Tonight is erev Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah), the evening that begins this Holy day for Jewish people all over the world. Churches all over the world will not only ignore this Biblical Holy day, but most of them don’t even know it is happening. The accepted premise concerning these Holy days is that “we the church have been set free from the burden of the law. We are not obligated to keep or even recognize these events.” They are looked upon as a burden to observe and something that was imposed upon the children of Israel to keep them out of trouble. Most people who call themselves Christians do not believe these Holy Days apply to us anymore. The question that has to be asked is, are these Biblical Holy days still relevant for us today? What is the obligation of the believer in the Messiah today in regards to these Biblical memorials?

I do believe that the “Church” has for all too long taken that which is Biblical and replaced it with that which has been contrived and just plain false (i.e. Christmas/ Easter).  The “Church” totally ignores all of the memorials that were set up by the Lord to show his great acts of salvation past present and future. To ignore Yom Teruah is to say to the Lord “thanks for the memorials that were set up to remind us of how much You love us, but no thanks. We would rather make up things as we go along”.

One of the things that the “Church” lacks is knowledge of the prophetic. This is why they are, for the most part, unable to defend their faith apart from cliché and Christian verbiage. Every Holy day was given by the Lord to prophesy the Messiah’s first and second coming. If we believe the entire word of the Lord revolves around Yeshua’s appearing, then why would we dismiss so quickly the meaning of these Holy days to the pile of make-do keep-busy events meant only for the Jewish people.

Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah) very specifically does this in a way that clearly shows the second coming of the Messiah. Time does not permit me to write everything that is proclaimed about this Holy day. So this is only an introduction to wet your whistle. I hope and pray you will do more study on your own. If you blow this off thinking that I am Judaizing, then it is to your loss. I am at least doing my job and provoking you to study the Word more seriously. So here goes.

As a side note I am not making this an issue of salvation. I repeat this is not an issue of salvation. Nothing stated in this short blog is said as a judgment of anyone’s salvation. DID YOU HEAR THAT? Good now we can continue with the blog.

This is what the Scripture says about the Holy day.

Num 29:1  'Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.

Lev 23:23  Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 23:24  "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

Lev 23:25  'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'"

Lev 23:26  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 23:27  "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.

Lev 23:28  "You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your YHVH.

Lev 23:29  "If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.

Lev 23:30  "As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

Lev 23:31  "You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

So this is what we know of this Holy day according to the Scriptures:

1.         It is to be celebrated on the 1st of the 7th month, Tishri.

2.          We are to do no work.

3.          We are to have a holy convocation.

4.         Present an offering by fire.

5.         This is to be observed perpetually in all of our dwellings.

6.          We are to sound trumpets as a reminder.

A reminder of what though? In order to determine that, we first must know what trumpets were used for in the Scripture?

The reasons and meaning of Blowing the Shofar

1.               Symbol of Israel’s re-gathering  Is 27:12-13

Isa 27:12  In that day the LORD will start His threshing from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, O sons of Israel.

Isa 27:13  It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

2.                  Resurrection of the dead. Ez:37:9.

Eze 37:9  Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord YHVH, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"

3.         The Torah was given with the sound of the Shofar, Ex 19:19.

Exo 19:19  When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the Lord answered him with thunder.

4.         Israel Conquered Jericho At the Shofar blast, Josh 6:20.

Jos 6:20  So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.

5.         Men were called to war upon hearing the Shofar, Judges 3:27 Sam 20:1

Jdg 3:27  It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.

Jdg 3:28  He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

6.         It was blown at the start of the Year of Jubilee, Lev 25:9.

Lev 25:8  'You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.

Lev 25:9  'You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.

Lev 25:10  'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

7.         The Messiah will come at the sound of the Shofar, Zech 9:14.

Zec 9:14  Then the LORD will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord YHVH will blow the trumpet, And will march in the storm winds of the south.

1Thess 4

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so YHVH will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Yeshua. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of YHVH, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1Cor 15

51Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57but thanks be to YHVH, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

These are but a few examples of the usage of the Trumpet of the Lord. The one that stands out most of all is that the trumpet will sound at the coronation of our King Messiah when He returns.  My point simply is this: We don’t have this terminology arising in the New Covenant out of the thin air. The New Covenant writers were very well aware of these passages from the Tenach (First/Old Testament). Their theology was shaped from these passages. The Lord builds upon His prophetic foundation.

If this day is called a day of remembrance and a day of repentance in preparation of the Lord’s judgment, then it seems fitting and right that it should also be the day that reminds us of the coming of the Lord in His final judgment.  

We don’t ignore the prophetic display of these appointed times now that the New Covenant is here. We support the New Covenant by celebrating the events that were given as reminders. There is a very backward theology that has developed for centuries that says now that the Messiah has come all we need to observe is that which is written in the New Covenant. That logic though is warped. We must be reminded where we have come from to truly appreciate where we are.

This is why it so important to celebrate these Holy Days. They remind us that what we believe is legitimate. We confirm the surety of a foundation of a building to determine if it is stable and safe to live in. Once the house is built we don’t tear out the foundation, do we?

Yom Teruah is one of those foundational commemorations that helps us know that, as the Lord was announced with the blowing of the trumpet in the past, so shall His second coming also be announced.

Why wouldn’t we want to rehearse His coming in this way? In Yom Teruah we have been given a formal opportunity to be reminded every year. Don’t we think that Yeshua is worthy of this time? Leviticus 23 calls His Holy days “appointed times and seasons”. That is because these were appointments that could only be fulfilled by the Messiah Himself. Yeshua kept all of the Prophetic appointments in His first appearance. Yom Teruah reminds us that He will be faithful to keep His end time appointments as well.

There is much more to be learned from this day, but if I am able to convince you that it is still valid for New Covenant believers, then I have completed my task. From there we can pick up the conversation.

May the Lord bless you as you are reminded that the last great trumpet blast will sound at His coming. I pray that this Yom Teruah you might even consider going somewhere to hear the Shofar sound so that you will be stirred to remembrance and anticipation of His soon and imminent return. If you are able feel free to join us this Friday at 7:30 PM and Saturday at 4:00 PM. LaShana Tova Tikatavu. May your name be inscribed in the book of life for a good year.

