Bookends

Posted on 13 October, 2010 by mark

I saw an editorial cartoon this week which gave me a chuckle, more because it seems to indicate that even a few folks who generally seem clueless to what is happening in the world may be starting to at least have a few questions.  In the living room of a glass house sat a man and wife, obviously concerned about all of the satellites, surveillance vans, men with binoculars and wiretaps, and other police state paraphernalia which was trained on them.  The caption read, “I thought transparency was supposed to apply to the GOVERNMENT.”

The cartoonist missed the a trick, however, because the man and woman were clothed:  he forgot about the backscatter millimeter wave naked body scanners, which have now migrated from airports to mobile tax-supported vans.

All of which is an introduction to the topic which was already on my mind anyway, right from Bereshiet/Genesis 2:25, “And they were both naked, the man [adam] and his wife [isha], and were not ashamed.”
As it turns out, however, they might be considered to have been ‘covered’ by YHVH, while they were in obedience to Him and under His care.  It wasn’t until a bit later (v 3:7), after eating of the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that ” the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked…”

Note the sequence of events carefully here; we’ll get back to the comic in a minute.  While the original man and his wife were under obedience to their Creator, they were naked before Him, but not not ashamed.  But when they went into rebellion against Him, and broke the single commandment they had been given, they were exiled from that Garden.

I often note the beautiful symmetry of many teachings in Scripture.  Some prophecies are cyclical, and foreshadow events which repeat, often on multiple levels and multiple times.  Some events are foreshadowed.  Some aspects of that concept have even been described with the summary “as with the fathers, so the sons”.  Both Abraham and his son, for example, committed almost identical acts of putting their wives at risk by denying (or at least “fudging”) their relationship.  And the generation which sees the ‘Greater Exodus’ may well recognize the prophetic parallels of the one our ancient fathers saw.

But there is a ‘bookend’ to that story of the original garden, which this concept of ‘nakedness’ before a master seems to help expose, it you will pardon the multiple puns.

The ‘prince of this world’ is not very original.  He copies the true Creator.  He, too, has commandments, demands tribute, and offers his own “blessings and curses” for obedience and resistance.

Modern slaves of Caesar, or “Big Brother” if you prefer, are also required to stand naked before their chosen master.  They submit to his searches, his wiretaps, his economic surveillance, his ‘naked body scans’.  And most of them don’t even know they are naked (see Rev. 3:17, for example.)

What struck me when I thought about that editorial cartoon of the ‘man and his wife’ sitting in a glass house, who didn’t know that they were ALSO naked before their false ‘mighty ones’, was that this, too, was a “bookend” in Scripture:

The first adam (literally Hebrew for ‘man’) was naked, but not ashamed, arguably because he was covered by his Creator.  But when they rebelled, and ate of the forbidden fruit of knowledge, they were put out of the garden. (1)

Modern adam is also naked, and clothed instead only in ignorance.  His ‘covering’ by the prince of this world has more in common with the “Emperor’s New Clothes” than the white garments described in Biblical prophecy.  And the new “garden” is a fake as well…from the ‘knowledge’ infused at the Government Indoctrination Centers and media Ministries of Propaganda, to promises of earthly salvation via tree-hugging rather than fruit consumption.

Everything about the original story has now been turned upside-down…except those two Original Lies.  (2)

Adam was put out of the Garden of Eden.  We must choose to COME OUT of the imitation.

________________________

1)  The Hebrew word used in Gen. 3:23 is shalach, meaning send out, or put away.  It is the very same word later used as part of the process for divorce.

2)  “You shall not surely die”, and “you can be like Elohim…” (Bereshiet/Genesis 3:4-5)

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When it is time to “take off the gloves”

Posted on 2 October, 2010 by mark

We seem to live in a culture which literally lusts for the opportunity to “take offense”.  The mere expression of the understanding that some things are wrong because Scripture says so in a national forum seems almost guaranteed to send someone into a fit of anger…often accompanied by cries that such a belief is, at a minimum, intolerant, probably prejudiced, and therefore worthy of suppression or retribution.  Somehow the irony of that position is lost on them.

While politicians, pundits, and police pay lip service to “tolerance” and “free speech”, the truth is that we now inhabit lands where such things no longer seem to apply.  At least not to everybody.  For example, sodomy and the licensing of homosexual “marriage” MUST be “tolerated”, and of course subsidized by the socialist “safety net”, while “Fundamentalist Mormon” polygamy conversely justifies the kidnapping of children.  Hate must be properly focused, in other words, or else it somehow magically becomes a thought crime, but that which the Bible calls “abomination” enjoys the blessing of the State.

Modern society, in short, seems to take particular offense at whatever is Written in Scripture by a YHVH Who is no longer allowed in Caesar’s schools, or his courtrooms.  Even many self-described “Christians” are so consumed with the idea of NOT being “under the Law” that they have failed to notice they are no longer “under” the Bill of Rights either!  If the “Law” has truly been “done away with”, that damage extends to whole nations, and not the “old testament” alone.

