======================================================================== BASS TOPICAL APOLOGETICS DICTIONARY by Bass ======================================================================== A topical dictionary of Christian apologetics addressing common objections and questions about the faith. Entries cover topics such as the genealogy of the Messiah, biblical contradictions, and the reliability of Scripture. Chapters: 16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. A--Geneology Of Messiah 2. B-Malakhi & The Second Temple 3. C-Messiah Would Function As A Kohen (Pt 2) 4. D-Messiah Would Function As a Kohen (Pt 1) 5. E-Traditional Interpretation Of Isaiah 53:1-12 6. F-Two Comings Of The Messiah 7. G-The Immortality Of The Messiah 8. H-Nations Would Seek & Yisra'el Would Reject 9. I-Common Apostasies Of Christianity (Pt1) 10. J-Common Apostasies Of Christianity (Pt2) 11. K-Common Apostasies Of Christianity (Pt3) 12. L-Is This Really Judaism? 13. M-The Holy Calendar 14. N-Age Of The Earth 15. O-Final Word 16. Z-Recommended Resources ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: A--GENEOLOGY OF MESSIAH ======================================================================== The Geneology Of The Messiah There are those whom are critical of the geneology of Yehowshua. Here are their claims: A) "Since the geneology lists in Matthew and Luke differ, they contradict each other". B) "Matthew lists Ykhanyahu,a cursed king in Mattityahu 1:12. Note Yermeyahu 22:28-30": Jeremiah 22:28Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? Jeremiah 22:29O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of ADONAI. Jeremiah 22:30Thus saith ADONAI, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the Throne of David, and ruling any more in Yhudah. The answer is that Mattityahu is not necessarily giving a list of the literal fathers and their literal physical sons, let-alone their orders. Mattityahu is giving the Kingly line going through Yosef. Most of the names after David were found to be kings of Yhudah in 1st Chronicles chapter 3. Note the Law of Yabam in Devarim 25... Devarim 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. Devarim 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Yisrael. Compare this with Yermeyahu 22:30 about Ykhanyahu: Yermeyahu 22:30 Thus saith ADONAI, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the Throne of David, and ruling any more in Yhudah. With all this in-mind, the key here is2 Kings 24:15--17... 2 Kings 24:15And he carried away Yhoyakhin to Bavel, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Yerushalayim to Bavel. 2 Kings 24:16And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Bavel brought captive to Bavel. 2 Kings 24:17And the king of Bavel made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Tzidkiyah-yahu. CONCLUSION: Ykhanyahu is listed in Mattyahu 1:12 because he was THE LITERAL SEED that SHOULD HAVE BEEN COUNTED as heir. However, as the above verses indicate, He was blotted-out OF THE ROYAL REGISTRY OF KINGS, and replaced with Tzidkiyah-yahu, (2 Kings 24:17). Tzidkiyah-yahu thus became THE LEGAL HEIR to The Throne instead of Ykhanyahu. Mattityahu lists Ykhanyahu because he WAS SUPPOSED to be the legal Heir to The Throne, but because of his sins, he was blotted-out. Here, the principle of The Law of Yabbam, (Devarim 25:5, 6) applies CONCERNING THE THRONE. Yoshiyah-yahu had four sons, Yohanan,Yhoyakhim, Tzidkiyah-yahu, Shallum (1 Chronicles 3:15). When Yhoyakhim’s seed was blotted-out, they were as good as dead CONCERNING THE THRONE, and (2 Kings 24:17), the brother Tzidkiyah-yahu raised up seed in his place. Further evidence that Jeconiah was not affected by the curse is in Haggai: Haggai 2:20 And again the word of ’ADONAI came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Haggai 2:21 Speak to Zrubavel, governor of Yhudah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; Haggai 2:22 And I will overthrow the Throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. Haggai 2:23 In that day, saith ’ADONAI-Tzvaot, will I take thee, O Zrubavel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith ’ADONAI, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith ’ADONAI-Tzvaot. Keep in mind that the "signet ring" was associated with royalty, thus Thus The Throne. Also note that Shealthiel was a son of Jeconiah, thus the grandson of Jehoiakim. Therefore, if Jeconiah was affected by the curse on his father Jehoiakim, then the curse would also have affected his son Salathei, and thus his son, Zrubavel. Yet inHaggai 2:20-23, we are Told this is not the case. The geneological list inMatthew 1:1-25gives the kingly descendants of David. The list given here is almost identical to that of1 Chronicles 3:1-24, where the kings of mYhudah is given. The line inMatthew 1:1-25traces this through the descendants of Yosef. The geneological list inLuke 3:1-38also goes through Yosef, but does not give the royal line of Kings. This is why some of the names are different than those given inMatthew 1:1-25. ConcerningIsaiah 7:14and the virgin birth: Therefore ADONAI himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a maiden shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name ImmanuEl. The Hebrew word "`almah" literally means "maiden" or "young woman" . Note here the I.A.V. renders it "maiden". It is true that this verse in-context may have been fulfilled to some degree in one of Isaiah’s children. However, there is absolutely no indication that the Hebrew word "’almah" is used anywhere in The Tanakh of a woman whom was not a virgin. Here, it is important to remember what I said in the link "The Gentiles Would Seek The Messiah, And Yisra’el Would Rebel Against Him", where I said that the same patterns and Principles that had some fulfillment in earlier Jewish history often apply to the end-times as well, because G-d does not change. But the most important part of this issue is that it has already been proven in other links on this website that The Messiah would be a Divine Being. It has already been proven FROM THE HEBREW TANAKH that: A) The Messiah must be GREATER in-terms of His Priesthood THAN EVEN The Levim, though he is from The Tribe of Yhudah. The Levim could not receive Sanctification without His Sacrifice. This is the probably the most convincing evidence of The Divine Nature of THE Messiah. Any Orthodox Jewish man would probably know that in The Torah, THE ONLYMORTALSALLOWED anywhere near The Most Holy Place of The Tabernacle were The Levim! Think of Yom Kippur! Yet Messiah, FROM THE TRIBE OF Y’HUDAH is will function as an EVEN GREATER HIGH PRIEST THAN THEY since they need Him to be sanctified themselves! See the page on Malakhi 3:1-4!--The Messiah Would Function As A Kohen (Priest) #1 B) Being the final King, and would be Reigning on The Throne forever, thus He has immortality. C) He would die for the sins of Yisra’el. (Keep in-mind that the sacrifice of a mere mortal for this reason would be pagan, He is A Divine Being-See "A" above). D) The Tetragrammatton is applied to Him, (Yermeyahu 23:5,6). E) The Messiah would come twice. THEREFORE, these all collectively prove that The Messiah had to have a virgin birth when He came the first time to Sanctify us. Had He been the literal physical seed of any mortal, He would have inherited sin, and then He would not have been qualified to have been The Messiah and to PURIFY The Levim and Kohanim! Also, the Greek word "Parthenos" in Mattiyahu 1:23 can also mean "maiden" or "young woman". With all of this in-mind, no believer has to depend on soleyIsaiah 7:14to prove the virgin birth of Yehowshua. One final point: Why didn’t Mattityahu Tell us this in Mattityahu 1:12? I cannot prove this, but I strongly believe that much of The New Testament (The 4 Gospels, Acts,Hebrews, Ya`akov ("James"), 1, 2, 3 Yochanan, Yhudah ("Jude"), and probably Revelation were Originally Written in Hebrew Manuscripts. This is only logical, because in these Books, Yisra’elim ("Jewish people") were being addressed, and there must have been some Jewish scholars who still had knowledge of Hebrew. I believe what we have today are the Greek translations, but that for the above reason, there were original Hebrew Manuscripts. Therefore, I believe that in the Originals, this issue would have been addressed. Why do I believe is the reason they weren’t found to date yet? Very simple, there were people on all sides whom would have had the motivation and desire to supress such Manuscripts: The Romans certainly because they would have wanted to destroy any Jewish hope of liberation. Concerning the Jewish leaders and their followers that rejected Yehowshua and hated Him, they certainly wanted to destroy the faith of Jewish people believing in Him. So there were plenty of people on all sides whom would have had the desire and motivation to destroy or hide such Manuscripts. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: B-MALAKHI & THE SECOND TEMPLE ======================================================================== Mal’akhi Expected The Messiah Would Come To The 2nd Temple--(Before 70AD)! The Messiah Was Expected To Come to The Second Temple--Before 70AD! Malachi 3:1... hin’niy -sh-olaa-ch- mal’`akiy ufinah ´ derek’ l’fanay ufit’`om yavo` `el ´ haykalo ha`adon `a-sh-er ´ `atem m’vak’-sh-iym umal’`ak’ hab’riyt `a-sh-er ´ `atem -ch-afatziym hinah ´ va` `amar y’hvah tz’va`ot Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and ADONAI, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot. NOTE: The key here is the context. When Mal’akhi Wrote this, either The Second Temple was about to be rebuilt, it was in the process of being rebuilt, or it was newly completed. According to the basic contexts of Mal’akhi and his contemporaries, (`Ezra, Nehemyah), there was a feeling expressed of optimism, that Yisra’el would not fall away from HaShem again, and that this would be the final Temple. It is precisely because of this that we can be assured that Mal’akhi expected The Messiah to come to THAT very-Temple. That Temple was destroyed 70AD. Anti-missionaries typically might argue that Mal’akhi doesn’t necessarily identify which Temple he is speaking of, so it could refer to the Third Temple. Yet Mal’akhi also does not speak of two Temples in The Text! And the context is clear that he and his contemporaries are expressing optimism that the renewal of pure worship will redeem them from THEIR CAPTIVITY in BAVEL-BABYLON! Haggai 2:9... gadol yih’yeh k’vovd habayit hazeh ha`a-ch-arovn min ´ hari`-sh-on `amar y’hvah tz’va`ot uvamakom hazeh `etan -sh-alom n’`um y’hvah tz’va`ot The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot: and in this place will I give peace, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot. NOTE: Some think that this greater glory is about the gold for The Temple, (V8). However, G-d is more interested in permanently restoring His people Yisra’el and bringing restoration and peace to Her and this world than He is about gold. He wants our pure worship more than He wants us to adorn His Temple with gold. This is why this Greater Glory must be Speaking of something else. The only other thing that it could be is that The Messiah would come to that-very Temple. This is what happened when Yehowshua, ("Jesus") came the first time. NOTE: Concerning why He did not bring in peace to Yisra’el and the nations when He came the first time, please see the page in this topical commentary,"Two Comings Of The Messiah". ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: C-MESSIAH WOULD FUNCTION AS A KOHEN (PT 2) ======================================================================== THE MESSIAH WOULD FUNCTION AS A PRIEST (KOHEN) #2 Isaiah 52:13... hinah ya.s’kiyl ,av’diy yarum v’ni.sa` v’gavah m’`od Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. NOTE: Anti-missionarries often say that the servant here is National Isra’el. They point-out that the Hebrew word "`eved" or "`evediy" is on other passages in Isaiah where it refers to National Isra’el. However, they conveniently ignore all the passages where this word is used in The Book of Isaiah of other peoples, including The Messiah Himself! For instance:It is used of Isaiah himself inIsaiah 20:2, Eliakim inIsaiah 22:20, of King David inIsaiah 37:35, and of The Messiah inIsaiah 42:1,Isaiah 49:5-6. InIsaiah 49:5-6, the context is clearly that of The Messiah and it cannot be National Isra’el--BECAUSE there, the servant is said to restore Yisra’el! Isaiah 52:14... ka`a-.sh-er -.sh-am’mu ,aleyka rabiym kan ´ mi-.sh-’-ch-a.t ma`iy-.sh- mar’`ahu v’.to`aro mib’nay `adam As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: Isaiah 52:15... kan yazeh govyim rabiym ,alayv yik’p’.tzu m’lakiym piyhem kiy `a-.sh-er lo` ´ .supar lahem ra`u va`a-.sh-er lo` ´ -.sh-am’,u hi.t’bovnanu So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Isaiah 53:1... miy he`emiyn li-.sh-’mu,a.tanu uz’roa, y’hvah ,al ´ miy nig’la.tah Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of ADONAI revealed? NOTE: The Speaker(s) here are righteous Jews, perhaps Isaiah and his comrads. From this verse all the way down throughIsaiah 53:12, this is the case. Please keep that in mind. Isaiah 53:2... vaya,al kayovnak l’fanayv v’ka-.sh-ore-.sh- ma`ere.tz .tziyah lo` ´ .to`ar lo v’lo` hadar v’nir’`ahu v’lo` ´ mar’`eh v’ne-ch-’m’dahu For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:3... niv’zeh va-ch-adal `iy-.sh-iym `iy-.sh- mak’`ovo.t viydua, -ch-oliy uk’ma.s’.tar paniym mimenu niv’zeh v’lo` -ch-a-.sh-av’nuhu He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:4... `akan -ch-ºlayanu hu` na.sa` umak’`ovaynu .s’valam va`ana-ch-’nu -ch-a-.sh-av’nuhu nagua, mukah `Elohiym um’,uneh Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of Elohim, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:5... v’hu` m’-ch-olal mip’-.sh-a,anu m’duka` ma,aono.taynu mu.sar -.sh-’lovmanu ,alayv uva-ch-avura.to nir’pa` ´ lanu But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:6... kulanu ka.tzo`n .ta,iynu `iy-.sh- l’dar’ko paniynu vayhvah hif’giya, bo `a.t ,aon kulanu All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and ADONAI hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:7... niga.s v’hu` na,aneh v’lo` yif’.ta-ch- ´ piyv ka.seh la.teva-ch- yuval uk’ra-ch-al lif’nay goz’zeyha ne`elamah v’lo` yif’.ta-ch- piyv He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Isaiah 53:8... ma,o.tzer umimi-.sh-’pa.t luka-ch- v’`e.t ´ dovro miy y’.sov-ch-aa-ch- kiy nig’zar ma`ere.tz -ch-ayiym mipe-.sh-a, ,amiy nega, lamov He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken for them. NOTE: He died, then was resurrected back to life. Just as Mal’akhi 3:1-4 proves, as do other passages that highlight His immortality from the beginning, these Texts all prove that He is a Divine Being. This Isaiah passage, along with Mal’akhi 3:1-4,Psalms 110:1-4,a nd perhapsIsaiah 59:20, all prove He would function as a Kohen (Priest). Isaiah 53:9... vayi.tan `e.t ´ r’-.sh-a,iym kiv’ro v’`e.t ´ ,a-.sh-iyr b’mo.tayv ,al lo` ´ -ch-ama.s ,a.sah v’lo` mir’mah b’fiyv And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:10... vayhvah -ch-afa.tz dak’`ov he-ch-eliy `im ´ .ta.siym `a-.sh-am naf’-.sh-o yir’`eh zera, ya`ariyk’ yamiym v’-ch-afe.tz y’hvah b’yado yi.tz’la-ch- Yet it pleased ADONAI to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of ADONAI shall prosper in his hand. NOTE: Here we see that The Messiah is resurrected from the dead, so He could see His Seed ( "zer`a" metaphorically the entire children of Yisra’el). Also, a fundamental understanding as a whole of The entire Bible is that ’Elohim always had the will to make Isra’el prosper and be well. It always grieved Him when He had to punish them with enemy nations. Therefore, this is yet-another reason why the servant here cannot be Isra’el! It never pleased, or was the will of ’Elohim to punish them! Just one obvious place that proves this is Leviticus chapter 26, (among many others places throughout Scripture). Isaiah 53:11... ma,amal naf’-.sh-ov yir’`eh yi.s’ba, b’da,’.to ya.tz’diyk .tzadiyk ,av’diy larabiym va,aono.tam hu` yi.s’bol He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:12... lakan `a-ch-alek ´ lo varabiym v’`e.t ´ ,a.tzumiym y’-ch-alak -.sh-alal .ta-ch-a.t `a-.sh-er he,erah lamave.t naf’-.sh-o v’`e.t ´ po-.sh-’,iym nim’nah v’hu` -ch-a.t’` ´ rabiym na.sa` v’lapo-.sh-’,iym yaf’giya, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. NOTE: The servant here cannot be National Isra’el because throughout The Tanakh, it is very clear that G-d pronounced Yisra’el as guilty of many sins against Him! Rather, this Text is Speaking of The messiah making atonement for National Yisra’el. For a Bible interpretation to be correct, it must be in total harmony with all other Scriptures. This is why I have presented the Hebrew Text along with a reliable English translation on this site quoting Mal’akhi 3:1-4 andPsalms 110:1-4, which is in perfect harmony with this Isaiah Text. Yet another Text that stresses the sufferings of The Messiah is Zecharyah 12:10: v’-.sh-afak’.tiy ,al ´ bay.t daviyd v’,al yov-.sh-av y’ru-.sh-alaýim rua-ch- -ch-an v’.ta-ch-anuniym v’hibiy.tu `alay `a.t `a-.sh-er ´ dakaru v’.saf’du ,alayv k’mi.s’pad ,al ´ haya-ch-iyd v’hamar ,alayv k’hamar ,al ´ hab’kor And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. NOTE: The context of this passage is THE END TIMES. it is the end times that basically all Jews and Gentile Christians agree that The Messiah will be known world-wide. "They shall look" refers to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and since Yerushalayim did not attack another nation without a cause, this clearly refers to when they pierced Their Messiah. It will be at the end of the age that they realize what they had done earlier to The Messiah. This is yet a good passage that brings out the two-comings of The Messiah for this very reason. Isaiah 59:20is another passage that MAY refer to The Priestly qualities of The Messiah: uva` l’.tziyovn gov`al ul’-.sh-avay fe-.sh-a, b’ya,akov n’`um y’hvah And shall come The Redeemer to Tziyon, and to turn them from transgression in Yaakov, saith ADONAI. NOTE: The Hebrew can be interpreted as the I.A.V. translation has it, or can be interpreted "to those who turn from transgression in Yaakov". Some translations translate "ul’-.sh-avay" one way, and some the other. The way the I.A.V. translates it is in harmony with the other passages I have quoted on this site. However, if the other way is correct, that would show that individuals have a free choice to accept the Atonement of HaShem or not. However, I doubt this is the correct translation, because according toJeremiah 31:30-34, at the final redemption of Yisra’el, ALL OF THEM WILL KNOW The Truth by G-d changing ALL of their hearts. Here, it is also worth noting that Paul quotes this verse inRomans 11:1-36the way the I.A.V. translation has it. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: D-MESSIAH WOULD FUNCTION AS A KOHEN (PT 1) ======================================================================== The Messiah Would Function As A Kohen (Priest) #1 Malachi 3:1... hin’niy -.sh-olaa-ch- mal’`akiy ufinah ´ derek’ l’fanay ufi.t’`om yavo` `el ´ haykalo ha`adon `a-.sh-er ´ `a.tem m’vak’-.sh-iym umal’`ak’ hab’riy.t `a-.sh-er ´ `a.tem -ch-afa.tziym hinah ´ va` `amar y’hvah .tz’va`o.t Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and ADONAI, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith ADONAI-Tzvaot. NOTE: The one whom they would expect and delight in that would come obviously has to be The Messiah. Malachi 3:2... umiy m’kal’kal `e.t ´ yom bov`o umiy ha,omad b’hara`ov.to kiy ´ hu` k’`a-.sh- m’.tzaraf uk’voriy.t m’kab’.siym But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: NOTE: FromMalachi 3:2-4, we can see The way The Messiah would function as a Priest, (even-though He is not from The Tribe of Levi). Malachi 3:3... v’ya-.sh-av m’.tzaraf um’.tahar ke.sef v’.tihar `e.t ´ b’nay ´ laviy v’zikak `o.tam kazahav v’kaka.sef v’hayu layhvah magiy-.sh-ay min’-ch-ah bi.tz’dakah And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto ADONAI an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:4... v’,ar’vah layhvah min’-ch-a.t y’hudah viyru-.sh-alaýim kiymay ,ovlam uk’-.sh-aniym kad’moniyo.t Then shall the offering of Yhudah and Yerushalayim be pleasant unto ADONAI, as in the days of old, and as in former years. NOTE: Not only does this prove The Messiah would come as a Priest, but this also proves He would be a Divine Being. For The Torah Tells us that the ones closest to The Tabernacle would be the Levim. Yet since The Messiah is from The Tribe of Y’hudah, and here we can clearly see that EVEN the Levim need Him and His offering in order for them and their offerings to be accepted by HaShem, this clearly proves The Divine Nature of The Messiah. Especially note at the beginning ofMalachi 3:4: "V"--"THEN". Psalms 110:1... l’david miz’mor n’`um y’hvah la`doniy -.sh-av liymiyniy ,ad ´ `a-.sh-iy.t `oy’veyka hadom l’rag’leyka ADONAI said unto my ADONAI, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. NOTE: Just as even Traditional Jewish commentators agree that what is Written of in The Tanakh "To David" in prophecic times refers to the coming Messiah, so does this Text. Psalms 110:2... ma.tah ´ ,uz’ka yi-.sh-’la-ch- y’hvah mi.tziyon r’dah b’kerev `oy’veyka ADONAI shall send the rod of thy strength out of Tziyon: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Psalms 110:3... am’ka n’davo.t b’yom -ch-ayleka b’had’ray ´ kode-.sh- mare-ch-em mi-.sh-’-ch-ar l’ka .tal yal’du.teyka Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. Psalms 110:4... ni-.sh-’ba, y’hvah v’lo` yina-ch-am `a.tah ´ kohan l’,ovlam ,al ´ div’ra.tiy mal’kiy ´ .tzedek ADONAI hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a kohen for ever after the order of Malki-Tzedek. NOTE: See Beresheet (Genesis 14:18-19). ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: E-TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH 53:1-12 ======================================================================== Indisputible Evidence Of Traditional Jewish Interpretation OfIsaiah 53:1-12! While interpretations of Biblical Texts are opinions, nevertheless, I have on my home bookshelf CLEAR EVIDENCE that it was an ACCEPTED interpretation within’ traditional Judaism thatIsaiah 53:1-12is Speaking about The Messiah suffering for the sins of His people, Isra’el, and that through this, atonement is made! The evidence of this is in the 1931 Machzor For Yom Kippur, edited by The Rev. Dr. A, Th. Phillips, in the revised and enlarged edition, by The Hebrew Publishing Company, 77-99 Delancey Street, new York--1931--Hebrew Publishing Company. I now quote from page 239: ’Az millif’ney vere’shiyth naveh veyinnown heshiyth laletiyowth marown mer’shown teken terem kol `am vlashown Shikhenow `atz shalm lehasherowth showgiym lehad’riykh b’darekhey yesharowth resha` ’im he’adiym rachetzuw vehizzakuw hiqediym qetzef ’im qatzaf ba’ayuwmathow qadowsh l’o ya`iyr kol chamathow tzummathenuw bevitze`enuw `ad `atah TZuwrenuw `aleynuw l’o ga`ethah pennah mennuw Moshiyach Tzideqenuw pullatzenuw ve’ayn miy letzaddeqenuw ’aownowtheynuw ve`own fesha`eynuw `owmem veHuw’ mechowlal mifesha`eynuw Sowvel `al shekhem chatt’itheynuw seliychah metz’a la`eownowtheynuw nirefa’ lanuw bechabuwrathow Netzachberiyah chadashah `eth liver’athow mise`iyr hadelehuw lehashemiy`enuw b’har hallevanown sheniyth b’yad yinown. Before he created any thing, he established his dwelling (the Temple). The offty armoury he established from the beginning, before any people or language. he counselled to suffer his divine presence to rest there, that throse who err may be guided into the path of rectitude. Though their wickedness be flagrant, yet hath he caused repentance to precede it, when he said, "Wash ye, cleanse yourselves." Though he should be exceedingly angry with his people, yet will the holy One not awaken all his wrath. We have hitherto been cut off through our evil deeds, yet hast though, O our Rock, not brought consummation on us. Our righteous anointed is departed from us: horror hath seized us, and we have none to justify us. He hath borne the yoke of our iniquities, and our transgression, and is wounded because of our transgression. He beareth our sins on his shoulder, that he may find pardon for our iniquities. We shall be healed by his wound, at the time that the Eternal will create him (the Messiah) as a new creature. O bring him up from the circle of the earth. Raise him up from Seir, to assemble us the second time on Mount Lebanon, by the hand of Yinown. NOTE that in the actual Machzor itself, they did not use transliterated Hebrew. However, I had to use it here so that everyone can read it for themselves. I do not say that this proves that there were not other Jews who had different interpretations ofIsaiah 53:1-12. However, this clearly proves that this was one of the accepted interpretations. Also, the fact that it appears in the Yom Kippur Machzor emphasizes this point. But this interpretation was hugely shunned by the LATER manstream Jewish community (later part of the 20th century). It would seem obvious that this was due to the emerging groups like "Jews For Jesus". Apparently, many in the mainstream Jewish community got defensive because this early Jewish interpretation ofIsaiah 53:1-12"sounded too Christian" to them. but the fact remains that interpretations should not be shunned simply because they make people feel uncomfortable and defensive. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 6: F-TWO COMINGS OF THE MESSIAH ======================================================================== Two Comings Of The Messiah Zechariah 12:10... v’-.sh-afak’.tiy ,al ´ bay.t daviyd v’,al yov-.sh-av y’ru-.sh-alaýim rua-ch- -ch-an v’.ta-ch-anuniym v’hibiy.tu `alay `a.t `a-.sh-er ´ dakaru v’.saf’du ,alayv k’mi.s’pad ,al ´ haya-ch-iyd v’hamar ,alayv k’hamar ,al ´ hab’kor and I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. NOTE: This passage must be looked at in the context of the entire chapter. The context is clearly the end-times. It is at this time that everyone agrees that The Messiah will come and Reign as King. AT THIS TIME, Yisra’el THEN WILL LOOK BACK and be sorry how they pierced The Messiah when He came the first time. Malachi 4:5... hinah `anokiy -.sh-olaa-ch- lakem `a.t `aliyah hanaviy` lif’nay bov` yom y’hvah hagadol v’hanovra` Behold, I will send you Eliyah-yahu the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of ADONAI: Malachi 4:6... v’ha-.sh-iyv lav ´ `avov.t ,al ´ baniym v’lav baniym ,al ´ `avov.tam pen ´ `avo` v’hikay.tiy `e.t ´ ha`are.tz -ch-arem And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. NOTE: This refers to Jewish tradition, of The Cup Of Eliyahu at the Passover Sedar. Here, Jewish tradition agrees that Eliyahu will one day herald The Messiah. This has truly been the case. Note that at the beginning of the chapter, it clearly Speaks of The Messiah. And if the Jewish tradition flows together with 3:23, 24 as it appears to do perfectly, then this all IS EVIDENCE that Mal’akhi was Saying that there was no guarantee that the Messiah would come the first time and Reign as King and bring national peace to Yisra’el! In-fact, verse 24 Says just the opposite if Yisra’el continued to disobey HaShem! So this is evidence from the Tanakh that The Messiah could come the first time and NOT bring in national peace to Yisra’el. In-fact, both of these verses proves this CLEARLY. Both of these verses are in end-time context as well. Still, on the issue of Eliyahu coming first, note this conversation between Yehowshua and His Talmidim: Matthew 17:10And his talmidim asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Eliyahu must first come? Matthew 17:11And Yehowshua answered and said unto them, Eliyahu truly shall first come, and restore all things. Matthew 17:12But I say unto you, That Eliyahu is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Matthew 17:13Then the talmidim understood that he spake unto them of Yochanan the Immerser. Yochanan The Immerser came IN THE SPIRIT (figuratively) of Eliyahu, and when Yehowshua returns, He there might also be someone else coming first in the same Spirit. Time will tell. Note also that in The Book of Luke, iit Quotes from Mal’akhi about Yochanan: Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Eliyahu, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for ADONAI. And, there are numerous other places in the Gospels that associate Eliyahu with The Messiah. The very-fact that during the New Testament period, all the Jews knew that Eliyahu was dead for centuries supports the concept that perhaps some thought he would be resurrected, and that others may have known that there was some similar kind of association between Eliyahu and one whom would announce The Coming of The Messiah. Speaking of Mal’akhi chapter three again: The key is context: At the beginning of the chapter, it is clear that Mal’akhi is Speaking about The Messiah, and that one of His purposes would be to Sanctify Yisra’el-Namely The Kohanim, (Priests). Therefore, in reading-along this very-same chapter, verses 23 and 24 must also be taken in the very-same context. In other-words, Mal’akhi is Saying, (to paraphrase), that The Messiah can come, and that what He does is conditional-based on what Yisra’el does. Also, the fact that IN-CONTEXT, (see the page, thatMal’akhi expected The Messiah to come to that NEW Temple)in a spirit of optimism of renewed hope makes an even more convincing case that The Messiah could come more than one time. Still, even more so, the Tanakh Scriptures that most Religious Jews know about in Messianic Prophecy--the ones such as those many others in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezeki’el, where The Messiah will come as a Mighty King and bring Yisra’el into everlasting peace and prosperity, obviously MUST TAKE PLACE EVENTUALLY, and this is UNCONDITIONAL that this will eventually happen! So, when these set of UNCONDITIONAL Messianic Prophecies are taken into account TOGETHER WITH the CONDITIONAL Messianic Prophecy in Mal’akhi 3, then it is clear that according to The Tanakh, The Messiah can come twice, depending on what Yisra’el does! Still, note that the Messianic Prophecies in Zecharyah 12:10 andIsaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12are UNCONDITIONALLY describing the conditions of both of Messiah’s comings! Obviously, G-d knew what Yisra’el would do when The Messiah would come the first time. While He gives us free-will, He knows the future ahead of time. Also, see page "The Messiah Had To Come Before 70AD : Since He had to come before 70AD, (Mal’akhi didn’t Speak of two more Temples being rebuilt), and since He didn’t fulfill all of the Messianic Prophecies the first time He came, then obvioiusly He has to come again. So to say now that He can only come once throws Mal’akhi 3 out of harmony! Isaiah 52:13 hinah ya.s’kiyl ,av’diy yarum v’ni.sa` v’gavah m’`od Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. Isaiah 52:14 ka`a-.sh-er -.sh-am’mu ,aleyka rabiym kan ´ mi-.sh-’-ch-a.t ma`iy-.sh- mar’`ahu v’.to`aro mib’nay `adam As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: Isaiah 52:15 kan yazeh govyim rabiym ,alayv yik’p’.tzu m’lakiym piyhem kiy `a-.sh-er lo` ´ .supar lahem ra`u va`a-.sh-er lo` ´ -.sh-am’,u hi.t’bovnanu So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. NOTE: Verses 13 and 15 Speak of the time when He would be Highly-Exalted and bring world peace and justice, being recognized by even kings and nations. Verse 14 Speaks of the time that He would suffer, and that men would have a reaction to this. This suffering of The Messiah is for the sins of Yisra’el. See the link on this website "The Messiah Would Function As Kohen (Priest) #2" for more onIsaiah 53:1-12. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 7: G-THE IMMORTALITY OF THE MESSIAH ======================================================================== The Immortality Of The Messiah Here, we must keep in-mind that virtually all of the Texts that Speak of The Messiah in The Tanakh have to be interpreted as Messianic Texts. This is where CONTEXT comes in. Just as many on Traditional Judaism would agree, many of the Texts that mention King David refer to His Seed after Him-including The Messiah, (as many such mentions are after King David was already dead), so is the agreement with traditonal Judaism that many of these Texts refers to the Messiah AT THE END OF THE AGE. There is also agreement that The Messiah would be the final King of Isra’el. In-fact, since The Tanakh CLEARLY Tells us that He will be THE FINAL KING--BECAUSE this coming of The Messiah Sitting On The Throne of David in Jerusalem is associated with the end of the age where the dead are Judged, and the entire world is Judged by G-d, therefore since HE is the FINAL King of Yisra’el, and the dead are Judged at this time, and Scripture Clearly Teaches he will Reign on The Throne FOREVER, then He has to have immortality. This is where Messianic Judaism and traditional Judaism depart. But please take care to note that ALL OF THE TEXTS referring to The time when The Messiah will Reign on The Throne in Jerusalem are in the very-context of the dead of the world being judged, and the world being transformed to everlasting peace and righteousness. I stress again, please keep this in-mind, so that when I quote a Text that Says He will Reign on the Throne forever, that you will read THE CONTEXT of these passages and not just the verses I am quoting here: Isaiah 9:5... kiy ´ yeled yulad ´ lanu ben ni.tan ´ lanu va.t’hiy hami.s’rah ,al ´ -.sh-ik’mo vayik’ra` -.sh-’mo pele` yov,a.tz `al gibor `aviy,ad .sar ´ -.sh-alom For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Elohim, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. NOTE: Since this is obviously Speaking of one individual, ("child" yeled, "ben" son both singular), this disqualifies the possibility of this and the very-next verse speaking of a succession of Davadic Kings. Keep this in-mind when reading carefully the next verse. Isaiah 9:6... l’mar’bah l’mar’bah hami.s’rah ul’-.sh-alom `ayn ´ ka.tz ,al ´ ki.sa` david v’,al ´ mam’lak’.to l’hakiyn `o.tah ul’.sa,adah b’mi-.sh-’pa.t uvi.tz’dakah ma,a.tah v’,ad ´ ,ovlam kin’`a.t y’hvah .tz’va`o.t .ta,a.seh ´ zo`.t Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzvaot will perform this. NOTE: So ONE INDIVIDUAL will Reign on The Throne clearly in the context of the END-TIMES), which proves what it exactly Says: That He will Reign on The Throne FOREVER. Ezekiel 37:25... v’ya-.sh-’vu ,al ´ ha`are.tz `a-.sh-er na.ta.tiy l’,av’diy l’ya,akov `a-.sh-er ya-.sh-’vu ´ vah `avo.taykem v’ya-.sh-’vu ,aleyha hamah uv’nayhem uv’nay v’nayhem ,ad ´ ,ovlam v’david ,av’diy a.siy` lahem l’,ovlam And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Yaakov my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. This is in perfect harmony withIsaiah 53:8-12, where we can easily see that The messiah would be burried in death, then live again. In-addition, bothJeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 33:15-16make reference to Him that His Name will be called, "Y--H Tzedekenu" Does one really think that Orthodox Jews of that time would have even used The Tetragrammaton for just part of a man’s name??? I do not. All of these Texts have the common thread that The Messiah is A Divine Being, not just a mortal man. Also, I could use2 Samuel 7:12-16and1 Chronicles 17:11-16, which gave David’s Son, Shlomo the opportunity to fulfill these things. However, he nor ANY of the kings of Y’hudah has established The House of ADONAI and had a CONTINUOUS Kingdom. You may then say that neither has Yehowshua. This is true, but the difference is that in the mid to later part of Tanakh history, HaShem moved the prophets of The Tanakh to Speak Specifically of The Messiah, that He Himself would fulfill all of those prophecies. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 8: H-NATIONS WOULD SEEK & YISRA'EL WOULD REJECT ======================================================================== The Gentiles Would Seek The Messiah While Yisra’el Would Reject Him Isaiah 65:1 nid’ra-.sh-’.tiy l’lo` -.sh-a`alu nim’.tza`.tiy l’lo` vik’-.sh-uniy `amar’.tiy hinaniy hinaniy `el ´ goy lo` ´ kora` vi-.sh-’miy I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. NOTE: This verse clearly refers to the Gentiles. For The Oracles of G-d were Uniquely Given to Yisra’el, all of the blessings, including the Glorious Promises and The Torah. Yet it was fitting for Isaiah to use the phrase here "them that asked not for me" to refer to the Gentiles who did not seek The True G-d, but rather embraced their idols. Isaiah 65:2 para.s’.tiy yaday kal ´ hayom `el ´ ,am sovrar hahol’kiym haderek’ lo` ´ .tov `a-ch-ar ma-ch-’-.sh-’vo.tayhem I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; NOTE: Clearly, this refers to The nation and people of Yisra’el. For "para.s’.tiy yaday" (I have spread out My Hands) is about G-d interacting with His people Yisra’el, and "`am sowrer" (rebellious people) can only refer to Yisra’el here precisely because G-d Gave His Oracles and Torah to Yisra’el. To rebel against someone means that you have received instruction and guidance from someone and didn’t listen. It is certainly for this reason that this verse refers to Yisra’el. Paul quotes these verses inRomans 10:20-21in the context of Yisra’el rebelling against Their Messiah: Romans 10:20But Yeshayahu is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. Romans 10:21But to Yisrael he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Yes, some of the passages likeIsaiah 42:1arguably refers to the time when G-d was about to rescue Yisra’el from Babylon. Yes there are such parrallels, and this is because that G-d did not have to render His Full Judgment on Yisra’el and the world at that time, (as Mal’akhi 3:23,24 conveys). So those such passages should be seen as warnings to Yisra’el that they must Obey HaShem or face more Judgment. SinceIsaiah 65:1-2play into G-d’s Judgment of the end-times, (65:17--66:24), this proves that the same patterns and principles are set-forth for END-TIME Judgment on Yisra’el and the world as they were when G-d Promised to rescue Yisra’el from the Babylonian captivity. Now since this is true, and since no one argues that The Messiah would be associated with the END-TIMES, THEREFORE, the Gentiles would embrace The Messiah while Yisra’el would rebell against Him. As forJeremiah 31:30-34, EVENTUALLY G-d would fulfill this, (but as Mal’akhi 3:23, 34 proves), G-d’s Judgment does not have to take place all at one time. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 9: I-COMMON APOSTASIES OF CHRISTIANITY (PT1) ======================================================================== COMMOM APOSTASIES OF "CHRISTIANITY" (Part 1) NO PAGAN HOLIDAYS I will present the first part of this page in question-and-answer format: SHOULD WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, EASTER AND OTHER CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS? While I realize there are billions of Christians in the world who celebrate these days, (and many of them are saved), NO ONE SHOULD EVEN ENTERTAIN THESE DAYS! In fact, I do not even consider these days truly Christian, because anything not Biblically Jewish ,(or at least anything that cannot be justified as Jewish from The Bible), cannot be truly Christian. IF WE ARE SAVED ANYWAY, THEN WHY SHOULDN’T WE CELEBRATE THESE HOLIDAYS? Because G-d used the Jewish people as "A Light to the nations", and therefore, the nations should be a light right back to Yisra’el in love! When the world takes away from The Biblical Holydays and replaces them with man-made pagan holidays THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH JUDAISM, then are tragically conveying and perpetuating o Jewish people, "Jesus has nothing to do with Judaism"? Since Satan wants more than anything to keep this myth popular among the Jewish people, Christians who convey this to them are unwittingly doing the will of satan towards His people! Bottom-line is that each-and-every Biblical Holy Day has some connection to Yehowshu`a HaMoshiach, and when we seek to follow G-d’s Holy Word, The Bible, we cannot go wrong. It is NEVER good to associate ANYTHING pagan with G-d and His Holy Word! WHEN WAS YEHOWSHU`A BORN? Based on The Bible, I cannot say for sure. However, we all would do well to celebrate it on a Biblical Jewish Holy Day. Still, I personally believe the most-likely time He was probably born on was on Shavu’ot ("Pentecost"). If one takesLuke 1:26not only to refer to how long Elisha was already pregnant, but also referring to the sixth Hebrew month of Elul on The Hallel Calendar, then carefully studies the time of the events inLuke 1:1-80, then either Yehowshu`a was born around December, or in May or June. We can rule-out "Christmas" because it is pagan. So either He was probably born on Chunakah or Shavuot based on this. However, another point here is that Chunakah was not a Holy Day Appointed by G-d in The Torah, as was Shavuot. We can also come to the conclusion His birth was probably at one of these two times by tracing the rotation of the Priesthood, IF they started countinig when Shlomo gave his speech for the Temple, and if this rotation was changed every two weeks a year. But one of the most convincing points to me added to these points is that it appears G-d’s Revelation to Yisra’el Giving them The Torah was on the third month, (the month which Shavuot falls in), see Exodus chapter 19, and The Holy Spirit Fell on The Jewish believers on Shavuot in Acts chapter 2. Also, Yehowshua is Said to be The Word Himself, (Yochanan 1:1). So while we cannot be sure when Yehowshu`a was born, we would do well to celebrate it on Jewish Holy Days, and Ultimately every day! WHY DOESN’T THE NEW TESTAMENT TELL US SUCH AN IMPORTANT EVENT WHEN HE WAS BORN? As I said elsewhere on this website, I strongly believe that the Greek translations we have of The New Testament are translations of earlier Semitic Texts. I believe those Semitic Texts contained more details, such as details on this-very issue. Elsewhere in this site, not only did I state this, but I also gave my reasons for believing this. WHAT ABOUT EASTER? What about it? It certainly is not Biblical, or part of Jewish history in the least. Easter comes from "Eshtar", a fertility "goddess". Clearly, The New Testament Tells us that Yehowshua was the Ultimate Passover Lamb, dying for us on Passover, (SeeMatthew 26:1-75; Matthew 27:1-66; Matthew 28:1-20). In the KJV, where it says "Easter" inActs 12:4, that clearly is a mistranslation! The Greek Word means "Passover"! So the concept of "Easter is totally unbiblical and totally contrary to anything dealing with G-d’s Judaism. BUT THE WORLD DOESN’T SEE THESE THINGS AS YOU DO. CHRISTIANITY IS CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM IS JUDAISM. I have addressed this issue on the homepage, and elsewhere on this website. The Holy word of G-d ALONE Tells us what REAL JUDAISM is. However, here I would like to add that the very beauty of G-d’s Biblical Judaism should be SHOWED by prayers and actions of love towards all of humanity. Judaism shouild never be seen as simply a bunch of dos’ and don’ts. Rather, it is the TRUE love we have for G-d and our fellow man that ULTIMATELY displays G-d’s Judaism. This ought to be the heart and mindset of ALL believers-Jew and Gentile alike. This genuine love needs to be shown every single day! On Biblical Holy Days, we need to examine ourselves and conduct more, and not just if we are following a Law or not, but how much genuine love we show toward G-d and our fellow-man. This is how TRUE Judaism should be viewed. BUT I CAN’T CHANGE. I’VE BEEN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS AND EASTER MY WHOLE LIFE. When we love G-d, we must be willing to change for Him. Sometimes change