Shalom uvracha b’Yeshua

Rabbi Henry

As we commemorate the 9/11 tragedy, I submit this little blog for your consideration.

Where and who is the voice of moderate Islam? Who are those legendary architects of the moderate movement? What is the definition of Moderate Islam? How does this supposed moderate Islamic faith compare doctrinally to the Koran? Does history support the premise? Has Islam acted moderately throughout history? Is their moderate voice loud enough to be heard? Can they shape Islamists’ behavior today? Let’s look at history, which is usually a pretty good guide when it comes to judging past behavior. Keep these questions in mind while we review.

The Ottoman Turkish Empire was founded by the Turkoman tribal leader named Osman in 1209 AD and lasted until 1922 AD. It was one of the most powerful empires in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries; it spanned more than 600 years; it was replaced by the Turkish Republic and various successor states in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. At its height the empire included most of southeastern Europe to the gates of Vienna, including modern Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania Greece, and Ukraine; Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt; North Africa as far west as Algeria; and most of the Arabian Peninsula. (The above information was taken from Britannica.com and paraphrased by me).

Do we see here any hint of world conquering Imperialism in the Islamic Ottoman Turkish Empire? By the way, they conquered by marching into these countries throwing flowers and flashing the peace sign to the inhabitants, until the people realized they just had to submit to the religion of peace.

From the U.S. Dept. of State office of the Historian

Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816

The Barbary States were a collection of North African states, many of which practiced state-supported piracy in order to exact tribute from weaker Atlantic powers. Morocco was an independent kingdom, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire. The United States fought two separate wars with Tripoli (1801–1805) and Algiers (1815–1816), although at other times it preferred to pay tribute to obtain the release of captives held in the Barbary States.

Oh, did I point out that these were Muslim countries? (As a side note, these also were nice pirates – kind of like Captain Jack Sparrow or maybe even the Veggie Tales pirates.)

In 1786, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson met with Arab diplomats from Tunisia, who were conducting terror raids and piracy against American ships (Barbary Pirates). Writing to John Jay, Thomas Jefferson described what he saw as the main issue and the reason why they were attacking Americans who had done them no harm. The following quote is from Thomas Jefferson....

“We took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the grounds of their pretensions to make war upon a nation who had done them no injury, and observed that we considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. THE AMBASSADOR ANSWERED US THAT IT WAS FOUNDED ON THE LAWS OF THEIR PROPHET, THAT IT WAS WRITTEN IN THEIR KORAN, THAT ALL NATIONS WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THEIR AUTHORITY WERE SINNERS, THAT IT WAS THEIR RIGHT AND DUTY TO MAKE WAR UPON THEM WHEREVER THEY COULD BE FOUND, AND TO MAKE SLAVES OF ALL THEY COULD TAKE AS PRISONERS, AND THAT EVERY MUSSELMAN (MUSLIM) WHO SHOULD BE SLAIN IN BATTLE WAS SURE TO GO TO PARADISE"

In a small blog sent to me by Robert Leblanc, he recounts some very prominent events that have happened in modern history.

1. In 1968 Robert Kennedy was shot and killed by a Muslim male.

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by Muslim males.

3. In 1972 a Pan Am 747 was hijacked and eventually diverted to Cairo, where a fuse was lit on final approach, it was blown up shortly after landing, by Muslim males.

4. In 1973 a Pan Am 707 was destroyed in Rome, with 33 people killed, when it was attacked with grenades by Muslim males.

5. In 1979 the US embassy in Iran was taken over by Muslim males.

6. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by Muslim males.

7. In 1983 the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by Muslim males.

8. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70-year-old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by Muslim males.

9. In 1985, TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by Muslim males.

10. In 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim males.

11. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by Muslim males.

12. In 1998 the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim males.

13. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take down the World Trade Centers, and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by Muslim males.

14. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against Muslim males.

15. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and beheaded by – you guessed it – a Muslim male.

16. In the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing four innocent people, including a child, were killed, and 264 injured by Muslim males.

In the words of the most prominent leadership in Islam.

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 (again speaking about the Jews)

“For Allah was angry and called them once monkeys, pigs and donkeys…”

PA TV, March 30, 2001

Where is the voice of the moderates protesting? Why haven’t we seen them throughout history? Why isn’t it loud enough to make a difference? Why aren’t they able to change the direction of this violent despicable behavior? This is not a modern phenomenon. It is the history of Islam. There is no moderate voice of Islam. There is only Islam and they have shown who they are from the beginning.

If Islam is a religion of peace then I am perplexed as to why so many wars were and are fought in the name of Islam. I am amazed how they have been allowed to redefine the vocabulary and fool so many people into thinking that peace is achieved by avoiding conflict with Islam, “the religion of peace”. As long as we don’t insult them by declaring the truth of their actions they won’t attack us. Then we can have peace. But just be careful not to insult the religion of peace or they will kill you.

So the next time someone says true Islam is moderate and is a religion of “peace” ask them, What “piece”?

Now that the battle with Hamas is over and the bombs have stopped flying over Israel for a brief moment, a new battle front has opened up – this is the propaganda war. I am not saying that this propaganda tactic has not been used in the past, but this time it is being used as a place holder until Hamas can rearm themselves. It is a war that can spread throughout the world in a matter of minutes at a very minimal cost and can change the appearance of the enemy with almost no blood spilt.

This is a very effective way to fight a war as it infiltrates deep into the psyche of those you want to reach. Once the support is garnered, you have demoralized your enemy in the eyes of the world and turned the oppressed into the oppressors and turned everyone against your foe. You can even change strategies in the midst of the battle to accommodate your goals with little to no ramifications against your side.

This is what has happened to Israel today. Even the most ardent supporters find themselves asking questions that should not even be considered when you know what the Scriptures say about Israel and the Jews. Are they the oppressors?  Did they steal Palestinian lands? Why won’t they let the Palestinians have full rights in Israel? Is Israel an apartheid state? Why didn’t they use proportional force against Hamas? Didn’t they know that innocent children and women would die as a result of this war?

These are the questions posed by those in the propaganda industry. These are very slick campaigners who have lots of questions but no answers, at least no answers based on history or Scripture. So let’s put it into context, shall we?