But even those who seek to be like the Bereans, and search out the Scriptures for ourselves, are not immune from taking offense, or being criticized for pointing out certain teachings from His “teaching and instruction”.  It is very important that we not “teach as doctrine the traditions of men”, particularly when such “additions” to His Word are based on forbidden pagan practices.

I’ve been wrestling a bit lately with the concept of “blowing the trumpet” of warning (Ezekiel 33:6 and 3:17-19) and the claim — generally made by ‘believers’ to whom they hit just a bit ‘too close to home’ — that it’s simply not “loving” to quote certain verses.  After all, feelings might be hurt  by things like Matthew 7:21-23, where He is quite blunt with those who practice lawlessness.  Or Matthew 5:19,  or, well, just about any of them where our Mashiach uses the word “hypocrite” (over and over again in Matthew 23, for example.  Oops; He also called them things like “vipers” or worse).  Certainly we all want to show “love”, and demonstrate such concern for our brothers and sisters the way He did.  But is it “charitable” to ignore what He really said just because it might offend some who aren’t ready for the “meat” of Scripture, or might not even recognize that the things He calls “unclean” aren’t really even meat at ALL?

And are we in fact failing to be obedient, and speak His truth “boldly”, when we fail to speak forthrightly to our brothers and sisters about important issues because someone might take offense?  There comes a time, I submit, when we are called to “take off the gloves”.

After all, Scripture repeatedly advises us that those whom He loves, He ‘chastens’.  Shouldn’t we be prepared to do likewise, ‘in love’?  And what does that really mean?  Likewise, Read Deut. 13.  Should we not be ‘offended’ — at least a LITTLE — by what offends Him?  I contend that He Wrote His instruction down for us for a very good reason.  Scripture is full of examples of men and women who were “zealous” for YHVH, and who were likewise uncompromising in doing what He asked of them…but offers very few praises for people who caved in to the “political correctness” of their day or “tickled the ears” of the gullible.   Saul and Ahab, among others, seem to be fairly representative of the current crop of “leaders” familiar today.

But the prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) sticks in my mind as a man of YHVH who demonstrated the kind of “tough love” that the people of Israel needed during a time of incredible idolatry, and the weak and corrupt leadership which festered as a result.  I Kings chapter 18 tells the story.

In spite of threats against his life, Eliyahu came boldly before a king who was evidently surprised to see him.  “Is that you, O ‘troubler of Israel’?” His answer did not seem to indicate too much concern about giving offense.  “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals!” When Eliyahu then literally commanded that the king gather the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Asherah for a showdown before the people of Israel, Ahab complied.

In one of the most stark choices offered in all of Scripture, the prophet evidently didn’t worry too much about giving offense to those he sought to save from idolatry, either.  ‘ “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. ‘  (I Kings 18:21)

Then, of course, Eliyahu “took the gloves off” when he turned his attention to the pagan priests.  Did he “offend” the priests of Baal?  After all, he not only sarcastically ‘mocked’ them and their false god, but later made sure that not even one escaped.

Eliyahu’s blunt language and powerful demonstration literally revealed to the people of Israel Who was their Elohim, and what was NOT.  Interestingly, the Hebrew word transliterated “ahav”, meaning “love”, has the pictographic meaning of “to reveal the Father”.  What a wonderful rendering of what it means to love as He would have us understand it!  A father’s love must include chastening when necessary, and balances both encouragement and discipline.

There is definitely a time for those of us who claim to follow Him to “take the gloves off”, and most of us understand that evil often triumphs when good men do nothing.  But those who are so afraid of giving offense, or being called “intolerant”, will not even take the first step of speaking the Truth from His Word “boldly” when the “sword comes upon the land”.  We must not fear the criticism of men when the alternative is to consider that, as watchmen, we may be called to account for our failure to sound a warning.

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All “slavery” is not equal!

Posted on 30 August, 2010 by mark

Most of us who have been around the “Hebrew Roots movement” for very long , or who may refer to ourselves as some variant of “Torah-observant believers”,  have heard a sordid collection of arguments all too often trotted out to demonstrate our folly.  Those who long to show us that all such “Old” stuff in the Bible has been “done away with” – or “nailed to the cross” — have several favorite examples of Scriptures to “wrest” out of context in order to claim that such a “God” was not only wrong, but Politically Incorrect.  Among the clear favorites of the scoffers is what they call His approval of “slavery”.

After all, in our enlightened, egalitarian, “modern” world, society has now clearly “evolved” FAR beyond whatever some ancient Writings claim that an allegedly “angry”, “jealous”, and — horror of horrors — “patriarchal” YHVH may have once said.  And, of course, if He was wrong about such important things as supporting slavery, and the presumed “inferiority” of women by daring to create us “male and female”, with bodies suited to fulfill the roles He designed us for as well…why would ANYONE believe Him?  The logical conclusion is to wonder just how much of His “Law” is left which DOES still apply?

So, it is important that we be able to debunk — roundly, unequivocally, and directly from Scripture — any and all such claims.

