In Awe of the 9th of Av

In Awe of the 9th of Av

By the time you read this, it may be too late. Another piece of the prophetic end-time puzzle may have already begun. If so, then Israel's probably in another war. And this time it may be worse than anything they've experienced before.

That is, if this is already Monday evening, the 23rd of July by the time I'm able to get this letter out to you, or either you've delayed reading it.

Now let me clear one thing up quickly. I am not a prophet.

I am a probabl - et. Based on the preponderance of events that have happened in the distant past as well as recently, new catastrophic happenings are very probable.

Nonetheless, as I've explained before, Pope Gregory's calendar hanging in your kitchen is of no use in determining significant events on Yahweh's time table. Sadly, those of us who claim to be followers of the Hebrew Messiah, adopted into the family of the Hebrews, and descendants of Abraham, are so happily immersed into gentile culture that we are oblivious to many signposts placed in our way.

Dare I say that maybe we are like Balaam and the donkey? Balaam was so focused on his own efforts to get a blessing out of his religious efforts, he couldn't see the danger which was obvious to his donkey.

Anyway, Monday evening at sunset the 23rd of July begins the 9th of Av, which probably means nothing to you right now. But, on the Creator's calendar this day has been host to some very tragic times in the history of Israel. As a result, Jewish people worldwide remember this day as a day of mourning.

From a variety of Jewish and secular sources, here are the reasons this day represents only misery and suffering...

• According to the Mishna ( the Jewish commentary) the people rejected the faithful spies and believed the report of the evil spies and turned against Moses on this night. It marks the beginning of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
• Destruction of the 1st Temple occurred in 587 BC with 100,000 killed beginning on the 9th of Av.
• Destruction of the 2nd Temple occurred in 70 AD on the 9th of Av. Over 2,500,000 Jews die as a result of war, famine and disease.
  
• The Roman army plowed Jerusalem with salt in 71 AD on the 9th of Av.
• The revolt of Simeon Bar Kochba against the Romans was crushed in 135 AD on the 9th of Av. Over 100,00 were killed.
• The first Crusade declared by Pope Urban II - which killed over 10,000 Jews in the first month alone - began in 1095 AD on the 9th of Av. Crusades bring death and destruction to thousands of Jews and totally obliterate many communities in the Rhineland and France.
• 500 Jews were killed when the rich stormed a castle in York, England in 1190 AD on the 9th of Av.
• England expelled all the Jews accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property in 1290 AD beginning on the 9th of Av.
• Spain expelled the Jews beginning 1492 AD on the 9th of Av.
• World War I was declared in 1914 on the 9th of Av.
• Russia launched persecutions against the Jews in Eastern Russian in 1914 AD on the 9th of Av.
• The Germans began deporting Jews to extermination camps in 1942 AD on the 9th of Av.

After Yom Kippur, Tischa b'Av (the 9th of Av) is the most important fast day in the Jewish calendar. Five things are forbidden on this day. They are: eating, drinking, washing, wearing shoes made of leather, and sexual relations with your spouse.

In the synagogues the Book of Lamentations will be read.

The destruction of the Temples is especially mourned, yet the sages of Israel gave instructions that even on joyful occasions there should always remain a remembrance of the devastation of Jerusalem and the Temples.

For instance, when a house is built or restored, there should be left a piece in the wall that is not painted. At weddings the new couple will crash a glass to the floor as a sign of the mourning of Jerusalem.

The bitter remembrance is not forgotten even in the midst of the sweetness of the occasion.

So for the Jewish people the 9th of Av brings on a sense of dread...which leads me to the 'probable' about this 9th of Av.

To explain, allow me to give you a little history of the Middle East.

When the mandate was given after WWII that carved out a piece of land for the Jewish people, the Arabs immediately declared war on Israel. But before they invaded, instructions were given to the Arabs living in Israel to abandon their homes and head to the Arab countries. They were told to do this so they wouldn't get in the way of the invasion. The Arabs were also told they could return home shortly after Israel had been destroyed and thereby claim the homes and property of the Jews.

Well, of course, their plans didn't turn out as they hoped. Israel defeated the Arab invaders. But the point to take note of is that shortly before the invasion the Arab population disappeared.

Now, reports coming from the Land indicate a similar occurence has happened.

