Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

A New Civil War Leading to and Not Away From Slavery!

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Even more than in the late 1960s, the U.S. is in a cosmic civil war. This time, it’s not north versus south this time as in the 1860s—slavery vs. anti-slavery.

True, one half of the country is pitted against the other half, and the issue still has to do with slavery, but a different type of slavery. One half of our population wants to remain free to follow somewhat the traditional patriotic, fundamental, traditional Judeo-Christian values that this nation was founded upon. The other half wants to “progress” us toward a “politically correct,” Elohim-hating slave-system where the government in conjunction with big business wants to move us into a system of global faciscism or neo-feudalism where the political-economic interests control at the micro level the actions and even the thoughts of the society and the individual. This is called social engineering. This control will be affected through a technocratic dictatorship where technology orchestrated by a coterie of global, Luciferian, money and power hungry devil worshipping monster elite freaks who will attempt to be the slave master over all people. Those who refuse to go along with their evil schemes, antichrist system will be marginalized or excluded from being able to participate economically, thus jeopardizing one’s means of survival. This is how the system will force people into compliance.

YHVH Elohim has given his righteous saints advanced intelligence info on this in biblical prophecy. We read about it in Revelation chapters 13, 14, 17, 18. Now is the time to draw closer to Yeshua the Messiah than ever before. The watchmen are warning. Are you listening?

Can you turn off the video games tv, sports and the nonsensical, mind-numbing chit chat of social media long enough to listen to and to heed the warning and to prepare yourself spiritually? Or are your so smug in your self-assured state of lukewarmness and self-delusional denial that you will simply escape to the comfort zones of your spiritual complacency and the selfishness of self-gratification, while pulling the covers back over your head as you go back to sleep entertaining yourself by indulging yourself in the cares and pleasure of this physical life?

Now is the time to look up, for your redemption draws near!

Yeshua warned us in Matthew 24:32–39—

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors!
34 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38 “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 “and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 

The Cosmic Struggle Between Elohim and elohim as It Relates to the Saint (Pt 3)

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To understand the context of what is written below, it is essential to read  the previous parts of this series. — Natan

Interestingly, in this Isaiah 42 passage, YHVH Elohim demands that the heathen demon-gods present themselves to us “that we may consider them, ”  “or declare to us” (v. 22; also v. 23 where we occurs twice). Who is the we and us in these verses? It is referring to the Heavenly Counsel of Elohim—the same Elohim in the Shema Passage of Deut 6:4, and the same Elohim who created the heavens and the earth in Gen 1:1. While there is a true Elohim-Godhead, there also is a cadre of false elohim who feign to be the true Elohim, and who are not only deceiving the heathen nations, but who are attempting to draw YHVH’s treasured people away from him or out of covenant relationship with him. As Isaiah 42 indicates, these idol demon-gods, false elohim promise much, but deliver nothing, even as the people of Israel discovered in Elijah’s confrontation with Baal and his followers on Mount Carmel. This is why YHVH Elohim calls them nothing and their work nothing in Isa 41:24. Elohim holds these false elohim accountable, and even calls them in to his heavenly courtroom on occasion (e.g. Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7), and will ultimately pronounce full, final and eternal judgment upon them for the evil they have done on the earth (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10). As Isaiah meant for this truth to be an encouragement to the downtrodden and discouraged people of Israel, even so, in our day, YHVH’s oppressed saints need to hold fast to the ultimate and irrevocable righteous judgments of YHVH Elohim against those who persecute and oppress them in these last days, and against the demon-god or false elohim behind these evil-doers.

In the mean time, we see in other Scriptures where YHVH Elohim through his prophets sets himself in opposition to these false idol, demon-gods of the nations. In Isaiah 46, the prophet contrasts dead idols with the living Elohim by lampooning the idols of the heathen, and at the same time Elohim passionately attempts to reason with his stubborn and rebellious people to choose him and obedience to his Torah-laws over fall prey to these worthless idols. The psalmist expresses similar sentiments in  Psalm 115:3–8.

