Celebrating Easter as a commemoration of the Resurrection and not the Passover makes a mockery of the Scriptures and puts man’s tradition and authority over the Word. To declare that the death, burial, and resurrection happened between Friday night and Sunday morning is a blatant lie and misrepresentation of the Biblical facts. It calls into question the accuracy of the Word and makes the Lord a liar. It disqualifies the Passover as a literal prophetic event fulfilled by Yeshua and makes the unbelieving world mock believers.

I would almost go as far as to say that—for those who know the truth of this and refuse to adhere to it or teach it—their actions are close to blasphemy.

Here is the definition of blasphemy, you decide.

Definition of BLASPHEMY from Merriam-Webster
1a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for the Lord.
b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

To ignore the truth of His Word is to hold contempt for it. You have then made the decision to exalt your authority over His word and have shown full irreverence to His revelation.

So with this in mind, I will continue to pose my thesis. I will back it up fully by using the Word in context.

The only way the resurrection makes any sense at all is if Yeshua dies on Wednesday before sundown and rises again three days later on Saturday before sundown. This would be 72 hours, 3 full days. After all, Yeshua said…

Matthew 12

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

(3 days and 3 nights, not a part of the day) What part of this statement does the “Church” not understand?

The Biblical Holy Days were called moadim (appointed times and seasons). They were appointments that could only be kept by Yeshua Himself. Why would anyone want to dismiss or minimize these great prophetic events? Let’s look Biblically at why they are so important.

The “Church” says that “Easter” is a celebration of Yeshua’s resurrection from the grave and they want to honor that time- changing event; yet, they deny all that the Lord has given them in prophecy to verify this.

One of those appointed times closely tied to the Passover is the Holy Day of First Fruits.

1st Cor 15 declares that Yeshua is the first fruits resurrected from the dead. If we know nothing about this Biblical appointment, how are we able to understand what this New Covenant passage means?

1st Cor 15

20But now Moshiach has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.

In order for Yeshua to be the one who is the first fruit of the resurrection, He needed to rise on the day known as First Fruits, Yom ha Bikkurim. The significance of this day and its meaning is critical in understanding the resurrection.

During the spring, right before Passover, the barley crop came to a place in its growth where it was declared Aviv. This meant that the barley was in the head but not quite ripe enough to eat. As soon as the barley was in Aviv, the children of Israel were instructed to look for the sliver of the new moon. At the sighting of the new moon we were to declare the first day of the first month, count 14 days, and then began the Holy Day of Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread; after that the feast of First Fruits.

It was during this time—between the Aviv barley, the sighting of the new moon, and the 14th of the month—that barley continued to ripen so it could be harvested. Once it was harvested the children of Israel were instructed to make an offering of that barley in gratitude before the Lord. They were not allowed to eat of the new crop before they made this offering.

The observance was carried out in this manner, when the standing ripe spring harvest of barley was ready to be reaped. The celebrant would take one sheaf from the standing harvest and bring it to the priest. The lone sheaf was called "the sheaf of the first fruits." The priest was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before the

Lord in His house. This was to be done "the day after the normal weekly Shabbat," which occurred after the first day of Passover. Prescribed offerings were also to be presented along with the sheaf.

The nation of Israel was familiar with the concept of first fruits or the firstborn. The first fruits were always the choicest, the foremost, the first, the best, and preeminent of all that was to follow. They were holy to the Lord. The concept of first fruits or firstborn is a major theme in the Bible. This can be seen by the following Scriptures: Exodus 23:16,19 and 34:26; Leviticus 2:12,14 and 23:20; Numbers 18:12-15; Deuteronomy 18:1-5; 26:2-4,10; II Chronicles 31:5; Nehemiah 10:35-39; Proverbs 3:9; Jeremiah 2:3; Ezekiel 44:30; 48:14; Malachi 3:8-14; Hebrews 6:20; 7:1-8.

      Everything on the earth—both man and beast—was to be presented before the Lord as first fruits to Him.

1. The firstborn of both man and beast were sanctified (made holy) and presented to the Lord (Exodus 13:2; 22:29).
   
   
2. The first fruits of all the earth were presented to the Lord at His altar in praise and thanksgiving (Deuteronomy 26:1-11).
   

 Yeshua’s entire life was one of first fruits.

    1.    Yeshua is the firstborn of Miryam (Matthew 1:23-25).
    2.    Yeshua is the first-begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:6).
    3.    Yeshua is the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).
    4.    Yeshua is the first-begotten from the dead (Revelation 1:5).
    5.    Yeshua is the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29).
    6.    Yeshua is the first fruits of the resurrected ones (1 Corinthians 15:20,                 23).
    7.    Yeshua is the beginning of the creation of Elohim (Revelation 3:14).             8.    Yeshua is the preeminent One (Colossians 1:18).

His entire life and death was wrapped up in the idea that He was the one to fulfill first fruits.

The fifteenth of Aviv began Hag HaMatzah (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), which is a high Sabbath. This high Sabbath is called a shabbaton. It did not matter what day of the week it fell on. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day feast to the Lord. The day following the weekly Sabbath during Passover is called the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11).

(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:9-14 NAS)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord. Its grain offering shall then be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its libation, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places'"

  This is significant because if Yeshua is raised from the dead as a first fruit of all those resurrected, He must not miss the prophetic appointment of that day.

This simply means the death and burial had to happen during the Passover and the resurrection had to happen on First Fruits. Yeshua needed to die before sundown after the ninth hour on Passover and rise three full days later according to the Biblical calendar on First fruits.

Matthew 27

45Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46About the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli , Eli , lama sabachthani ?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” 50And Yeshua cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Also: Mark 15:33-39, Luke 23:44-49.

The passage in 1st Cor 15 says

22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming,

He had to rise first so that the rest of us could also be raised in the proper order. Just like the barley had to be offered to the Lord first before the rest of the new harvest could be eaten, this day was a prototype of the Lord’s resurrection. He is the First Fruits of the barley harvest. We are the rest of the harvest after the offering. Yeshua was presented to the father as a perfect offering of First Fruits; now the rest of the harvest (us) can be presented to the father in its proper order.

What about Passover

Leviticus 23:5-6

5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.

So to sum it all up again

Yeshua was slain on the tree on the eve of the day of Passover (Pesach), the fourteenth of Nisan at twilight, the ninth hour, and He arose from the grave three days and nights after He was slain, Yeshua arose from the grave on the seventeenth of Nisan, the day of the festival of First Fruits. This day would be the day after the weekly Shabbat during the week of Passover—three days and three nights in the earth.

1st Cor 15:3-4

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Moshiach died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

“According to the Scriptures” means according to the prophecy. He is also speaking about the day of First Fruits, (Yom ha Bikurim).

Passover is the day that was set in motion by the Lord to declare Yeshua the risen Moshiach on First Fruits, three days after His death.

It is clear in the Scriptures, and to say anything else makes the Lord a liar. It is not a trivial matter and no, I am not making too much of this. We are talking about the most important event of all time.

Acts 10:39-40

39“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40“Elohim raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,

Matthew 16:21-23

21From that time Yeshua began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Elohim forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”

Matthew 17:22-23

22And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; 23and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.

Matthew 20:17-19

17As Yeshua was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

Matthew 27:62-64

62Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day.”

Mark 8:31-33

31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”

Mark 9:30-32

30From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

Mark 10:32-34

32They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34“They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

Mark 14:55-58

55Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.

Mark 15:27-29

27They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” 29Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

Luke 9:18-22

18And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” 19They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Moshiach of Elohim.” 21But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

Luke 18:31-33

31Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32“For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”

Luke 24:1-7

1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

Luke 24:13-27

13And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of Elohim and all the people, 20and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22“But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 25And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26“Was it not necessary for the Moshiach to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Luke 24:44-46

44Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Moshiach would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.”

John 2:17-22

17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19Yeshua answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua had spoken.

Without sounding smug, I just don’t see anything that would hint of anything else other than a literal three-day resurrection.

How does the Passover prophecy the death of Messiah?

In this matter I decided to copy from the website Hebrew4christians. They did an amazing job of presenting their information.

During the time of the Temple, zman shechitat korban Pesach (the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs) was performed during the afternoon hours of Nisan 14, in observance of the commandment: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings (i.e., bein ha-arbayim: is the Passover for the LORD" (Lev. 23:5). Note that the time of the lamb's sacrifice is described as "bein ha-arbayim," usually translated as "between the evenings" or "between the settings." To the sages, the "first setting" of the sun occurred at the beginning of its descent after noon, and the "second setting" referred to sundown or twilight.  Hence "bein ha-arbayim" would mean sometime after noon but before twilight, or more simply, "the afternoon."

The sacrifice of the Passover lambs on the afternoon of Nisan 14 agrees with Jewish Oral Law and tradition. As Maimonides wrote, "It is a positive commandment to slaughter the Korban Pesach on the fourteenth of Nisan after midday" (Hilchot Korban Pesach). There is some discussion among the sages, however, as to whether the sacrifice of the korban Pesach occurred before or after the second set of tamid (daily) offerings made at the Temple (Exod. 29:38-42, Num. 28:1-8). In general, however, most of the sages agreed with Maimonides who clearly stated: "The Korban Pesach is not slaughtered until after the Tamid of the afternoon." In other words, the slaughter of the Passover lambs occurred on the late afternoon of Nisan 14. (My note - Wednesday after the ninth hour).

Note that though the sacrifice of the Passover lamb occurred on the afternoon Nisan 14, the ceremonial eating of the meal, or the "seder," would begin later, just before sundown and continue throughout the night. This agrees with Exod. 12:8 which states clearly that the Passover meal was consumed during the night: "They shall eat the flesh [of the Pascal lamb] that night" (i.e., ba-lailah hazeh): And since the Jewish day begins after sundown (when three stars are visible in the night sky), the traditional Passover Seder would begin just before sundown on Nisan 14 but would continue into the new day of Nisan 15, which is also the start of the seven-day festival of chag ha-matzot the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" (Lev. 23:6).


In light of all this, perhaps you can better appreciate why Jewish tradition regards "Passover" as an eight-day holiday, since it links the times of the korban Pesach, the Seder meal, and the seven days of unleavened bread together as a whole.

But what does the Scripture say about the Sunday morning resurrection?

Here are all of the accounts of the resurrection passages; take note that not one of them says anything about the resurrection happening on a Sunday morning.

Matthew 28 Yeshua Is Risen!

1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

Yeshua is already gone by the time the women arrive in the very early morning. They arrive just as the sun is rising. It is after the Shabbat, which happened at sundown the day before. As for the guards, this is just a description of what happened previously before the arrival of the women. There is no mention of the time of resurrection. There is not even an inference of idea that he had risen in the morning. All that it describes is the arrival of the women. Read the rest of the text for yourself. I double dog dare you.

It is almost the exact same for every other resurrection passage in the rest of the three Gospels.