It has been said to me personally – and not by just a few – that the Jews in proportion to the rest of the world have way too much influence militarily, in the financial institutions, in media and in politics. It has also been said to me that the Jews have brought persecution upon themselves because of the oppression they have caused to the world through their influence.

Now it is true that there is without a doubt a tremendous amount of influence in the world exerted by this small but influential people group. They have influenced media, politics, economy and the like. Most of this influence has been positive and some has been negative. But that being said, on the other hand they have also influenced the entire world throughout all of history in every other way as well.

These are some statistics compiled in our modern times concerning that very influence. I have just merely cut and pasted them to save time. These are found commonly throughout the internet for anyone to find. I used many sources that have also done the same.

These are Jewish contributions to the world showing how much influence Jews really do have. After all if you are going to point out the negative, is it not also fair to point out the positive?  Feel free to peruse the entire site for greater details on the accomplishments of famous Jews who have changed the world.

 From the wesite www.jinfo.org/Nobel_Prizes.html

At least 193 Jews and people of half- or three-quarters-Jewish ancestry have been awarded the Nobel Prize,1 accounting for 23% of all individual recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2013, and constituting 37% of all US recipients2 during the same period.3  In the scientific research fields of Chemistry, Economics, Physics, and Physiology/Medicine, the corresponding world and US percentages are 27% and 39%, respectively.  Among women laureates in the four research fields, the Jewish percentages (world and US) are 38% and 50%, respectively.  Of organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 23% were founded principally by Jews or by people of half-Jewish descent.  Since the turn of the century (i.e., since the year 2000), Jews have been awarded 28% of all Nobel Prizes and 32% of those in the scientific research fields.  (Jews currently make up approximately 0.2% of the world's population and 2% of the US population.)

• Chemistry (36 prize winners, 22% of world total, 33% of US total)
• Economics (29 prize winners, 39% of world total, 50% of US total)
• Literature (13 prize winners, 12% of world total, 27% of US total)
• Peace (9 prize winners, 9% of world total, 10% of US total)4
• Physics (51 prize winners, 26% of world total, 37% of US total)
• Physiology or Medicine (55 prize winners, 27% of world total, 40% of US total)
• Jewish Recipients of the Kyoto Prize (25% of recipients)
• Jewish Recipients of the Wolf Foundation Prize (34% of recipients)
• Jewish Recipients of the US National Medal of Science (38% of recipients)
• Jews Elected to Foreign Membership in the British Royal Society, 1901-Present (27% of total, 38% of current Foreign Members)
• Jews Among the Creators of History's Greatest Lifesaving Medical & Scientific Advances (estimated 2.8 billion lives saved)

From the site http://www.123muslim.com/islamic-articles/10277-muslim-jewish-comparison.html

Movers of Current History

o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman

Medical Milestones

o Vaccinating Needle: Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukaemia Drug Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy. Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye. G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis Willem Kloffcame Jewish

Inventions that changed History
 
o Micro- Processing Chip. Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable Peter Schultz & nbsp; Jewish
o Traffic Lights Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder Charles Ginsburg Jewish

Influential Global Business

o Polo Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Col a Jewish
o Levi's Jeans Levi Strauss Jewish
o Sawbuck's Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts Bill Rosenberg Jewish

Influential Intellectuals/ Politicians

o Henry Kissinger , US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, President Yale University Jewish
o Alan Greenspan , US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman Jewish
o Madeleine Albright , US Sec of State Jewish
o Casper Weinber ger , US Sec of Defence Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov , USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o David Marshal , Singapore Chief Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, Gov-Gen Australia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater , US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy - PM &n bsp; Jewish
o Pierre Mendes, French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin , US Sec of Treasury Jewish 

Global Media Influential

o Wolf Blitzer, CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters ABC News & nbsp; Jewish
o Eugene Meyer , Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, New York Times Jewish

Global Philanthropists

o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish

From the website www.factsandlogic.org/outstanding_accomp.html

1.
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.

2.
Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.

3.
The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel. Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed, and produced in Israel.

4.
The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.

5.
Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

6.
Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.

7.
The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

8.
According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

9.
Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

10.
Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.

11.
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

12.

Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin — 109 per 10,000 people — as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.

13.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the second largest number of startup companies after the US (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).

14.
With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration hi-tech companies in the world — apart from the Silicon Valley, US.

15.
Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the US.

16.
After the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

17.
Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

18.
On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.

19.
Twenty-four percent of Israel's workforce hold university degrees — ranking it third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland — and 12% hold advanced degrees.

20.
Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

21.
In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews at risk in Ethiopia to safety in Israel.

22.
When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.

23.
When the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day — and saved three victims from the rubble.

24.
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship — and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 — in the world.

25.
Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity.

26.
Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

27.
Israel has the world's second highest per capita rate of publishing new books.

28.
Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

29.
Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

30.
In the field of medicine, Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

31.
An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in US hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment
mistakes.

32.
Israel's Givun Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, the camera
helps doctors diagnose cancer and digestive disorders.

33.
Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

34.
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the US, over 70 in Japan, and fewer than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions, Israel places first in this category as well.

35.
A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the ClearLight device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct — all without damaging surroundings skin or tissue.

36.
An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant (in southern California's Mojave desert).

 Now I could go on ad nauseam, but time and room do not allow. I get complaints all the time that my blogs are too long. But to conclude this “little blog” of mine I would like to say that you can find in any people group some bad apples. But you throw out the bad ones and you thoroughly enjoy the good ones. Yes there Jews in history who have been behind some very evil events. Just like any other group. But I do believe that to castigate and revile the Jews because of the exceptions is satanic propaganda intended to win the war against the Lord’s chosen. He uses many unsuspecting, uniformed people to spread what they think are facts all in the name of being politically correct and “tolerant”.

If you want to look at facts why don’t we look at the fact that approximately 90 percent of all world conflicts are because of Islam. To this day I still have never heard of Jewish man or woman strap a bomb onto themselves walk into a crowded Muslim market place and yell Jehovah is great, BOOM! I have never seen Israel in their short history ever invade another country with the intent of converting people to Judaism. Where is this worldwide Jewish caliphate? As a Jew myself I want to say that if you don’t convert to Judaism I will come and behead all of your stuffed animals. Scared yet? How can anyone speak of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy to take over the planet and then ignore the already publically proclaimed agenda of Islam to take over the world by force.