Gibson sums up this conflict between YHVH Elohim and the elohim of the nations as follows:

Other gods are threateningly real in the problems they pose both for [YHVH] and his people Israel; but he is King of heaven no less than of earth, and is as able to deal with other gods as he is [able] to deal with their human counterparts like Egypt and Babylon; and that is why he alone is worthy of Israel’s undivided allegiance. (Language and Imagery in the Old Testament, p. 32, by J.C.L Gibson)

YHVH Elohim as the sovereign Creator of the universe will deal with his evil opponents, but he alone chooses his the timing, place and manner of his battles. In accordance with his ineffable wisdom and according to his divine plan and will known only to him, he chooses when and whether to engage his rivals or not. From our earthly perspective as humans, we often wonder why YHVH doesn’t seem to stop the evil that is occurring on the earth more than he does. This is a question that righteous people have been asking virtually since the beginning. Nevertheless, at the end of the age, a final grand showdown will occur between YHVH Elohim and the false demon-elohim because it is written in his word. His prophetic word is the saints’ advance intelligence information as to what Elohim will do and when. This is why it is imperative that we study and know his word well. This final judgment will occur when he judges the nations at the end of the age. This final showdown between Satan and his demon-gods and Elohim will occur at the battle of Armageddon.

YHVH will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods/elohim of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations. (Zeph 2:11)

Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of Elohim Almighty. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Rev 16:12–16)

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to YHVH our Elohim! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” … Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of Elohim. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty Elohim. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great Elohim, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Rev 19:1–2, 11–21

Be assured, these devil-backed evil gods and their human counterparts won’t relinquish control over this earth willingly or easily with out a monumental fight. But YHVH Elohim will destroy them. Yeshua the Messiah is not coming to the earth this time as a babe in the manger, but as a Conquering King on a war stallion to destroy his enemies once and for all (read Rev 19)!

As YHVH Elohim judged the demon-gods of Egypt and that reduced to nothing that nation that had oppressed his people, so likewise in the last days, the Almighty Creator will bring judgment against the false elohim and their human counterparts who rule the earth who perpetrate evil far and wide, and who are in charge of every aspect of the life on this planet as they attempt to control all humans for their personal benefit—for the love of money and power. The system they have constructed for their greedy and nefarious purposes is slowly but surely becoming like a tightly woven web that is controlling nearly every human endeavor. The Bible calls this demonic system Mystery Babylon the Great. It’s a demonically inspired and controlled system that has at its core tenet the worship of Satan and rebellion against YHVH Elohim. Its end goal is the exploitation and ultimate elimination of humans and especially the destruction of YHVH Elohim’s plans and purposes here below as expressed and carried out by his people—the obedient redeemed saints.

 

The Cosmic Struggle Between Elohim and elohim as It Relates to the Saint (Pt 2)

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Who are these other elohim-gods to which YHVH juxtaposes himself and asserts himself to be the one true Elohim who is the first and chief? Ezekiel gives us a clue.

 Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Adonai YHVH: “Because your heart is lifted up, and you say,” ‘I am a god/El, I sit in the seat of gods/elohim, in the midst of the seas,’ yet you are a man, and not a god/El, though you set your heart as the heart of a god/elohim’”… (Ezek 28:2)

Here the prophet names an earthly king and connects him in a spiritual metaphorical way to Lucifer who after his fall became Satan the Adversary (vv.  11–19). It seems that Ezekiel is indicating to us that behind earthly kings is to be found  false gods/elohim or demonic entities the chief of which is Satan the devil himself. This is the kingdom of Satan to which Yeshua and Paul make reference (Matt 12:26; Eph 6:12). This is the same satanic spirit that will possess the leadership of the end times beast, antichrist system, which the Scriptures prophetically refer to as Mystery Babylon the Great (Rev 13:1–4, chapters 17, 18).