It is the end of the harvest season. In the Arab agricultural areas in the Jordan valley the fields should be filled with Arab workers, the roads packed with Arab travelers, and the road-side vegetable stands doing a brisk business. Yet, it is strangely quite. Despite that this is a crucial time for planting the next crops, the fields are empty, the roads deserted, and there are no road-side stands.

Nothing happening can be a powerfully ominous warning of impending disaster.

Is something about to happen? Have the Arabs been warned? Is Israel on the brink of another disaster? Only time will tell.

Let me conclude with the few thoughts on the likelihood of the events of the past ocurring on the 9th of Av in the first place.

The odds of two events occuring on the same day are 1 in 365.

The odds of the five major calamities ( the spies, the two Temples, the destruction of the Bar Kochba revolt, and the salting of Jerusalem) occuring are

1 in 17,748,900,625.

But the odds of all 12 of the above events happening to the same people, the same country are

1 in 15,318 billion times a billion times a billion, or

15,318,685,820, 000,000,000,000,000,000.

Do I need to tell you that those odds signify an impossibility?

Yet, there it is.

Now you know why the Jews are in awe of the 9th of Av.

We, who are in the Messiah and therefore descendants of Abraham, should be in awe as well.

Remember this day. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Four Days with the Lamb

In Exodus 12:3 Yahweh gives a simple instruction to the Israelites,

"In the tenth of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb for a father's house, a lamb for a house."

Little did the Israelites realize at the time that Yahweh had given them a picture of the Messiah as the Passover.

And little does the Church today know that the key to knowing when Yahshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) was crucified is also found in those simple instructions.

There are numerous chronologies put forth by well meaning believers to understand this event. They are usually quite complicated. I have yet to see but one that takes into account the simplicity of the Scriptures surrounding the crucifixion. Oddly though, they all agree on Palm Sunday.

On the day now called Palm Sunday, Yahshua rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey in fulfillment of a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. This was his announcement as the coming King.

It was also the day the lambs were chosen for Passover.

In fact, Yahshua probably came riding in either behind or in front of the procession of the lamb for the Temple sacrifice.

It was the 10th of Aviv.

Then Yahweh follows up with another simple instruction,

"And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month."

For four days Israelite families were to observe the chosen lamb. On the fourth day, the lamb was to be slaughtered for Passover.

For four days Yahshua was in the city teaching - being observed. He filled His role as the Passover Lamb.

Four days with the Lamb.

What does that lead us to?

Well, since the Jewish reckoning was to count part of the day as the whole, it looks like this:

1. Day One : Palm Sunday
2. Day Two : Monday
3. Day Three :Tuesday
4. Day Four : Wednesday

The crucifixion was on Wednesday.

Yahshua died at 3:00 pm - just as the lambs for the Passover were also being sacrificed.

He was the Lamb without blemish.

His legs were not broken - in fulfillment of Scripture.

Just as the Israelites in Egypt were saved by the blood on the door posts and lintel, so are we saved by the blood.

But, notice this:He who called Himself the L-rd of the Sabbath did not rise on Sunday morning.

In fulfillment of the sign of Jonah - three days and three nights, it looks like this:

1. Day One : Wednesday - day and night
2. Day Two : Thursday - day and night
3. Day Three : Friday - day and night

The Messiah had to be raised on what we label Saturday - before sunrise.

The Messiah resurrected on ...

the Sabbath.

Getting Back to Basics

The legendary Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, never had a losing season. His accomplishments in football could fill the page.

Is there something we can learn from him that applies to our pursuit of Truth?

Yes.

Every season he began his training with the basics. In fact, it was so basic that at first you may be inclined to say it was ridiculous.

To his team of veteran players he would hold up a football in one hand and say,

" Gentlemen, this is a football."

Vince Lombardi knew the importance of getting the basics right. If you mess them up, the rest of the game falls apart.

Obviously he was right. To this day, no one disputes the superior results of his training.

You can apply this same principle to building a house. Without a firm foundation, the walls will crack.

Remember the leaning tower of Pisa?

When you ignore the basics, you don't notice it at first. But later your building begins to crumble or fall.

In regard to studying Scripture, it is my firm conviction that some of our inherited foundations are built on shifting sand. Some crucial basics were ignored.

However, from the perspective of our tiny slice of history everything appears in place - until you compare it with where we were before the tower began to lean.

