Does the Name Jesus Come from Zeus?

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Does the name Jesus derives from the Greek god Zeus whose name sounds similar? Many people believe that it does. What are the facts?

The Greek name Zeus begins with the Greek letter zeta, while the “soos” in the name Jesus transliterated into English begins with the Greek letter sigma. Zeus and Jesus are two very different words with totally different etymologies.

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If one knows even basic Hebrew and Greek, one can easily see how Yeshua translates into Koine Greek as ee-ay-sous (transliterated) and into English as Jesus considering that in the 1600ss the letter J replaced the I in the name of ee-ay-sous to give us Jesus.

What’s more, the Jewish scholars who translated the Septuagint several centuries before the birth of Yeshua translated the name Joshua as Ee-ay-sous. Go get an LXX Bible and look it up. Go to the book of Joshua and you’ll see it for yourself. I highly doubt that these Jewish scholars would have taken the name of Joshua and translated it into the name of the pagan Greek deity Zeus if, in their minds, there had been even the slightest possibility of confusion between the two names.

Some people also have a problem with the name Jesus because of it similarity to the Hebrew word for horse (sus, spelled samech, vav, samech). The similarity between Jesus and sus is simply coincidental. Hebrew and Koine Greek are two different languages and have nothing to do with each other. The Greek word for horse is hippos. As any language student knows — especially those who are multilingual — just because two words in two different languages sound alike doesn’t mean they have related etymologies (linguistic origins).

Now let’s review how the Hebrew name Yeshua (hud, shin, vav, ayin) becomes Ee-ay-sous in Koine Greek and then Jesus in English. It goes like this:

  • Yeshua begins with the Hebrew letter yud which, in this case, has the yuh sound. In Greek, there is no  yuh sound. The closest vowel is the letter iota with the long e sound (ee) which is combined with the Greek letter eta. Together, the iota and eta from a combined vowel sound or diphthong, which is the closest the Greek language could come to sounding like the Hebrew letter yud.
  • The next Hebrew letter in the name Yeshua is the sh sound made by the Hebrew letter shin. Again, Greek has no sh sound. Instead, they substituted the letter sigma (s) for the sh in Hebrew.
  • The next letter in Hebrew is the letter vav giving us, in this case, the oo sound. Greek has this sound when the letters omega and upsilon combine.
  • Now what about the final letter s in the Greek language? Where does that come from, since the Hebrew name Yeshua doesn’t end with the letter s. As any beginning biblical Greek student will immediately see, the s ending in Ee-ay-sous is simply the standard nominative case ending (or suffix) for a masculine singular noun and is made by the Greek letter sigma.
  • Now let’s go from Greek to English. Since the New Testament (NT) was proliferated in the Greek language, and since the vast majority of ancient NT manuscripts were in Greek, the name pronunciation of the Hebrew name Yeshua became Ee-ay-sous in the common language of the day. This name was simply brought over into Latin and then into English as you can see in your earliest English Bibles when they spell Jesus as Iesus. However when the letter j (a variant of the letter i) came into usage in the 1500s in Europe, the i in Iesus became a j. This is how we ended up with Jesus for the Hebrew name Yeshua. This is an over-simplified explanation of this linguistic development, since language evolution is usually a slow and complex thing, but this is the basics of it.

As you can see, the name Jesus in no way relates to the Greek god Zeus or to the Hebrew word for horse.

 

The Importance of the Shema

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Deuteronomy 6:4, Hear [shema] O Israel. This statement (verses 4–9 coupled with Lev 19:18) is known as the “Shema” and is a statement of faith in the Jewish religion. In Mark 12:29–31, Yeshua also cites the Shema as the summation of all that Torah commands humans in order to have a proper relationship with YHVH and their fellow man. The word shema (GNA/shin-mem-ayin) means “to hear, listen, obey.” How often, when it comes to obeying YHVH do we draw near or honor him with our lips, but our hearts are far from him? (See Mark 7:6; Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8.) Though similar in spelling, the words shema and shamar have different etymologies, yet we still juxtapose them conceptually. The Hebrew word shamar is often translated into English as guard, beware or keep (see verse 12), while shema means “to hear and do.” When we guard or keep YHVH’s commandments, we will hear and do them and vice versa. The two concepts of guarding/keeping and hearing/doing go hand-in-hand and when spiritually active in our lives, they prevent us from falling into idolatry, which YHVH warns us against in verses 10 to 16.