Down through the ages and even into the end times just prior to the return of the Messiah, YHVH Elohim has expressed jealousy over his people and has been continually vying against these other demonic gods for his saints’ loyalty and affection. In defense of himself, he categorically declares that he is the only original eternal Elohim as we see in Isa 43.

“You are My witnesses,” says YHVH, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God/El formed, nor shall there be after Me.  I, even I, am YHVH, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says YHVH, “that I am God/El. Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” (Isa 43:10–13)

Here YHVH states that he is the one and only Elohim, the El of Israel and that no other elohim have existed before him. At the same time, YHVH elsewhere confronts the idolatrous elohim of the nations to which Israel continually felt drawn and challenges these elohim to support their claims and produce their credentials as being who they purport to be and what they purport to be able to do compared to him.

“Present your case,” says YHVH. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods/elohim; yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination.” (Isa 41:21–24)

Here YHVH Elohim is calling out the false elohim, idol-gods of the nations to a show of force, if you will, in front of his people to prove to them that he alone is the one true Elohim who only has the power to back up his claims. A similar contest had occurred earlier in the power encounter between YHVH Elohim (as represented by the prophet Elijah) and the demon-god Baal (as represented by the prophets of Baal) on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18). There, Elohim was victorious over the Baal and his pantheon of demon-gods.

Indeed, one of the characteristics of Elohim is jealousy. He doesn’t want his people serving other gods or elohim.

You shall have no other gods/elohim before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YHVH your God/Elohim, am a jealous God/El visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exod 20:3–4)

The Hebrew word for jealous (qana) is a verb denoting “envy and zeal.” It is the expression  of “a very strong emotion whereby some quality or possession of the object is desired by the subject” (The TWOT). The Bible depicts Elohim as a possessive husband over Israel (Ezek 16), who he took for himself, and who he lovingly delivered out of slavery in Egypt and brought to himself (Exod 19:4) to become is “special treasure [or people]” or treasured possession (Heb. am segulah; qv. Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4; 1 Pet 23:9) “above all people” (v. 5). The whole process of YHVH redeeming the nation of Israel out of the nations, then espousing himself to her, and then marrying her is outlined by the seven “I will” statements of Exod 6:6–8. Perhaps the strongest marital language of this passage that expresses YHVH jealousy over his people is found in the fourth and fifth “I will” statements: “I will take you as my people, and I will be you Elohim” (v. 7). As part of his loving jealousy over his people, he brought severe judgments against the competing idol gods/elohim of Egypt (Exod 12:12; Num 33:4).

YHVH Elohim choosing his Israel as his spiritual marital partner above and instead of all the other nations was no mere capricious act on his part; it had a legal basis. His choice was based on the covenant he had made several hundred years earlier with Abraham (Exod 6:2–4). His jealousy for his people was predicated directly upon his relationship with their patriarchs—a relationship he promised would continue on down to their descendants forever, even to one thousand generations (Deut 7:9; 1 Chron 16:15; Ps 105:8), which is somewhere between 20 and 40 thousand years! Clearly, the Scriptures chronicle the fact that YHVH Elohim refuses to stand idly by when other demon-gods or elohim come between him and his people.

So when YHVH Elohim demands of the heathens and of their demon gods or elohim in Isa 41:21, “‘Present your case,’ says YHVH, and ‘Bring forth your strong reasons,’ says the King of Jacob,” he is holding the heathens and their demon-gods accountable for their actions against his people who is his treasured possession, and for whom he is protectively jealous. In verse 22, YHVH further demands that these people and their demon-gods “show us what will happen” and show us “the latter end,”  and “declare to us things to come,” or,  in other words, predict the future (vv. 22–23) “that we may know that you are [the true] gods/elohim” (v. 23). Because the false demon-gods in whom the heathen have placed their trust instead of him have no power and are nothing, YHVH declares that those who follow them are abominable or disgusting to him—it is wickedness (v. 24).