One of those basics is the issue of the calendar. It seems so trivial as to be ridiculous, doesn't it?

But, as we shall see, the rejection of our Hebraic heritage has led us to make gross errors which influence the congregations of believers to this day.

It's worse than that. Some of our "basic" doctrines of the modern church are built without the perspective of a Hebraic viewpoint. Indeed,in one case, an element of faith we follow was formed out of a deliberate attempt to distance the church from our Jewish heritage.

Last post I discussed the Scriptural New Year. If you haven't read that yet, it would be a good place to start to learn the basics.

Next time we shall go on from there to an often ignored event -
Four Days with the Lamb.

When Do You Celebrate the New Year?

In Exodus 12:2 a strange event occurs.

Right in the midst of putting the strong arm on Pharaoh to persuade him to let the Hebrews go, Yahweh initiates the starting point of the new year for the Israelites.

"Yahweh said to Moshe and Aaron in Egypt, this month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year."

Picture this: The Israelites were still in Egypt. They had been there for several hundred years.

Yet, at this particular time right before the tenth plague, Yahweh tells them this is the beginning of the year for them.

It was the time of the Aviv - a stage of ripeness of the barley. In later verses Yahweh calls this month Aviv. The Israelites were to physically observe the aviv barley as the signal to the new year. The new moon after the aviv barley sighting would be the first day of the first month of the new year.

Very simple.

It falls in line with what Scripture says in Genesis 1:14,

"And G-d said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years."

So, why does Yahweh start the new year at this particular time?

Well, we know He does nothing arbitrarily like we do. When He starts something it has eternal significance. He is about to begin a series of prophetic signposts to guide the rest of Israel's history. Indeed, even all of mankind's history.

Then why do so many ignore Him?

Maybe you think I speak of others, certainly not born-again believers?

To answer that for yourself, ask around your fellowship or church. Find out how many in your congregation see the moon as a nightly reminder of the Creator's clock ticking down to eternity?

It would be interesting to hear your results.

But, the evidence is overwhelming that Christendom is ignorant of Yahweh's calendar. This evidence is hanging on our kitchen and office walls - the pagan Roman calendar revised by a Pope about 400 years ago.

The pagan calendars use the names of pagan deities for the days and months. For instance, in Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, beginnings. Hence the first month of the Roman calendar is January.

Isn't that the first month on your church calendar?

As for the days we have Moon day. Then Tiu's day. Tiu was the Norse god of war, the son of Oden. Wednesday is Woden's day, a Teutonic idol with skills in magic. Thursday is Thor's day, the Celtic god of thunder and son of Woden. Friday is Frigga's day, who is the wife of Woden. Satruday is naturally Saturn day, the Roman deity of agriculture.

In opposition to that, the Creator's calendar is the anchor point for a series of prophetic events such as Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), and Succot. They tell us the story of redemption.

Pagan calendars have no correlation with any Scriptural events.

Ah, but some would say that the pagan calendar tells us when Lent, Easter, and Christmas are.

Yes, they do.

Lent is mirrored after the 40 days fast and weeping for Tammuz - the son of Nimrod born on December 25 according to the Julian calendar. In Exekiel 8:14 you'll find Israelites weeping for Tammuz thinking they honor Yahweh. He calls it an abomination. Lent is not found in Scripture.

Easter is the pagan reincarnation of Nimrod being born again in a giant egg. The first thing he does is turn a bird into an egg laying rabbit. The pagans used to sacrifice their three month old infants and use the blood to dye eggs red. One major "Orthodox" group still dyes eggs red to this day. I hope you didn't think egg-laying rabbits were in the Scripture somewhere.

As for Christmas on December 25, it is the birthday of numerous pagan deities such as Ra, Tammuz, Crishna, Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Bacchus, Buddha, Zeus, and others. Do you really think this is the the day the True Creator picked for the birth of His Son? If so then maybe it would help to read an earlier post entitled "Guess Whose B'day Was Not December 25."

There's a saying in business about three kinds of people.

The first kind are those who make things happen.

The second kind are those who watch what happens.

While the third kind are those who don't know what happened.

Does that apply to Christian believers as well?

Think of it this way, if you are among a team of US Marines on a covert mission that depends on precise timing, but your watches aren't synchronized, how are you going to co-ordinate your activities? What is likely to be the result?