Mark 16 The Resurrection

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Yeshua the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

Just like “Where’s Waldo?” Where’s Messiah? He is already risen.

Luke 24 The Resurrection

1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen.

John 20 The Empty Tomb

1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Need I say anymore? The sad part of this little study is that all a preacher has to do is read the simple narrative of the Scripture and the truth comes out.

If your Pastor is still going to spread the lie about Easter and you refuse to lovingly challenge him on this, then you have already drunk the “Kool Aid” and I feel sorry for you. But instead, why don’t you examine the Scripture for yourself, do the study, and prove me wrong or right. I do hope you except my challenge this time around.

A blessed Passover and First fruits and all that it declares about our risen Moshiach, (Messiah) Yeshua.

Rabbi Henry

We try our best to make decisions based upon certain determinations. We determine something makes sense if it is logical, systematic, interconnected to other facts, or if it is full of contradictions. We look for simple proofs to determine the legitimacy of facts. That being said it only makes sense that we would apply this same standard to understanding the Scriptures. If we read a passage, we also use simple determinations to understand the meaning of that passage. We ask certain questions that help bring into light the meaning of the passage. We need to know who wrote it, to whom it was written, who was it written about, has the passage been translated accurately, were cultural nuances used to understand idioms? There is a lot that goes into understanding the Scripture. One cannot just come to an ancient writing like the Bible and simply look at it and think that reading the modern translation alone will be sufficient in providing the fullest meaning of the text as the writer intended.
Let me give you just one example that we can use to illustrate this point. If there is a text in the Tenach (first covenant Scriptures) that makes a statement that a statute, covenant, or principle is to be an everlasting/perpetual covenant, then it would only make sense that, when we come to the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant Scriptures), we should apply this in our interpretation of certain passages there as well. After all the Word does say…

Mal 3:6  "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Mal 3:7  "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'”

If it is true that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and if Yeshua is the Word of the Lord in the flesh, then the word that was spoken in the Tenach applies to all that He said and that which was said about Him by His followers, the writers of the Brit Chadasha.

Heb 13:8  Yeshua Hamashiach  is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Based on the logic above could there be conflicting or contradictory passages in the Brit Chadasha passages that would go against basic doctrine in the Tenach? Shouldn’t we interpret passages in the Brit Chadasha on the premise that the Tenach set the stage for the fulfillment in the Brit Chadasha, and there should be perfect synergy between the two?

In order to see the greater picture, we need to look into some more examples. This cannot be discerned by just a cursory examination. Let’s see how this theory plays out by going through a series of Scriptures using the above-mentioned procedure.

In the book of Isaiah and Zechariah we have Scriptures that seem to be speaking about the end time event we call the millennial reign. This is when the Moshiach (Messiah) sets up His rule from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. This is after Ha Satan (the Devil) is locked up for 1,000 years. We read this in Rev 20.

Rev 20:1  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

Rev 20:3  and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

In the book of Isaiah we see a number of passages that seem to speak of a future event where the Lord reigns from Jerusalem. He changes the world by making real peace while reigning as the Prince of Peace from His throne in the Temple.

Isa 2:1  The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Isa 2:2  Now it will come about that In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.

Isa 2:3  And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isa 2:4  And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

The book of Micah chapter 4 verses 1-3 quotes Isaiah almost word for word.

Mic 4:1  And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it.

Mic 4:2  Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Mic 4:3  And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

Mic 4:4  Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.

It seems pretty obvious to, at least me, that this time of world peace has yet to happen. So that  said, I have no choice but to put this event into the future. When we analyze these verses we can see a simple chronology that goes like this.

1.     The mountain of the Lord (Mount Zion) is raised as the chief of all mountains.

2.     The people of the whole earth will stream to it.

3.     The nations will come to it.

4.     They will invite others to it as well.

5.     From Mount Zion the Lord will teach us His ways, we will walk in His paths, the         law will go forth from Zion.

6.     The Lord will judge all people,

7.     There will be world peace.

Now this is a pretty simple scenario. We have to see if there are examples of this event found anywhere else in the Word to determine if this is a repetitive theme. We have to ask if the Lord trying to communicate something to us through these repetitions.

Another place in Scripture that seems to be related to this event is found in Isaiah 66.

Isa 66:18  "For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.

Isa 66:19  "I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations.

Isa 66:20  "Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.

Isa 66:21  "I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites," says the LORD.

Isa 66:22  "For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me," declares the LORD, "so your offspring and your name will endure.

Isa 66:23  "And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me," says the LORD.

Isa 66:24  "Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Again, we see in this passage that the nations will come to Jerusalem to see the glory of the Lord in vs 18.

In vs. 19 Isaiah reiterates this idea of the nations coming to see the Lords glory, except he adds the extra bit of information that gives us a timeline of the event, It will happen after a battle.

Vs 20 tells us that “they” (he is speaking about the survivors) will bring the Jews (your brethren) (in this passage Isaiah is speaking to Jews) to His mountain (Mount Zion).

Vs 21 says that the Lord at that time will take some people (Gentiles) as priests and Levites. This has to be Gentiles as the Jews have already been appointed as priests and Levites from the beginning.

Vs 22 The Lord promises the endurance of the Hebrews as a people which He basis upon the promise of the new heavens and earth.

Vs 23 gets a little complicated. From new moon to new moon is in reference to the lunar calendar established by the Lord in Genesis.

Gen 1:5  YHVH called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

The Lord established His times and seasons in Lev 23 based upon the lunar calendar not the Gregorian solar calendar. The sliver of the new moon started the new month and set the appointed times and seasons in place.

Then Isaiah says we will worship the Lord and celebrate the Shabbat.

The Lord is going to reestablish His Moadim (appointed times and season as stated in Lev 23). He is also going to reestablish his Shabbat, (Sabbath). I could be missing the point, but it seems to me that these are critical enough to the Lord to make them an important issue in His millennial reign.

So it seems we should do some more investigation on the subject to determine if we are to find the real intended meaning, Nu!

So what else does the Word say about the subject?

The book of Zechariah chapter 14 presents a picture of the end times that is absolutely stunning. The detail in this picture adds to the understanding of what is to take place in the final days before and during the millennial reign. The only way to understand the fullness and scope of this passage is to read the entire chapter in context.

Zechariah 14

God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Foes

1Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!

It is pretty safe to say that this event has also not happened yet. All of the nations have not come against Jerusalem. This great final battle has yet to transpire and the Messiah has not split the Mount of Olives. So I feel pretty confident in assuming this is still a future event. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say—with all of the other Scriptures that are similar in declaration—it would be also safe to say that this is most likely referring to the battle of Armageddon.

We have to remember that the Lord does not speak in a linear chronology in the Scripture. Ancient Jewish writings show us that this was their typical style of writing. I believe it is because the Lord has His prophets write in such a manner that is indicative of His eternal nature. He does not live confined to the boundaries of time. Often in the Word it is hard to define the time line, because to the Lord, it is as it has already happened. The only way we can determine chronology is to know the language and also to see the other passages that are similar, so that we might be able to make comparisons in the time line.

So using this idea to get insight to the next passage, we see that the term “in that day” is not referring to the time when the Lord will split the Mount of Olives. It has to be a separate day in the future. The term “in that day” is used idiomatically throughout the Scripture to refer to the Day of the Lord. So “in that day” is an entirely separate time that is in the future.

In Zech 14 it is used 6 times alone to make the point that it is a specific day/period in the future when the Lord reigns.

6In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. 7For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.

8And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

God Will Be King over All

9And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.

This day in verse 6, above, is the day/period He is talking about, the day when the Lord will be king over all. We can confirm this because, if it just a literal singular day and we use the simple rules of western thought and chronology, then how could summer and winter in the above verse be represented by one day.

10 “All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.”

Here we see that the land south of Jerusalem will be made into a plain. This will be so that all who want to come will have easy access. But when we get there—to the actual city itself— we will have to ascend to it. It will be exalted. People will dwell in it in securely. No more war. Messiah is now in control.

12Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouth. 13It will come about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. 14Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. 15So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.

Now we again see a perfect example of Biblical chronology being different from ours. He refers back to the war that was spoken of in the earlier passages verses 1-3.

16Then 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. 17And 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. 18If 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. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

He is pretty emphatic in His expectations. The Lord mandates that each and every nation and family will go to Jerusalem from year to year, perpetually, and celebrate His holy feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). If they don’t go, there will be a severe penalty on the nations and families—drought. We will not celebrate Christmas, Easter, Lent, Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, St Valentine’s day, or any other Holiday/Hollowday.

20In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in the LORD’S house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.

Now this part gets real hard for the typical Christian to deal with, so please stay with me till the end and you will get the point, I promise.

If I am right and these passages are also speaking of the Millennial reign, I find it rather curious that during that time, as the above passage says, we will be bringing sacrifices to the Lord in His temple. The cooking pots are the actual utensils/dishes we will take before the Lord with the meat of our sacrifices. We will present them to the Levites, who will offer them to the Lord; then they will take the portion that is allotted to them and then give the priests their portion.

Numbers 4:5-7

5“When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. 7“Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it.

2Chronicles 35:10-14

10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while the priests sprinkled the blood received from their hand, the Levites skinned them. 12Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls. 13So they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled the holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people. 14Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

To sum it all up

Putting this altogether one last time, we can see a pattern in all of these Scriptures.

1.              The Lord is coming back to reign on the earth for 100 years.

2.              He will set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem.

3.              There will be peace.

4.              He will restore the Temple worship.

5.              His Holy days and Shabbat will be observed again.

6.              Those who do not do as He says concerning His Holy Days will face                          punishment.

7.              Nothing will resemble what we now know as the “Church”.

The point I want to emphasize here is that using the logic principle above these declarations/ principles/ordinances/celebrations given by the Lord are prophesied in His Tenach. We see them consistently being referenced in the Tenach. They are the events that will transpire in the end times. This is what the body of believers is going to look like. This is what the “Church” is going to look like. It is going to look just like the nation of Israel looked like in reference to their celebrations and ordinances. The appointed times and seasons of Lev 23 will be restored. Israel—the children of Abraham—will be brought back to their land. No “Christian” denomination will replace or usurp the natural-born children. The Gentiles will come along side of them and embrace the Biblical Hebrew roots of this Messianic faith. Ephesians 2 will finally be realized in its fullness.

11Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time separate from Moshiach, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without YHVH in the world. 13But now in Yeshua Hamashiach you, who formerly were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Moshiach. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16and might reconcile them both in one body to YHVH through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of YHVH’s household,

If the Gentile, who was at one time “excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without YHVH in the world,” is now brought in, then it only stands to reason they were not brought in to remake the family dynamic after their previous pagan practices, were they? Instead they were brought in to participate in the family that already functioned according to the Lord’s prescription.

If the end time kingdom is going to look like the kingdom established in the beginning with all of the Holy days and Temple services, then it only makes sense that the way it looks now is not according to the Lord’s idea, but the traditions of man.