And since marriage and sexuality is easily one of the most important, and most-discussed, relationships in all of Scripture (and I won’t claim to be able to distill all of His teachings on the topics into a single short article!) we’ll start with the “easy” one – slavery.  And I’ll start with an observation, as well…that those who most vehemently seem to REJECT His “teaching and instruction” somehow seem to be the most hopelessly ‘enslaved’ – and to be equally ignorant of their own condition!  Perhaps that is why the advice to “let those who falsely believe they are free rattle their chains” so resonates in post-Biblical Amerika.  After all, if we understand that those whom He makes free are “free indeed” (Yahuchanon 8:36), then what, conversely, about those who deny Him entirely?

Take a look at Exodus 21.  Isn’t it just a bit remarkable that immediately after delivering His people from brutal bondage in Mitzraim (“Egypt”, under Pharoah) and then giving them the Ten Words or Commandments  (which outline just how these folks are to live and relate to Him and one another in that new freedom) that virtually the next topic He selects concerns what it means to be a “slave”?

Observe a couple of very interesting things about  the section.  When a “master” gives his servant a wife, and the servant eventually leaves, the wife and any subsequent children belong to the master! (v. 21:3-4)  Don’t think for a minute that Caesar (and his servants in “Child Protective Services”) fail to understand that meaning, even if those who take that master’s “marriage license” fail to understand it!

Scripture also contains many other verses which outline treatment of “servants”, and specify various “do’s” and “dont’s”.  Those ordinances show clearly how YHVH’s instruction concerning servants (who were often indentured because of trespass, negligence, or debt) very much differs from the cruel slavery of the pagan cultures which surrounded them.

But the next verses in Exodus 21 are perhaps even more telling, given that so many people now often unwittingly serve “another master” —  which Yahushua cautioned against.  A servant may say, “I love my master, my wife, my children“, and thus “I will NOT go out free,”  so a process is detailed by which that master “shall bore his ear through with an awl” into the doorpost of the house, “and he shall serve him forever.”  (I suspect that many men who today want to wear an earring probably don’t understand the symbolism of that particular age-old “tradition”!)

Before I gave much thought or study to the instruction of the Torah, I assumed that verses five and six simply referred to a “master” was not unkind, and thus treated his ‘slaves’ well. But a good friend, who happens to be a well-known Orthodox rabbi, once told me of an ancient midrash on the subject, which I found fascinating:  No, such a man is NOT a “good master” at all, but a FAILURE! Why?

Because he had FAILED to teach that individual how to live as a free man!

The whole point of teaching a man how to be a servant was to prepare him not for slavery, but to know how to live according to Torah; how to be a head of his own house, a leader, and a contributor to his community.

I see it now in a broader sense still.  Why does our Savior say that we must learn to serve before we can learn to be “kings and priests” for Him?  There is in fact a TREMENDOUS difference between “slavery” and what it means to be a “bondservant to the Most High” — as most of the apostles understood clearly!  (Check out not only Shaul’s claims from the first line of the letters to Titus and the Romans, but the introductions from II Kefa [Peter], Yakov [James], Yahudah [Jude], and Yahuchanan in Revelation!)   Whether the metaphor is to learn how to be a good Bride to Him, or a subject of the One True King, or a bondservant of the Most High, the message is still that we must LEARN what it means to walk in obedience…or else live as slaves.  Whether modern slaves understand Shaul/Paul’s teachings or not, that is ultimately what it means to be in “bondage to sin”, or rebellion to Him.

The real irony, and the only most “difficult” part of the teaching, if you will, is that to be “free indeed” we must first become servants.  Because the only way we can really learn how to walk in true freedom is by surrendering, voluntarily, in obedience to Him.

The key issue is choice, but a deception exists even on that score.  The real choice is not merely between “freedom” and “slavery”, but between “bondservice” to Him, and “slavery” to the world.  That choice is determined by WHICH master we will choose to serve:  either YHVH, or the ‘prince of this world’.  And while being only “self-serving” may seem like an alternative, it ultimately defaults to the latter.

America’s Founders, and those who came before them, understood the concept well.  William Penn said that those “who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants”.  Yahushua [Joshua] defines the issue in verse 24:15 of the Book bearing his name, when he says, “Choose this day Whom you will serve“, and informs us of the choice for “me and my house“.  The Savior emphasized that very point when He responded to Satan’s offer of power over all this world by quoting that, ” ‘You shall worship YHVH your Elohim, and Him only you shall serve.'” (Luke 4, Matthew 4)

There really is ONLY one true Master Whom we should serve – and the choice is ours to make.  We should be able to explain to those who do not understand why our choice of obedience to Him and His “teaching and instruction”  (torah, of course, in the Hebrew) is not “legalism”, or much less bondage, but simply demonstrates that we understand what He (and the apostoles as well!) were teaching us to proclaim:  that “I love my Master,” and desire to “serve Him forever”.

That is what John 14:15 is all about as well:

 

“If you love Me, keep My commands.”