To be continued in Part Three…

 

The Cosmic Struggle Between Elohim and elohim as It Relates to the Saint (Pt 1)

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For YHVH your God/Elohim is God/Elohim of gods/elohim and Lord of lords, the great God/El, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. (Deut 10:17)

For even if there are so-called gods/elohim, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods/ elohim and many lords… (1 Cor 8:5)

A cosmic struggle is occurring in the heavenlies between YHVH Elohim, the Mighty One, and the elohim or mighty ones on this earth who are under the control of the Prince of the Power of the Air—the Adversary and Accuser of the Brethren. The control of this earth and its people is the object of this struggle, and the redeemed saints of YHVH Elohim are at its epicenter and in the cross hairs of the demon-elohim who view them as their chief obstacle to world domination. Until the saints recognize this, they will not be able to identify their enemy, much less know how to resist him and to protect themselves from its evil onslaught.  The purpose of this work is to better understand who Elohim is, and who his (and our) enemy—the false demonic elohim—is, so that we can take our resolute position along side of Elohim—who is on the winning side of this struggle—and come out victorious in the end.

First, we must identify the key player or protagonists in this cosmic struggle.

Who is like You, O YHVH, among the gods/elohim? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exod 15:11)

For YHVH is the great El, And the great King above all gods/elohim. (Ps 95:3)

Who are these gods or elohim? The Bible reveals that there is the one true and supreme Elohim (or Yehovah/YHVH Elohim), who created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). But who are other elohim or gods over whom Elohim stands out and above in glory and holiness? Truly, as these scriptures above tell us, these other elohim are incapable of the wondrous feats of the glorious and holy Elohim who parted the sea, allowed Israel to escape, and destroyed her enemies all at the same time.

What is the author’s purpose in these two passages of contrasting Elohim with these other elohim? If Elohim is the sole Elohim, then there would be no point for the Scriptures to mention other elohim. But this is not the case, and the Bible clearly sets Elohim above and, at times, in contrast with, and even in direct conflict with these other elohim. What does this have to do with us and how does this directly affect us in our struggles as end-times saints? Keep reading.

Let’s first define some terms and the scope of this work. Quantifying the term elohim as used in the Scriptures is a larger subject and beyond the scope of this brief study. The biblical lexicons tell us that the Hebrew word elohim can refer to God, gods, human judges and angels. What is of primary concern to us in this study is (a) Elohim (i.e. the Godhead), which the Scriptures reveal as the Father, the Son and the Spirit (Matt 28:19), as well as (b) the demon-gods/elohim or idols of the heathen nations, and how these affect YHVH Elohim and his  people.

The first written witness in this cosmic struggle between Elohim and the elohim that we want to examine is one of the most important passages in the Bible in that it sets the monotheistic religion of the Bible squarely at odds with the polytheistic religions of the heathen nations.

Hear, O Israel: YHVH our Elohim, YHVH is one! (Deut 6:4)

The actual text of this passage in the Torah emphasizes the monotheism of the Bible and the oneness of Elohim (in contrast to the polytheism of the heathens) when it enlarges the last letter of the Hebrew word echad (אחד) translated in this text as “one.” Why is this? The Jewish sages teach us that this is to emphasize the fact that the word echad ends in the letter dalet (ד) and not the letter resh (ר)—two letters that closely resemble each other. This is an important distinction to make, since were one to read this word with a resh instead of a dalet, it would spell the word echar (אחר) meaning “another” instead of “one” (The Kestenbaum Edition Tikkun, commentary on Deut 6:4). So instead of this verse reading “YHVH is one” (validating the truth of monotheism), it would read “YHVH is another” thus validating polytheism.

Echad can mean “one, first, head among many with an emphasis on unity or being joined together.” Although this statement in Deuteronomy 6:4—commonly known as the Shema Passage—has become a creedal statement among the Jews affirming the monotheistic nature of the Godhead, it, in fact, is ambiguously monotheistic because of the expansive meaning of the word echad. On this passage, The Theological Wordbook of the OT  notes that “the question of diversity within unity has theological implications. Some scholars have felt that, though ‘one’ is singular, the usage of the word [at the same time] allows for the doctrine of the Trinity. While it is true that this doctrine is foreshadowed in the OT, the verse concentrates on the fact that there is one God and that Israel owes its exclusive loyalty to him (Deut 5:9; 6:5” (vol 1, p. 30).