It is obvious that there are some things that can’t be celebrated today because there is no Temple. Yet that does not give the believers the right to make up how they worship based on a pattern that imitates so many pagan rituals. We have all of these amazing Biblical celebrations that speak prophetically of the coming of Yeshua, yet we still prefer the Catholic substitutes, many of which were fashioned by Constantine.

Now I am only going to say this once, so please listen carefully. I am not saying that we celebrate these Holy days for salvation. DID YOU HEAR ME! Okay, now that we have that established, we can move on.

I am, however, saying that there is a very clear pattern that the Lord shows us as a foundational principle in the Tenach. This is the principle I spoke about at the top of this paper. That principle is that if something in the Tenach is stated as an everlasting, never-ending, or perpetual statute, ordinance, or principle in the First Covenant Scriptures, then this should affect how we interpret the New Covenant Scriptures.

If this is the way it all began and this is the way it is going to end, what makes us think that the way it is today is right? Especially with more than 38,000 different flavors of “Christianity” in the world with their own spin on everything.

As we look at the Tenach it is very clear that the Torah was established for the purpose of helping the children of Israel walk in a covenant relationship with the Lord, so that they could fulfill their role as being a light to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 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,

Isaiah 49

6      He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

      To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

      I will also make You a light of the nations

      So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

It is also clear the rest of the Tenach, especially the Prophets, are dedicated to the point that the nation forgot this and needed to be reminded to come back to His Torah.

Hosea 8:12

11      Since Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin,

      They have become altars of sinning for him.

12      Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law,

      They are regarded as a strange thing.

13      As for My sacrificial gifts,

      They sacrifice the flesh and eat it,   

       But the LORD has taken no delight in them.

      Now He will remember their iniquity,

      And punish them for their sins;

Malachi 4

4“Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

Ezekiel 22

23And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 24“Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. 26“Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Jeremiah 44

9“Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10“But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”’

Jeremiah 16

10“Now when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘For what reason has the LORD declared all this great calamity against us? And what is our iniquity, or what is our sin which we have committed against the LORD our God?’ 11“Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your forefathers have forsaken Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and have followed other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. 12‘You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me.

Isaiah 51

4      “Pay attention to Me, O My people,

      And give ear to Me, O My nation;

      For a law will go forth from Me,

      And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.

5      “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,

      And My arms will judge the peoples;

      The coastlands will wait for Me,

      And for My arm they will wait expectantly.

Now these are but a few examples of the many, too many to mention, Scriptures that reflect this idea of Israel being rebuked for their refusal to obey His Law. Now why would the Lord spend all that time establishing His law as a principle for His people and as a light unto the Gentiles just to abandon it in the New Covenant? Was it so it could be replaced by a new and improved version known by so many as “Christianity”? If I remember correctly, it was the Lord Himself who said in Mathew…

Mathew 5

17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

We must remember there was no “New Testament” written at that time to refer to. The only thing they had was the Tenach. This is how Timothy was able to know how to have salvation exclusively in Yeshua.

2 Timothy 3

14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Tenach) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Moshiach Yeshua.

If we keep and teach these commandments, is that not a contradiction to the way most of the “Church” relates to the Law? I would say it is safe to conclude that Yeshua said something in this one passage alone that should challenge Christianity to its core in how they celebrate their faith. I would go so far as to say that, when we look at the way the Kingdom and body of believers are going to look like in the end, we can see that there will be no resemblance whatsoever in any way, shape, or form to what it looks like today. It will not exist in the form as we know it, Selah.

I wanted to take this time to wish you a hearty St. Valentine’s Day and what a day it is. During this time we celebrate Hallmark in all of its glory. Chocolatiers (makers of chocolate) are truly enjoying the fruits of their labor. Candy hearts are beating across the land and flower sales are keeping bees busy from coast to coast.

Not to mention that when we celebrate this day we get to rehears the time honored history of the feast of Lupercalia. What a joy it was for the Romans during the time when the holiday was celebrated according to its original intent.

According to an article published by by Arnie Seipelby of NPR on February 13, 2011.

“From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.

The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile.

The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, coupled up for the duration of the festival – or longer, if the match was right.”

Oh the joys of Lupercalia, the time when we honor the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Let’s not forget that cute little Cupid. According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid was known to cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his magical arrows.

And to think, we have not only kept it all alive until today. We have actually brought it into the “Church”.

The article above also states…”Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."

I find it comforting to know that the “Church” has done well by sprinkling holy water on pagan rituals and redeeming then for the Lord. I only wish the Lord would get in step with the “Church” It is very disheartening to me when I read passages like…

Hos 2:17 "For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.

Exo 23:13 "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.

Deu 18:9 "When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.

It just does not make any sense. After all these passages are from the “Old Testament” and every “Christian” knows that these verses don’t apply to the “Church”, or do they.

Ok enough tongue in cheek already, here is my gripe. I find it rather ironic that churches all over the country will spend time, energy and money having a sweet heart Valentine’s Day banquet every year, yet not even a fraction of these “Churches” would ever consider putting that time into hosting the Biblical feast of Passover, let alone any other Biblical feast. Am I misled, am I legalistic, uninformed or am I speaking the truth?

Is the “Church” that blind that they cannot see how ludicrous this practice is? It is time for those who call themselves believers in the Messiah of Israel to act like it. Until the “Church” abandons the paganism that has crept in and gets back to a Biblical model they will always be powerless in their ability to preach the fullness of the Gospel.

With all of that being said I would like to wish everyone a happy feast of Lupercalia.

Shalom uvracha b'Yeshua (Peace and blessings in Yeshua) Rabbi Henry

THE WAR ON THE TORAH

Many sincere and well-meaning people have made the decision to get on board with the “War On Christmas.” Yet I find it rather disheartening that the very same people who call themselves “Christians” do nothing to fight the war waged against His Holy Word.

This is a latent yet very active “passive aggressive” war against keeping and applying the Torah in the lives of believers. The word Torah which is often translated “Law,” really means instruction. So my question to you would be which part of His instructions are we free from and when did this happen?

Isaiah 40
8      The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our Elohim stands forever.

From the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

Forever = ‛ôlâm

properly concealed, that is, the vanishing point; generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity; frequentative adverbially (especially with prepositional prefix) always:—always (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+ without end).

What part of forever is not understood?

Remember, Isaiah didn’t have a pocket New Testament at his disposal. This Word Isaiah is speaking about is His Torah.

Some might try to use the argument that it does not matter what day He (Yeshua) was born; we are redeeming the day.  Again my answer to them would be, give me a Scriptural mandate that shows we can redeem pagan things for the Lord? I see quite the opposite in Scripture.

Deuteronomy 7:25
22“The LORD your Elohim will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. 23“But the LORD your Elohim will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24“He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. 25“The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your Elohim. 26“You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.

Have we in the name of grace desired the detestable things?

I know right from the get-go I am going to solicit a negative response from many of you. But hear me out and I promise this little blog will get you thinking. If after you read this note you are still convinced I am full of hokum, hit the delete button and ask me to take you off my list. Is that a deal?

I would like to start with a very simple concept as my premise. The rest of the blog will be devoted to the defense of the premise.

The “war against Christmas” is just a smoke screen perpetuated by Satan himself. This war is waged for the purpose of keeping believers from fighting the real war, that is the war against the Word of the Lord. If you can argue against this point Biblically, I will listen to all opposing views. If not, then stop thinking of all of the traditional reasons why it is okay to celebrate a holiday steeped in pagan practice and roots.

So where did Christmas come from?

The truth is that all of the customs of Christmas pre-date the birth of Yeshua, and a study of this would reveal that Christmas in our day is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations. The date of December 25 comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god. This was done long before the birth of Yeshua.

It was noted by the pre-Christian Romans and other pagans that daylight began to increase after December 22, when they assumed that the sun god died. These ancients believed that the sun god rose from the dead three days later as the new-born and venerable sun. Thus, they figured that to be the reason for increasing daylight. This was a cause for much wild excitement and celebration. Gift giving and merriment filled the temples of ancient Rome, as sacred priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession.

In Germany, the evergreen tree was used in worship and celebration of the yule god, also in observance of the resurrected sun god. The evergreen tree was a symbol of the essence of life and was regarded as a phallic symbol in fertility worship. Witches and other pagans regarded the red holly as a symbol of the menstrual blood of the queen of heaven, also known as Diana. The holly wood was used by witches to make wands. The white berries of mistletoe were believed by pagans to represent droplets of the semen of the sun god. Both holly and mistletoe were hung in doorways of temples and homes to invoke powers of fertility in those who stood beneath and kissed, causing the spirits of the god and goddess to enter them.

These customs transcended the borders of Rome and Germany to the far reaches of the known world. 

So what’s my point?

When we look at the Word of the Lord and its development, we find that the first five books of Moses, the Torah, are written as an instruction manual for the children of Israel.

Genesis tells us of the creation of the world and it’s fall from the Lord. The rest of the Torah sets the stage to prepare us to receive the Lord’s plan of redemption. In Genesis 12, we have the creation of the Hebrew people through the seed of Abraham, the covenant people the Lord will use to bring forth that plan of redemption.

In Genesis 21, Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah.  In Genesis 25, Jacob is born, and from Jacob came the 12 sons who were to be the 12 tribes of Israel. In Genesis 37, we see the miracle birth of Joseph, the son of his old age.

Through the life of Joseph we witness the salvation of both the sons of Israel and the Egyptians indicating the Lord’s desire to save both Jew and Gentile.

Finally, last but not least, we see the hand of the Lord in the man Moses (Exodus  chapter 2). From Moses the Lord established the 12 sons of Israel into a cohesive people group. This was the birth of the nation of Israel. They were now more than just a scattered, loosely-connected group of people who were related through Abraham.

The Lord, through Moses, gave them the Torah in Exodus 20. This was their constitution. They were to live by it and serve the Lord by it. This Torah would give them all that they needed to become the people of the Lord. Through this Torah they would realize the love of the Lord, not only for them but for all mankind.

Moses Interceded, Deut 5
22“These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23“And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24“You said, ‘Behold, the LORD our Elohim has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that Elohim speaks with man, yet he lives. 25‘Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our Elohim any longer, then we will die. 26‘For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27‘Go near and hear all that the LORD our Elohim says; then speak to us all that the LORD our Elohim speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.’

28“The LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! 30‘Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31‘But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.’ 32“So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your Elohim has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33“You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your Elohim has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.

The children of Israel were instructed to not turn aside to the right or the left. There was to be no change in the Lord’s Word in the slightest. Yet, they would not obey, even though the instructions were spelled out in perfect detail. The Lord was faithful in telling them the penalty for disobedience. He made no bones about it.

In Deut 28 the Lord spells out the consequences of their disobedience:

15“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your Elohim, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.”

Read the rest of this chapter the curses are not pleasant to say the least.

It was not the desire or intent of the Lord to punish His people. His desire was to bless them. His instructions were given that they might have a fullness of life, joy, and prosperity.

