Being without excuse..

I know. People would rather not be faced with truth, but sometimes, it is so blindingly obvious that it can’t be avoided and we are therefore without excuse.

Our local TV station ran a story on their website, and maybe in their visual media as well, two days before Christmas. On searching for it to save the link a similar I stumbled on a link for an even more direct story that was run on the same day in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. Amazingly, the Baltimore Sun article claims that they do this every year to insure truth is being told…

Here are two headlines and links to prove that the masses are without excuse on the matter! Continue reading “Being without excuse..”

Bridges to Ba’al: How Satan Uses the Canaanite Influenced Christmas and Easter to Ensnare the Children of the Household

Following is part one of a series that friend Peter Vest is writing. These are not easy words to hear, but much needed if we are to truly seek truth.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Bridges to Ba’al: How Satan Uses the Canaanite Influenced Christmas and Easter to Ensnare the Children of the Household

The beautiful tree, bedecked with silver and gold, warm glowing lights, beside a roaring hearth, a host of shiny presents–what’s not to like? Christmas is beloved especially by children because of all of the beautiful traditions, the celebration of family, the feeling of security with the hearth with the promise of food nearby (“visions of sugar plums”) and especially the presents!

And since, as Christians believe, the day of Christmas has been devoted to the G-d of Israel (i.e. Yeshua) then Christmas is all the more special, right?

No. Here’s why:

A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT CANAANITE FIRE [g]ODS:

Allow me to briefly connect several dots showing the evolution of the Canaanite religion, it’s overt beginnings with child sacrifice to the fire gods Ba’al and Asherah, to the fire gods Jupiter and Vesta, to the modern vestigial remains as observed in certain customs of Christmas and Easter.

Thanks to modern discoveries of Ugarit texts, Ugarit being one of the ancient city-states of Canaan, we now know a little bit about some of the major players in the Canaan pantheon:

Asherah, was the fertility goddess, the “Queen of Heaven” (now immortalized with fertility symbols on Easter), married to El, a senile god who was eventually replaced with Ba’al. The people believed that Asherah was best appeased with sexual rites, often symbolized with a pole (the “May pole” being a modern vestige of this phenomenon) and that Ba’al was best appeased with a fire and a “green” tree.

[Continue at original post…]

Fencing the Commandments

One of the unfair charges often leveled against Rabbinic Judaism is that they added to the Word of God by ‘fencing the commandments.’ And, while the charge may be true, it is generally leveled as if no one else is guilty of the same and the Jews have therefore committed some dastardly crime.

While reading a paper written by Messianic Jewish friend and midrash partner, Jonathan Krause, a section really caught my eye. He wrote,

When did sin occur on earth? Many scholars will say that it happened when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, in Deut. 4:2 G-D tells us not to add or take away from his word(s). Since words were added to what G-D said, it created a door to sin. But, Adam had the roots of sin in his heart when he added to the words of G-D. Perhaps he did not trust G-D in that he had to instruct Eve further by telling her she was not only not to eat of the fruit, but not to touch it.

I looked up from the paper and said, “Adam fenced the commandment!” Continue reading “Fencing the Commandments”

Messianic Pharisees. Paradigm breakers!

As we discussed yesterday, Christendom is generally not taught to have a high regard for the Pharisees. Yet, ironically, we hold several Pharisees up as models of faith!! How can that be?

If you say, ‘because they stopped being a Pharisees,’ you would be wrong!!

Walk with me as we consider a couple Messianic Pharisees!

John 3:1-21 recounts the story of a Pharisees, Nicodemus, who sought out Yeshua by night to ask a few questions. Nicodemus obviously understood something worthy of investigation was going on, he just did not understand it. It didn’t quite fit his box. Instead of discounting it, he investigated! The result is that he became a follower. Continue reading “Messianic Pharisees. Paradigm breakers!”

Christian Pastor: Why you should celebrate Halloween.

75 seconds that will blow your mind! Paganism defined, justified, embraced.

From the pulpit.

Wow!

Original post with comments.

Words I LONG to hear…

Y’shua said,

‘Whoever keeps and teaches (the Commandments), he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’ Matthew 5:19b

We live in a time and culture that elevates all manner of men to be ‘heroes.’ We have movies about ‘super-heroes,’ toys called ‘Rescue Heroes,’ and TV shows about ‘Real Life Heroes.’ We are taught to desire to be heroic, or at least look up to those who are… In most cases, the focus is on the ‘hero’ or his/her ‘powers’ and little if any focus is on the Creator of the Universe.

Scripture has a similar message, but goes a step further and tells us exactly HOW to be ‘heroes’… to use that terminology, while keeping the Creator, YHWH, central in our focus. ‘Keep and teach the commandments.’

There is an even clearer passage that I was recently reminded of that spells out for us a couple ‘titles’ we should strive for.

Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach, Continue reading “Words I LONG to hear…”

Protestant Hypocrisy?

A friend sent me a copy of an article from the late 1890s. While it is very interesting and telling, a citation from the Encyclopedia Britannica (doesn’t say which edition, but I guess circa early 1890s) really shakes up the ‘sola scriptura’ idea… But, this blog has said this before.

Here is a portion of the article:

Inconsistency of Reformers.

Thus the reformed churches, while professing to reject tradition for the pure Word of God, were led to deny their own position, by accepting Sunday on the authority of tradition only, and tradition directly opposed to the divine Word. It was the weakness caused by thus practically denying their own position that more than any other one thing arrested the progress of the Reformation. Draper says: “Toward the close of Luther’s life it seemed as if there was no other prospect for papal power than total ruin; yet at this day out of three hundred millions of Christians more than half owe allegiance to Rome. Almost as if by enchantment the Reformation suddenly ceased to advance. Rome was not only able to check its spread, but even to gain back a portion Continue reading “Protestant Hypocrisy?”

Every word!!

Most of us know that when Yeshua/Jesus was tempted of the adversary after fasting for 40 days, the Messiah’s response was Scripture. But do we notice every quote is from Deuteronomy? The Covenant?

Check it out: Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13 and 10:20.

So, while pondering that recently, another thought occurred to me.

³He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Deut. 8:3

‘Man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh!’

Churchianity constantly pits Paul against Moses, Jesus against God, Law against Gra Continue reading “Every word!!”

A Parable on Christian Theology…

Been very busy lately and have notes on topics I desire writing about, but have had little time. Thankfully, things should change next week and I’ll be back to regular posting… In the meantime, here is a neat poem by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911) that, through parable, explains how Christian Theology got so far off the track instead of simple obedience to Scripture.

Ponder this deeply.

_____________________

The Calf-Path

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;

II.

But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day, Continue reading “A Parable on Christian Theology…”

STOP building suburbs in Babylon!!

While preparing this week’s lesson for our Shabbat fellowship, I was reading a study by Eddie Chumney and contemplating the sin of harlotry and how we, the people of YHWH, have such a propensity for it. At the end of his study there is an amazing prayer that just moved me to tears. It is a simple compilation of Scripture. I encourage you to read, ponder and even pray this prayer.

[Opening comment] I think it is time to stop building suburbs in Babylon and “come out of her My people”. May we join Daniel, who was on his face praying, while still in Babylon:

“O YHVH righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day–to the men of Judah, to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven us, because of the unfaithfulness which we have committed against You. We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts Continue reading “STOP building suburbs in Babylon!!”