is not easy, but we have to ask ourselves if we truly love Him and want to please Him or not. NOTHING pagan ought to be associated with G-d. Notice how much of the world refers to "Christmas" and "Easter" as "holidays" and not "Holy Days"? People rush around and buy gifts. The commercialism is an insult to G-d. But how many people truly inspired to seek G-d? So let us approach THE TRUE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS with the love and intention to adhere to their Spiritual meanings. "TWO-COVENANT THEOLOGY" This common liberal "politically correct" apostasy says that people do not need to be under The Covenant of Yehowshu`a to be saved. This is very easily proven for the falsehood that it is from Scripture: NOTE: These verses are clear and self-explanatory, that the only way ANY man can be saved is through Yehowshua HaMoshiach. NOTE: All verses are quoted from the new Israeli Authorised Version Of The Holy Bible, (I.A.V.). Also, where verses are in order, (E.G. Yochanan 8:24, 25), please pay attention to the context of the verses together. (Mattityahu 11:27) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Mark 16:16) He that believeth and is immersed shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (NOTE: Greek "de" means "but" here). (Luke 10:16) He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Yochanan 3:18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Elohim. (Yochanan 3:36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of Elohim abideth on him. (Yochanan 5:23) That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. (Yochanan 5:24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (Yochanan 6:45) It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of Elohim. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. (Yochanan 6:53) Then Yehowshua said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (Yochanan 8:24) I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (Yochanan 8:25) Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Yehowshua saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. (Yochanan 14:6) Yehowshua saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Acts 3:26) Unto you first Elohim, having raised up his Son Yehowshua, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 4:12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Romans 11:14) If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. (NOTE: This verse, as does Yochanan 3:18,Acts 4:12,Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1, etc, all proves that The Jewish people need to believe in Yehowshua HaMoshiach, contrary to "politically correct" world-opinion). (1 Corinthians 16:22) If any man love not the Lord Yehowshua HaMoshiach, let him be accursed. ADONAI comes! (1 Thessalonians 4:13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:14) For if we believe that Yehowshua died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Yehowshua will Elohim bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9) For Elohim hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Yehowshua HaMoshianians 1:7) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lodrd Yehowshua shall be revealed from heaven with his [1]mighty angels, (2 Thessalonians 1:8) In flaming fire taking [2]vengeance on them that know not Elohim, and that obey not the good news of our Lord Yehowshua HaMoshiach: (2 Thessalonians 1:9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of ADONAI, and from the glory of his power; (2 Timothy 2:10) Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Moshiach Yehowshua with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:11) It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: (2 Timothy 2:12) If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: (Hebrews 4:1) Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 8:6) But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, [23] which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. (Hebrews 8:13) In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 9:15) And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Covenant, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Covenant, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 10:28) He that despised The Torah of Moshe died without mercy under two or three witnesses: (Hebrews 10:29) Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of Elohim, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Ruach of grace? (Hebrews 12:25) See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: (1 Yochanan 1:1) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (1 Yochanan 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Yehowshua HaMoshiach his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 Yochanan 4:2) Hereby know ye the Ruach of Elohim: Every spirit that confesseth that Yehowshua HaMoshiach is come in the flesh is of Elohim: (1 Yochanan 4:3) ; And every spirit that confesseth not that Yehowshua HaMoshiach is come in the flesh is not of Elohim: and this is that spirit of antiMessiah, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 Yochanan 4:6) ; We are of Elohim: he that knoweth Elohim heareth us; he that is not of Elohim heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 Yochanan 5:10) ; He that believeth on the Son of Elohim hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not Elohim hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that Elohim gave of his Son. (1 Yochanan 5:11) ; And this is the record, that Elohim hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 Yochanan 5:12) ; He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of Elohim hath not life. (1 Yochanan 5:13) ; These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of Elohim; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of Elohim. (2 Yochanan 1:7) ; For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Yehowshua HaMoshiach is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-Messiah. (2 Yochanan 1:9) ; Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the teaching of Moshiach, hath not Elohim. He that abideth in the teaching of Moshiach, he hath both the Father and the Son. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 10: J-COMMON APOSTASIES OF CHRISTIANITY (PT2) ======================================================================== COMMON APOSTASIES OF "CHRISTIANITY" (PART 2) "REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY" This apostasy teaches that Isra’el, (the natural biological descendants), are no-longer considered as Isra’el, but that "The Church has replaced them". Another apostasy easily disproven for what it is from Scripture. There are a great many Scriptures disproving this. I will quote some obvious ones that come to mind: Jeremiah 31:35Thus saith ADONAI, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; ADONAI-Tzvaot is his name: Jeremiah 31:36If those ordinances depart from before me, saith ADONAI, then the seed of Yisrael also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Jeremiah 31:37Thus saith ADONAI; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Yisrael for all that they have done, saith ADONAI. Jeremiah 33:25Thus saith ADONAI; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Jeremiah 33:26Then will I cast away the seed of Yaakov and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them. NOTE: Since the lights given to the earth, (the stars, sun and moon), are still here, then obviously The Covenant between ’Elohim and Isra’el still Stands. Isra’el has not yet accepted it, but according to END-TIME Prophetic Scrpture, they will. this brings to mind: Zechariah 12:10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zechariah 12:11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Yerushalayim, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. Zechariah 12:12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Natan apart, and their wives apart; Zechariah 12:13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; Zechariah 12:14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. NOTE: Not only is this clearly END-TIME CONTEXT, but it refers to The Holy Land, and DEFINATELY refers to THE BIOLOGICAL DESCENDANTS OF ISRA’EL, referring to their tribes mourning apart! Verse 10 shows how this people will be sorry for rebelling against The Covenant of ’Elohim. the question for the "replacement Theologists" obviously would then be if they think they are in The Covenant of ’Elohim by their relationship with Messiah by being part of The Church, then how does this Scripture apply to them since verse 10 clearly indicates that the people spoken about have been out of The covenant of ’Elohim? Romans 11:1I say then, Hath Elohim cast away his people? Elohim forbid! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Avraham, of the tribe of Binyamin. Romans 11:2Elohim hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Eliyahu how he maketh intercession to Elohim against Yisrael, saying, Romans 11:3ADONAI, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine Altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. Romans 11:4But what saith the answer of Elohim unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Romans 11:5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. NOTE: "The Remnant" here are obviously the biological descendants of Isra’el, since this is the clear-context of this passage! Yes, as verse 2 Tells us, He has not cast away his people! Romans 11:7What then? Yisrael hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded NOTE: Again, the context is the biological descendants of Isra’el. The words" and the rest" clearly tells us that the saved renmant are also biological Isra’elites! Romans 11:18Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. NOTE: This is a clear warning against high-mindedness by the Gentiles against Natural Isra’el! Romans 11:23And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for Elohim is able to graff them in again. NOTE: By a Church thinking that ’Elohim is through with Natural Isra’el is actually saying that ’Elohim is not able to graft them back in again! We know this would actually be reducing ’Elohim. Note: Jeremiah 31:31Behold, the days come, saith ADONAI, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisrael, and with the house of Yhudah: Jeremiah 31:32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith ADONAI: Jeremiah 31:33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Yisrael; After those days, saith ADONAI, I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know ADONAI: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith ADONAI: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. NOTE: It is ’ELOHIM who will Write The Torah IN THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS. They won’t be enlightened by their own wisdom, but He will do it! Romans 11:25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Yisrael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Romans 11:26And so all Yisrael shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Tziyon the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Yaakov: NOTE: Obviously, after the fullness of the Gentiles comes to pass to be saved, then ’Elohim will put The Torah into the minds and hearts of Natural Isra’el, as it tells us inJeremiah 31:1-40above! NOTE alsoRevelation 7:4-8below. The context is the 144,000 witnesses. These are not 144,000 "JWs", nor "the local Church". Rather, these are 144,000 LITERAL biological descendants of The 12 Tribes of Isra’el. They are saved, and saved possibly during The Great Tribulation: Revelation 7:4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Yisrael. Revelation 7:5Of the tribe of Yhudah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuven were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Revelation 7:6Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naftali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Mnasheh were sealed twelve thousand. Revelation 7:7Of the tribe of Shimeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Yissakhar were sealed twelve thousand. Revelation 7:8Of the tribe of Zvulun were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Yosef were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Binyamin were sealed twelve thousand. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 11: K-COMMON APOSTASIES OF CHRISTIANITY (PT3) ======================================================================== Common Apostasies Of "Christianity" (Part 3) Most of the Church tragically believes that "Jesus" ended" the Law", (as in abolishment). Let us see what Yehowshu`a Said about The Torah: Matthew 5:17Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Matthew 5:18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yud or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Torah, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Mitzvot, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. NOTE: All of the desputes about The Torah between Yehowshu`a and the Pharisees and Tzaddikim were not over whether or not The Torah was still valid, but rather were disagreements over Hallakha (Jewish Law). Also, the Church often uses The Writings of Paul to argue that Paul was anti-Torah. Nothing could be farther from The Truth! They totally disregard the context of Paul’s Writings, whom he was writing to and what problems he was addressing! Paul was a Minister to the Gentiles outside of The Holy Land. But he himself kept The Torah: Acts 21:18And the day following Paul went in with us unto Yaakov; and all the elders were present. Acts 21:19And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things Elohim had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. Acts 21:20And when they heard it, they glorified ADONAI, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the Torah: Acts 21:21But they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moshe, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs! Acts 21:22What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Acts 21:23Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Acts 21:24Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the Torah. NOTE: V20 clearly shows that in the early Messianic Congregation, Jews still kept The Torah! And these verses clearly show that the leaders were happy about that! The "but" at the start ov verse 21 clearly shifts the moond to unhappy over THE FALSE RUMOR against Paul that he was against JEWS keeping The Torah. Then in V24, we see that he did continue to keep The Torah! So, when The New Testament is read without any bias, and is read with truly Jewish hearts and minds, (even if the people are not Jewish), The New Testament is proven to be a fully JEWISH Scripture! The biggest apostasy of the Church has been its break away from Biblical Judaism. ROMAN CATHOLICISM Clearly, The Torah forbids bowing down and worshipping statues made of stone or wood! It forbids worship to anyone other than ’Elohim Himself. We are Told there is only ONE mediator between G-d and us: 1 Timothy 2:5For there is ONE Elohim, and ONE mediator between Elohim and men, the man Moshiach Yehowshua; So we cannot go through Miriam ("Mary") or some other saint. That would violate the above Scripture and many, many others! The Catholic Church also holds to the apostasy of "Replacement Theology", (See about this in the previous link). Not only that, but they claim "Peter was the first Pope"! Again, easily disproven, since under His Leadership, Jews continued to keep THE TORAH--AND AS JEWS! (Acts 21:20; Acts 21:24)! Scripture indicates absolutely no change commanded or urged to Jews to change their Religion! Rather, Scripture Tells us that ALL need to have their hearts changed in Yehowshu`a. If we truly believe that Holy Scripture is from ’Elohim, and no mortal has the right to change His ETERNAL WORD, then no "Pope" who came AFTER Scripture has the Authority to change G-d’s Holy Word! We can clearly see in Scirpture that it is G-d’s Adversary who tries to change Times and Seasons: Daniel 7:24And the ten shofars out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. Daniel 7:25And he shall speak great words against the El Elyon, and shall wear out the saints of the El Elyon, and think to change times and Laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. NOTE: So whether it is The Catholic Church, Protestant Church, or Synagogue who changes G-d’s Precepts, we are to deny ALL false worship and cling to The eternal Word of ’Elohim in Sanctification. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 12: L-IS THIS REALLY JUDAISM? ======================================================================== Is This Really Judaism? Judaism should not be determined by what mortal man says, but ONLY by The Holy Word of HaShem. Since a careful reading of The Tanakh reveals that ALL mortal men have sinned, (including the Jewish leadership), we cannot rely on mortal man to tell us what Judaism is. Rather, ONLY G-d determines this in His Holy Scriptures. Literally, Judaism broken-down is Judea-ism--practice of the people of The Land of Yehudah (Judea). Yehowshua and His Talmidim went all over the Region of Judea, Proclaiming Yehowshua as The Messiah, and The Torah. We are certainly taught in Scripture to love and respect other people. However, there is ONLY ONE Judaism according to Scripture. One MUST believe in Yehowshua to have eternal life. We can see this PRINCIPLE in Devarim 18:15,18,19. Here, these Scriptures directly applied to Yohowshua the son of Nun. However, this passage should be taken as a general principle that ANY true prophet or leader whom G-d would raise up must be heeded for all-time. Therefore, one must believe in Yehowshua HaMoshiach to have eternal life. Also, on the homepage, note my comments about what Judaism is and is not. In addition, I have already proven that the messianic prophecies in The Tanakh match Him. Yet one more of these qualifications is that He must be a Master of Torah. Yehowshua Promoted and Taught Torah to Yisra’el: Mattityahu 5: Matthew 5:17Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Matthew 5:18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yud or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Torah, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Mitzvot, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. These definately do not sound like the words of a man who wants to "destroy Judaism" On the contrary! Concerning the desputes He had with the Jewish leadership, those were pertaining to three key issues: 1) The leadership were behaving hypocritically. 2) These leaders added their own traditions to the Torah, which violated Torah itself, (Devarim 4:2). 3) Disagreements on interpreting the specific Mitzvot and how to apply them. Concering Paul: Paul remained a Torah-Observant Jew his entire life,(Acts 21:24-26),as did the first Messianic Jewish Congregations,(Acts 21:20). Paul taught that the Gentiles outside of ’Aretz Yisra’el did not have to enslave themselves in legalism. They did not have to legally get circumcised and become Jewish physically to become part of the Jewish people SPIRITUALLY, (Romans 11:1-36,Galatians 3:28-29,Ephesians 2:1-22). The New Testament is totally Jewish, and the fact that it has been terribly abused and twisted by anti-Semites with anti-Jewish bias for centuries by-no-means means that The New Testament should be evaluated by what these people have done. Rather, it must be evaluated by what it Says, along with the prophecies in The Tanakh. In-fact, a large amount of The New Testament cannot be fully understood without realizing its Jewish contexts and settings. This is especially true of the 4 Gospels, Acts, and probably Revelation. Concerning Bible versions, I have found that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation. However, some are better than others. Here are my reccommendations: The Complete Jewish Bible (An Excellent Paraphrase of The Entire Bible). See the link "Other Recommended Resources" on the homepage to get it. The Jewish New Testament (Just The NT Part of the above Bible). The NKJV--New King James Version This is probably the best translation out in print that is on the literal side. I would stay away from the KJV. It distorts the Judaism of The New Testament. THE USE OF JEWISH SYMBOLS There are those in the mainstream Jewish community who say it is "deception" for us to use Jewish symbols. However, the exact opposite is true! Those who attempt to deny The True Jewishness of our faith are the ones deceiving if anyone is! No one can truly deny that Yehowshu`a is a Jew, and that He Proclaimed His message in Judea! No one can seriously claim that He did not teach The Torah! So, I say that as long as we are genuine to what those Jewish symbols truly stand for, then we have every right to use them! But for Christians to use them artificially to try to win Jews to The Messianic Jewish faith, I think that would be wrong. For those who use Jewish symbols should truly believe in what they stand for in their hearts. If and when they do, then and only then do I feel it is appropriate for Christians and Messianic Jews to use them in any effort to win Jews to the Messianic belief. Also, I believe that there is a danger of Messianic Jews overdoing it with Jewish symbols, in order to prove their Jewishness artificially. Again, if they use Jewish symbols because of their inner-conviction first, then that is the most important thing. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 13: M-THE HOLY CALENDAR ======================================================================== Jerusalem Time After much searching and enquiring of ’ADONAI on this issue, I have come to the conclusion and conviction that it is best for people to keep all Holy Days whenever they start and end in Jerusalem. While I do not allow this issue to create divisions between other believers and myself, I believe that I can support this viewpoint from Scripture and history. Point#1:When ’ADONAI gave the Torah and all The Commandments, (including The Holy Days), He did so with the intention that His people Yisra’el would observe The Commandments WITHIN’ THE HOLY LAND. We can find this conveyed repeatedly throughout The Torah in many places. For example: Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shallobserveto do in theland, which ’ADONAI Elohim of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Again, there are a great many verses that convey this in The Torah. A read through Leviticus chapter 26 clearly Tells us that the reason why His people Yisra’el are dispersed throughout the world is as a punishment for not keeping His Commandments. This is what why He dispersed us in the first place. Point #2:To take it yet a step radically further, not only does ’ADONAI want them to keep The Commandments in The Land, but He actually States that The Holy Days are accociated with TZIYON! Note, Isaiah 33:20Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.--(HNV) Not only this, but clearly, Scripture Tells us that at the end of the age when Jerusalem is restored as the world capital with ’ADONAI Reigning there, ALL FLESH and NATIONS will be required to worship there on Sabbath’s, New Moon’s, and on The Feast Of Tabernacles: Isaiah 66:22“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,” says ’ADONAI, “so your seed and your name shall remain. Isaiah 66:23It shall happen, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me,” says ’ADONAI. Zechariah 14:16 It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, ’ADONAI of Hosts, and to keep the feast of booths. Zechariah 14:17 It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn’t go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, ’ADONAI of Hosts, on them there will be no rain. Zechariah 14:18 If the family of Egypt doesn’t go up, and doesn’t come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which ’ADONAI will strike the nations that don’t go up to keep the feast of booths. Zechariah 14:19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that don’t go up to keep the feast of booths. Not only this, but cleary, the entire world will look to Jerusalem for Divine Instruction: Isaiah 2:2 It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of ’ADONAI’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of ’ADONAI, to the house of the ’Elohim of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of ’ADONAI from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:4 He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. So for those who make the argument why ’ADONAI created the world the way He did, the sunsets and new moon’s appearing all over the world, so support going by their local time: Well, if this argument is valid, then I would ask why would not ’ADONAI let peoples all around the world stay in their own locals on Sabbath’s, New Moon’s, and Tabernacles after He restores everything at the end of the age, as we can clearly see in the above passages? Another point: In Devarim chapter 30, we are Told that even when Yisra’el is driven far away from The Land because of their sins, and when they repent and follow The Commandments again, that He will restore them: Deuteronomy 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither ’ADONAI thy Elohim hath driven thee, Deuteronomy 30:2 And shalt return unto ’ADONAI thy Elohim, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; Deuteronomy 30:3 That then ’ADONAI thy Elohim will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither ’ADONAI thy Elohim hath scattered thee. Deuteronomy 30:4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will ’ADONAI thy Elohim gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: Deuteronomy 30:5 And ’ADONAI thy Elohim will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. Deuteronomy 30:6 And ’ADONAI thy Elohim will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love ’ADONAI thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Here, I think we can assume that He was not only Speaking of the current times where we have modern technology, like computers to determine when The New Moon’s occur. Therefore, one can conclude from this passage that we are to go by out local time. For if this passage applied equally to the time of Moshe, This Text could be understood like that. However, due to all of the other passages i’ve discussed above, I have concluded that there may have been another method they did use when they were dispersed to other nations in going by the local time where they were at at the time. However, I do not believe that that method was preserved. For The Talmud cannot be seen as a reliable Torah as The Written Torah is. This is because ’ADONAI Himself was very critical in numerous passages throughout Tanakh passages of our people’s leadership. So this being the case, how then could we choose to follow their leadership? Note: Isaiah 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. Therefore, I have concluded that while Devarim 30:1-6 probably didn’t mean that they should go by Jerusalem Time when they were dispersed throughout the nations, that for all of the reasons discussed above on this issue, it is best to go by Jerusalem Time now. For all of the confusion on calendar issues can be put behind if we simply do this, having confidence from Scripture that in the future, and the end of the age, the entire world will be going by Jerusalem Time for Holy Days, (Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 66:23, ZecharYAH 14:16-19). For this is the time we seek! The Traditional Jewish Calendar Is Wrong The current "Jewish Calendar", (known as the Hillel calendar from the 4th century), surely is not in accordance with Torah. How could it be, being from the 4th century? The Torah Told Isra’el to obey the rulings of The Sanhedrin, but the rabbis of today do not make up a Sanhedrin. They were given The Authority to make Rulings within’t he framework of Torah, but they were not given the Authority to make rulings outside of the framework of Torah. Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of ’ADONAI your Elohim which I command you. So since they have violated this precept, we are under no obligation to follow them. In fact, Isaiah Said: Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. Surely, I don’t want to be lead to destruction. So we should aspire to follow ’ADONAI HIMSELF in His Holy Word! We are Told that the sun and moon were created by ’ADONAI for the purpose of man determining Times and Seasons: Genesis 1:14 And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Psalms 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. The English Word Moon in The Hebrew Text of Scripture is "Rosh Chodesh". "Rosh"-1st/head, and "Chodesh"--New-Fresh, referring to The Moon. So we are to look for the first slither of the new moon and this is the first Day of the new month. Yet the traditional "Jewish calendar" does not use this method to determine when the first days of each month is. Therefore, this makes its calculation of all Holy Days throughout the year other than the fixed Seventh Day Sabbath, unreliable to follow for determining the Days they fall on! Even more so, the first month of The Biblical year is supposed to be the month when the barley is sighten in Isra’el. This would be necessary for the Isra’elites to keep the Passover offering at Passover, which falls in the 15nth Day of the first month, as The Torah Tells us. Yet the current "Jewish calendar" is computed by a complex and false FIXED system, not taking this into account! According to The Torah, the first month, (’Aviv), is The New Moon of the month when the barley is first Sighten in Isra’el. It appears that more and more Messianics are coming to this Truth, and there is a denomination of Jews/Isra’elites who realize this, (and do not believe in Yehowshu`a), called The Karaites. They provide monthly reports from Isra’el of the barley Sightings in the spring time for the new year, and monthly reports of the new moon Sightings from Isra’el. In addition, there are some useful free astronomy programs that can be downloaded that can be helpful in telling us when the EXPECTED new moon sightings will be, as well as sundown times (See the Recommended Resources page). Yet because of complications of visibility issues, we can never be certain of a sighting until after it occurs. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 14: N-AGE OF THE EARTH ======================================================================== How Old Is The Earth, 6,000 Years Or Millions Of Years? Here, I wish to stress that everything I state on this subject, I am not presenting as Doctrine but only Theory. However, the commentary I present here seems to make the most sense to me and harmonizes how the earth can be millions of years old, and yet The Bible still be True. Actually, this theory is probably missed by most because it is actually so simple! I believe that Judeo-Christian scholars have concluded that the earth is only 6,000 years old or so because they trace the geneological records given in The Bible. For example: ’Such and such was 800 years old, and bore a son. The son was 65 years old when he bore’, and so-forth. However, this only tells us how long MAN has been on the earth, not how old the actual rock of the earth is. I say my theory is simple because it really is so simple: Let us look at Genesis chapter 1: Genesis 1:1In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters. [NOTE: That absolutely nothing is stated in these two verses, let-alone any hints how much time passed during these first two verses as man understands a day to be--light and darkness]. Genesis 1:3And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:4And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:5And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. [NOTE" Verses 3-5 define for us what an actual day is. While this light in these verses were probably not from the sun (since later on in the chapter, it seems that we are told that the sun was created on the fourth day), it appears that G-d used some other kind of light for the first 3 days before He Created the sun and moon on the fourth day. Therefore, there could not have been an actual DAY--DAY ONE, inGenesis 1:1-2. There, we are told the earth and heavens were created, and the earth was unformed--or under construction (if you will). But the main point is that since there could not have been "A DAY" as we know it to be in verses 1 and 2, therefore, these two verses could have been millions of years as we would understand them to be! Yes, man may have only been on this rock for 6,000 or so years, but this explanation shows how this can be so, and yet the actual earth can yet be millions of years old! G-d gave us the definition of how we define a day in verses 3-5. Yet without light in verses 1 and 2, there is no record of time-let-alone "A DAY" in V1 and 2. Note the verses below: Genesis 