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False prophets, and black-robed priests of another god

Posted on 9 August, 2010 by mark

This week’s “news” and this week’s traditional Torah portion (Re-eh, including Deuteronomy chapters 12 and 13) — as so often happens when it comes to regular study of Scripture — seemed to have an almost stunning connection.

In a week which saw an openly “gay” California judge discover yet another “right” in the Constitution which YHVH Himself calls an “abomination”, the admonition of Deuteronomy 13 to avoid being snared  by false prophets seems particularly poignant.  San Francisco Federal Judge Vaughn Walker claimed in his own variant of trashing the last verse of Deuteronomy 12 that he struck down California’s “Proposition 8” ban on state licensing of homosexual “marriage” because he saw no “rational basis” for “singling out gay men and lesbians” for denial of the Almighty State’s blessings.  “Indeed,” the would-be Lawmaker pontificated, the “evidence shows” that the Amendment — passed by a landslide 70 percent majority of voters in that presumed “democracy” of a state — “does nothing more than enshrine” in that state’s Constitution “the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.”  Motivated solely by “animus”, he continued, the law played on “fear” that parents might end up with “children who are not heterosexual.”

What struck me about all of the debate, all of the news coverage, and ALL of the “ruling” was the utter blindness of what is laughably called “both sides” to the “elephant in the room”, or the Bible that was notably absent from it!  There was a LOT of mention of “traditional marriage”, and some reference to generic “religion”, along with “history”.  But if there even WAS any power in the Universe superior to Big Brother and His Almighty Power to license and (RE-) define “marriage” – you wouldn’t know it from this “decision” or any of the coverage of it.  Just try a search for the word “Bible” on the mass of media spin, or the 136-page ruling.  If you find the Word at all, it will almost certainly be in respect to some “history” that we are now far too sophisticated (or “rational”, to use Walker’s favorite disparagement)  to care about;  that so-called “animus” that no doubt springs from the “hate crime” mentality of believing the Bible.

How far we have fallen from a nation where once there was unanimous agreement* that certain Truths were “self-evident” and that God-given “Rights” came from a Power superior to any government of men, to one where there is “no rational basis” for paying Him even any attention.  What fallen men now call “law” and twist so badly that evil is now called good is not only sanctioned, but subsidized.

The message here, in other words, is not about “homosexuality” per se, or the trap of allowing Caesar to “license” that which YHVH ordains and has given us the rules for.  But there may be no better illustration of just what the Torah has to say about why YHVH prohibits “adding  to” and “subtracting from” His “Law” than this latest “enticement” to “go and serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers has known”.

Even a cursory reading of chapter 13 of Bemidbar, or Deuteronomy, will show just how vehemently He detests those who attempt to deceive His people into serving other “mighty ones”  (or elohim in the Hebrew).  But verses 6 through 11 are perhaps the most graphic (as well as the ones most likely to be on new lists of “prohibited verses” for the  State-licensed, Caesar-blessed 501c(3)  Sycophant “Faith-based” Church in the near future).  Even if it is our beloved brother, or the “wife of our bosom”, or our lifelong friend, who says to us that we should serve these other mighty ones, “of the mighty ones of the people who are all around you”, we are not to “agree with” them, “listen” to them, “pardon” them, conceal them or even spare them.  Serious stuff indeed**.

Now, I know from experience that some reading this are skeptical…and no doubt think that referring to those who construct ‘new law’ from a courtroom bench as “black-robed priests of another god” is too extreme. After all, never attribute to “conspiracy” that which is adequately explained by “incompetence”. But one does not have to be a ‘conspiracy theorist’ to realize that the Bible is True, or to observe that there really IS a force for evil, or that the  Adversary can use those who don’t even believe in him for his purposes.

I can’t help but observe that the newest “justice” now sitting on the US Supreme Court is an acolyte of what the press and most of Washington regard as the TWO MOST IMPORTANT issues which could possibly come before that august group of revisionists:  abortion and ‘gay rights’.  Besides being Maximally Politically Correct, what do they have in common?  Not merely that they are both acts prohibited  repeatedly by the Bible; it is that they are things which are literally condemned in the strongest possible terms.

Note how the Rights that were once called “God-given”, and protected explicitly by the “thou shalt NOT” wording of the Bill of Rights, are now — at best, neglected — from freedom of assembly, speech, worship, to the Right to ‘keep and  bear arms’, to what were once quaintly called “warrants”.  But the “new” Big Brother-created ‘rights’ – notably abortion and sodomy- are more important than ANYTHING actually written in the text of the Constitution!

I once referred to such Caesar-ordained imitations of real Rights as “privileges”, because they were granted by government, rather than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and  Jacob.  But that doesn’t go far enough.  So far as the prince of this world is concerned – they are Sacraments.

No wonder our real Father tells us we are to be so hard on such lying “mighty ones” and their false priests.

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* As the Declaration of Independence made very clear in its opening paragraphs.