Someone is going to be at the wrong place at the wrong time which could spell disaster and death.

Obviously, we have to learn to function in this pagan world. We have already proven how adept we are at that.

What the modern church needs is to keep an eye on the Creator's calendar. The end times are hinged around the Fall Festivals but the modern church acts as those things don't exist.

Can we find even one Scriptural justification for renouncing or ignoring Yahweh's calendar?

Beware. To be part of the effort to perpetuate this pagan world system could place us in the position of opposing Yahweh's will.

That would really be a disaster.

Dare I ask the question?

Do we find ourselves in the third group of people described above who wonder what just happened? I am not referring to the popular "left behind" scenarios.

I am talking about now, this past week.

The Scriptural New Year began the evening of Tuesday the 20th of March - on the pagan calendar. It marked Aviv 1, on Yahweh's calendar. According to the Astronomically and Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew calendar, it also marked the beginning of the year 6007.

Did you know anything about it? Why not?

You could blame your assembly, but you, as an individual, are responsible to study the Scripture for yourself.

Living in this world we often have to order ourselves by the pagan reckoning, but we should always keep in mind what "time" it really is according to the only Person that matters.

You can't avoid the question.

When do you and your church celebrate the new year?

Are You a Serious Student of Scripture?

Do you describe yourself as a student of Scripture?

Do you believe the written Words in your Bible are the very words of Yahweh?

Are they really important to you?

There is something curious...no where in Scripture are we told to read the Scripture.

But, we are told to study it. Read 2 Timothy 2:15.

OK.

Let's take an impromptu test...

Quick, name the 10 Commandments in order and the Scripture reference where they are found!

Hurry up, it should only take you a moment. I'll wait...

Finished?

Now, be honest. With yourself, that is.

Did you miss any? Do you know where they are found?

Are you aware that there are really 613 commandments in the Tanak (Old Testament)?

Many people say the Tanak doesn't count anymore. So, did you know that Yahshua gave 1024 commandments in the Renewed Covenant (New Testament)?

He also said something very crucial in this context regarding our qualifications as disciples.

He said,
"If you love me, keep my commandments."

This comes from John 14:15 - in the "New Testament."

Yet, Yahshua was quoting His Father from the Tanak. Read Deuteronomy and you'll see how loving Yahweh is tied to obeying His commandments.

Nonetheless, for those who automatically discard what the Tanak says because they think it's outdated, listen to what John goes on to say. Again, this is in the "New Testament." It is found at 1 John 5: 3 NKJV

"For this is the love of G-d, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

Hmm... we better be careful. If we can't even name all of the big 10, how can we say we are diligent to obey this verse. And notice, the word commandments is plural.

I've been told that to insist we should obey the "Old Testament" is to put us back under the burden of the Law. That's because we've been so erroneously indoctrinated. Read the last part of verse three in 1 John again.

"...and His commandments are not burdensome."

Be aware. Anyone who tells you Yahweh's commandments are burdensome is calling Him a liar.

BTW, look in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 for the answers to the quiz.

When the Did the "Church" Begin?

When the did the "Church" begin?

There is a popular teaching today that says the "church" started at Pentecost.

Restated, it says Yahweh's chosen people originally were the Israelites, but since Pentecost, His chosen people are the "church."

Is this right?

Is the "church" a new dispensation?

What does your Bible say?

The King James Version - considered by many to be the only inspired version - settles this question.

Look at the following Renewed Covenant (New Testament) reference. You won't even have to replace the term "church" with its Hebrew definition to discern the meaning.

Acts 7:38 KJV

"This is he (Moses), that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us"

Well, what do you know...

the "church" was

• in the wilderness,
• with Moses,
• at Mount Sinai.
  

The "church" isn't something new.

It is something as old as Mount Sinai.

The "church" at Mount Sinai was a congregation of Israelites with a few tag along gentiles. Those gentiles, in order to receive the blessing of Yahweh, had to adopt the ways of the Israelites - even to the point of being circumcised.

Today, gentile congregations with a few tag along Jews - who are expected to adapt the ways of the gentiles - claim the name of "church."

Perhaps the problem is that the "church" of the 21st century is not like the "church" described at Mount Sinai or in the "New Testament".