1:14And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Genesis 1:15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:16And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. So while it apears that ’Elohim made the sun and moon on the fourth day, it seems that He made some other kind of light to use: Genesis 1:3And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:4And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:5And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. In other words, verses 1 and 2 cannot be counted as time AS WE KNOW IT because there is no recording of LIGHT in verses 1 and 2!This theory seems to harmonize perfectly the Bible as Truth, yet with earth, (the rock) being millions of years old. We also clearly see that the purpose of the light from the sun and moon, (v14), are for "times and seasons". The problem is most people start the count at verse 1 instead of at verse 3 where G-d seems to have used some other light for the first three days before He created the sun and moon on the fourth day. Also note the point that every planet in our solar system that we know of is a different distance from the sun uniquely, just as the sizes of each of these planets. Therefore, the speed at which each planet rotates around the sun, (and probably other attributes) differ. Therefore, time as we understand it on earth would be different on other planets. Still, another point: My theory above also throws a monkey wrench toward those who claim there is "archeological evidence" of animal skeletals being"millions of years old". Here is why: Although we are Told inGenesis 1:20-23that ’Elohim started creating animal life on the 5th day, nevertheless, the skeletons dug up today were lying in the rock of the earth that is millions of years old. Therefore, when archeologists examine these bones, they are concluding they are millions of years old based on the residue from the earth itself that they were burried in for thousands of years. In other-words, it might be that the actual rock or soil that is on those bones is millions of years old, thus they wrongly conclude that the age of the bones themselves are millions of years old. Another point: Exodus 31:17reads about The Sabbath: It is a sign between me and the children of Yisrael for ever: for in six days ADONAImadeheaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Note above that it is The Hebrew word " `aseh" that is typically translated both here and elsewhere as "made", while the word can also mean "to fashion". And this same Hebrew word is also used about some things ’Elohim created during the six days. So it is possible that ’Elohim actually created the Heavens and the rock of the earth in millions of years, and that he fashioned the things on the earth that are specific requirements for human life in the six days. Whatever you conclude or speculate, I offer this theory for you to ponder. It makes sense to me. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 15: O-FINAL WORD ======================================================================== The Final Word Ultimately, the bottom-line is that all peoples, regardless of what TRADITIONS they were born into and have been practicing, need to decide if their traditions match and are in harmony with Holy Scripture or not. When they ask this, and if they find the answer to this is "no", then they must decide if they are content to follow man-made teachings, (fooling themselves), or of they will not settle for anything less than The Holy Bible from cover to cover. A perfect example of this is the TRUE definition of what Judaism is. When people are adults and have reasoning ability to question, they should not even allow their parents to dictate to them anything on Religion. Note that even if one finds one’s parents pushing on him or her false traditions, that person should always remain loving and respectful to his or her parents and be a light to them for truth. But all established Religion today has flaws in it! Yet G-d Himself is Perfect and without error! So the mentality of each person ought to be as if he or she is praying and reading The Bible on a deserted desert island away from everyone else! However, this does not mean that we should always set to isolate ourselves from others, even in worship. But this shoud be our mentality to come to learn G-d’s Truths. So when we question established traditions and find that they are incompatable with Scripture, we are to disregard them, (even if others disagree). For example, to date, I am unaware of anyone else on earth who believes in following Jerusalem Time for all Holy Times. Yet in my own personal conviction, I believe that Jerusalem Time for universal Holy Time is Biblical, so the fact that I seem to be the only one to believe this is irrelevant to me in my decision. So follow what you know to be TRUTH from the Bible, no matter how unpopular what you believe is. Ultimately, what other people think is irrelevant. We each have to answer to G-d for what we believe. He Gave us The Holy Scriptures for the purpose of knowing Him and His Will, and this is what we should be following to the best of our G-d-Given ability. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 16: Z-RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ======================================================================== Recommended Resources And Calendar Issues E-Sword Bible Program (Excellent Freeware) Download The Hebrew Westminster Leningrad Codex Tanakh for E-Sword (Requires Free signup), then click the "files" link, then "Bible Modules"). The Israeli Authorised Version Of The Holy Bible And Commentary This is the Authorised Version messianically edited and corrected. It also has a companion commentary (file) which contains over 200 built-in commentary notes in The New Testament from a Messianic Jewish perspective. It was updated 3/28/06. Note these files come in a .zip file for the E-Sword Bible program (first link on top of this page). After E-Sword is installed, simply extract the .zip file of the IAV files into the yellow Windows Explorer file: Program Files/E-Sword. To obtain these files, please e-mail me and put in the title of the mail "IAV" or "Israeli Authorised Version". Also, I now have two versions of the IAV, using the Sacred Name and the tradition of "’Adonai". I will send it as a compressed file attachment: My E-Mail Further note about the Israeli Authorised Version: It is available here on request in two versions: Sacred Name and "’Adonai". Interlinear Scripture Analyzer An outstanding interlinear computer Bible that is helpful with the nuances of Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek! Note On Calendar Issues Concerning the calendar information at the below websites, I do not believe that these groups have it all exactly right in their views on The Biblical Calendar, but I do believe they are much closER than using the modern 4thcentury Hillel "Jewish Calendar". There are many viewpoints on The Biblical Calendar, so prayerfully seek The Truth yourself through prayer and Bible study. Personally, I believe in following ALL Biblical Calendar Calculations, (uncluding sundowns), not my local timezone, for numerous reasons. But prayerfully seek The Truth from The Master for yourself. Central Highlands Christian Publications A good resource for both giving information on THE TRUE BIBLICAL CALENDAR as well as the great Biblical Calendar Program for Windows! Definately worth the download! Karaite Corner This is the website of the Karaite denomination. Please sign-up for their free newsletter! They send reports every year of the actual Sightings of The New Moons’ from Jerusalem, as well as monthly reports. I caution you though, they are not believers in Yehowshu`a. LunaCal This is an excellent program for finding out when The New Moon is supposed to appear in Jerusalem. While no predictions can be 100% until The New Moon occurs, this is an excellent program. Planetary, Lunar, and Stellar Visibility 3.1 This Astronomy program is a good one to download. While I think the sundown times could be slightly more accurate, it gives reliable information on The Lunar Phases. Again, nothing in this regard can be taken as 100% until The New Moon is actually seen. However, I think this program is among the best in this regard. Download it atFreeware Home Kaluach3 This is a traditional Jewish calendar program. However, the sunset times offered IN THE ZMANIM ON THE BOTTOM are very accurate! Therefore, I would ignore all the other information given about Holy Days (including sunset times given ON THE GRID (since the grid is set for candlelighting times), and only focus on the sunset times given in the Zman on the bottom. Holy Days on the traditional Jewish calendar are calculated from the traditional Jewish calendar’s version of when Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) is, and therefore are often off from The True New Moon and Moon Visibility dates. You need to follow The Lunar Calendar for vital calendar information. Word Of Caution On Bibles: In using your Bible or Bibles, you might prayerfully consider that there are many Bibles that are offered with leather covers. Most of us are not experts on what kinds of leathers are used today in the modern world, so we cannot be certain that any one Bible cover does not violate The Commandment not to touch the carcasses of certain animals. This can be found in Leviticus chapter 11 specifically about TOUCHING. Personally, I would not buy a leather Bible, but only paperbacks or hardcovers. I share this caution with Jewish believers and any Gentile believers who might feel a conviction on this as well. Purchase Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament, Jewish New Testament Commentary David Stern’s materials are an extremely rich and valable contribution highlighting The True Jewishness of our faith! The Jewish New Testament and Complete Jewish Bibles are paraphrases, but very good ones! Unlike paraphrases like the 1985 JPS (traditional "Judaism"), NIV and various modern "Christian" translations, this one uniquely centers on this issue! Purchase "The Scriptures" Messianic Bible Translation ISR’s Messianic Bible Translation, using The Sacred-Names Tetragrammaton and "Yehowshua" for Messiah. Aimed at being a literal translation and Messianic in appearance and book order, I find myself usually in agreement with its renderings. I am only aware of four places where I disagree:Galatians 1:13,Acts 20:7, and1 Corinthians 16:2,Acts 21:21. However, there is no such thing as a perfect TRANSLATION, and as a whole, I think this is one of the better ones. Concordant Version Bible Sacred Names for The Most High are used in the Tanakh portion while "TRADITIONAL" "Christian" renderings are mostly used for names. This translation appears to be impressively accurate, maybe the best one yet! ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/bass-topical-apologetics-dictionary/ ========================================================================