Deut 30 Restoration Promised
1“So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your Elohim has banished you, 2and you return to the LORD your Elohim and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3then the LORD your Elohim will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your Elohim has scattered you. 4“If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your Elohim will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5“The LORD your Elohim will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

Oy! If they had only kept His word, what a different life we would lead today.

The entire rest of the First Covenant Scriptures are, in some way, a reminder to the Children of Israel to come back to His Word, His instructions, His Torah.

The book of Judges deals with the constant disobedience of His children. They are to conquer the land and stay separate from the paganism of the people who dwell there. I can sum the book up in a few short sentences. Israel continued sinning against the Lord. They refused to keep His Torah. He delivered them into the hands of their enemies. They repented and the Lord sent them a judge to deliver them and keep them on the straight and narrow.

Apart from the role of the Judges, the rest of the Scripture really seems to follow this pattern to the tee. Time does not permit me to cover every book in the Bible – I would be here until next Hanukah. I would like to refer to a few more passages to make my point.

Concerning the Passover He says…

Exodus 12
43The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no ◙ foreigner is to eat of it; 44but every man’s slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. 45“A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. 46“It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. 47“All the congregation of Israel are to celebrate this. 48“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. 49“The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you.”

The Passover was given as a perpetual event to happen in all of our dwellings.
 
Exodus 12
14‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.

Zech 14
16Then 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. 17And 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. 18If 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. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

20In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in that day.

In the Millennium all men will celebrate the Holy day of Sukkot. There will be sacrifices of praise in the Temple built in Jerusalem.

We will also serve the Lord in His holy temple according to His Word, His Torah will be restored and put in our hearts.

Isaiah 2
2     Now it will come about that
      In the last days
      The mountain of the house of the LORD
      Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
      And will be raised above the hills;
      And all the nations will stream to it.
3     And many peoples will come and say,
      “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
      To the house of the Elohim of Jacob;
      That He may teach us concerning His ways
      And that we may walk in His paths.”
      For the law will go forth from Zion
      And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4     And He will judge between the nations,
      And will render decisions for many peoples;
      And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning       hooks.
      Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
      And never again will they learn war.

What might this law be if it is not His Torah? What could Isaiah possibly be thinking of?

Micah chapter four echoes the same sentiment almost verbatim.

So based upon all of this Scriptural evidence, the Lord really put a lot of attention into this Torah-keeping thingy. Taking into consideration that there were curses for those who refused to keep His instructions, I might safely conclude that this was not a casual topic on the Lord’s mind.

Yet, with that being said, why is it that so many “Christians” refuse to acknowledge the Torah as valid for today? Why is there a need to replace that which is Biblical for that which is contrived, made up from pagan roots. I might conclude from this short study that it is because “Christianity” is guilty of the same sins that Israel was guilty of.

I would even go as far as saying that many who do acknowledge the validity of the Torah in the lives of the Gentile believers still struggle with putting off the foolish traditions of men that have usurped the Scripture.

Jeremiah said it best in chapter 5:
11    “For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
        Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the LORD.
12    They have lied about the LORD
         and in verse 31…
31    The prophets prophesy falsely,
         And the priests rule on their own authority;
        And My people love it so!
        But what will you do at the end of it?

It is time for the “Church” to stop lying to itself and others. It is time for the Word to take prominence over the failed traditions of men. It is time for the war against His Torah to stop from within by the very people who profess to follow Him. Consider His Word.

Jeremiah 10 A Satire on Idolatry
1Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2Thus 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 wrote this article in response to what has transpired in the UN last week. For those of you who don’t know, the UN has granted non-voting member status to the “Palestinians.” This was a unilateral move by the UN to push for the creation of a “Palestinian” State on the Land of Israel.

Since the beginning HaSatan (Satan) has done everything in his power to destroy the Lord’s plan to bring salvation to the earth. He first decided to pollute mankind and drive him away from the Lord in the garden. From there it was downhill for humanity all the way.

1.     Cain kills his brother Abel, Gen 4.

2.     Mankind is corrupted and destroyed in the flood, Gen 6-8.

3.     The Tower of Babel, Gen 9.

4.     Then in Gen 12 we see that the Lord creates for Himself a people from the                 seed of Abraham.

The creation of the nation of Israel has always been a thorn in the side of Lucifer. From them come the promises to redeem the world. From the nation of Israel, in spite of all of their sin, the Lord has been faithful to bring forth the prophets who would foretell of the one to come who would fulfill this plan.

Is. 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,

7    To open blind eyes,

        To bring out prisoners from the dungeon

And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”

This is the crux of the problem when it comes to the Israeli “Palestinian” conflict.

Need I remind anyone that, for centuries, the Jews have been persecuted by those who called themselves “Christians” in the name of “Christ”. They have been the most persecuted reviled people on the face of the earth throughout history.

They were persecuted as far back as Moses. They have had to fight for their survival since day one of their existence, not to mention the things they brought upon themselves by their own sins. Yes, Satan has done everything he can do to wipe them off the face of this planet. Yet, not only do they continue to survive, they prosper against all odds.

Twice, after their displacement, they have come back to the land as the same people with the same language. This was unprecedented in the world until accomplished by the Lord through Israel.

They were threatened by all of their neighbors with the threat of annihilation or assimilation. They have gone into captivity and have been scattered from their land multiple times by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims and others until their connection to the land was only a dream.

Around the world they were hated and persecuted by the Roman Catholics, Spanish, Russians, French, English, Germans and many many more.

So, when HaSatan realized he could not win using this strategy, he changed his battle plan. He decided to craft a people group totally made up out of thin air and he named them after the Philistines the enemies of Israel. He called them, in our modern tongue, Palestinians, a name made up by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 130 AD. This name was given to them by Hadrian to disassociate any connection the Jews had with the land.

Satan was patient until the time was ripe. (Back then he had plenty of time on his hands.) So when it was strategic to do so he used the Philistine “wannabees” to enter the land from all over the Middle East and had them claim to be the real ancient indigenous people of the land. Then they asserted that they were the ones who have suffered under the hands of the evil oppressive imperialist Zionist dogs. Somehow the oppressed became the oppressors in their own land, and the world swallowed it hook line and sinker. To make matters worse some of the Jews started believing the propaganda themselves.

The Jews felt guilty for these “poor oppressed people” so they gave them concessions by offering them a two-state solution in their own land. This was like offering a room in your house to a sex offender and asking him to be good with your beautiful daughters. After all, as long as he promised to be good he could stay in the room. But once the sex offender is let in, as long as he is there, he is going to want to defile your daughters. But I guess it is all right as long as the police know he is there, what could happen?

We all know that the UN is a just and equitable organization looking after the good of all nations. Right! Hey give the Philistine wannabees a little land and they will be satisfied. Then there will be peace. After all, they have shown themselves to be a peaceful people, right? NOT!!

Once a camel gets his nose under the tent, he wants in. Once he gets in I promise he is going to wreck the place. The problem is that all the world can see is the Jews trying to get the camel out of the tent, and all that they can say is…”be nice to the camel, he’s just a poor animal.” They should have kept their tent tied down. They should have seen from the camels’ past behavior that they don’t belong in a tent.  I must admit this plan of Satan has proven to be one of his most effective to date.

Sorry to say in the eyes of the world today that which is good is declared evil and that which is evil is declared good. So it is time for the body to see this for what it is. This is a spiritual plot to emasculate the Lord of Life, Yeshua, and His people of promise. Satan might have won another battle in this arena, but the war is not over. I cheated – I read the back of the book.

Today, then, let me remind you of some of those promises that the Lord has made to Israel. These promises are not only for their benefit but for the benefit of the world.

The Lord has a plan for the Children of Israel.

The Lord has a plan for the future of Abraham’s children, and He has laid out that plan in a very clear and concise way. This plan has been articulated in the Word, and shows the deep connection between Israel and the rest of the world. I have provided the address and a brief description of the verses. I do hope you will look up each verse and read the entire passage.

2 Sam. 7:22             The Lord has established Israel as His people forever.

Jer. 10:14-16             Israel is the tribe of His inheritance.

Joel 2:18-27            The Lord will be zealous for His land.

Joel 3:1-21             The nations will be judged; Israel will be restored.

Jer.  31:35-36            The descendants of Israel will never cease to be a nation before the Lord.

Is. 62:6-7            YHVH will establish Jerusalem as the most praised place in all the earth.

All of these promises are for the benefit of the world, not just Israel. For it is through these promises that the Lord established a people for His glory to be spread out to the entire world.

Although Israel displaced the seven ungodly, immoral Canaanite nations to take their Lord-given inheritance of their land, the countries surrounding Israel did not give up the portions of their own land for the establishment of Israel. This land is part of Israel’s divine appointed inheritance. The Lord gave them this land, and to the rest of the nations, He apportioned land in conjunction with the borders of Israel.

Deut. 32:8,9 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For Jehovah's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

Josh. 14:1  Now these are the territories which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned to them for an inheritance,

Josh. 23:1-5  Now it came about after many days, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years. "And you have seen all that the LORD your G-d has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your G-d is He who has been fighting for you. "See, I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun. "The LORD your G-d, 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 G-d promised you.

Ps. 78:55 He also drove out the nations before them and apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, and made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

This is why Israel is so unique in its creation. They were made by the hand of the Lord Himself. He is their Creator, and He is the one who can and will maintain them according to His word. Israel is the family into which the Lord wants to adopt the Gentiles. If you are a non-Jew, be grateful that he sought you out, and did this all for you. The Lord wants to fulfill His original intent and reconcile the entire world back unto Himself. Israel is His tool and time-piece that He uses to accomplish this, whether anyone else likes it or not. That includes the world of Islam or the United Nations.

The Jewish context of the Gospel is not just an element that adds color and flavor to the message; it is the message. Israel is not just another nation among the other nations, it is the Lord’s. Threaten their existence as a people and you are acting as an enemy of the Lord. Speaking of Jerusalem in the context of the passage, the Lord says…

Zec 2:8  For thus says the LORD of hosts, "After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

I’ll tell you one thing that I know for sure, I wouldn’t want to be the one poking the Lord in the eye.

I have avoided writing this blog ever since Governor Mitt Romney became the Republican candidate for the presidency. I am not a fan of politics. The way the process is conducted leaves quite a bit to be desired. I find that there are very few politicians that are truly public servants. Most are in the business of politics— not the business of public service. As a matter of fact, I have developed my own definition of politics and it goes like this: Politics… Poli = multiple Ticks = blood sucking insects, i.e., multiple blood suckers.

This country will never recover unless the men in public service understand that their role is to serve the people of this nation.  I don’t look for that to happen anytime soon or ever for that matter.

So here are my thoughts—solicited or not— on this year’s election. I would very briefly like to say that I believe that President Obama should be indicted for treason for betraying his oath to the United States Constitution.  Since this is off my chest I will wait patiently for the secret service to knock on my door. Now let’s move on to Governor Romney.