Sounds to me like the modern "church" needs to re-discover its Hebraic roots.

Traditions of the Elders are Good, Right?

In an earlier letter I asked if we were guilty of placing our church traditions above adherence to Scripture.

We didn't finish answering the question.

Many want to know, "What's wrong with tradition? Are traditions bad? Or, are they good?"

First of all, think of traditions like a tool - such as an automobile. It can carry a family to the store to buy food. Or, it can carry thieves to a bank to rob it.

In itself, tradition is neutral. Neither good or bad.

It is a vehicle that can be used to convey truth to future generations. Likewise, it can convey falsehood to those same generations.

Most of the time we inherit traditions without the knowledge of how that tradition got started and what truth or error it may contain.

Without a doubt, traditions can bring good into our lives. That is,as long as they convey truth.

It is when traditions are harbingers of error that we have to be wary.

The danger is that we accept so many traditions on face value without verifying the message they carry.

That's why it is easy to fall into a tradition of error.

If you've seen Fiddler on the Roof ( a great movie, by the way) then you have a basic point of reference to the subject of tradition. Trevya, the father, sings a solo about it.

He admits they do many things because of tradition and it's these traditions that help his village know who they are. The traditions provide their cohesiveness as well as their identity.

Yet at the same time he confesses he doesn't know how some of them got started, or why they are important. One of the traditions is that the men always were their hats - but he doesn't know why.

Here's a story that makes the point as well.

A young girl watched as her mother prepared a ham for dinner. The mother took a big sharp knife and cut off about 1/3 of the ham, then put the rest in a pan and place it in the oven.

"Why did you cut off a big chunk of the ham, Mama?" the girl asked.

Her Mama replied, "Well, cause that's the way my Mama always did it."

"But, why did she do it?" the little girl persisted.

"Honestly, I don't really know. Why don't we call and ask her?"

They get grandma on the phone and ask her about the ham. Granny replies that she doesn't know either. She always did that because her mother did it. She thought maybe it tasted better that way.

Finally, they get great grandma on the phone. What was her reply?

"Oh honey. I cut the ham because the little oven I had was too small for a full sized ham. I had to cut it to make it fit."

Did you catch the moral of the story?

We can do things for generations without knowing why.

We just assume it must have a good purpose because we have faith and confidence in the people who taught us.

Yet, we have to ask, who taught them?

Then again, where did their teachers learn it? If we are persistent, eventually we will find the source of the teaching. The discovery we often make is that much truth was lost down through the ages.

In some areas, it doesn't matter. Traditions can be fun and a source of family unity. But, for those of us pursuing Scriptural Truth, the result could be devastating.

That's because concerning many of our traditions, our faith in them is a blind faith. They do not deserve our devotion.

If the truth were to be told, few if any, living shepherds of the flock really know what lies beneath the trappings of the traditions practiced in the modern church. Few have actually asked the tough questions that challenge the tradition's existence.

And, if anyone does ask penetrating questions, they could be labeled a kook or even a heretic and shunned from the group. This has the effect of reinforcing the status quo and immutability of the tradition.

With all that in mind, let's look at a specific example.

Decide for yourself whether we have the Scriptural authority to use this tradition.

Use of the word "church"

Did you know it was the King James Version that popularized the word "church"? For some unknown reason, the translators coined this word to replace the correct word. The Greek word is "ekklesia" a "calling out" which is the equivalent of the Hebrew for "assembly or congregation".

This same term is used to describe the children of Israel in the wilderness.

Earlier Tyndale uniformly used "congregation" throughout his translation. So whether it was a reference in the Tenak (Old Covenant) or the Renewed, the term congregation applied to both.

In fact, Tyndale only used the word "churches" in Acts 19:37 to represent heathen temples!

The root of "church" traces back to "circe". "Circe" was the goddess/daughter of Helios, the Sun deity. You will recognize the many related words such as circle, circus, circuit, etc. Originally, Circe was a Greek goddess whose name was written as "Kirke"- and pronounced as such. You can see this form in Scotland as Kirk, in German as Kirche, and in Netherlands as Kerk.

So, our use of the word church is another way trappings of sun-worship have become mixed with true Messianic belief. It subtly leads you to erroneously believe that the congregations in the Renewed Covenant were somehow different from those in the Tenak.