This same commentator goes on to note that Deut 6:4 could as easily be translated as “The LORD/YHVH is our God/Elohim, the LORD/YHVH alone”—a translation that is copacetic to the passage’s immediate as well as broader context as well as the broader context of the book, and the whole Bible as well.

On the same passage, Keil and Delitzsch in their commentary, note that this passage affirms that YHVH is the one absolute God or Elohim, and that he requires that humans love him with their all. Due to the Hebrew grammar, they note, that this passage does not mean that YHVH is the only Elohim, but that he is the only YHVH.

The Bible clearly teaches that there is more than one Elohim, but that YHVH is the true Elohim, and that Elohim has chosen to reveal himself to humans in the mode of YHVH, and that he is the absolute Elohim to whom no other elohim can be compared. He is the King over all the earth (Zech 14:9) and presumably over any other competing elohim. The Zechariah passage, not only precludes polytheism, but syncretism, as well, thus reducing Elohim to the national deity of Israel as opposed to the demon-god Baal (Hos 2:17) and every other form of deism (ibid.).

Even though YHVH is the name of the one true Elohim, within the idea of YHVH itself there is a compound unity as the word echad relates to YHVH in Deut 6:4. Additionally, the choice of the strict singularity of the meaning of the word echad is further mitigated against by the occurrence of the word Elohim (God) in the same sentence, which is commonly accepted linguistically as the plural form of El or Eloah (also translated in our Bibles as God). So within the same passage, we find two uni-plural nouns—echad and elohim. It’s as if this scripture, at the same time, is attempting to emphasize both the singularity and the plurality of the Godhead.  This is who Elohim is: the Father, the Son and the Set-Apart Spirit (Matt 28:19). But who are these other elohim or gods that the Scriptures contrast Elohim against?

To be continued in Part 2

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-14 Through 5-20-17

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Behar-B’chukotai — Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34
Haftarah — Jeremiah 16:19 – 17:14
Prophets — Jeremiah 5:1 – 11:23
Writings — Job 36:1 – 42:17
Testimony — Acts 28:1-31; James 1:1 – 5:20; 1 Peter 1:1-25

Our full Scripture Reading Schedule for 2016-2017 is available to download and print.

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 5/14/17 through 5/20/17.

 

Why I don’t mention names…

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Who’s dong the finger pointing and why? Do we have Scripture on our side, are we just defending our egos and our personal (income producing!) kingdom territories?

Last year I made and published a video where I take exception with some so-called Torah teachers who claim to be preaching what the apostles preached, yet, in reality, are largely preaching a message that focuses on end time conspiracies and esoteric, neo-gnostic and extra-biblical speculations. I mentioned the names of no people in my teaching; I dealt only with the issues.

I did, however, call for these type of teachers to come back to preaching a gospel-centric message where the good news of the Messiah and following his example of how to live is promoted front and center. For that wake-up call, John the Baptist-style message, I was blasted by name by a few folks including one prominent teacher on his YouTube channel.

Even some nine months later, I am still getting emails about this video calling me into question for my teaching on this subject like the email I just received the other day in the comments section of this blog.

Folks, the fact is that most people don’t know their Scriptures all that well! This includes a lot of so-called Bible and Torah teachers out there! They have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. It reminds me of my grade school days were we as first or second graders looked up to the “big” third and fourth graders as being so mature and knowledgeable.

Sadly, to many of these same self-proclaimed teacher-leaders are wont to blame, and accuse others of all sorts of things without any scriptural backing, or with only a very limited understanding of a few scripture verses. If we’re going to become teachers of the Bible, we need to learn the WHOLE COUNSEL of YHVH’s Word. It takes years, if not decades, of study to come to this point. The fact is that most of these teachers have been at it for only a few years—not decades, and, in truth, they don’t know what they don’t know. In many cases, they’re teaching well beyond their rank and pay grade.

