Tag: Torah

No Running!!!

Pool rules 8975As a child, I LOVED visiting the pool.  Maybe a neighbor’s pool or summer camp, etc.  Hot and humid South Carolina weather made the cool clear waters a wonderful respite.

Most pools we visited had some form of posted rules.

  • No running!
  • No diving!
  • No rough-housing, etc…

Often, breaking these rules led to the dreaded ‘time-out.’  All my friends playing and me sitting by mom or the life-guard watching… mournfully.

Had I been a more rebellious sort, I might have found that continued rule-breaking would lead to greater and greater penalties.  Possibly, even, not being invited back.

In my immaturity, my view of the rules, or ‘law of the pool,’ was that it was restrictive.  It seemed to needlessly curtail all the ‘fun!’  Pushing someone into the pool or chasing someone with a ‘rat-tail’ towel was a game!

As I grew older Continue reading “No Running!!!”

Pictorial Evidence of Scriptural Truth!!

snow in JerusalemThey say a picture is worth a thousand words…

Well, an acquaintance sent me a picture from Jerusalem, and it tells about a thousand words…

It may be hard to get the message just from this pic, so, here is another of the beautiful snow a couple days ago in Jerusalem.

snow3Here are a couple more interesting and glorious pictures that illustrate the same story, and of course…  the story. Continue reading “Pictorial Evidence of Scriptural Truth!!”

The Apostle Paul was NOT a Christian!

Paul never converted to anything.

Christian mythos teaches that Saul, a rabbi, converted to Christianity.  In fact, that is utter fallacy to support false doctrine/theology.

Here is what my New American Standard Bible says,

“Acts 9:1-3  (NASB)

The Conversion of Saul

9 Now [a]Saul, still breathing [b]threats and murder against the conversion of pauldisciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;… ”

First, that big ‘The Conversion of Saul,’ is inserted by the editors.  It is not inspired Scripture, and the only thing it does is set the reader up with a FALSE premise! Continue reading “The Apostle Paul was NOT a Christian!”

Aspartame vs. Honey

A number of months ago, I began using honey in my morning coffee instead of refined sugar.  In fact, because we have bees, my wife began substituting honey in a number of places in our family’s diet.

Well, late last week I was refilling the ‘honey bear’ PureHoneyBearfrom a Mason jar full of my bees’ honey and had a convenient ‘spill.’  Of course, I licked it up…  Hmmm.

Then it hit me, ‘this used to be the sweetest stuff on the planet!’  In fact, for thousands of years honey was the sweetest readily available ‘sugar’ on the planet.  Only in the last century has man begun to use the laboratory and myriad chemicals to develop alternative sweeteners, aspartame being just one, as well as a plethora of intense flavors derived from all manner of bizarre stuff.

Not long ago I saw a ‘hell’evision program detailing the constant quest in the food industry for new and intense flavors to make whatever food substitute item more desirable, thus selling more product.  And, ruining consumer’s health in the process.

My brain, taking those diverse pieces of information, as I licked up the spilled honey, suddenly made some interesting connections.  Continue reading “Aspartame vs. Honey”

I Should Have Seen It Coming….

I have recently written several posts highlighting glaring translator error or bias.  Predictably, I have received multiple requests about Bible translation recommendations, or thoughts on a particular version…  I should have seen that coming!  So, here is a short post with a few thoughts..

While I am no expert on translations, I think there a few assertions I can safely make:

YHWH was pleased for His righteousness’ sake to…

YHWH was pleased for His righteousness’ sake to make the Torah great and glorious! Is. 42:21

Did He stop being righteous?

Did He change His mind?

Or, is the idea that He did away with His Torah a FALSE teaching that does NOT square with Scripture in the front OR the back of the Book?

Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the TORAH will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
 And He will judge between the nations,
And will  render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

 Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.  Isaiah 2:2-5

 

Got Torah?

By what standard?? Pray tell!

… I can tell you what is NOT the standard!!

The Westminster Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church are NOT the standard!!
The Confessions of the Lutheran Church are NOT the standard!! ….

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.         Hebrews 4:15

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that Messiah Y’shua was without sin.  By what standard was this determination made?

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.    I John 2:3-6

The Apostle John tells us that if we abide in the Messiah, then we will ‘walk as He walked.’  We will ‘do as He did.’  By what standard did He walk/do?

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.  I Cor. 11:1

If we are to imitate Rav Shaul who is imitating Messiah Y’shua, by what standard do we imitate? Continue reading “By what standard?? Pray tell!”

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…”