I have studied Mormonism fairly extensively over the years and I have concluded a number of things regarding that study. So I would like to share with you a little bit of that research. As nice of a guy as Governor Mitt Romney might be he is still a Mormon through and through. Just as the President has favored Islam and not Israel or the US Constitution, I believe that Governor Romney will do the same with his devotion to Mormonism.

Call me naïve but what scares the living creepies out of me is the fact that so many “Evangelical Christians” have embraced Governor Romney calling him a “Christian” or a “God fearing” man. There seems to be an underlying non-stated sentiment that a President Romney would lead this country back to its “Christian roots.”

My question to those sadly deceived brethren is, since when did the faith of the Mormons have anything to do with Biblical faith? So let us review some of the basic tenants of Mormonism for your enlightenment.

1.            Mormons believe that their “god” created multiple, inhabited worlds populated by people. They also believe that multiple “gods” exist and each has their own universe. They are only subject to “their god” and if they obtain the highest level of heaven they can become “gods” themselves and have their own world and universe.

(D&C refers to the Mormon book called Doctrine and Covenants.)

D&C 76: 24
24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

2.            In LDS doctrine there are three heavens: the Celestial Kingdom, Terrestrial Kingdom, and Telestial Kingdom. Don’t ask me where the Telestial kingdom is. I guess that is where they make tea. The Celestial is the highest, where their “god” and the ones who followed his law reside. The Telestial is the middle, where people who followed the Law of Moses reside. The Terrestrial is the lowest, where the ones who followed carnal law reside.

D&C 76: 94-98
94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
96 And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one.
97 And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.
98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;

D&C 131: 1-5
1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

3.            The LDS religion believes that their “god”, their version of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are separate individual beings. They also believe that their “god”, Jesus and resurrected beings have bodies of “flesh and bone.”

D&C 130: 22-23
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

4.            The Mormons also believe that their “god” was a man who became a “god”. He inherited his own world and universe.

Lorenzo Snow (April 3, 1814 – October 10, 1901) the fifth president of the LDS church declared in June 1840.

"As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."

5.            The LDS “church” privately instituted polygamy endorsed by its founder Joseph Smith beginning in the 1830s. The “church” publically practiced polygamy from 1852 until 1890 when the “church” president, Wilford Woodruff, issued a Manifesto that officially terminated the practice of polygamy. Coincidently the US government declared it to be illegal around that time.

Yet the 1835 and 1844 versions of Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) prohibited polygamy and declared that monogamy was the only acceptable form of marriage:

“In as much as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.”  Doctrine and Covenants, section 101, page 251, 1835 edition.

According to historian Todd M. Compton, it was documented that Joseph Smith had at least 33 plural marriages or “sealings” during his lifetime. That number is disputed.

The LDS “church” still practices the rite known as “sealing” (which is a Mormon priesthood ordinance that binds individuals together in the eternities) these are heavenly marriages to multiple wives sealed in heaven. This is done so that in the celestial kingdom Mormons who have risen to the place of “godhood” may have heavenly babies to populate the worlds they create. This is why marriage is so important to Mormonism.

6.            In the LDS religion any worthy male can be given the priesthood and is given specific duties. Black people were not allowed to have the priesthood until 1978. Females are not allowed to have the priesthood.

Official Declaration – 2, 1978
Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.

Those who were withheld were the black people.

7.            Mormons believe that their version of “Jesus” is the brother of Lucifer.

Mormon “Apostle” James Talmage:

"Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth, tabernacled as He then was in mortal flesh, may not have remembered His preexistent state, nor the part He had taken in the great council of the gods; while Satan, an unembodied spirit—he the disinherited, the rebellious and rejected son—seeking to tempt the Being through whom the world was created by promising Him part of what was wholly His, still may have had, as indeed he may yet have, a remembrance of those primeval scenes." (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p.132)

Mormon “Apostle” John A. Widtsoe:

"The story of Lucifer is the most terrible example of such apostasy. Lucifer, son of the morning, through diligent search for truth and the use of it, had become one of the foremost in the assembly of those invited to undertake the experiences of earth. But, in that Great Council, his personal ambition and love of power overcame him. He pitted his own plan and will against the purposes of “god”. He strove to gain the birthright of his Elder Brother, Jesus the Christ" (John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.209). 

12th Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Long before you were born a program was developed by your creators ... The principal personalities in this great drama were a Father Elohim, perfect in wisdom, judgment, and person, and two sons, Lucifer and Jehovah." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 32-33).

“In the wilderness of Judaea, on the temple’s pinnacles and on the high mountain, a momentous contest took place between two brothers, Jehovah and Lucifer, sons of Elohim… Satan, also a son of God, had rebelled and had been cast out of heaven and not permitted an earthly body as had his brother Jehovah. Much depended upon the outcome of this spectacular duel” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.34).

John Henry Evans, a highly respected Mormon author, noted:

"As for the devil and his fellow spirits, they are brothers to man and also to Jesus and sons and daughters of God in the same sense that we are." (John Henry Evans, Joseph Smith: An American Prophet, p. 341)

When Mormons use the word Jehovah they are referring to their version of Jesus.

8.            The LDS “church” believes that the new Promised Land is America and that the New Jerusalem will be located in Independence MO as well as the US

Constitution being an inspired document equal to the Bible.

Here are some quotes from Ezra Taft Benson the 13th president of the LDS “church” from 1985–1994.

“I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.”

“I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith….It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church-among others-men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.”

“We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City).

“Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future. The Lord said,” “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6).

The tenth Article of Faith of the Church states, "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion [the New Jerusalem] will be built upon the American continent."

Zion refers to a specific location to which members of the millennial church are to be gathered together to live. Stipulated by what is believed by the Latter-day Saints to be the revelation of Joseph Smith, Jr. (D&C 57:1-5), this is said to be located in Jackson County, Missouri and its county seat, the city of Independence Missouri

The gist of the matter is that the “god” of the Mormons, who was at one time a man of flesh and bone, planned America so the gospel of the Mormon Church could be restored?

9.            The Book of Mormon is a book considered to be the LDS scripture recording a contrived history that happened simultaneously as the Bible and takes place on the American continent. It follows the stories of two tribes who descended from the family of an ancient fictitious Hebrew man named Lehi. After their “Jesus” resurrection LDS people believe He visited the peoples of the Americas and preached the Gospel to the indigenous people who were descendants of these ancient Hebrew people who came across the ocean to a new promised land.

10.            The Mormons believe that the book of Mormon is the most “correct book” on the earth.

These are the very words which Joseph Smith said regarding The Book of Mormon.

"I told the brethren, [the twelve Apostles] that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book of any on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." JSHC 7 Vol., 4:461

11.             The LDS “church” believes that they are the new chosen people who have replaced Israel.

Mormons believe they are direct descendants of the “House of Joseph.”  Some say they are the lost tribe of Israel—either through descendants of the Tribe of Manasseh and the Tribe of Ephraim who migrated to America, or else through the Tribe of Judah who came to America after defeat at the hands of the Babylonians (fall of first Temple, 586 BCE).

Conclusion

This is a lot to digest in a very short time; but, the reason I wrote this blog was to  make the point that politics is not the answer to anyone’s problems—especially the true believer. As both men are flawed, neither Mitt Romney nor Barack Obama has the answer. They will not lead this country in a direction that is Biblical or right. Both candidates have agendas that are frightening and could very easily lead us down a road of deception that is steeped in an anti-Messiah message. Many will be deceived as many have already been.

I am not saying that we should abdicate our civic obligations. What I am saying is that we who call upon the Lord need to keep our eyes open. We need to know the signs of the times and not be lead astray. If the birth pangs described in Mt 24 apply to these times we are living in then the Lord help us all because it is going to get a hell of a lot worse.

I have never before, in my lifetime, witnessed the numerous hits the USA has taken since Sept 11th 2001. Among never ending wars, natural disasters and political turmoil, it just seems like we should—by now—be learning our lesson. If this country does not repent from its sin, I am afraid many more innocent people will suffer.

The hand of the Lord’s judgment is coming upon this country. The leadership promotes corruption and, as a result, sin runs as a free-for-all. On the other hand, most religious leaders ignore the times and continue to preach a flowery and mistaken message. Consequently, the true meaning of the Word of the Lord is discounted in favor of their heretical sermons. This neglect has opened the door for science to become the Lord of Life.

This is what the Word says about the end times.

1Ti 4:1  But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

1Ti 4:2  by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

2Ti 3:1  But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2Ti 3:2  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

2Ti 3:4  treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2Ti 3:5  holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

The Scriptures are true, and they detail the events of the last days. We must then conclude that what we see happening before our eyes in this year’s election very well could be the end-time Scriptural fulfillment.

In conclusion, let’s not be deceived by anyone. Satan has been trying for centuries to inaugurate, his man, the Anti-Messiah. The Lord, however, is not going to let that happen until He decides it’s time. It appears that Governor Mitt Romney and President Barak Obama could very well foreshadow the dreaded and long anticipated Anti-Messiah. One poses his policies from both sides of his mouth. Lying and covering it up all the way. The other presents his proposals using evangelical, ecumenical buzz words so that he sounds like a believer. Nevertheless, both doctrines are Satanic.

I reiterate form above, I am not telling you not to perform your civic duty just don’t be deceived to think it is going to change anything. The Lord really does have things in control and when it is time for the end to come there is nothing we can do to change it. No matter how hard we believe that revival is coming I am afraid it is not consistent with the great falling away that will happen in the end time.

The only things we can do is pray and preach the truth of His word like tomorrow is not coming.

Mat 24:9  "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Mat 24:10  "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

Mat 24:11  "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

Mat 24:12  "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.

Mat 24:13  "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

It doesn’t sound too promising does it? Well, if you love the Lord then you can’t wait for that day. No political candidate or system is going to bring any real hope or change, just a lot of unfulfilled promises. 

Some would say voting for Romney is the lesser of two evils. My answer to them would be, Hitler or Mussolini, hmmm, hard choice to make. I realize this is an extreme example and I am not calling either of these men Hitler or Mussolini. But the point is still the same. One last thought. When the anti-Messiah comes, remember there is going to be three and one-half half years of prosperity. Is this what we are willing to settle for, a bowl of pottage (lentil stew) like Esau? Keep your eyes open brothers and sisters and don’t be deceived by pottage.

Shalom uvracha b’Yeshua Rabbi Henry

I want to take this time and share with you my thoughts on some very important world events that have transpired in the last few months.

I am sure you are media blitzed like everyone else and I will do my best to keep this short. We are all aware of what has happened in Israel recently. The withdrawal in the Gaza and soon to be the West Bank has captured world attention and various opinions from every different political and religious angle. The problem I find in most of these opinions is that few of them are based on Biblical or historical facts. Though many people present themselves as authorities few really speak with any sense of accuracy that can be verified. I would like to approach this issue from the historical aspect and then the Biblical basis for my argument.