Another god. (also Exod 3:14), The phrase another God, resh R in echar RJT (another) is enlarged so as not to confuse with dalet s so that word would read echad sJT (one) in Deut 6:4 (The ArtScroll Tikkun, p. 207).

Deuteronomy 6:10–16, YHVH is constantly warning his people against idolatry; idolatry is anything that gets in the way of our relationship with him. What is of higher priority in your life than serving YHVH? What in your life takes more of your time, energy and money than serving YHVH? What draws your heart away from the study of his written Word, from prayer and fellowship? What or who hinders you from moving forward in your spiritual walk? What in your life keeps YHVH from getting out of a spiritual box in your life? This is idolatry!

Several times YHVH instructs the children of Israel to be certain to instruct their children in Continue reading →

 

Would this ever happen in the U.S. and other western countries?

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From World Net Daily, August 7, 2014

LIBERIA: EBOLA A PLAGUE FROM GOD DUE TO SIN

‘Seek forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts such as homosexualism’  

The Ebola virus under magnification

As health officials worldwide spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bring under control an Ebola outbreak in several West African nations where nearly 1,000 people have died, local religious leaders are turning to God.

A report in the Liberian Observer in Monrovia says leaders in the Liberian capital met to talk about the threat and decided that three days of prayer and fasting should be observed in conjunction with seeking God’s forgiveness for “immoral acts” such as “homosexualism.”

The report said more than 100 ministers, including bishops, pastors and prophets from a wide range of church denominations, discussed the Ebola crisis at a meeting convened by Archbishop Jonathan B.B. Hart, president of the Liberia Council of Churches.

They agreed that:

1. God is angry with Liberia and that Ebola is a plague. “Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness.”

2. Three days of fasting and prayer be observed across the nation, concluding Friday.

3. An interdenominational (to continue reading: http://www.wnd.com/2014/08/liberia-ebola-a-plague-from-god-due-to-sin/)

 

 

Hosea: The Story of YHVH’s Unfailing Love for His People

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The prophet Hosea, a native of the northern kingdom of Israel, ministered to that nation (called Ephraim or the house of Israel, as opposed to the southern kingdom, called Judah or the house of Judah) for about 38 years during the middle part of the eighth century b.c. (from about 770–725 b.c.). He lived in the final tragic days of the house of Israel and prophesied that Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians, would be instruments in YHVH’s hands to bring judgment against Israel if that nation did not repent and cease its spiritual harlotry and idolatry. That the book contains references to the kingdom of Judah is probably due to the fact that the northern kingdom fell in 721–722 b.c. while Hosea was still ministering and that he most likely transplanted to Judah where he may have finished writing his book (NIV Study Bible, p. 1312).

The theme of the Book of Hosea revolves around the prophet’s personal family life. YHVH’s prophets were often required to act out in their personal life something that would serve as a prophetic allegory of what would happen to the people of Israel if they failed to repent of their sin and return to YHVH. In Hosea’s case, YHVH required him to act out what had already happened to the northern kingdom. Because they had turned from YHVH, their spiritual husband, and taken to consorting with foreign spiritual lovers characterized by their forsaking the Torah, turning to serve pagan gods, and succumbing to heathen religious rituals and lifestyles, YHVH instructed the prophet to marry a harlot. In this way, the family life of Hosea would become a spiritual mirror that could be held up in front of the nation so that it could see itself as YHVH’s saw it. Furthermore, being married to an unfaithful wife gave Hosea direct insight into the emotional turmoil a husband endures when married to an adulterous woman that would provide the passion and impetus when defending YHVH in writing about the spiritual plight of adulterous Israel.

