Thank you!

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I’m very grateful to all of you who read this blog, and especially to those who take time to contribute with your encouraging, provocative and insightful comments. Thank you so much!

Keep studying, feeding on and obeying the Word of Elohim. The Word of Elohim is the only hope for this world. Although your efforts in this respect may not find their full fruitfulness in this life, your investment will pay off under the reign of King Yeshua when in his millennial kingdom, as his kings and priests, we will have a whole world of physical people that will need to be taught the higher ways of life and truth.

Love and blessings to all of you through Yeshua our Messiah and our Father in heaven to whom all glory and honor belong forever and ever. Amein!

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Let’s give thanks…

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Boot Camp and Battle in Store for Yeshua’s True Disciples

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Mark 1–3

It is interesting to note the order of events as Yeshua was launching his ministry. He was about to enter a war zone! After John baptized Yeshua and he received his heavenly empowerment, he first went through a spiritual boot camp before stepping onto the battlefield of public ministry. Once in the “war,” it’s worth noting where the battle lines fell.

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  • Yeshua’s spiritual boot camp was the wilderness where he fasted for forty days and nights to get his body, soul and spirit, and his mind, will and emotions in sync with the will of his Father in heaven (Mark 1:12–15).
  • His first battle was an internal one. The devil tested him in three areas: his body, soul and spirit, or, to put it another way, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (Mark 1:13). After overcoming himself and submitting to the will of his Father, he was now ready to launch into the war zone of public ministry.
  • His mission was to preach the message of the gospel of the kingdom of Elohim and repentance from sin (i.e. Torahlessness, 1 John 3:4; Mark 1:14–15).
  • Next he chose his cadre of spiritual warriors — his “army”— the twelve disciples (Mark 1:16–20).
  • Where better to start proclaiming the gospel message than in the local synagogue on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21)? After all, the religious folks there should be overjoyed to hear this good news, fresh message from heaven. Right?
  • His first recorded act, other than preaching, was to cast an unclean spirit out of someone Continue reading →
 

Where is retirement mentioned in the Bible?

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Show me in the Bible where the word retirement or the concept is even mentioned? You can’t. But I can show you where the Almighty commands us to work six days each week and to rest on the seventh day (the Sabbath or Shabbat, Exod 20:8–11). I can also show you where, because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the Creator told us the free lunch ended and we had to get to work (Gen 3:17–19).

Only in our overindulgent, materialistic and wealthy western society is retirement an option.

For many who are lacking in a spiritual faith and who have no concept of biblical truth, retirement has become their “heaven on earth.” Retirement is the humanists’ heaven.

Admittedly, as one becomes elderly, the body doesn’t function as it once did. But that doesn’t mean one has to resort to a life of non-productive inactivity. In ancient Israel, when the Levites reached the age of fifty, they presumably took on more of an advisory role in helping to train the next generation of Levites (Num 8:25). This rule didn’t, however, apply to those in the priesthood who served until death. The kings and prophets and prophets of Israel served until their death as well. Moses didn’t retire. Neither did Joshua, David or the the apostles. They all died with their boots on.

I’d rather burn out than rust out!

Moreover, elders (wise and older people) were to serve as leaders of the congregational assembly in the New Testament era. They were  busy during their so-called retirement years.

These things being the case, why is it that so many Bible followers and even supposedly Torah-obedient individuals don’t work six days a week, and stop working at what our humanistic society calls “retirement age”? Why do so many woman support their husbands, who proudly laud their new status as “house husbands”? Why are there so many men on welfare feigning a disability, so they can collect a check from the government, when, for many of them, there is something they could do to help support their families, but instead, they proudly live off the labors of others? In reality they’re lazy thieves! This is hardly a godly virtue.

Even those who have worked hard and have the financial resources to “retire” at a certain age, is it biblical to resort to a life of laziness and self-indulgent ease? Hardly! They should be using their resources including their time, knowledge and wisdom to help others — especially the younger generation. Kudos to those who are doing so. Shame on those who aren’t!

Sadly, we have become a society of lazy bums all too often living off of others. Is this something to be proud of? If this is our lifestyle, do we really think we will hear YHVH’s words on the day of judgment, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”?