The accepted premise among many is that the Palestinians should have the right to govern themselves in the land that they have occupied for centuries. They present themselves as the ancient people who have been in the land from the beginning and are now under occupation by the Zionist oppressors. Very few know this but there are no such people historically, ethnically or otherwise known as Palestinians. The word Palestine came into existence when in 132 AD, after putting down the second Jewish revolt, the Emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem into a Roman city naming it after his family name, Aelia Capitolonia. He also changed the name of Judea, Samaria and Galilee to "Syria Palestina". This ascribed to the land a name connected to Israel's archenemies the Philistines. Both of these acts were done to erase the connection of Israel and Jerusalem from the Jewish people. This name has stuck with the land from that time hence. It has since been anglicized into the name Palestine. The Philistines no longer exist as a people. I dare any Arab to trace his ancestry back to the Philistines. I was under the impression that they traced their line back to Abraham through Ishmael. They can't have it both ways. They are either children of Abraham or Philistines. Please understand that I am giving you information that can be backed up in any local library.

Concerning the issue of there being an ancient people named Palestinians who have occupied the land for centuries, this is just a bold faced lie. All one must do is look at the historical record of the region by various writers and historians. One said writer "Mark Twain" reported in his Journal during his visit to "Palestine" in 1867, "It is a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds - a silent mournful expanse. We never saw a human being on the whole route. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil had almost deserted the country." (The Innocents Abroad).

The report of the Palestine Royal Commission quotes an account of the Coastal Plain 1913:

"The road leading from Gaza to the north was only a summer track suitable for transport by camels and carts. no orange groves, orchards or vineyards were to be seen until one reaches Yavne village. Houses were all of mud. Schools did not exist. The western part, towards the sea was almost a desert. The villages in this area were few and thinly populated. many villages were deserted by their inhabitants." The French author Voltaire described "Palestine" as, "a hopeless, dreary place."

These writers must have been reporting on the state of the barren land and the poor oppressed "Palestinian" indigenous people under the oppression of the Zionist occupiers. HELLO! The period of time between 1516 and 1917 was under the rule of the Moslems. This was known as the Turkish rule. During this 400 year rule the land was sparsely populated, poorly cultivated, and widely neglected. This was the case because when the Jews were thrown out of Israel under Hadrian's rule the land was neglected for the next 2000 years until 1918 when under British rule Lord Balfour declared that Israel should be a home land for the Jews. It was at that time when Jews returned to the land they made the desert bloom.

Isa 51:3 For Jehovah shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

It wasn't until the Jews came back to their homeland and made it habitable, cultivated the land and brought industry and infrastructure to Israel that the so called "ancient Palestinians" wanted anything to do with this land. The word "Palestinian" that we use to describe these people today before 1919 referred to any one who lived in the land at that time, this was Jews and Arabs. After 1919 "Palestine" was considered that portion of land in the Middle East that was designated for the Jewish people as a homeland. This homeland included what we know today as Jordan east of the river and Israel west of the river. The Jewish presence in Israel has been for 3000 years. Islam has only been in in existence since approximately 600 AD. The Palestinian Arabs as we know them today have only been around since the time Jews started coming back to their land in the late 1800s and early 1900s under the leadership of Theodore Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.

Modern "Palestine" was created by the League of Nations. There were no preexisting people known as Palestinians. There were the Jews and the few left over nomads that were unfortunate enough to be stuck there during the Turkish rule which lasted from 1516 to 1917.

When Jews stated moving back to the Land in the 1880s they purchased land from absentee Arab landlords who lived in Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. The price paid for this land was at an exorbitant rate of $1000.00 an acre. The land at the time was either malaria infested swamps or barren deserts. In contrast rich black soil in Iowa was selling for $110.00 an acre that same year, as stated by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture.

What we need to keep in mind is that the entire Near East was carved up by the nations that were in control at various and sundry times. Countries were made and dissolved as a result of the political needs of the ruling powers. This certainly was the case when in 1948 the land that was promised to Israel was whittled down to 17.5 % of the original land promised to them when "Palestine" was designated as their homeland. In 1946 Jordan was created and the land Known as Palestine was now artificially reassigned to mean the land west of the Jordan River. This is illustrated in the diagram above. Where was world outcry then when the poor Palestinian Jews were loosing their land to the imperialistic Arab Muslims?

On May 14th 1948, when Israel was declared a nation by the UN, it shrunk even more when the West bank and Gaza Strip were declared a separate Palestinian State. Each time Israel was being carved up the Jews accepted the land that was given them. Each time the Arabs got more land they demanded more. In 1949 King Hussein, who is a Saudi Arabian, ignored the UN partition and annexed the west bank to Jordan. May I remind you that Jordan was in the original boundaries of land that was promised to Israel as a homeland in 1919 under the British mandate. Why is it that promises to Israel mean nothing and can be broken at a whim without world outcry? Why is it that Muslim/Arabs can make demands that are not reasonable and get away with it while committing terrorist activities all in the name of the Palestinian cause, a cause that they have invented?

So where did all of the Palestinians come from? We must remember that the land was barren until the Jews came back and reclaimed it. The Jews are presently 1/10 of 1 percent of the worlds population. We are just not that large of a people group. There are approximately 1 billion Muslims. When the land became livable again, after the Jews repopulated, the Turks and then the British restricted Jewish immigration to the land even during WWII. Yet, to appease the Arabs they allowed unrestricted immigration from the neighboring Arab countries. This is information that is found in the 1939 British White Paper. You can find out about this I am sure at any Library.

I find it rather odd that the "Palestinians" continue to make demands that are not reasonable, practical, Biblical or historically defended. Yet, the world and some in the church continue, in their ignorance, to cow tow to them. This is all done in the name of the poor oppressed people who just want to have their own land, a land that does not belong to them, but nonetheless their own land. I find it also odd that when they were offered the very same land they are demanding now during the UN partition in 1948 they refused it. My question to them would be, what is their motivation? Do they really want the land or are they more interested in the destruction of the Jews.

Don't the Jews have the right to have a land of their own? They are a people who have struggled under every form of persecution known to man for more than 2000 years. The world still wants to do everything in their power to keep them from that small little strip of land about the size of New Jersey. The Muslims have enough land collectively to make up a country the size of the USA including Alaska and Hawaii and 1/3 of Canada. Don't they have enough land to absorb these "Palestinians"?

Since it's modern inception Israel has had to fight for it's very existence. During WWII 1/3 of all Jews were wiped off the face of this planet. They have constantly been on the defensive for their very survival as a people. In the year 1941 the Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini met with Adolph Hitler, Heinrich Himmler and Joachim Von Ribbentrop to convince them to extend their Jewish annihilation program to the Middle East. The Mufti was the most authoritative spokesman for the Arab world in his day. Given the repeated history of their enemies can you blame them for not trusting the Arabs word?

The day after Israel's independence, May 14th 1948, every bordering Arab nation sent troops to join with the Jordanian forces in a war of aggression against this fledgling state. They descended upon the "Zionist imperialists" to "Push them into the sea" They were outnumbered by 100 to 1. Israel, which had virtually no heavy artillery, no tanks, and only four decrepit airplanes, had to defend itself against Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq! That's 600,000 Jews against 45 million Arabs, while the United Nations did nothing. After a series of attacks, counter-attacks, and truces, the war ended on January 7, 1949.

It just does not make sense for this nation, fighting for its existence, to wage a war of aggression against the entire Arab world. Just 3 years prior WWII ended with as I said above 1/3 of all world Jewry destroyed. This would have been a suicide wish.

I clipped this from a pro Palestinian web site. This is their impression of the events that lead up to the war on May 15th 1948. Here is their address for you to read it yourself:

<http://thewebfairy.com/nerdcities/Palestine/conquest-timeline.htm>

May 15, 1948 "The armies of the Arab states enter the civil war. The State of Israel is proclaimed, and more importantly the British wash their hands of Palestine. The Arab states cannot ignore the massacres of Palestinians and the outright theft of all their property. They put together an army of about 20,000 and enter the war in support of their brethren, in an attempt to resist this brutal invasion of Arab land. Unfortunately, the Jews had between 40,000 and 60,000 well equipped fighters and the outcome was never in doubt unless the Arab states committed more troops and resources. Note that the Arab states could not support their brethren directly before May 15, 1948, or they would have ended up fighting the British (although some irregulars from these countries had joined the local Palestinian fighters").

This is an outright lie. The Secretary General of the Arab League. Azzam Pasha said, on May 15th 1948, "This will be a war of extermination and a momentous Massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades." Does this sound like the statement of a defender or an aggressor? Do the poor oppressed "Palestinians" sound like they felt like the "outcome was never in doubt" Do they sound defeated?

Can anyone deny the right of existence for a people group? This is what the Jew has had to endure. All they have ever wanted is to raise their families and survive as a people. The historical record backs up the fact that they were willing to do this alongside of their Arab neighbors. The quote below should reveal to you of the sentiment of the Jews at the time of their independence. "Accordingly we, the members of the National Council met together in solemn assembly today and by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish people and with the support of the resolution of the General of the United Nations, hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel... "We offer peace and amity to all neighboring states and their peoples and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all... "With trust in the Rock of Israel, we set our hands to this declaration at this session of the Provisional State Council in the city of Tel Aviv on Sabbath Eve, 5th Iyar 5708, 14th day of May 1948."

No Moslem nation in the world has Jews in any governmental position. Israel has Arabs in their Knesset and Senate. The Jews have from the beginning had to be on the defensive for their very survival. Their only other option is to die. The history of the Arab nations are set in stone. They have always wanted nothing less than the destruction of every Jew on the face of the planet. Where is the world outcry for the sake of the Jew?

I have yet to see an Israeli Strap on a bomb and blow himself up with his enemies including innocent women, children and fellow Jews. Does this seem like a logical way to solve the Middle East conflict? Why am I am I unable to see the logic in these actions? Why do so many people in the world refuse to also see it the way it really is? I do have an answer for any one who is willing to listen. It is logical, Biblical and historically sound.

The nation of Israel as we know it was created by God. Before Abraham there were no Jews. He is the father of the nation. The children of Israel are not a race they are a family. They are the children of Abraham. These children were promised a land and a special job description. This is found in Genesis 12:1-3.

Gen 12:1 And Jehovah said to Abram, Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you. Gen 12:2 And I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. Gen 12:3 And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God has promised blessings to the world if they would bless Israel. This is also found in many scriptural references throughout the word of God, Here are just a few of those references, Gen 22:18, Is 42:5-8, 43:9-12, 49:6.