Hosea’s life must have been a sad one, for his adulterous wife bore him three children. From the text, it cannot be determined whether they were his children, or another man’s. Despite this, Hosea accepted his wife and children with an unconditional love representing YHVH’s love for Israel, despite her refusal to be faithful to him. The nation of Israel (the northern kingdom) did not heed the prophet’s warnings resulting in her falling to her Assyrian enemies. The Soncino Pentateuch aptly summarizes Hosea’s life this way:

A heavy domestic sorrow darkened Hosea’s life. He had married a woman called Gomer; and she rendered him deeply unhappy. He found that he had wasted his love on a profligate woman. She fled from the Prophet’s house, and sank lower and lower until she became the slave-concubine of another. But Hosea’s love was proof even against faithlessness and dishonour. He, the deeply aggrieved husband, buys her back from slavery, and brings her into his house—as a ward, pitied and sheltered, but subjected to a period of probation that shall show whether her better self can be awakened. (p. 581)

The terms house of Israel and house of Judah are initially used (in chapter one) in this book followed by the simplified terms Ephraim and Judah used throughout the remainder of the Book of Hosea. So that the reader can understand the context of this passage, let’s define these terms:

House of Israel: This term is used 146 times in Scripture. Prior to the division of the united kingdom after the death of Solomon, this phrase referred to all twelve tribes of Israel. Afterwards (during the time of the prophets), it was used in contradistinction to the phrase “house of Judah” in reference to the northern kingdom. In the Apostolic Scriptures, Yeshua makes reference to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 10:6; 15:24). Elsewhere in the Apostolic Scriptures this term refers to all twelve tribes of Israel (Acts 2:36; 7:42; Heb 8:10), and in some references it refers to just the northern kingdom (Heb 8:8). The context of the passage of scripture surrounding this phrase determines its meaning.

Ephraim: This name is used 180 times in the Tanakh and is referring to this specific Israelite tribe or as a metaphor for the northern kingdom of which the tribe of Ephraim was the leading and largest tribe (Isa 7:9,17; 9:9; 11:13; Ezek 37:19; Hos 4:17; 5:12, 13, 14; 6:4; 7:1; 10:11: Zech 9:13). When blessing the two sons of Joseph, Jacob placed his right hand of power and strength upon the head of Ephraim signifying the position of primogeniture for him and his descendants (Gen 48:17–19).

House of Judah: This term is found 41 times in Scripture and is always referring specifically to the tribe of Judah (e.g., 2 Sam 2:4, 7, 10) or to the southern kingdom, which included the tribes of Benjamin and Levi (1 Kgs 12:21, 23; 2 Chr 11:1). In addition, this term can refer to a remnant of Israelites from the northern ten tribes who refused to submit to the spiritual apostasy of Jeroboam and defected to the southern kingdom (2 Chr 11:16). The phrase “house of Judah” is used in contradistinction to the phrase “house of Israel” eleven times in the Scriptures including once in the Apostolic Scriptures (1 Kgs 12:21; Jer 3:18; 5:11; 11:10,17; 13:11; 31:27, 31; 33:14; Zech 8:14; Heb 8:8).

Judah: This name refers to both the tribe of Judah and to the southern kingdom. Scriptural context will determine which is meant.

Listed below are other prophetic allegorical terms found in this scripture passage with their accompanying definitions. Review these terms and their definitions, and then notice how the authors of the Apostolic Scriptures employ these terms applying them to the “Gentile” believers of the first century.

No Compassion or Mercy (Lo-ruhamah): This is the name of one of Hosea’s three children and is a prophetic reference to the house of Israel who, because of their apostasy, would be rejected by YHVH (Hos 1:6).

Not a People/Not My People (Lo-ami): This is the name of one of Hosea’s three children and is a prophetic reference to both the houses of Israel and Judah (Hos 1:9). This same phrase is echoed prophetically elsewhere in Scripture, as well (Deut 32:21; Isa 7:8; Rom 9:25; 1 Pet 2:9–10).

Sand of the Sea: A metaphor used to describe the number of the descendants of Abraham as a whole (including both houses of Israel) (Gen 32:12; Isa 10:22; Jer 33:22; Hos 1:10–11; Rom 9:27).

Scattered or Sown (literally Jezreel or YHVH Scatters or Sows): This is the name of one of Hosea’s three children and a prophetic reference to the house of Israel who because of their apostasy YHVH sowed or scattered them throughout the nations of the world. In this case, Hosea is specifically addressing the house of Israel (northern kingdom) as opposed to the house of Judah (southern kingdom; Hos 1:4–7 compared with Jas 1:1 and 1 Pet 1:1; see also Deut 28:64).