So the next time you want to speak out against the Jews or Israel, please get your facts straight and make sure you have all of your information compiled before you stick your foot so far down your throat you end up chocking on your own appendage.

One more thing before I close; I am not declaring every Jew righteous, but I am saying that the Lord will deal with them as He has done in the past. We leave the Judgment up to Him when it comes to His people. In the meantime please be reminded of just a few passages that should guide our behavior when it comes to Israel.

Gen 12:2  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;

Gen 12:3  And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

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.

Psa 121:4  Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Jer 31:10  Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare in the coastlands afar off, And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."

Rom 11:18  do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

Need I say more?

Something for you to think about the next time you hear someone advocating for a two state solution.

From an article written by the Messianic Bible newsletter.

"We need only look at what happened after August 2005 when the Israeli government removed all military from the Gaza Strip and forced the removal of close to 10,000 Jewish residents from an area called Gush Katif to understand that wasted opportunity.

The Israelis left behind a virtual Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) of farms and businesses, all built on what had been sand dunes.

Gush Katif housed 21 settlements in the southern Gaza Strip. Its residents had produced 200 farms that together exported an average $200 million in produce each year, which represented 15 percent of the agricultural exports of the State of Israel.

The total assets of Gush Katif were valued at $23 billion. This small Jewish community accounted for 95 percent of Israel’s export to Europe of bug-free lettuce and greens; 70 percent of organic vegetables; 60 percent of cherry tomatoes; and 60 percent of geraniums.

Although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed the homes of Jewish settlers when they left the area, synagogues, public buildings, factories and office buildings were left intact.

The businesses and especially the highly productive network of greenhouses were purchased by a foundation set up by the EU and heavily funded by former head of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, who left his post there in 2005 to become the Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement.

The Israeli developments were to be given to the Palestinian Authority so as to preserve the jobs of the Palestinians that had been working there.

Nevertheless, destruction followed.

After the evacuation of Gaza, the synagogues were immediately destroyed by Palestinian mobs and the greenhouses were heavily looted, although some were left intact.

Abu Abir, a member of the Popular Resistance Committee, a terrorist organization, is reported to have said, “The looting and burning of the synagogues was a great joy ... It was in an unplanned expression of happiness that these synagogues were destroyed.”

Would you want these folks as your neighbor? Especially if they were armed to the teeth? Would you give them a place in your home or apartment building knowing what they wanted to do? You want a solution? I'll give you a solution. It's known as the one State solution. It's called Israel.

Shalom uvracha b'Yeshua Rabbi Henry

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

www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html?chocaid=397

Hamas Charter (1988)

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

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

Introduction:

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

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

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

Part I - Knowing the Movement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.

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

Article Seven:                                                                                                                                                  ” Hamas is one of the links in the Chain of Jihad in the confrontation with the Zionist invasion.

The Universality of Hamas The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”

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

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

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

Part II - Objectives

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

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

Part III - Strategies and Methods

Article Eleven: The Strategy of Hamas:

Palestine is an Islamic Waqf. The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine has been an Islamic Waqf throughout the generations and until the Day of Resurrection, no one can renounce it or part of it, or abandon it or part of.

If all of Israel is their possession so much for the two state solution. Boy wait till the resurrection and they find out the truth.

 
Joel 3:2  I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.

 

No Muslims mentioned here.



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Sunday, June 8, the Vatican, under the leadership of Pope Francis, led the first ever Jewish and Islamic prayers for resolution of the Israel-Palestine Conflict. This is an unprecedented event, yet not one that should take us by surprise. What does surprise me is that this event happened so quickly after the unity government that was formed with Hamas and Fatah, the two rival Palestinian groups. Hamas, as most people know, still has the destruction of Israel in its charter and is a major sponsor of terror. President Shimon Peres, representing Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, representing the “Palestinians”, met with the Pope in the Vatican where Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran were heard at the Vatican.  

For a number of years I have had a theological interpretation of Rev 17 and 18 that I have taught in my congregation. We don’t declare it as a “doctrine” that we have espoused, but I believe it is being proven by the very events that are unfolding before our eyes. I also believe that this event that happened at the Vatican that Sunday is part of this scenario.  

So let me state my theological premise and let’s see if it lines up with events transpiring today. In the end only time will tell. You need to read these passage yourself to get the full picture.  

In Rev 17 we see that the Woman, “Babylon, the great mother of harlots and of the abominations of the Earth”, is sitting on the scarlet beast that carries her. The Woman is clothed in purple and scarlet adorned with gold, precious stones, pearls, and she holds a gold cup full of abominations, unclean things and she is immoral. She is drunk with the blood of the Saints.  She is also a great city.  

The Beast once was, and is not, and will come. The Woman also sits on seven mountains. The Beast gives authority to 10 kings for one hour; they in turn give their power and authority back to the beast. Together they will attempt to make war against the Lamb,  

The beast and the ten kings will turn on the harlot and kill her. In Rev 18 the scene changes radically as the Kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality with her will weep and mourn over her when they see her burn. In her was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints and all who have been slain on the earth.  

In Rev 20 we again see the beast, and he is the one responsible for beheading those who do not take his mark or worship him.  

There are a number of documents in the Catholic Church’s history that are prominent, but the Second Vatican documents supposedly changed the image of the Catholic Church and were supposed to bring it into modern times. Two of the papers, called Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate, clearly state the Catholic Church’s stance on their relationship with Islam.  

DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH
LUMEN GENTIUM
SOLEMNLY PROMULGATED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON NOVEMBER 21, 1964

  Chapter 2.   “But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,(127) and as the Savior wills that all men be saved.(128) Those also can attain to salvation who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.(19*) Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.(20*) She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator.(129) Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, "Preach the Gospel to every creature",(130) the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.”   The modern Catholic Church has defined her relations to non-Christian religions in a document entitled Nostra Aetate. The section on Islam begins thus:

DECLARATION ON
THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS
NOSTRA AETATE
PROCLAIMED BY HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI
ON OCTOBER 28, 1965

“3. The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the Day of Judgment when God will render their desserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Muslims, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding, and to preserve, as well as to promote, together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.”