** I personally find the ISR translation of The Scriptures to be my own preferred rendering of these passages, because of their faithfulness to the concepts in the original Hebrew.  At one time, based on renderings like the KJV/NKJV, I concluded that these warnings pertained only to obviously false gods, or pagan practices, like Easter (Ishtar) eggs and Sol Invictus Mithra-related Xmas ‘traditions’.

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Deuteronomy 4:2, or “What could be wrong with a little “adding to”…?

Posted on 3 August, 2010 by mark

We live in a time of incredible deception.  We have a “money system” which is called the “reserve currency” of the whole WORLD, and yet it’s a direct violation of our own Constitution (for more than one reason!)…and it’s called “abomination” by the Bible.  God’s own ordination of marriage just wasn’t good enough either, and now “civil unions” have been “added to” the definition by governments all over “the world” (in spite of the fact He calls that an “abomination” as well.)  Very few self-described “Christians” today understand how the appointed times of YHVH, which He said repeatedly were to be kept “forever” have been utterly replaced by pagan “holy days”.  But there really is “nothing new under the sun”; a great many similar “traditions of men” were condemned by our Savior almost two millenia ago.

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHVH your Elohim which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

“Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” Deuteronomy 12:32

“… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life…” Revelation 22:18-19

Now, that sounds like a pretty simple, very straightforward command.  And since it is repeated several times, through multiple witnesses, He must be serious about it.  But it you read Genesis 3:3 carefully, you’ll see that it’s been an issue since the garden of Eden.  (Hint:  “nor shall we touch it” was not part of Eve’s instruction.  Perhaps it was an ad-lib, or maybe Adam was just trying to emphasize the point.  Either way, it was a “little addition” that stretched enough for the adversary to end up “driving a truck through it.”  And he has found the technique valuable ever since.)

The problem with outlining what should therefore be a simple concept in a short article is that, well, it’s too simple.  But the TECHNIQUES which have been adopted over the centuries, not to mention the examples, would fill books.  In fact, they have.  Most of “modern Xtianity” is not only full of ’em, but BUILT upon them.  As it turns out, it’s far more difficult to rationalize the evil of “adding to” His Word than it is to DO it, as the real ‘First Couple’ discovered.

Much of the post-Biblical history of ‘the Church’, from before the time of Constantine to the present, is the story of “adding to” and “subtracting from” the straightforward commandments of the Almighty.  His Pesach, or feast of “Passover” was changed — and even re-named — centuries ago to honor a pagan fertility goddess who was deified as an egg-laying bunny.

The Caesar-created, State-licensed, tax exempt 501c(3) corporate “church” position, which preaches what was once called “anti-nomianism (just a fancy word for the lie that “the law is done away with”) has elevated the practice of “adding to” His Word to a Sacrament.  While the practice was originally “sold” as a method of removing “stumbling blocks” which might deter pagans from embracing ‘the Church’ — it has ended up where such violations of His clear commandments always do.  Even most of those ‘churches’ which try to claim that it was only the “Law of Moses” which was “nailed to the cross” ** — but that the Ten Commandments still really do matter — fail to notice that they overlook the ones about making “graven images” and “keep the Sabbath”.

After all, it sounds just so much more “enlightened” to say that the “Law” has been done away with, rather than to make the obviously absurd claim that His “teaching and instruction” no longer applies…as if man was now “too good” for what God might have to teach us!

We’re now “above the Law”.  Oops – sorry; wrong lie.  That one only applies to politicians, armed gangs, and our course Executives of Too Big To Fail Banks.  We are “Not under the Law”.  Now THERE’s a big “addition to” what is actually Written!
Read Matthew 23.  Why did our Savior call the Pharisees “hypocrites”?  (and He wasn’t ‘polite’ about it, either!)  They had made a living from the practice of “adding to” the “torah” (calling it “Law”, or halachah, or the ‘traditions of the elders’) and were without excuse — because they should have known better!

So much more has been written by “scholars” and “church fathers” about Shaul’s (Paul’s) observation that “salvation” is a free gift, which cannot be earned by fallen man, than about our Savior’s relatively simple summary of what that means we should actually DO about it:
“If you love Me, keep My commands.” (John 14:15)

Which ones?  How about all of ’em; the ones that He thought were important enough to Write down for us, teach “with authority”, and tell us would not change so long as “heaven and earth” still exist (Matthew 5:17-19).

The key is to make the Big Lie as easy as possible to sell.  But it is still rebellion to Him, regardless of what those who try to “wrest Paul” might claim.  (II Peter 3:15-16)  And the consequences have not changed, either.

“…if you will hear the voice of YHVH your Elohim, to observe and do all that I command you…all these…blessings will come upon you…
but if you wlll not obey the voice of YHVH your Elohim, to observe and do all His commandments and His statutes…then all these curses shall come upon you and overcome you…” (Deuteronomy 28)

Those of us who are led to teach are perhaps particularly vulnerable to the trap.  Perhaps the ideal teaching method is to quote Scripture and ultimately encourage folks, as Acts 17:11 outlines, to be like the Bereans and search out the Truth for ourselves.  But the obvious temptation to go beyond an “explanation” for what a text might mean, and suggest new “commandments” of our own is doubtless an element of how “traditions” end up becoming “doctrines”.