Not only that, but if you take Exodus 23:13 seriously where Yahweh prohibits His people from even uttering the names of other deities, then this is a problem.

Still, you may be among those who think because it's been a long time, and no one remembers the true meaning, then somehow it's alright.

You might consider this problem with that kind of thinking:

Yahweh remembers.

One last point to ponder:

The "church" building today is filled with so many unregenerate sinners who attend for social reasons. Since the word church today has come to mean a building or a place (rather than a people), isn't that a further reason to go back to what Scripture really says?

Wouldn't the truth of the Gospel be more clearly defined to the lost if truly repentant believers named themselves "Congregations of the Called Out Ones?"

What do you say, maybe we could start a new tradition?

Why do We Favor satan Over Yahweh?

Why do we favor satan over Yahweh?

There are a number of excuses given by born-again, Bible-believing, washed-in-the-blood, standing-on-the-promises, dedicated, heaven-bound, truth-seeking, evangelical Christians as to why we don't like to use the real Sacred Names of our Creator Yahweh and His Son, our Savior, Yahshua.

If you write me I'll give you a list of excuses you can have handy in case of an emergency. That way you won't get caught off guard when someone like me approaches you.

In the mean time, please consider our double standard. We readily, easily, and daily use the correct name of mankind's biggest adversary and diabolical destroyer of our souls, satan. And we do so without excuse.

Yes, that's right. The word s-a-t-a-n is a transliteration of the Hebrew word. In other words, when you say 'satan' it is pronounced the same in Hebrew (although, most people pronounce it say'-tan when it should probably be sah-tawn').

In other words, we balk at using the True Name of Yahweh even though it's in Scripture over 6000 times, while, in the same breath, we have no problem using the name of satan which is mentioned less than 40 times. Not only that, we insist on giving satan respect by capitalizing his name!

How can this be? We offer excuses why we don't like the real Names of the Father and the Son who loves us, Who sacrificed Himself for us, Who was tortured for us, Who died for us, but we have no reservations and no hesitations about proclaiming the real name of him who hates us!

Where is the sense in all this?

Let's review some of the characteristics of this satan.

He is a liar and the father of lies. There is no truth in him. He is a murderer from the beginning. He is a deceiver. He is a destroyer. He is the accuser of the brethren. Plus, he leads a swarm of other evil spirits just like him. He comes as an angel of light. He wants to divert our worship from Yahweh to himself.

Hmmm...as you look at satan's traits, can you begin to see that perhaps Revelation 12:9 applies not just to others, but to us as well?

"And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called devil, and satan, who deceives the whole world..."

Are we too arrogant to say that we have been at least partly deceived as well?

You should take note, in the above quotation I got straight from a popular Bible program, it had the devil and satan capitalized. But, you can't even find the name of Yahweh or Yahshua anywhere!

Here's something "coincidental" to think about.

It has only been the last 400 years or so that we started using L-rd, G-d, and Jesus in place of Yahweh and Yahshua. What event happened about 400 years ago? The Protestant Reformation. In an effort to derail the Reformation, could it be that satan deceived translators into thinking they were doing the right thing by replacing the names of the True Sacred Names with the names of pagan deities?

It fits his method of operation, does it not?

He comes as a trusted angel of light. He deceives mankind. He seeks to divert worship away from the Creator Yahweh and Yahshua.

Imagine for a moment how it must have happened. If you're quiet you can almost hear that slimy snake's silky smooth voice hiss in the background as it dripped its poison into an unwary translator's ear.

"Nobody speaks Hebrew these days. It's such a hard language. Surely, the people will better be able to worship when the names are ones that are familiar to them.

I hate to say it, but those names are so...Jewish sounding. People know the Jews are the ones who killed the Son. You'll turn people off from coming to church. You don't want that just because you insist on using the Hebrew, now do you?

No, you must not let their worship be laced with ill thoughts - which they surely will if they are constantly reminded of those awful Jews. Plus, word will spread in the communities that those who use your translation are Jew lovers. That will cause unrest and people could get hurt both financially as well as physically.

All this concern is so unnecessary.

Simply use the names L-rd and G-d. They are already commonly known to the people as deities. It will be easy enough to make use of them. Why, it may even seem like an open door to the many who would otherwise shun the church.