The most important blessing that the world would receive in their relationship to Israel would be relationship with God and salvation. Islam, which is only approximately 1400 years old, has since it's beginning tried to usurp Israel from its place in God's plan. Islam teaches that the promised seed does not come from Abraham's son Isaac but that Ishmael the illegitimate son of Sarah's handmaiden is the promised seed.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"In the Qur'an, Ishmael is known as the first-born son of Abraham from his second wife Hagar and an appointed Prophet of God (also mentioned in the Bible). Islamic tradition holds that Abraham married Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. As a result Ishmael was the first legitimate son of Abraham. Islam asserts that he was the one nearly sacrificed, not Isaac (or Ishaq in the Qur'an). Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God is celebrated by Muslims every year as Eid ul-Adha.

Islamic tradition holds that Ishmael and Hagar were sent to the deserts of Arabia on the orders of God (Allah). The Bible claims that Sarah, after the birth of Isaac, sent Hagar and Ishmael away. He and his mother settled in Mecca (or "Makkah") and were without water. The frantic running of his mother in pursuit of water led to a miraculous spring appearing from the ground (from God) known as the Zamzam Well. Ishmael then helped his father, Abraham, build the House of God, or the Kaaba, in Mecca."

The scripture teaches the very opposite. In Gen. 22:15-18 it reads,

Gen 22:15 And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham out of the heavens the second time, Gen 22:16 and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one; Gen 22:17 that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies. Gen 22:18 And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

That son was Isaac, not Ishmael.

Gen 17:21 But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time in the next year.

Gen 21:10 And she said to Abraham, Cast out this slave woman and her son. For the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son, with Isaac.

Gen 22:2 And He said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac, whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you.

The way that Islam obtains it's legitimacy is to ilegitimize Israel and change it's history. This is called replacement theology. They seem to have a problem with verifying the facts. This they have done for 1400 years. They continue to do it with their modern history. It's time that thinking people are willing stand up and say "Just the facts ma'am, just the facts".

If we in America keep insisting that Israel give up the land I am fearful for the Out-come. Some people, including some spiritual leaders, are saying our recent catastrophes are as a result of our sin. I don't have a revelation from God but this wouldn't be too far fetched. Neither would it be inconsistent with God's Character. After all He is a judge. He judged Israel in their sin. What makes the USA think we are exempt from God's Judgment. We have thrown God out of our society. Why would we expect His protection when we have told Him we want nothing to do with Him. Whether or not it is God's judgement or just God being a gentleman and doing what we asked, He is still in control. And there is one thing I know He will not tolerate people messing with His people or His Land.

2Sa 7:22 Therefore You are great, O Jehovah God. For there is none like You, neither is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for You great things and terrible, for Your land, before Your people, whom You redeemed to You from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 2Sa 7:24 For You have confirmed to Yourself Your people Israel to be a people to You forever. And You, Jehovah, have become their God.

2Ch 7:19 But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and if you shall go and serve other gods and worship them, 2Ch 7:20 then I will pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them. And this house which I have sanctified for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Have pity on Your people, O Jehovah, and give not Your inheritance to shame, for a proverb among those of the nations. Why should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joe 2:18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for His land and pity His people. Joe 2:19 Yes, Jehovah will answer and say to His people, Behold, I will send you grain, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied with it. And I will no more make you a curse among the nations.

I could be wrong but.it seems rather curious to me that God takes so much pride in His land and in His people. If this is Good enough for God then it should be good enough for the Church.

Yours in Messiah Yeshua,

Rabbi Henry Morse

Here is a list of some of the Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Yeshua.This list is not comprehensive but these passages are a good place to start in your study of the prophecies.

Order:
Fulfilled Messianic Prophecy
Tanakh (Old Testament) Scripture / Brit Chadashah (New Testament) Scripture

Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 / Matthew 2:5-6

His pre-existence
Micah 5:2 / John 1:1,14

Born of the seed of a woman
Genesis 3:15 / Matthew 1:18

Of the seed of Abraham
Genesis 12:3 / Matthew 1:1-16

All nations blessed by Abraham
Genesis 12:3 / Matthew 8:5,11

God would provide Himself a Lamb
Genesis 22:8 / John 1:29

From the tribe of Judah
Genesis 49:10 / Matthew 1:1-3

Heir to the throne of David
Isaiah 9:6-7 / Matthew 1:1

Born in Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 / Matthew 2:1

Born of a virgin
Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:18

His name called Immanuel, "God with us"
Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:23

Declared to be the Son of God
Psalm 2:7 / Matthew 3:17

His messenger before Him in spirit of Elijah
Malachi 4:5-6 / Luke 1:17

Preceded by a messenger to prepare His way
Malachi 3:1 / Matthew 11:7-11

Messenger crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord"
Isaiah 40:3 / Matthew 3:3

Would be a Prophet of the children of Israel
Deuteronomy 18:15 / Acts 3:22, Acts 7:37

Called out of Egypt
Hosea 11:1 / Matthew 2:15

Slaughter of the children
Jeremiah 31:15 / Matthew2:18

Brought light to Zabulon & Nephthalm, Galilee of the Gentiles
Isaiah 9:1-2 / Matthew 4:15

Presented with gifts
Psalm 72:10 / Matthew 2:1,11

Rejected by His own
Isaiah 53:3 / Matthew 21:42; Mark 8:31,12:10; Luke 9:22,17:25

He is the stone which the builders rejected which became the headstone
Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16 / Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:7

A stone of stumbling to Israel
Isaiah 8:14-15 / I Peter 2:8

He entered Jerusalem as a king riding on an ass
Zechariah 9:9 / Matthew 21:5

Betrayed by a friend
Psalms 41:9 / John 13:21

Sold for 30 pieces of silver
Zechariah 11:12 / Matthew 26:15; Luke 22:5

The 30 pieces of silver given for the potter's field
Zechariah 11:12 / Matthew 27:9-10

The 30 pieces of silver thrown in the temple
Zechariah 11:13 / Matthew 27:5

Forsaken by His disciples
Zechariah 13:7 / Matthew 26:56

Accused by false witnesses
Psalm 35:11 / Matthew 26:60

Silent to accusations
Isaiah 53:7 / Matthew 27:14

Heal blind/deaf/lame/dumb
Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 29:18 / Matthew 11:5

Preached to the poor/brokenhearted/captives
Isaiah 61:1 / Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22; Luke 4:17-21

He bore our sickness
Isaiah 53:4 / Matthew 8:16-17

Spat upon, smitten and scourged
Isaiah 50:6,53:5 / Matthew 27:26, 30

Smitten on the cheek
Micah 5:1 / Matthew 27:30

Hated without a cause
Psalm 35:19 / Matthew 27:23

The sacrificial lamb
Isaiah 53:5-6 / John 1:29

Given for a covenant and light to the nations
Isaiah 42:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Romans 11:25-27

Would not strive or cry
Isaiah 42:2-3 / Matthew 12:16-20

People would hear not & see not
Isaiah 6:9-10 / Matthew 13:14-15

People trust in traditions of men
Isaiah 29:13 / Matthew 15:9

People give God lip service
Isaiah 29:13 / Matthew 15:8

God delighted in Him
Isaiah 42:1 / Matthew 3:17,17:5

He bore the sins of many
Isaiah 53:10-12 / Mark 10:45

Messiah not killed for Himself
Daniel 9:26 / Matthew 20:28

Gentiles flock to Him
Isaiah 55:5,60:3,65:1; Malachi 1:11; II Samuel 22:44-45; Psalm 2:7-8 / Matthew 8:10

Crucified with criminals
Isaiah 53:12 / Matthew 27:35

His body was pierced
Zechariah 12:10; Ps. 22:16 / John 20:25,27

Thirsted during execution
Psalm 22:16 / John 19:28

Given vinegar and gall for thirst
Psalm 69:21 / Matthew 27:34

Soldiers gambled for his garment
Psalm 22:18 / Matthew 27:35

People mocked, "He trusted in God, let Him deliver him!"
Psalm 22:7-8 / Matthew 27:43

People sat there looking at Him
Psalm 22:17 / Matthew 27:36; Luke 23:35

Cried, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"
Psalm 22:1 / Matthew 27:46

Darkness over the land
Amos 8:9-10 / Matthew 27:45

No bones broken
Psalm 34:20; Numbers 9:12 / John 19:33-36

Side pierced
Zechariah 12:10 / John 19:34

Buried with the rich
Isaiah 53:9 / Matthew 27:57,60

Resurrected from the dead
Psalm 16:10-11; 49:15 / Mark 16:6

Priest after the order of Melchizedek
Psalm 110:4 / Hebrews 5:5-6,6:20,7:15-17

Ascended to right hand of God
Psalm 68:18 / Luke 24:51

LORD said unto Him, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool"
Psalm 110:1 / Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36,16:19; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13

His coming glory
Malachi 3:2-3 / Luke 3:17

Shalom one and all:

So here I go again starting trouble when there is no need to. I always stick my nose into areas that it doesn’t belong, or do I. Well, you all know what time of the year it is? Yes, it is that sinfully wicked holiday of Halloween, and I just refuse to let sleeping dogs lie. You are more than welcome to hit the delete button if you need to, but for those of you who are heartier of spirit, stick with me.

I have decided not to take the traditional approach to the matter by giving all the historical reasons why believers should not celebrate this day. I already did that last year in another blog. If you need a refresher course feel free to reread that on our website at: The Pagan Roots of Halloween (Rabbi's Blog, 2010)

The point I want to concentrate on is the issue of freedom. Do we have the freedom to celebrate or try and redeem this day as so many “Churches" try and do? Is there a Scriptural mandate that makes it acceptable to participate in days that were once dedicated to satanic activities?

It doesn't take that much discernment to see that the world does have a preoccupation for Horror, especially on this day. All one needs to do is look on the fruit that is produced by the celebration.

The other day I received in the mail a post card inviting me to a “Church” on October 30th to enjoy “A fun and safe trick-or-treat experience”. Now, I know this pastor, and I don’t consider him way 'out there'. I am sure he loves the Lord. Yet, I wonder why is it that a “Church” would invest that much time and effort into a day that has clear demonic origins, and yet refuse to celebrate any of the Biblical Holy days that the Lord has established as prophetic displays.

I continue, to this day, to be challenged on my keeping the Biblical feasts by pastors. I am told that I am a Judaizer by trying to put men under the yoke of the law. I am reminded that when the “New Testament” arrived that the law was abolished. (I have yet to find this in Scripture).

It must be wonderful to be set free from the law. It would be so refreshing to be able to live a life of lawlessness. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be able to celebrate anything I wanted, no matter what the origin.

I keep the feasts of the Lord because of what they represent. Each and every one of them is a prophetic picture of salvation. Every Biblical Holy Day is a reminder of what the Lord did for us and what he is going to do. They are the appointments that could only be kept by Yeshua.

Nowhere in Scripture were we given permission to co-opt pagan practices in our worship of the Lord. As a matter of fact, it was quite the opposite. Would there be any difference if I was a member of the Mafia and wanted to donate my ill gotten gains to the Lord. Here is a list of Scriptures you might want to consider before you have your Halloween alternative. Please do the study on your own and read them in their full context.


Deuteronomy 12:
1“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. 2“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3“You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4“You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.