Whether it is changing His “teaching and instruction” about what is “food” – and what is NOT — or of marriage, or rewriting how we are to deal honestly with our neighbors, or His appointed times, or how we are to worship Him, the end result is the same:  curses are the penalty for rebellion.

It starts so easily, so simply…and for such arguably wonderful intentions.  “There is a way that seems right to a man…but the end thereof is death.” When He admonishes us not to “add to” or “subtract from” the Word He has given us, there is a very good reason.

Note:  This article was originally published in the August issue of the newsletter for Crucified Life Ministries, at http://www.crucifiedlifemin.com/
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**   Read what Paul ACTUALLY wrote, sometime, in Colossians 2:14 — with a concordance if necessary.  It was not, in fact, the “Law”, or “ordinances” which were nailed to the execution stake, but the ‘handwriting against us’; the indictment, in modern parlance, for the crime of rebellion to His Word.  Think of the situation this way:  when a court — or our loving Father — drops the charges for a crime against Him, should we go out and commit rebellion again?  Paul has already answered the question, in Romans:  “God forbid!”
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Believe Him…not merely “in Him”

Posted on 21 July, 2010 by mark

The recent traditional Torah study portion, called Chukat, included Moses’ failure to “believe” YHVH — which literally cost him a ticket into the Promised Land  (Numbers 20).  It also includes the interesting story of the brazen serpent lifted up on a pole (Numbers 21), which was referenced by Yahushuah Himself in John 3:14.

I submit that those two events, and the lessons which surround them, are VERY much related.

The story starts with Moses being a bit ‘upset’ at the continued whining — this time about the lack of water — of the Israelites,  although he is arguably not without some justification.  Then YHVH tells Moshe and Aharon to to “speak to the rock before their eyes”.

In his frustration, Moses deviated from those specific instructions (v 10-11) and said, “Here now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?”  whereupon he struck the rock.  Not once, but twice.

There are at least three issues associated with his actions.  First, he took credit for himself and Aaron, rather than giving the glory to YHVH.  And he hit the Rock, rather than talking to it, and even did so twice.

But what is interesting to note, and perhaps more than a bit surprising, is the specific admonition of our Father to this failure (Numbers 21:12).  He said that Moshe and Aharon did not “believe Me”!

Please think a bit about that indictment.  Here is a man who literally talked with the Almighty, and repeatedly worked miracles in His Name, and was responsible for bring His Torah, His “teaching and instruction”, to mankind.  And yet YHVH says to him that “you believed me NOT.”  As a direct result, Moshe is denied the chance to take his people into the Promised Land.

Now let’s skip ahead to the next chapter, which starts out with a very  familiar refrain.  Once again the Israelites are whining (Numbers 21:5) “why have you brought us up out of Mitzraim (Egypt) to die in the wilderness“, and even adding the insult that “our souls hate” this lousy bread (the manna He provided).  The result is fiery serpents sent among the people, many of whom are bitten and died.

This time, Moshe prays and is told to make a “fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole” so that every one who is bitten and then “looks upon it shall live“.  Yes, that serpent-on-a-stick later became an idol (and even the emblem of the Modern Medicine – perhaps another false god in itself).  But what I submit is important to note is the simple command of YHVH in that chapter:  If you are bitten, look upon that fiery serpent, and live.

All that He required of those who were bitten, in other words, was that they believe Him — just enough to take the simple action of looking where He specified — and live.

We live today in a society which has forgotten what it means to be obedient to His Word.  Perhaps it’s too much of a watered-down “faith” that teaches something His Word never says — that He doesn’t care what we DO so long as we claim to “believe in Him”.  Certainly Peter warned us (II Peter 3:15-16, again!) that Paul’s very intense midrash on the Torah could be “difficult to understand” (particularly for those who were not educated from a Hebraic mindset to begin with!) and could be expected to be “twisted” by those who were “unlearned and untaught” — with potentially disastrous results.  That this is true there can now be no doubt.

But this false “doctrine of men” that it is enough to “believe IN Him” is exactly the kind of cancerous deception that the Adversary loves, and uses so effectively:  because it’s almost true. It has NEVER been enough merely to believe IN Him.  After all, even the “demons also believe, and tremble“, as James 2:19 points out.

Moses certainly believed IN Him.  How could he not?  But far more was expected of him.

If we are to LIVE as He commands us, to be “good and faithful servants” to the Most High, just “believing in Him” is not enough.  Even in the simple act of obedience required to “look upon” a fiery serpent on a pole, in order to save one’s life…the point is made.  We show our faith by our obedience to Him.

“If you love Me, keep My commands.”   (John 14:15)

…

It’s not at all enough to believe IN Him.  True faith consists of believing Him, and thus believing in His promises.  Show me your faith by your actions, in other words.