Beasts of the Field: In Deuteronomy 7:22, we see that the term beasts of the field represent the nations of the earth from which Israel was to stay separate (also Jer 12:9; 27:6; Dan 7:3). The children of Israel were scattered or exiled and became meat for or were given over to all the beasts of the field (Isa 56:9; Ezek 34:5; Hos 2:12). Scripture likens exiled Ephraim (the northern kingdom), who fell into idolatry and mixed with the beast (Gentile) nations, to beasts of the field themselves (Hos 2:16–19; Acts 10:12). In the future, YHVH will make a covenant (a marriage betrothal agreement or ketubah) with the beasts of the field (Hos 2:18; see also Jer 31:31–33; cp. Rom 1:23, 18–25).

In Romans 11:13–24, note Paul’s discussion about the Gentiles whom he likens to “a wild olive branch.”Scripture likens the nation of Israel to an olive tree (Jer 11:10,16), which was split into two branches (Zech 4:3, 11–14), but which will be joined back together to become one nation or a single olive tree again in the future (Ezek 37:15–28). Scripture is clear that both houses of Israel broke their covenants with YHVH (Jer 11:10) and both had their branches broken off from YHVH’s spiritual olive tree (Jer 11:16).

Now let’s notice how Scripture defines the word gentile seeing how it can apply to non-Israelites, as well as to Israelites who have turned from YHVH and mingled with the nations.

Gentiles: (Hebrew: goyim, Strong’s G1471; Greek: ethnos, Strong’s G1484) This word is translated in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) as nation 374 times, as heathen 143 times, as Gentiles 30 times, and people 11 times. Whenever the word gentile is used in the KJV it is the word goy. According to Strong’s Concordance, the meaning of goy is: “a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (fig.) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts.” According to Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, the word goy means “a people, a confluence of men,” and “contextually in holy Scripture it is used to refer to the other nations besides Israel, the foes of Israel, and strangers to the true religion of Israel.” There are times when this word refers specifically to Israel (e.g., the descendants of Joseph in general: Gen 48:19; of the southern kingdom of Judah when it forsook Elohim and its covenant with him and became like the surrounding heathen nations: Isa. 1:4; of the southern kingdom: Isa 9:1; of Israel in general: Isa 26:2; 49:7; Ps 33:12; Gen 12:2; 35:11). There are numerous other instances in Scripture where the words goy or goyim are applied to the descendants of Abraham. Scripture’s use of the term is unbiased and lacks any of the pejorative implications that have been applied to the term subsequently (e.g., Gen 17:4, 5, 6, 16; 18:18; 25:23; 46:3; Exod 19:6; 33:13; Deut 4:6, 7, 8, 34; Ezek 37:22). As already noted, goy simply means people group. The Greek word ethnos as found in the Apostolic Scriptures is equivalent in meaning to the Hebrew word goyim.

After reading Romans 11:13–25 and understanding how Scripture defines some of the terms Paul uses, let us now look at Romans 9:25. Here he is quoting Hosea 2:23, which is a specific reference to both the “lost” ten tribes of the house of Israel and to the house of Judah from whom the modern Jews are descended (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash, commentary on Deut 32:26, pp. 1105–1106). With whom does Paul equate the “Gentiles” of his day who were receiving the good news of Messiah Yeshua? Paul makes a one-to-one correlation between the apostate Israelites of Hosea’s prophecy and to the very Gentiles to whom he was preaching the gospel in the first century. In Ephesians 2:11–19, he states that these Gentiles upon receiving the gospel and turning to the Messiah of Israel would cease to be Gentiles and would once again become part of the nation of Israel. Elsewhere Paul calls these grafted-in Israelites the seed or descendants of Abraham (Rom 4:16; 9:8–11; Gal 3:7,9,14,28–29).

Some Bible teachers and students may attempt to allegorize or spiritualize away Paul’s equating the Gentiles of his day with the Israelites of Hosea’s day. To do so, however, violates one of the fundamental rules of biblical interpretation: unless the author of a scriptural passage specifically states that what he is saying is allegorical (e.g. Gal 4:24), uses a literary device such as a simile (words like as or like, e.g., Pss 83:13; 88:5; 89:46; Luke 13:34), or unless common sense dictates that a literal interpretation would be absolutely impossible (e.g., Matt 5:13,14; John 10:9; Ps 91:4), the honest Bible student has to assume that the passage is to be understood at a literal level.