Numbers 33:
51“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;

1 Kings 3:
3Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

1 Kings 12:
31And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 32Jeroboam 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. 33Then 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.


You might say that these were commands for Israel and they do not apply to me. While it is true that these statements were made to Israel as they were entering the land, this does not mean that the Lord has changed Mal 3:6. He is still the same now as He was then. If you, who are the adopted seed of Abraham, have come into the family, then why would you want to emulate the very behavior that the Lord warned the natural born children to avoid?

We were commanded to have nothing to do with assimilated pagan practices in our worship of the Lord. This law was for everyone not just Israel.


Numbers 15:
16‘There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.’”

The Apostle Paul (Rav Shaul) even spoke on this matter in 1 Corinthians 10:
14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Messiah? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?


What boggles my mind is that the “Church” Will spend so much time, effort and money into everything under the sun, and still refuse to even consider the Biblical Holy days that were established by the Father as His memorials.

In the “Church” I have seen more Easter egg hunts, Halloween parties, Saint Valentines day sweetheart banquets, Christmas plays, Good Friday services, Maundy Thursday services, Ashe Wednesday events, than I can even count. Yet, when is the last time you ever saw that much time and attention put into a Passover? Maybe it happens in a few churches on occasion but dare I say that this is very rare and usually not an annual event.

Revile me all you want for celebrating the Biblical feasts. Call me names like 'Judaizer'. Accuse me of enslaving people under the law. Take your liberty to do as you feel. Enjoy your “Halloween alternative”. But I think I will stay right where I am enjoying the appointed times and seasons that have been set up by the Lord. I will revel in the fact that these wonderful days were the appointments kept by my Lord and Messiah Yeshua. I will be able to defend my faith through the prophetic displays of these Biblical and historical events. All you will have to show for you holiday is a bucket of candy and some rotten teeth.
Enjoy!

Shalom uvracha b'Yeshua

Rabbi Henry

I am writing to you today to keep you in remembrance of our call to Israel. Please understand this is a word of encouragement not rebuke. Yet, we need to be constantly reminded of these things in a world that is so upside-down that sometimes we ourselves can get confused. In light of what is happening in NY right now at the UN, I present to you these Scriptures and thoughts so that we might not forget.

Psalms 137
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Israel will never truly be the nation it is supposed to be until it is under the reign of Messiah Yeshua.

Zech 2
10“Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD.
11“Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
12“The LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

Zech 14
9And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.

This is the ultimate realized truth for Israel. But that does not mean that the Lord has given up the deed to His land to pagans and neither should we.

Zech 2
7“Ho, Zion! Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.”
8For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

Where in Tenach (Old Testament) is there any precedent to show us that the Lord just gave up His land and abandoned Israel. Even during the captivity there was a remnant that stayed behind until the Lord could restore His people to their place.

35 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:
36  “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.”
37 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.

He avenged His people and land for the abuse that these nations inflicted upon Israel even though Israel was not living fully for the Lord.

Psalms 137
8 O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you With the recompense with which you have repaid us.
9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.

One of the reasons the lord brought judgment upon Israel was because they refused to tear down the high places and drive out all of the pagans from the land i.e. the Philistines and Canaanites. We were commanded by the Lord to drive them out so that their influence would not affect our children. How is this any different than letting the “Palestinians” live in and control any part of the Land of Israel? Islam is a pagan religion and they pollute all that they touch with death. I would go so far as to say that they even, in a sense, sacrifice their children on the alter of Molech as they send them out to be martyrs for their false god.

Exodus
30“I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
31“I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32“You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Yet, this is what Israel did then and they continue to do now, as if to say to the world they are sorry that they even exist. It is time for Israel to stop apologizing for its existence. If Israel makes any covenant with the “Palestinians” to give, even, one inch of the Lords land is it not the same as making a covenant with the Canaanites or Philistines?

Living along side of the “Palestinians” in a pseudo peace is not a legitimate excuse for them to occupy the land of Israel. We wouldn’t want to live in a neighbor hood controlled by crooks, prostitutes, drug dealers and pimps doing their nefarious acts under the guise of “If we let them have part of the neighborhood maybe they will leave us alone”. Why would we turn over our communities to people such as these? Do we want our children affected by the influence of their sins?

Islam has never given anything to the world but a system of oppression, war, slavery, death and abuse. They don’t want peace with anyone not even themselves. They want us to submit to Sharia law or else. Sounds like the mafia to me. Don’t take my word for it listen to their prophet and his cronies.

All of these passages are direct quotes from the Quran. They are in reference to the Jews. Feel free to read the entire passage so you can get the context. You can find the Quran online for free.

[5.33] The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,

[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.

[5.60] Say: Shall I inform you of (him who is) worse than this in retribution from Allah? (Worse is he) whom Allah has cursed and brought His wrath upon, and of whom He made apes and swine, and he who served the Shaitan; (Satan) these are worse in place and more erring from the straight path.

[5.63] Why do not the learned men [rabbis] and the doctors of law prohibit them from their speaking of what is sinful and their eating of what is unlawfully acquired? Certainly evil is that which they work.

[5.64] And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say.

Sura 9:5
“Then when the Sacred Months have passed, kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and observe the Islamic lifestyle, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Sounds like mercy to me, convert of die. If you convert I will be merciful and not kill you.

These are quotes from representatives of the Palestinian authority. You remember the goons who want to split up Israel so there can be peace.

July 2000
“The Hour [of Resurrection] will not take place until you will fight the Jews and kill them”
Dr. Ahmed Yousuf Abu Halabiyah, member of the Palestinian Sharia [Islamic religious law] Rulings Council, and Rector of Advanced Studies, the Islamic University, PA TV, July 28, 2000

September 2004
“The Hour [of Resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims kill them. The Muslims will kill the Jews, rejoice!”
Sheikh Ibrahim Mudayris, Head of Association for Memorizing the Quran, PA Ministry of Endowments & Religious Affairs, PA TV, September 10, 2004

January 2005
“…and the rock and the tree will say: Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!”
Dr. Hassan Khater, founder of Al Quds Encyclopedia
PA TV, January 10, 2005

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Najem
“Allah described them [Jews] in His Book, characterized by conceit, pride, arrogance, rampage, disloyalty and treachery… deceit and cunning…”
PA TV, November 1, 2002

Sheikh Ibrahim Mudayris
“Every time Muhammad came back from his raids, he would find treachery and betrayal by the Jews of Medina, since treachery and betrayal are two character traits of the Jews’ nature... that their descendants inherited from their ancestors until today."
PA TV, June 4, 2004

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Najem
“The Jews are Jews, and we are forbidden to forget their character traits even for a moment, even for a blink of an eye.”
PA TV, December 6, 2002


Academic Authorities

A PA psychologist explains on PA TV that the Jewish infant “nurses hatred”:
Psychologist Khader Abas
“Very important factors influenced the Jewish personality, among them: The religious-legend idea, this is foremost, and children’s upbringing. From the moment the child is born, he nurses hatred against others, nurses seclusion, nurses superiority…”
PA TV, April 14, 2002

Dr. Muhammad Abu Daf
“I truly do not see the state of the Israeli society as a state of confusion, but rather a natural result of an education that was maintained by fundamentalist Jewish upbringing to violence, hostility and racism... The sayings of the leaders of the Hebrew state, and the actions of the soldiers are a natural behavior, acquired by the Jewish upbringing... Thus distorting the figure of the Arabs and Muslims, the Jewish child nurses hatred with [mother’s] milk ... we want a generation that recognizes and understands the structure of the Jewish personality.”
PA TV, October 12, 2003

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi,
“These Jews who angered Allah and whom He cursed through the Prophets...”
PA TV, September 21, 2001

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Najem
“Praise unto Allah, Who cursed our enemies; curse upon curse up to Judgment Day. And He has cursed them as well through the words of His prophets and emissaries...”
PA TV, November 1, 2002

Sheikh Ibrahim Mudayris
“Praise Allah, Who cursed the non-believers among the People of the Book...”
PA TV, June 4, 2004

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa Najem
“... for which Allah transformed them to monkeys and pigs...“
PA TV, November 1, 2002

Dr. Mahmoud Mustafah Najem
“Praise be to Allah, who has cursed [the Jews], the brothers of monkeys and pigs.”
PA TV, December 6, 2002

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi
“We are waging this cruel war with the brothers of the monkeys and pigs, the Jews and the sons of Zion.”
PA TV, September 12, 2004

Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi
“For Allah was angry and called them once monkeys, pigs and donkeys…”
PA TV, March 30, 2001


Is this what we are suggesting should happen? Should we give part of the land of Israel to the Islamic Mafiosi in hopes that we can appease them and keep them civil? This sounds like extortion to me.

For the purpose of keeping us in remembrance I would like to give you a list of Promises that the Lord made with Israel alone. I do not hear anything mentioned in the word about the Palestinians, Islam or America for that matter. The Lord made a covenant with Abraham through Isaac and Jacob not Ishmael. The Lord did not give the USA any authority in the decision making process concerning Israel. These are promises made only for the people and nation that the Lord covenanted with and that my friend is Israel.

I will give you the Scriptural addresses and the summary of the verse but you need to look them up and study them to know it yourself first hand.

Mic 4:1-7 In that day the mountain of the Lord will be established.

Is 2:1-4 The mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as chief.

Is 11:11-16 The Lord will recover for the 2nd time the remnant of His people.

Is 35:1-10 The desert will blossom as a rose.

Is 49:22-23 Gentiles will bring your sons in their arms.

Is 43:1-13 I will bring your offspring from the east, west, north and south.

Is 60:10-22 foreigners will rebuild your walls.

Is 62:6-7 He will make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.

Jer 31:35-36 The descendants of Israel will never cease to be a nation.

Amos 9:7-15 I will bring back my exiled people Israel.

Josh 1:1-6 The boundaries of the land given to Israel.

Zec 8:20-23 Many peoples will come and seek the Lord in Jerusalem.

Zec 10:6-12 I will bring them back, it will be like I never rejected them.

Zec 14:16-21 Gentiles come to Jerusalem each year to celebrate the feast of Booths.

Joe 2:18-27 The Lord will be Zealous for His land.

Joe 3:1-21 The nations will be judged, Israel will be restored.

2Sam 7:22-24 You have established Israel as your people forever.

2Ki 21:1-4 In Jerusalem I will put my name.

Jer 10:14-16 Israel is the tribe of His inheritance.

These are but a few of the many promises for Israel and the people of Israel the descendants of Abraham. The Lord has been faithful to keep Israel from destruction for 3000 years and I am counting on that record as a proof of the Lords ability to keep her today. This is how we are to deal with the, so-called, “Palestinian” issue.

Psalm 122
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.

7“May peace be within your walls,
And prosperity within your palaces.”

8For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “May peace be within you.”

9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.


Feel free to forward this off to anyone you wish who would benefit from this blog.


Shalom uvracha b’Yeshua

Rabbi Henry