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Blog Scripture Readings for 11-23 through 11-29-14

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Vayetzei — Genesis 28:10 – 32:3(2)*
Haftarah — Hosea 12:13(12) – 14:10(9)*
Prophets — Judges 18:1 – 21:25; 1 Samuel 1:1 – 3:21
Writings — Psalms 48:1 – 55:23
Testimony — Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 1:1 – 4:19

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.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian Bibles when it differs from the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 11/23 through 11/29/14.

 

Are you really a Sabbath keeper?

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In your mind, what is a Sabbath keeper? Most people would say that it’s one who rests on the seventh day (or Saturday) as YHVH in the Bible commands his servants to do, and as Yeshua and the apostles all did.

This answer is correct, but only half correct.

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As you know, the first biblical example of Sabbath observance is in Genesis 2 when Elohim rested on the Sabbath or seventh day. The next reference is in the ten commandments in Exodus 20. But what else do these two scriptures have in common? In Genesis 2, Elohim rested after having worked for six days. In Exodus 20, the other half of the Sabbath command is to work for six days (Gen 20:6). A lot of people miss that command. Working for six days is just as much a command as resting on the seventh day!

For those of us living an affluent western lifestyle, many don’t have to work for six days. They may only have to work three or four days, if that. Some are retired. Some are living on government disabilities or on welfare and are hardly working, if at all. Some men have become “house husbands” as their wives slave away at jobs supporting them.

But in YHVH’s command  to work for six days, he doesn’t list any exceptions (of course, this obviously wouldn’t include the very elderly and those who are severely physically crippled or handicapped or to young children). This being the case, why do I see so many men who are not working, who are sitting around loafing, playing games, goofing off and wasting their time? Many claim to be followers of Yeshua. Some even claim to be Sabbath keepers. Some even have their wives supporting them financially, while they loaf around. I see it all the time. When you talk to them, they’ll say, I’m retired (at age 55 or 64???), or I’m disabled (see the disabled tag hanging on my car mirror?). Some are legitimately “disabled” (whatever that’s suppose to mean). Others claim to be incapacitated from doing one type of task, but maybe they could rehabilitate and reeducate and learn to do another kind of work instead? There’s a novel idea.

What about those who use retirement as an excuse to be a lazy loafer? Where is retirement mentioned in the Bible? Did Moses retire? Joshua, David, the prophets and apostles? Or did they keep working until they died? They all died “with their boots on!”

When I say “work”, I’m not necessarily talking about an eight hour a day paying job. One can still be working in unconventional ways. This can involve volunteering, ministering, serving others in some way, or teaching others what you know of those six days. You may or may not get paid for it, but it’s still work if your actively attempting to leave the world a better place than you found it.

I would rather be one who burns out than one who rusts out.

Yeshua told us to occupy until he comes (Luke 19:13). The word occupy means “to be occupied in anything, or to carry on a business.” Too many people are occupying the coach. Sorry guys, but this doesn’t count!

Are you burying in the earth the talents and resources YHVH has given you, or are you using them to help advance his kingdom? Hopefully the latter.

Will you hear the words of your Creator on the day of judgment, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy YHVH.” Or will say to him, “Don’t you know Lord, I was disabled, retired or I had one those disabled thingies hanging on my car mirror, which exempted me from following your command to work six days. Sorry Lord.”

So are you really a Sabbath keeper?

 

A cross or a stake?

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Matthew 27:32, Cross. (Gr. stauros.) As in English, a Greek word can have more than one definition. If we take only one definition for a word that may in fact have several definitions, we’re risking not furthering the cause of the discovery of truth as much as furthering own biases.

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This is the case with the Greek word stauros  typically translated as cross in the NT. According to the Theological Dictionary of the NT, vol 7, p. 572, stauros can have several definitions.

It’s primary definition is “an upright stake” like a fence stake. But the ancients used it as a torture instrument as well, and as such, it took on several additional definitions or forms including the following: “The cross was a vertical, pointed stake, or it consisted of an upright with a cross-beam above it, or it consisted of two intersecting beams of equal length” (ibid).

Other places in the Bible prove that Yeshua suffered and died on a t-shaped stake, but that’s another discussion for another time .