Not only that, if we’re going to correct elder-teachers, we had better  be certain that we have our proverbial ducks in a row spiritually and scripturally before we go on the offensive, and start pointing fingers, or else we’re out of order biblically and may end up bringing divine judgment against ourselves.

Remember this. We all need to stay humble and teachable before Yeshua, because, in reality, we’re all like babes and little children before him in that we still have a lot to learn. This includes teachers and elders as well.

Now here’s my response to the person’s comment:

Except under very rare circumstances, we don’t mention the names of other people or ministries on my blog, which is why I deleted the name you mentioned. On this blog and in this ministry, we attempt to deal with issues from a biblical perspective, not personalities.

In the video teaching you referenced, I never mentioned a name. You can guess all day long the person/s to which I was referring, but you still don’t know for sure, since no names were mentioned. So let’s deal with the issue, not the personality, and not jump to conclusions, which is what the person you mentioned did with me in excerpting me on his video and putting my face on the cover of his YouTube video. This was presumptuous and unrighteous on his part. This is not a proper biblical approach or response.

The only times the apostles mentioned names of people in the NT was with grievous wolves and major sinners (e.g. Simon Magus, Ananias and Sapphira). Perhaps the person you mentioned thinks I’m one of these, which is why he mentioned my name. If so, then that’s between him and Elohim. He will answer to the Creator for his actions against me. If not, then, if he’s going to follow the example of the apostles, he shouldn’t be mentioning names. Otherwise, it’s simply about him defending his so-called reputation and ego. If so, that’s pride, and that’s a sin too. Again, that’s between him and his Creator.

Now with regard teaching things like the flat earth, etc. and calling it preaching to believers, your argument, with all due respect, doesn’t hold up. All of the epistles were written to believers in churches, not to the unsaved. Even so and notwithstanding, the apostles were still teaching the basics of the gospel message to these believers; they were not teaching all these fringe things that some Bible “teachers” are teaching today, as they gain a large following and sell a lot of stuff to fund their ministry-businesses. This, too is unbiblical and ungodly. Yeshua died penniless and so did the apostles, most likely. They did not make businesses out of their ministries. They were preachers of the way, not gospel peddlers who were selling books and videos and preaching at conferences for money!

So, instead of a gospel, apostolic model, what do we now have? All too often, we have many so-called Bible “teachers” preaching a non-biblical and non-apostolic “gospel message,” where they are following a non-biblical business model, and then unrighteously attacking those who are attempting to practice the biblical, apostolic model of ministry and preaching. They, therefore, have added sin, to sin to sin. I am not their judge. YHVH and his Word is. I’m simply examining the spiritual fruit on their tree (Matt 7:15–20; John 7:24) by looking at what they say and do and then comparing it with Scripture. Does that make me evil for shining the light of truth on them (even though I mention no one by name, but simply deal with issues pertaining to the righteous standards that are laid out in the Scriptures)? Perhaps so, at least in their minds. It’s like blaming the mailman for delivering mail that you don’t like. In the first century, the religious folks crucified Yeshua and some of the early disciples for doing the same thing—for not tickling ears and not preaching what some people wanted to hear, and for calling a spade a spade when it came to religious phonies and hypocrites. Now we crucify with our mouths and over the internet.

May YHVH have mercy on us all!

 For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says YHVH. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word. (Isa 66:2)

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-7 Through 5-13-17

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Emor — Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
Haftarah — Ezekiel 44:15-31
Prophets — Isaiah 63:1 – 66:24; Jeremiah 1:1 – 4:31
Writings — Job 29:1 – 35:16
Testimony — Acts 22:1 – 27:44

Our full Scripture Reading Schedule for 2016-2017 is available to download and print.

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 5/7/17 through 5/13/17.