Often Bible teachers and students will spiritualize difficult biblical passages away because a literal interpretation does not fit with their theology, religious tradition or what they think the Bible should say. The honest, truth-seeking Bible student must avoid these pitfalls, which only lead to false teachings and false doctrines.

YHVH’s Word demands that humans conform their lives and thoughts to his Word, not conform his Word to their lifestyles and thoughts. To do so is to succumb to the lies of the devil, which is the spirit of humanism. Satan and his philosophies combine to become the arch foe of YHVH’s truth, plans and purposes. This same spirit originated at the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden when the serpent twisted the Word of Elohim and tricked man into believing the lie!

 

Sukkot NW 2014 Registration Now Open

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copy-sukkot-nw-2014-960x250cYou are invited to Sukkot NW 2014 Messianic Hebrew Roots Feast of Tabernacles celebration at Indian Mary Park on the Rogue River in southern Oregon! Sukkot is during prime salmon and steelhead fishing season, so you may be wise to make your camping reservations now.

 Registration for Sukkot Northwest 2014 is now open! Won’t you join us as we celebrate the season of our joy at Sukkot NW?

More Info

You are cordially invited to join the Sukkot NW planning team, Congregation Elim of Tigard, Oregon and Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Discipleship Resources for our twelfth annual Sukkot Northwest regional gathering this fall in southern Oregon on the wild and scenic Rogue River.

This year, we will be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (or Chag Sukkot) in one of the most beautiful campgrounds in Oregon — on the banks of the Rogue River — where bald eagles will be flying overhead and sea-run salmon will be spawning in the river waters below against a backdrop of steep canyon cliffs and tree-covered mountains. Our meeting facility literally overlooks the river and will be under an arching cathedral-canopy of huge oak and maple trees festooned in their bright fall colors. For your comfort and pleasure, the campground has all the amenities necessary for tent campers and RVers, including hot showers, a playground, various sports facilities, and ice. Don’t camp? You can rent a travel trailer and have it dropped off at the campground, or you can stay in a nearby cabin or lodge or a hotel in Grants Pass just 20 minutes from the campground. There’s even a full-sized grocery store only five minutes from the campground. Because Sukkot is so “late” this year, we prayed and asked YHVH to direct us to a location where the weather would still be dry, warm and beautiful through mid to late October and that was also close to major routes. Indian Mary Campground, in gorgeous Josephine County about 20 minutes from Grants Pass, Oregon and just five minutes from the small hamlet of Merlin, is such a place. This campground is located in YHVH’s beautiful creation and is away from the rat race of the city, yet easily accessible (just fifteen minutes off of Interstate 5) within a short distance from a larger city for your shopping needs. We praise YHVH Elohim for his bountiful grace! Since Sukkot prophetically pictures the one-thousand-year-long reign of King Messiah Yeshua (called the Millennium or Messianic Age), we wanted an idyllic spot that would best reflect our spiritual hope as we prepare to reign with King Yeshua as his glorified kings and priests in his eternal kingdom. We wanted a spot where, on this most joyous of all of YHVH’s seven festivals, we could meet with him and our fellow redeemed Israelites from various states as he has commanded in his Scriptures. We believe he has led us to such a spot.

  • Photo of the Rogue River taken from Indian Mary Park with white water rafters and bridge in the distance
    Rafters on Rogue River at Indian Mary Park
  • Photo of the Rogue River taken from Indian Mary Park
    Rogue River at Indian Mary Park
  • Photo of Sim Picnic Shelter at Indian Mary Park
    Sim Picnic Shelter at Indian Mary Park
  • Photo of the picnic shelter at Indian Mary Park showing the playground behind it.
    Sims Shelter at Indian Mary Park
  • Photo of the Rogue River taken from Indian Mary Park with bridge in the distance
    The Rogue River at Indian Mary Park
  • Photo of trees turning fall colors at Indian Mary Park.
    Fall colors at Indian Mary Park Campground