I could be reading into these documents, but I do not think so based on the actions of the Catholic Church in the past and today. It does seem to me that Catholicism in these documents is embracing Islam as a religion that believes in the same god that they believe in. To quote again “They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth” Unless they have misstated it is pretty clear to me that the Catholic Church is stating that Islam adores the same god that they do. They have clearly described his characteristics of eternality, self-subsistence, mercy, power, the one who created all things. All of these traits are also spoken of in the Scripture of YHVH. What other explanation could be given other than the fact that they have made the Lord so generic that He ends up becoming a one-size-fits-all deity? As long as you call Him “God”, they assume that it’s all the same.

But I am afraid that Scripturally it is not so. His name is not Allah. He gave His name to Moses in Exodus 3:

13Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.

His name is I Am. In Hebrew simplified it is YHVH, usually pronounced Yehovah or Yahweh. It means I am, I exist. It is a verb that becomes a proper noun. His name is a memorial forever. He never changed it to Allah. He never gave permission to call Him anything else. He also gave Himself many titles and they describe His attributes. Not one of them is Allah. He gave His Word to Moses and the prophets not to Mohamed.

  Hebrews 1

1      YHVH, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.   He gave His final word to Yeshua the Messiah, not Mohammed.   So how can the Catholic Church make the statements they do in these two documents mentioned above? Simple – they are forming an unholy alliance with Islam just as the Harlot did with the Beast. But we see it won’t last because in the end Islam will do what it always does, devour anyone or anything that gets in its way.   Who is guiltier of the blood of the saints than the Catholic Church? It is estimated that the Catholic Church throughout their history has killed over 50 million people. Who is guiltier of harlotry with the child molestations that have gone on in our lifetime? What about the child abuse that happened in times past when there was no reporting?   "From the birth of Popery in 606 to the present time, it is estimated by careful and credible historians, that more than fifty million of the human family have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors, an average of more than forty thousand religious murders for every year of the existence of popery."

-- "History of Romanism," pp. 541, 542. New York: 1871.

Commenting on this quote, a fundamental Baptist web site says the following:

For example, it has been estimated by careful and reputed historians of the Catholic Inquisition that 50 million people were slaughtered for the crime of "heresy" by Roman persecutors between the A.D. 606 and the middle of the 19th century.

This is the number cited by John Dowling, who published the classic, "History of Romanism" in 1847 (book VIII, chapter 1, footnote 1).  

Even if this number is exaggerated by 50% we are still speaking of an astronomical figure.   What we see in Rev 17 and 18 is an unholy alliance of the Harlot of Rome, who sits on seven hills, and the beast, who beheads anyone who does not swear allegiance to him. I would ask who is it that beheads people? Any guesses? We know who sits on the city built on seven Hills.  

The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined." The Catholic Encyclopedia (Thomas Nelson, 1976), s.v. "Rome."   According to the Koran concerning beheading it says…  

Book of Al-Anfal, verse 12 ( 8:12) - “I (Allah) will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off.”  

A lesser punishment stated by the Koran is…   

Book of Al-Maeda, verse 33 (5:33) -“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion; or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides; or exile from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;”  

I would like to ask the Catholic leadership just one question: How does Islamic teaching compare to what Yeshua taught? How do the actions of the Catholic Church compare as well? Can we truly say they believe in the same Lord I believe in? Me thinkest not!

Yeshua said in Mark 6…  

27“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  

Does anyone see any heads rolling here in these statements?  

So, if I have it right, the Catholic Church and Islam are two of the most violent religious systems on the earth. The Pope and the Second Vatican Documents say they believe in the same god. Pope Francis is so convinced of this that he called for prayer invoking the god of Islam for peace at his “holy” headquarters. This is the same god that still calls for the beheading of infidels. The Catholic Church is responsible for the death of countless millions, and now they want to partner with Islam in prayer for peace, while Israel fights for its very survival against enemies on every side of its boarders. What totally makes things worse is that Shimon Peres the president of Israel participated in this. Where is the discernment or wisdom in this scenario?  

As an aside, last week the “Palestinian” unity government of Fatah and Hamas kidnapped 3 Israeli youth who attend a yeshiva in the Eztion Bloc of Jewish communities in Judea This happened right on the heels of the “Prayer Summit”. The only peace Islam wants is a piece of our hides.  

In Islam there is a little known doctrine called a Hudna, the definition of a Hudna simply is, "What is being touted as a 'cease-fire' is something called a 'hudna.' A hudna [also known as a hudibiyya or khudaibiya] is a tactical cease-fire that allows Muslims to rebuild their terrorist infrastructure in order to be more effective when the "cease-fire" is called off." -- "Cease-fire?" by Shira A. Drissman

 [Arafat] likened the Oslo accords, once again, to the 10-year truce made by the prophet Muhammad in A.D. 628 with the Arabian tribe of Quraysh.

The Islamic forces used the peace to regroup and become stronger over a couple of years then defeated the Quraysh tribe. This parallel re-emphasized that Arafat saw Oslo, not as a pledge to work for a permanent reconciliation between Arabs and Israelis, but as a temporary and tactical maneuver.   Speech by Yasser Arafat, Johannesburg:

"This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our Prophet Muhammad and Quraish, and you remember the Caliph Omar had refused this agreement and considered it "Sulha Dania" [a despicable truce]. But Muhammad had accepted it and we are accepting now this [Oslo] peace” 

What I am seeing in Rev 17 and 18 is that Islam, “the Beast”, makes a Hudna with the “Harlot”, the Catholic Church, until he is powerful enough to devour her. The treaty in this case is not a secession of hostilities from battle, but a temporary allegiance with Catholicism. It is also a theological cease-fire between the exclusive claims of Islam and Catholicism. The Harlot rides the Beast. The Beast uses the prominence of the harlot to gain total acceptance, giving the impression that they are true friends. The Catholic Church thinks that they are leading the way as instruments of peace having joint prayer and accepting them as a partner in peace; but because they are also complicit in the same violent behavior, they are fooling themselves. There will come a time when Islam will gain the prominence it feels it needs to conquer, and they will get tired of this Hudna. Finally, they will no longer need Catholicism to dupe the world into believing they are a peace-loving religion. Their true agenda will be revealed as clear as day: world domination or death.  