Besides, this is an accepted and proven method of evangelism. The church did something similar with Christmas and Easter by adopting traditions and celebrations in use by the general populations of the heathen, thereby making it easier to bring all them under the umbrella and the loving care of the church.

In a short while, you'll discover that the worshipers will readily take the names of L-rd and G-d into their bosom. Indeed, I dare say, there will come a time when they will fiercely reject any attempt to deprive them of the use of those names once they have become endeared to them."

Remember, about this same time satan used deception in the Catholic church to promote widespread murder in an attempt to stop the people from reading the Scriptures for themselves. Satan managed to have savage torture and murder proclaimed as a doctrine of the church.

Let's stop to see if we understand this correctly.

On the one hand, we love to give our children Hebrew names such as Aaron, Joshua, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Joel, Adam, Sarah, Samuel, Ruth, Naomi, Micah, Zechariah, Ezra, Esther, Amos, and David to name a few.

Yet, on the other hand, we won't use the Names Yahweh and Yahshua because of the flimsy excuse we don't speak Hebrew, or "G-d understands English," or simply "I feel close to Him when I use the fake names."

Well, He does understands English, but He spoke in Hebrew. If we remove the false names our English speaking translators gave us as substitutes, this is what we'd hear directly from the mouth of our Creator,

“I am Yahweh, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols." Isaiah 42:8

The Name of Yahweh is something satan doesn't want to hear, and he doesn't want us to hear it as well. So far, he's got a lot of believers feeling the same way.

The Christian world is more comfortable with the name of their adversary satan than they are with their Creator's True Name.

Tell me this isn't straight from the pit of hell.

Do you think like a Christian, Humanist, or Marxist? Find Out...

You've heard the saying, "If it walks, acts, and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck." Well, an increasing number of people on church membership rolls "walk, act, and quack" like the world. You can't tell the people on the inside of the church apart from those on the outside.

Are you any different?

Do you know if your view of the world and life is Biblical?

Would you like to find out?

Worldviewweekend.com has developed a test to rate your world view (how you apply your religious beliefs to the world around you) in eight different areas to compare how it lines up with Scripture. Those areas are:

• law,
  
• economics,
  
• civil government,
  
• religion,
  
• social issues,
  
• sociology (family issues),
  
• education,
• and science.

Remember, this measures your thoughts and opinions in these areas. It's not necessary to have special training in say, law or economics. After you've taken the test, you will get an instant score. Your world view will be rated as either:

1. Strong Biblical World view Thinker,
   
2. Moderate Biblical World view Thinker,
   
3. Secular Humanist World view Thinker,
   
4. Socialist World view Thinker, or
   
5. Communist/Marxist/Socialist/Secular
   

Along with your score, you'll get a report on how your world view compares with others in your age category and those with a similar background. You will also receive an overall world view score and rating.

The results of this report thus far are very alarming.

Only 53.9% of those tested demonstrated a strong Biblical world view!

Over 21% have a Secular/Humanist or Socialist/Communist world view!

This is depressing, especially when you consider that the majority of readers of the worldviewweekend.com web site are what we might normally label as very conservative believers.

This test reveals how you "walk, act, and quack" no matter what flavor Christian you claim to be.

Can you handle the truth?

It is all confidential - none of your information is released to me. I will only know how many took the test and the percentages in each category. So, I encourage each of you to complete all of the pre-test background questions.

This test will take you between 25 to 35 minutes to complete. Please take your time.

My goal is that this test will encourage and challenge you to develop an even deeper biblical world view.

Here's what you do:

First, cut and paste the web address in your browser, then press enter.
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/test/register.php?testid=WORLDVIEW&groupreg=6822cff9

Next, Register and take the test. It's simple.

By the way, since many think I am out there somewhere, I'll tell you my score was 100%, which is in category One.

It is my opinion that most who read this blog are earnest Scriptural believers. I'm guessing there should be a lot who score above 90%. Let's find out.

Errors of Tradition, wrong turns taken...

"The biggest mission field in America is professing Christianity".
John MacArthur

OK, a few clarifications and definitions to answer questions like,
"What does that mean? Why did you use that word?"

G-d = Elohim. Elohim is a term used for greatness, strength, or deity. G-d is derived from pagan deities. It's not a good thing to call the King of the Universe by the name of some false deity. See Leviticus 23:13

Why do I put a hyphen in the word g-d? To prevent any kind of glory being given to a false deity.