As is our tradition, Sukkot NW will be a blend of Hebraic (or Jewish) and Christian elements and will include plenty of teachings from well-studied and experienced Bible teachers, plenty of live Spirit-led and filled praise and worship, Davidic dance, and ample opportunities for discussions on biblical subjects. Additionally, there will be much food and fellowship around the community campfire and at our community sukkah, as well as a formal erev Shabbat dinner, and games and activities for the youth. For those who want to join us, we’ll be facilitating awhite water rafting trip on the Rogue River and a trip to the Oregon Caves National Monument. For those who are not only fishers of men, but also fishers of fish, bring your steelhead and salmon fishing gear. The coho or silver salmon and steelheads will be running at this time, and you can literally bank fish from the campground. Those of us who will be fishing intend to grill our fish over wood fires and share our catch with the others. The world famous Rogue River is one of the three best salmon fishing rivers on the West Coast of America.

As always, in the midst of our playing, vacationing and fellowship we want to keep our spiritual focus sharp. We come to Sukkot primarily to meet with our Heavenly King and to keep him at the center of everything. Our biblical teachers will be sharing and leading discussions on a variety of subjects as the Holy Spirit leads them. However, a major theme for this year will be the regathering and reuniting of the two houses Israel as the one new man in preparation for the second coming of Yeshua. We will be teaching about the historical and prophetic implications of this and how it affects your spiritual journey here and now. This is your formal invitation to join us (along with all of your other wild branch Israelite brothers and sisters) for Sukkot NW 2014 on the wild and scenic Rogue River in Southern Oregon.

 

Israel Lost and Scattered to Be Regathered

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Deuteronomy 4:25–32, This passage deals with the exile and return of the Israelites. Because of syncretism with the idolatrous practices of the nations around them, YHVH prophesied that the Israelites would be scattered among the nations of the world. 22319472 Conversely, YHVH prophesies that “in the end of days” (verse 30)—a metaphor for “the last days” or “the end of the age”—he would hear their pleas for help, have mercy on his people, and remember his covenant with them. According to some noted Jewish sages, “the end of days” refers to the period just before the coming of Messiah, and this repentance is the same as that which Moses mentions later in 30:1–2 (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash, p. 965). Here are some additional quotes from some noted Jewish scholars on the subject of Israel returning to YHVH from its exile among the nations:

The future King Messiah (Messiah Son of David) will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but will restore the observance of the Torah-commandments to its complete state, which will only be possible when the Israelites are living in the Land of Israel. At this same time, “there will be an ingathering of the dispersed remnant of Israel. This will make it possible for the Davidic dynasty to be reinstated and for the observance of the Torah and its mitzvot [commandments] to be restored in its totality” (I Await His Coming Every Day, p. 35, [see also p. 38 quoting Rambam] by Menachem Schneerson, emphasis added). Continue reading →

 

Repent America: A Modern Day Dust Bowl

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“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you … And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. (Duet 28:15, 23, 24)

 

Please join me in praying that this nation repents of its sins and turns back to the Elohim of the Bible to love and obey him.

This drought doesn’t just affect the farmers in California, but all of us, since the food they produce feeds us.

As a drought unfolds slowly and devastatingly, California farmers feel desperate and abandoned

By Holly Bailey, Yahoo News 4 hours ago Yahoo News
CLICK IMAGE for slideshow: A sign alongside barren farmland outside Mendota, Calif. (Holly Bailey/Yahoo News)

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Bob Taylor was barely 2 years old when his parents packed as many belongings as they could into their rickety old car and headed west from New Mexico toward California.

It was 1936, the height of the Dust Bowl, when the worst drought the country had ever seen forced tens of thousands of families to abandon their parched farmlands and head west in the hope of finding jobs and a more stable life.

Taylor’s parents were farm laborers, cotton pickers from Oklahoma and Texas who had slowly inched their way west chasing the crops that had somehow managed to survive the lack of rain. But then came the terrible dust storms, choking black blizzards of dirt fueled by the loose soil of eroded farmlands that swept across the plains, turning the days as dark as night. They were monsters that suffocated the life out of anything the drought hadn’t managed to kill — crops, animals and even people, who began to die from the dust that filled their lungs. (To continue reading http://news.yahoo.com/california-drought-dust-bowl-040440797.html).