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“Who gives this woman?”

Posted on 2 July, 2010 by mark

I frequently note just how far the “traditions of men” — particularly when it comes to Caesar’s 501c(3) State-created ‘church’ — has departed from what is actually Written, just as our Savior so frequently illustrated by His teachings as well as His actions.  But every now and again, a tradition comes to mind which actually (well, at least before it became “PC”) has a basis in Scripture.

When it comes to marriage, and ‘divorce’ (as opposed to mere ‘putting away’, or shalach, in the original Hebrew) there is more than enough tradition and false teaching in the ‘Church’ to completely muddy the waters, and perhaps even illustrate why Paul condemned the doctrine of “forbidding to marry” in I Timothy 4:1-3.  A careful reading of what the Word actually says (and in this, as in everything else, Yahushua was UTTERLY consistent with Himself!) will clear up the confusion, however.  And at least one remnant of tradition actually helps that understanding.

Do you remember the phrase which is often traditionally used in marriage ceremonies, just before the time when a father walks his daughter down the aisle and to the groom at the altar?

“Who gives this woman to be wed?”

This tradition is one of those with a truly Biblical history; it traces directly to Numbers 30 (a favorite chapter of mine ;) ) and the explicit authority of a man over the vows of his wives and daughters. Since a man may void, or annul, the vows of his daughter while she is under his authority, it makes sense that that transfer of such authority would be explicitly observed.

This tradition shows that a father is giving his God-given authority over his daughter to her new husband.

Now I ask the question:

What is a certificate of divorce, as outlined by YHVH in Deuteronomy 24:1 and 3 as an explicit part of the proper and complete process for lawfully sending a wife out of his house?

Is it not yet another explicit transfer of authority? A woman who has been lawfully and completely “put away” is now responsible for HER OWN vows, and has no husband in headship over her. With such a certificate, as a believer, she is eligible for remarriage; without it, she is not – and is guilty of adultery for joining with any other man while her husband yet lives.*

Likewise, if that husband puts her away unlawfully, then HE, as her covering, is guilty of adultery for what he has done to her (as Matthew 5:32, properly translated, makes clear).

“Who gives this woman to be wed?”

If she was ever married, her certificate of divorce is lawful proof that her former husband does!

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*  Note one other important thing, as both Numbers 30:15, Matthew 5:32, and many others make clear.  If a husband puts away his wife treacherously, then HE bears her guilt.  He “causes her” to commit adultery!

Posted in 501c(3) "Church", Marriage, torah, Uncategorized, Yahushua HaMashiach | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Angry at the ‘Church’?

Posted on 21 June, 2010 by mark

I had a discussion recently with a friend.  During the course of talking about several different passages in the Bible, and some admittedly negative comments that I made concerning several things that are taught as “doctrine”, but which are in fact contrary to His Word, I heard the following question:

“Mark, aren’t you angry at the church (or at least some of them)?”

On the spur of the moment, I gave a somewhat mealy-mouthed response.  After all, it’s not ALL ‘churches’ which deny so much of Scripture, mix the clean with the unclean and fail to teach the difference, and serve Caesar rather than YHVH.  And certainly there are lots of sheep who don’t deserve to be led astray.  But, upon further reflection, however, what I should have said is,

“Absolutely.”

It’s not the fault of those sheep that they are being led astray.  And sometimes (remember that famous “stumbling block” reference — which may itself by now have become a major stumbling block?) people who have been deceived for so long simply aren’t READY for the Truth.  Those who won’t tolerate milk are probably not ready for the “meat” of the Word, to use another familiar metaphor.

But the indictment of Hosea should not be ignored.  “My people“, He said, “are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”   And if you think that critique is harsh – try reading the rest of the verse, for those who reject such knowledge.  (1)  It’s the oh-so-apropos prophecy of Jeremiah 16:19, however, which seems to get me in the most trouble:

‘O YHVH, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and things wherein there is no profit.” ‘

Being lied to really does bug me!  Especially when I realize just how deadly it is, and how many people are and will be destroyed as a result!
Whether it is the practice of the Pharisees, who our Savior called hypocrites because they claimed the authority to rewrite His Word for Him, or the later “Church” which made the same claim — it comprises a big part of the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, “which thing I hate“.   (Rev. 2:15)
Those who claim to serve Him should know better.

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(1) Hosea 4:6

Posted in 501c(3) "Church", Come out of her.... | Tagged | 2 Comments

Two plagues: BP vs the Fed

Posted on 14 June, 2010 by mark

This last week I was struck by the stunning similarities which exist between what, I will shortly argue, may well be the first two “plagues” visited upon a post-Constitutional, post-Biblical Babylon –er, Amerika.