The L-RD, or the L-rd = Yahweh (YHWH). When the Psalm writer says (in our English translations) "Blessed be the name of the L-ORD" we remain ignorant of just what His Name is. YHWH are the four consonants of His Name. There is some discussion over just which vowels are between the consonants, but most scholars agree it should be Yahweh.

What we do know for sure is that His Name is NOT L-RD. L-rd is also derived from pagan deities, so it falls into the same category as G-d. Besides, there are many pagan L-rds such as the thousands you'll find in Hinduism.

George Harrison of the Beatles fame sung of "My Sweet L-rd." He was not referring to Yahweh, but a Hindu deity. Sorry if that bursts your bubble.

Sadly, "My Sweet L-rd" probably is sung in some worship services today. It's not hard to believe, since so many "Christian" rock/worship groups simply re-record old classic rock songs. It amazes me now how we could sing so many "worship" songs that never even mentioned G-d directly at all. I could've been singing to, or about, anybody.

Old Testament = Tanak, or the the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms as Yahshua referred to them in Luke 24:44

Testament = Covenant. The Scriptures version quotes Dr Bullinger in The Companion Bible, Appendix 95:

"The word Testament as a translation of the Greek word diatheke (which means covenant), has been nothing less than a great calamity; for, by its use, truth has been effectively veiled all through the centuries; causing a wrong turn to be taken...errors of tradition have usurped the place of important truth. The word Testament as a name for a collectionof books is unknown to Scripture. It come to us through the Latin Vulgate."

Testamonium was a Roman "omen of death." Therefore, we should say Old Covenant at least.

New Testament = Renewed Covenant. See previous blogs for this explanation.

Jesus = Yahshua. Yahshua is the Hebrew name of the Jewish Messiah

Christ = Annointed = Messiah = Moshiach in Hebrew.

Names that begin with "J" = Names that begin with "Y"

Joshua = Yehoshua
Joel = Yo'el
John = Yohanan
Joseph = Yoseph
Jude = Yehudah
James = Ya'acov

Y'all understand that? (Sorry, had to throw that one in. That's southern Hebrew)

Did you notice James in the list? Yep. The Book of James is actually Ya'acov. It's not even close is it?

Another name that needs to be corrected:
Mary = Miriam

One more,
Paul = Sha'ul

Looking at the names of Mary and James certainly brings up a question.

Why are the true Hebrew names for both of these used repeatedly in the Tanak, yet when we get to the Renewed Covenant they are changed to an name form which hides their Jewishness?

Is this intentional? Many say it is, that it betrays an underlining antisemitism in modern translations. In any case, it is certainly a subtle way of influencing and prejudicing our understanding of Scriptural matters.

Law = Torah. While law is the closest English word to convey the Greek word nomos, the Hebrew word Torah is much broader in meaning. Such meanings include "to teach"and "to instruct." Torah refers to the first five books of Scripture, also known as the Law of Moses.

No, Virginia, this is not the same as the movie, "Tora, Tora, Tora" about the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor.

The Greek word may also represent ideas or meanings other than Torah from time to time. Some times it refers to a body of rules or system of behavior that may be man made. This is part of what leads to so much confusion regarding the writings of Sha'ul. Just which set of laws is he referring to at any given time?

Perhaps this is one of the reasons Peter (Kefa) warns us that the writings of Sha'ul are difficult to understand and easily twisted.

Are you aware Rabbinic Judaism considered their own writings and commentaries on Torah to actually supersede the written Torah?

"My son, be careful concerning Rabbinical decrees even more than the Torah...the Torah contains prohibitions...but anyone who violates Rabbinical decree is worthy of death." Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 21b.

Most, if not all, of the Scriptures used as proof texts to show the Law is done away, come from the writings of Sha'ul. Keep in mind that Sha'ul was a Pharisee. He knew all about the Rabbinic decrees. He had probably taught them himself before his encounter with the Messiah.

It is clear to me now that when you finally grasp the understanding Sha'ul refers to more than one "law", it will go a long way toward clearing up the confusion about Yahweh's Torah. Hopefully, you'll begin to realize that it was the man-made laws that needed to be done away - not the loving instructions a loving Elohim gave to His children.