I understand very clearly that to some this will be very hard to swallow. It is the bitter pill that won’t go down. But all I am asking is for you to be open to the facts of history. Be willing to see the fruit of these religious systems. Islam has always been a religion of violence. This is how they grew because Mohamed promised the spoils of war to all who would follow his new god. Catholicism also conquered the world in the same way and is a religion that is guilty of more death over the centuries than possibly any other religious system.   So be careful of the cup you drink from as we draw closer to the Lord’s return. Because the Harlot’s gold cup is full of abominations, unclean things and she is immoral. She is drunk with the blood of the Saints. The stage is being set for all these things to take place, and we must be watchful and not faint.

With all of the recent events happening in Russia and the Ukraine, I felt it was time to add my two rubles worth. I wanted to write just a short note to bring us to back to some Biblical reality in light of world events. It does seem like every time the world erupts into some potential major conflict, there is someone who uses this as opportunity to predict the end of the world. So we need to be reminded to remain steadfast and not get carried away by someone preaching foolishness.

2 Thessalonians 2

Man of Lawlessness

1Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Yeshua Hamashiach and our gathering together to Him, 2that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of YHVH, displaying himself as being YHVH.

This passage is obviously referring to the prophecy found in Dan 9. The third Temple has not been built yet, the man of lawlessness has not been revealed, and there is still a period of tribulation to happen before the Lord returns. I know there are a lot of folks who believe the “rapture” will happen as a pre-tribulation event, but this is just not supported Scripturally.

  So without writing a dissertation let me just share with you a simple yet Scriptural presentation on the end-time events.

Rev 20 tells us the details of the first resurrection4

4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

  It is very obvious that the first resurrection takes place after the tribulation. I have come to this conclusion because the ones who are resurrected first are the ones who were beheaded. I could be wrong, but if one is beheaded it might be that they went through the persecution of the tribulation. It also says that they did not receive the mark of the beast or worship him. All these events happen during the Tribulation.

The defense for the pretrib rapture given by its defenders is found in 1Thess.

1Thess 4

Those Who Died in Messiah

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

In this passage the dead in Messiah rise first; this is also called the pre-trib rapture by its proponents. But the problem is if this is a first resurrection and Rev 20 is also a first resurrection, then how can we reconcile that the Rev 20 first resurrection happens after the tribulation. Are there 2 first resurrections? Are Paul and John contradicting each other? There can only be one first resurrection.

It’s a simple solution. All we need to do is read the text in context and it explains itself. So please read these passages in their entirety before you build your metal argument against me.

So how are we to respond to world events of this nature?

2pt 3:10

A New Heaven and Earth

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of YHVH, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

The day of the Lord’s return will be like a thief in the night; therefore, we are to be those people who watch our conduct publicly and privately. We must be careful not to build scenarios that are not Biblical. We also need to be careful in listening to all the prognosticators predicting the Lord’s return prematurely. He will come when He is ready. We just keep our eyes on the word so that we will know the signs of the times and be ready. Let’s not be caught with our wicks untrimmed.

Matthew 25

Parable of Ten Virgins

1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2“Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8“The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9“But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11“Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

We might not know the day or hour, but that does not mean we should be unprepared. Let’s keep our eyes open and in His word so that, when these events do unfold, we will not be deceived.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--

2      A time to give birth and a time to die;

      A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

3      A time to kill and a time to heal;

      A time to tear down and a time to build up.

4      A time to weep and a time to laugh;

      A time to mourn and a time to dance.

5      A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

      A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

6      A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

      A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7      A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

      A time to be silent and a time to speak.

8      A time to love and a time to hate;

      A time for war and a time for peace.

The Scripture is very clear that there is a time for everything. This passage in Ecclesiastes 3 is often quoted at funerals, weddings, and special events that are usually connected to rights of passage or significant life events. But it is not often I hear a sermon on the topic, “A Time to Kill”, “A Time for War”, or “A Time to Tear Down.” Now I am not, in this little blog, endorsing murder or war, so please don’t get me wrong. I am, however, appealing for the balance that the Scripture so obviously points out in all of life’s scenarios. Whether I like it or not, there is a time for war and killing and tearing down. Even if I don’t like these statements, I still must accept them for what they are –  observations on the full nature of life.

With that being said I would like to concentrate on the aspect of tearing down. I am not an expert on war or killing; but I have had a lot more experience in tearing down, so I feel a bit more qualified to write on the subject.

As I read the Word of the Lord regarding this topic, I see that the Lord also addresses this quite a bit when it comes to the history of Israel.

Numbers 33

Law of Possessing the Land

50Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 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;

Deuteronomy 12

Laws of the Sanctuary

1“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the Elohim 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 Elohim.

 

2 Chronicles 34

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

“1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2He did right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the Elohim of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images. 4They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins, 7he also tore down the altars and beat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.”

Look at how far the Lord goes to purge the nation of idolatry. He not only calls for the complete destruction of the pagan places and artifacts Josiah by the instruction of the Lord fully defiles every pagan influence by sprinkling the powder of the ground down images on the graves of those who sacrificed to them. This meant they were defiled by death and could not be redeemed by anyone. Then Josiah burns the bones of the priests who served these pagan gods on the very alters the used.

There is no shortage on verses in context that make it clear that the Lord wanted the Jews to tear down any vestige to pagan worship in the land. There was to be no compromise, no salvaging, just tear them down. The Lord knew that the Children of Israel would be tempted by the Canaanites, so He instructed them to completely tear down and abolish any connection to pagan worship in the land. This is why in Deut. 12 He said to them:

28“Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your Elohim.

29“When the LORD your Elohim cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31“You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your Elohim, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

The Children of Israel were not even allowed to redeem the gold from the pagan altars.

If they weren’t allowed to use the gold from the pagan alters, what makes us think that today that we can redeem pagan customs for use in worshiping the Lord? 

Duet 12:

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.

The reason why he Lord was so strict in this matter was because He knew that one degree off course would lead to a monstrous change in direction down the road. Just one degree on a map is enough to put you in the totally wrong place as the journey progresses. The Lord gave the Children of Israel very specific instructions on how they should walk and what to avoid along the journey and there was no room for subjective feelings along the way. We might think that something is right based on our life’s experiences, but it makes no difference what we feel if it goes against the Word. We live in a very limited plain of existence. The Lord lives independent of time, space, and matter. He knew and knows what is to take place along the journey. He knows how to keep us on track.

