostly anti Semitic. So I ask you again, what is wrong with Christianity? This is what is wrong.
 
Rom 11:17-24  But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 
 
So if you want to correct this in your life, remember where you came from. You are the grafted-in branch, not the original. You are the adopted child, not the natural born. This does not make you second class in the Kingdom; quite the contrary. The Lord created Israel so that you might be saved. You are precious in the eyes of the Lord. But what needs to happen for the body of believers to be healthy again is to come back to the roots of their faith and leave behind all of the pagan foolishness. The Christian needs to realize that when they were adopted into the family, it was not to replace the natural children; it was to come alongside of them receiving a complete adoption with full familial rights. They just need to be careful to be grateful for their adoption and not feel the need to come into the family with an attitude that says, thanks for the adoption but we don’t like the way the place looks so we’re going to rearrange the furniture. We don’t like this family dynamic; let’s take over, throw out the natural born and remake the family after our own image.
 
You may quote me.
Shalom uvracha b’Yeshua (Peace and blessings in Yeshua)
Rabbi Henry
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MY AFTER CHRISTMAS RAMBLINGS
 
I know that you all were wondering where my Christmas rantings were this year. It was a big disappointment for you, I’m sure. So I decided to do an after Christmas blog for your musing.
After much consideration I decided to concede. I have come to realize that most of you are not celebrating the hollow day of the Saturnalia with intent. I am appreciating your freedom to do as you desire. Your free will has been given to you by the Lord as a gift, and you are welcome to exercise it according to your own conscience. You have the right to do as you please, obey the Scriptures or not.

However, what you don’t have the right to do is put the Lord’s stamp of approval on it. In Leviticus 23, He has given us the Holy Feasts that are perpetual, prophetic, eternal, and given by the Lord as His appointments. Only the Messiah Himself could  keep these appointments.

Even though you might be totally unaware of the pagan roots of Christmas, I am sure you have no desire to carry on the traditions of the Scandinavian Nordic culture and honor Odin himself in your practices. Jeremiah 10 calls these practices evil.

1     Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of srael. 
2      Thus says the LORD,
      “Do not learn the way of the nations,
      And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
      Although the nations are terrified by them; 
3     For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
      Because it is wood cut from the forest,
      The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. 
4     “They decorate it with silver and with gold;
      They fasten it with nails and with hammers
      So that it will not totter. 
5     “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
      And they cannot speak;
      They must be carried,
      Because they cannot walk!
      Do not fear them,
      For they can do no harm,
      Nor can they do any good.”
 
I have no doubt you are probably a person who loves the Lord and His Word and you have full intention of being obedient to passages like…

2 Cor 6:14-18
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 
Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you. 
And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.
 
Rav Shaul (Paul) is quoting from Isaiah 52:11, but I’m sure you knew that. Could Paul have referenced that passage because the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever? Does what was said in the Tenach (Old Testament) mean the same when it is quoted in the Brit Hadasha (New Testament)? If so, I am sure you can agree that our association with the pagan world and their customs of worship should be avoided. But remember, you do have freedom.
 
Even though Deut. 7:1-6 says:
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve others gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Now, while we can’t go around smashing other people’s stuff in this society no matter how vile it is, shouldn’t we at least not be inviting those items or practices into our lives and homes? I’m sure you would agree.

With all due respect to your religious freedom, I just don’t see the Lord giving us permission to redeem their pagan symbols into our worship. Please allow me to elaborate my point with a few more Scriptures

Deut 12:20-32
“Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
     When the LORD your God cuts you off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after thei gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
     Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.”
 
So please, correct me if I am wrong. Because I know you don’t want to incorporate paganism into your worshiping the Lord. I don’t seem to be hearing anything here about the freedom to co-opt pagan worship or practices into the worship of the Lord, do you? I realize that the immediate context of the passage is in relationship to the Jews entering the land of Israel; but isn’t there a spiritual principle here for us as well?
 
Didn’t the Lord reject King Saul for thinking he had a better plan than His?

1 Sam 15:10-11
Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night.
Call me naïve, but is the Lord willing to give deference to our good intentions, no matter how noble they might seem to us at the time?

I find it funny that the Lord Himself set up the Biblical feasts that all point to the Messiah in specific detail, yet we would rather spend our time, energy and devotion defending the traditions of men over the Word of the Lord. If you knew nothing else about Christmas, hopefully you at least know it was from co-opted paganism by the Catholic Church who sprinkled holy water on those traditions to give a concession to both pagans and the so-called Christians.

If Christmas were so important to the Lord, then why wasn’t it celebrated by the Apostles? Why won’t it be celebrated in the Millennial Kingdom like the Feast of Sukkot  (Tabernacles)?

Zech 14:16-19
Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

Christmas doesn’t even get an honorable mention.

Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the symbol most regarded by Christians and most defended in the public is the “right of Christians” to put up a creche in the public square. If you missed that, it was all over the news.

So what is a creche anyways? Well, simply stated, it is a nativity set filled with little idols of their version of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I don’t know about you, but in  the Scriptures I read I am forbidden to make a graven image of anything in Heaven above. earth below, or in the sea.

Ex 20:4-6
“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep my commandments.”

If Yeshua is sitting at the right hand of the Father, then I would at least think that believers would have enough Biblical discernment to know that the creche is verboten. Where does that custom come from? The Catholic Church, of course!

We stoop so low when we elevate the traditions of men above the Word of the Lord. Yeshua spoke those same words to the Pharisees in Matt 15:1-3

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why to Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”

So in conclusion, yes, you have the freedom to celebrate Christmas or any other man-made hollow day you please. Feel free to substitute the Biblical feasts for the traditions of men. Let your good intentions be known. Make sure folks know you are not celebrating the Saturnalia. But know this, Satan enjoys those hollow days also because they replace and invalidate the true Biblical feasts and appointments that were kept by Yeshua Himself. After all, it was the prophet Daniel who warned us of the Anti Messiah’s plan to do just that.
​
Dan 7:23-27
“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’”

Alterations in the times and Law refers to the fact that he will change the Lev 23 times and seasons. How will he do that? He has already started by replacing the Biblical feasts with made up pagan events just like so many have tried to do before him. Everyone who follows him will do it with good intentions.