I saw a transcript of some of the whoppers that Fed Chairman ‘Helicopter Ben’ Bernake was spouting before Congress, and then a set of comments by BP Chairman Tony Hayward.  The latter was somehow linked to an article describing how Obama has said that “if he worked for me” the man would have been fired (to put it charitably).  The fact that the Decider in Chief picked on Hayward for his lies, but hasn’t expressed similar sentiment over those told by the Fed (and the related assortment of liars, charlatans, and Goldman-Sachs execs — or do I repeat myself ?) is telling.  The irony that most of the Amerikan public may well think the same thing about the whole mess of ’em is obviously beyond their ken as well.

The “Bumbler from BP”, as the press refers to Hayward in some cases, has been criticized for denying the severity of the oil ‘volcano’ spewing  into the Gulf of Mexico, minimizing some of the important statistics, and worrying more about the price of his stock than the collateral damage.

Funny:  it occurs to me that ‘Bumbler Bernake’ can justifiably be accused of exactly the same thing! In his case, of course, the “stock price” is the value of the “almighty” dollar, and the interest rate on its bonds.

Both are salesmen, and both are obviously willing to distort the truth in order to sell the same story:  Not to worry, we have EVERYTHING under control.  The worst is behind us.  Trust us.

Whether it’s “green shoots” or “blue water”, the jargon may be different, but the attitude and actions are virtually the same.

Eventually, I concluded that the comparisons were so dramatic that some type of a chart was required…even if I intended to initially discuss the concept on the radio.

Let’s start with a couple of the things that so clearly apply to both disasters…the economic meltdown, and the oil eruption:

  • Both chairmen, and their underlings, seem to consider themselves Masters of the Universe.
  • Neither are in fact God – although they like to play Him on TV
  • But both are directly involved with disasters of literally “Biblical” proportions!
  • Both seem to be far more concerned with their respective ‘stock prices’  than any ‘collateral damage’ (since most of their TV ‘face time’ seems dedicated to this task, it bears repeating!)
  • It seems all but obvious that the same victims (take just one guess) will ultimately pay the costs of both

There are more fascinating similarities, too.

Most dramatically, the multiple “cracks and fissures” that thwart efforts to cap, plug, or curtail the respective plagues have much in common.  BP’s well blew out the safety systems with physical pressures that boggle the mind.  Where other deep-water wells in the region have reportedly involved pressures of perhaps 1500 psi, estimates on this one range from at least 20,000 pounds per square inch to over 70,000!  Such pressures are so high that cracks and fissures develop along the ‘path of least resistance’ and result in multiple vents…some perhaps miles away, to the point that there may by now be significant undermining of the seabed floor in the area.  Likewise, pressure built up through multiple financial bubbles also results in obvious “cracks and fissures” in the economy.  Bailouts, of course, don’t manage to “cap” the problem, but merely to produce cracks in other economic areas — some separated not only by miles, but entire continents.

BP’s well is spewing out toxic chemical byproducts, from hydrogen sulfide and methane to benzene — known as “volatile organic compounds”, or VOCs.  The Fed’s plague spews out toxic assets.

Even the jargon has a familiar parallel-sounding familiarity by now.  Deep-water wells have BOPs, or “Blow-out preventers”, while manipulated markets have “circuit breakers”.  Both seem to fail at the worst possible times.

Finally, look at the bottom line.

The Deepwater Horizon oil volcano in the Gulf of Mexico may represent the biggest failed hole in the ground in history.  The Federal Reserve, not to be outdone, has presided over — without doubt — the biggest debt hole in all of human history.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

For some time, I have speculated about what form the coming “plagues” that will be visited upon the whore of Babylon would take.  Given the parallels with Mitzraim, or ancient Egypt before the Exodus, it seemed logical to me that YHVH might once again use ten of them.

An examination of both the Bible and the history of ancient pagan Egyptian ‘gods’ seems to show that the God of Abraham, Yitzak, and Yaakov literally humiliated those things – from the river Nile to lice, locusts, and frogs and so on – that they worshiped.  It’s as if He said, over and over again, “you think THIS is a god?  I’ll show you what Almighty means!”

It did not seem to be a stretch to me to recognize that the so-called “almighty dollar”  — especially given that He repeatedly calls such a “dishonest weight” an abomination — would therefore be the first such false god to be destroyed by His jealousy.

So it looks like the second plague may be oil.  Funny how much some of the photos reminded us of a blood-colored Nile, isn’t it?

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Coming soon…

Posted on 14 June, 2010 by mark

My apologies to the regular readers here for the recent lack of activity…

…it seems that the writing takes a back seat sometimes to the “live” audio work, and — when it rains, it pours.  I’ve been doing quite a few more radio shows and other teachings than I did only a few months ago, some fill-in, and one new regular show.   (That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it, somehow comes to mind.)

I am working on  a new article, based on what has turned out to be a couple of those shows.  Perhaps it’s a bit more ambitious than some other pieces; it will probably end up being a bit longer.  So please check back…won’t be long now.

Meanwhile, by all means check out some of the new links to those audio files.  (They are listed in the “about” page, but I’ll put a pointer to some of the relatively new ones here.)

http://www.waytozion.org/conspireality/Misc/mark20.mp3

http://www.waytozion.org/conspireality/Misc/mark19.mp3

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