When He told the Israelites to tear down any vestige of paganism He did so because he knew that this would knock them off course. He knew that divergence from His Word would come back to bite them later. He gave them a choice.

Deut 30:

Choose Life

15“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16in that I command you today to love the LORD your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your Elohim may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 19“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20by loving the LORD your Elohim, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

In our lives as well, if we want to have spiritual growth, there are going to be seasons of tearing down. In the body of believers there must always be a continuous process where we look for the practices that have crept into the community, things of the world that just don’t belong among those who call upon the name of the Lord. If we don’t I promise you, before you know it, we will be so far off course that we will not even be able to tell where the original path or destination is.

Yeshua said in Matt 7:

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The way has always been narrow, yet, with our 38,000 denominations of “Christianity” there always seems to be a way to find some justification for accepting everyone’s divergent opinion. If the way is narrow there can only be one way to serve the Lord, and it must be His way, the way it was from the beginning.

 

Mal 3:

6“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

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?’

Rav Shaul (Paul) said in 2 Corinthians 6:

14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15Or what harmony has Messiah with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16Or what agreement has the temple of the Lord with idols? For we are the temple of the living Elohim; just as YHVH said,

      “I will dwell in them and walk among them;

      And I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.

17      “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.

      “And do not touch what is unclean;

      And I will welcome you.

18      “And I will be a father to you,

      And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

      Says the Lord Almighty.

In this passage Rav Shaul is echoing the sentiment from Lev 26:12, Ez 11:20, Is 52 :11 and Hos 1:10.

These were all promises made to Israel; but in this Corinthian passage, Shaul seems to be applying the promise to these Gentile citizens of Rome. So no one can say that these statements were intended for the Jews only. No one can say that there is a different standard for the Gentile believers. They too must tear down any association with the pagan world. They too must not touch the unclean thing.

Num 15:

 14‘If an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do so he shall do. 15‘As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the LORD. 16‘There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.’”

If the Scriptures make it clear that this behavior was forbidden for Israel, and if the Gentile believers are now the adopted seed of Abraham, then what in the world makes them exempt from tearing down all pagan influences in their walk? Why should their walk be any different than the natural born children? If Gentile believers want the blessings they must also accept the responsibility that goes with it.

If one makes the attempt to build a building he must make sure that the corner stone is perfectly square. The rest of the building will be set against the corner stone. If the corner stone is not square and the building is still built against it, then you can be sure that the rest of the building will not be stable. It must be torn down; the foundation is faulty. There is no difference when it comes to our theology. It must be built on a firm foundation. The Lord set that standard right from the beginning, and there must be no deviation at all – not even just one degree.

Duet 5:

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.’”

We do not have the liberty to say that as long as our hearts are sincere then the Lord understands if we do things that are not according to His standard. The only right we have is to seek His will and do it as we become aware of it. If we find as a result of our study that we are not in His will, then we must tear down anything that threatens our pursuit of His will, even if we have done it for years.

James 1:22

22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

Predominantly the “Church” has said for centuries that the Lord blesses their offerings of praise through their celebrations and what they call their New Testament standard of freedom. They seem to think that in their standard that they have been set free to ignore all that the Lord set in motion in the Tenach (First Testament). I would like to ask this one question, with that 38,000 plus denominations of “Christianity” How is that standard working for you?

I have a major problem looking at all of the dysfunction and disunity in the body and accepting this as the Lord’s perfect plan. I am advocating for tearing down all practices that take us away from the cornerstone. If one feels the need to argue this point then they had better be prepared to give a Biblical reason why.

Let me give you an example of a Biblical standard that has been changed or compromised to allow a deviation from the straight and narrow.

Leviticus 23

Laws of Religious Festivals

1The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:

3‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

4‘These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.

In Lev 23 we see that the Lord tells us of His appointed times and season. The first festival appointed for us is the Shabbat (Sabbath). In many places the Children of Israel were rebuked for violating this ordained weekly festival. The Shabbat was given by the Lord as a declaration that in six days He created the heavens and the earth. Because we refused to celebrate as He prescribed, we see that all manner of false doctrines have arisen. One of the most predominant is the theory of evolution. By refusing to acknowledge this day and teach it to our children, we have inadvertently contributed to this falsehood. Just one little thing like changing His Shabbat day from the 7th day of the week to Sunday the first day of the week has allowed all manner of foolish teachings to arise. Once you leave truth, the falsehood will spread like gangrene. It is often subtle but it is always insidious. It makes no difference what our intention is. If the Lord gives us a specific way in which He wants things done, then to stray from that path will eventually cause a course change, even if your intention was to arrive at the appointed destination. If we don’t continually check our bearings and make corrections on the journey, we will never make it to the appointed destination. When we become lazy, complacent, or arrogant and don’t follow the proper bearings, we will not make it to the final destination. We don’t know what is best. The Lord does and we have all that we need by way of instructions to arrive. We must be willing to tear down anything that keeps us off the path or obstructs our progress.

Another issue that has arisen because we refuse to follow His detailed instructions is the denial of the resurrection. Once we decided to change the appointed days for what was thought to be a better way, we made the resurrection impossible to defend. Most people in the “Church” celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection as an event that happened on a Friday afternoon till Sunday morning. This not what the Scriptures say. The resurrection is meticulously interwoven in the Passover and it’s prophetic declarations, not the pagan hollow day of Ishtar celebrating the fertility goddess of Rome.

MT 12:

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.

How in the world do we get three days and three nights from a Friday death and burial to Sunday morning resurrection? This was the declaration of Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 at the council of Nicaea. He changed the very nature of this Holy day and set a date according to the pagan traditions of man and not the Lord’s appointed time.

And I quote.

“We also send you the good news of the settlement concerning the holy pasch, namely that in answer to your prayers this question also has been resolved. All the brethren in the East who have hitherto followed the Jewish practice will henceforth observe the custom of the Romans and of yourselves and of all of us who from ancient times have kept Easter together with you.”

“Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Savior a different way. A course at once legitimate and honorable lies open to our most holy religion. Beloved brethren, let us with one consent adopt this course, and withdraw ourselves from all participation in their baseness. For their boast is absurd indeed, that it is not in our power without instruction from them to observe these things. . . .

In brief, that I may express my meaning in as few words as possible, it has been determined by the common judgment of all, that the most holy feast of Easter should be kept on one and the same day [Sunday]. For on the one hand a discrepancy of opinion on so sacred a question is unbecoming, and on the other it is surely best to act on a decision which is free from strange folly and error. . . .”

For the sake of clarification, the day that Constantine declared that Easter (“Resurection”) should be celebrated was the first Sunday after the full moon of the spring equinox. Who gave him the authority to change one of the Lord’s appointed times?

“On 3 March 321, Constantine decreed that Sunday (dies Solis) will be observed as the Roman day of rest. On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for grain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.”

Nowhere in the Scriptures can you find defense for a Sunday morning resurrection, or a substitute of the Shabbat for a Sunday. This topic I have dealt with in detail in one of my other blogs. This arose because the pagan traditions of men were synchrotized into the Biblical narrative. No matter how hard we try, no matter what our “good” intention is, the true prophetic Gospel message suffers because of our substitution for the man made. The only thing that can be done at this point is to tear down and start all over according to the Lord’s instructions. Only then will the message make sense.

Ex 34:

12“Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. 13“But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their ◙ Asherim 14—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Elohim— 15otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, 16and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. 17“You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

If we take the days that were dedicated to pagan deities, sprinkle holy water on them and declare them now to be “Christianized”, “redeemed”, “sanctified”, aren’t we making a covenant with paganism?

Deuteronomy 7:

Warnings

1“When the LORD your Elohim brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 2and when the LORD your Elohim delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. 3“Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4“For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5“But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their ◙ Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6“For you are a holy people to the LORD your Elohim; the LORD your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

If, as it says in Eph chapter 2 …

Ephesians 2:

1”And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But Elohim, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together ◙ with Messiah”

…then no matter who you are – Jew or Gentile – if you are a follower of Messiah, then you are commanded to stop walking according to the course of this world, no matter what you think or feel.

I would like to challenge you this year a little differently with another seasonal episode of “Rabbi Henry’s Christmas ramblings”.  So instead of the traditional approach, I would like to start with a question.

I am asking someone out there in blog land to share with me just one Biblical reason why I should celebrate “Christmas” instead of the Feasts found in Lev 23.

In the meantime, let me remind you of what the Scripture says in regards to celebrating His appointed times and seasons. Buckle up and let’s get rolling.

Leviticus 23

1The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:

These are the Lord’s appointed times and seasons. They are not Jewish holidays. They were given as prophetic appointments that were to be kept by the Messiah in specific detail. The mandate to keep them was not negotiable.

14b
It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

The days of the Lord are perpetual; they do not end as long as this earth exists. They are to be continually observed by our future progeny wherever we live.

21‘On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

The Lord says it again in verse 21.

31“You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

And one last time in verse 41

41‘You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations;

I encourage you to read the entire chapter to get the context of each promise and the instructions involved for each holy day. This is not the intent of this little blog. My goal is to point out that these holy days have not been abrogated and substituted by the man- made hollow day called “Christmas”.  Read some of my other blogs on the origins of “Christmas” at the Sha’ar website.

So, let’s review. The holy days are appointments to be kept by Israel; they are perpetual for all of our generations and in all of our dwellings. These holy days were given by the Lord and Yeshua fulfilled them. Very good, now we’re getting somewhere. So my next question is, why would anyone want to substitute these prophetic memorials for something that is man-made and empty?

Just think of all of the wonderful “Christmas” traditions that I am missing out on, Yule logs, mistletoe, trees, presents, debt, Nativity scenes, cantatas, Santa, elves, Rudolph, caroling, lights, wreaths, holly, wise men, drummer boys, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas cheer, Wasale, fruit cake, Midnight Mass, shepherds, and we don’t get to fight the war against “Christmas” with Bill O’Reilly. Oy! I am exhausted, and I don’t even celebrate this foolishness. Where is the Word of the Lord in any of this?

The Levitical feasts were commanded by the Lord; “Christmas” is not. Especially when we consider that every sane person knows that Yeshua was not born on Dec 25th. For one to not see that this is a man-made celebration is to show a tremendous amount of intellectual and emotional dishonesty.

If it were so important for me to celebrate Dec 25th as the day of the Messiah’s birth, why then is it not mentioned anywhere in the Scriptures. On the other hand, each and every Biblical feast has a very specific time and date.

I find it curious that in the book of Zechariah chapter 14 says…

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.

The Feast of Booths, also known as Sukkoth, is one of the Lev 23 feasts. This Scripture is speaking about the end time. What is being said here is that in the end time we will all go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Biblical Feast of Booths. This holy day is a prophetic display that shows us that the Lord dwelt among men for 40 years in the wilderness while they lived in booths. He took care of Israel’s needs; they saw Him daily in a pillar of fire by night and cloud of smoke in the day. When Yeshua came, again we saw that the Lord dwelt among men, and in the end times He will dwell among men as well.

This day is so important as a memorial that Zechariah says if men don’t go to celebrate it then no rain will fall on their land. I don’t see the mention of “Christmas” being celebrated in the end times especially on December 25th.

Another point I would like to make is that the Biblical feasts are not just for the children of Abraham.

Ex 12:

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.”

It was the Lord’s desire to reconcile the whole world back unto Himself through the nation of Israel, which would bring forth the Messiah. This passage is a foreshadowing of that plan. The Passover lamb was not just for Israel – it was for all who would.

No matter how we slice it, the December 25th Christmas hollow day is the Roman pagan celebration of the birth of the sun (not the “Son”) in the person of Saturn. This has found its way into protestant “Christianity” via Catholicism, which sprinkled holy water on this day and called it “Christian”. There is a plethora of information out there that supports this historically, So I will avoid rehashing the details as I have covered it in past blogs.

My goal is to call you to the Scripture to remind you what is Biblical and what is men’s traditions.

Yeshua warns the Pharisees in Mt. chapter 7.

“Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

      ‘This people honors Me with their lips,

      But their heart is far away from Me.

7      ‘But in vain do they worship Me,

      Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’

8“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

9He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.

Is Christmas – and the traditions that are part of it – any different? If Yeshua would not allow the religious Jews to make this mistake, why then are we allowed to? 

Now it’s your turn to give me an answer.