Potpourri

I had two things I wanted to mention in this post:

1) Yom Kippur begins this Sunday evening (09-27-09) @ sundown and goes until sundown, Monday evening (09-28-09) . Alternatively, some are going by the actual New Moon sighting in Israel according to the Karaites, and therefore Yom Kippur according to that reckoning will begin Tuesday evening and go until Wednesday evening).

If you would like to learn more about Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), you can click this link to read an article written by a Messianic Jew (a Jewish man that believes that Yeshua/Jesus IS the Messiah).

2) I wanted to share a neat, lit'le ol' dittie, in the Torah (1st five books of the Bible - Genesis through Deuteronomy) that can only be seen in the original Hebrew - you won't see it in the English (or any other language for that matter).

If you recall, In Revelation 1:8,10, Yeshua says: "I am Alpha and Omega...." Many of us know that these are the 1st and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and it is taken to mean something akin to Yeshua being the whole of the Word of God (or in other words, every word of the Bible is about HIM). We would see it as Him saying that He was/is the "A and Z" (to put it into English). But we must remember that while Yeshua was on Earth, He would have spoken Hebrew - not Greek, Russian, Afrikaans, English, or any other language for that matter. I think there is every reason to believe that when Yeshua spoke to John on Patmos, He probably spoke Hebrew (the likelihood of John understanding Greek is slim, since he was born and raised in the land of Israel).

ANYWAYS...it doesn't really matter one way or the other. What I want to show is that, if we were to take Yeshua's statement "I am Alpha and Omega" and put it into Hebrew, He would say "I am Aleph and Tav", the first and last letters of the Hebrew Alphabet (or more accurately, the Aleph-Beth). Interestingly enough, the letters aleph and tav actually form a word in Hebrew - "et" (pronounced like "ate"). Now this is where it gets pretty cool...

(Oh I wish I could use Hebrew font on Blogger!!!!) The word "et" is found, in the original Hebrew of the Tanakh, hundreds of times. It has a purpose in Hebrew (of which I won't go into now for times' sake), but goes largely untranslated in our Bibles.

In Genesis 1:1 we read the following: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
These ten words (in the KJV) are translated from just seven words in Hebrew:

(in beginning) (created) (God) (not translated) (the heavens) (and) (the earth)
"B'reisheet bara elohim et ha'shamayim v'et ha'aretz".

If you will notice, we have the Hebrew word "et" twice in that verse.

In ancient Jewish teaching, the seven days of Creation represent seven thousand years of history (based upon Psalm 90:4 where a thousand years are likened to a day). Many Christians take this view as well (especially since Moses' sentiment is echoed by Peter in 2 Peter 3:8).

Notice that there are seven Hebrew words in Genesis 1:1. The seven words have been taken to represent seven thousand years of History as well in some teaching.

Now both Jews and Christians (though not ALL Jews, and not ALL Christians - but they don't count! ;-) ) teach that the world is to go through six thousand years of turmoil, culminating in the last one thousand years being ruled by the Messiah, a time of peace on Earth, no more wars, fighting, famine, etc.

So to bring into perspective, we are to have six thousand years, and then just before the last thousand years (the "Millennium"), the Messiah comes to usher in the Messianic era.

If this is true, and something the Bible teaches (and I, for one, believe that it IS!) then is it possible that we have a clue, found in the very first verse of the Bible?

Isaiah 46:10 says: "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Young's literal translation states it as follows: "Declaring from the beginning the latter end...."

From this we get the concept that the end, i.e, latter days, are actually declared from (or "out of") the beginning. The word for "beginning" in Isaiah 46:10 is the Hebrew word "reisheet" - lit. 'beginning.' Do you remember the first verse of our Bibles, Gen. 1:1: "In the beginning" (Hebrew - "b'reisheet')?

Soooooo...Let's put this all together.

a) Yeshua says in the book of Revelation that He is the "Alpha and Omega" (in Heb. - the "Aleph and Tav")
b) The first verse of our Bible has the aleph/tav combo in it twice (untranslated in our English Bibles), found in the fourth and sixth positions.
c) The seven days of creation represent the seven thousand years of Earth history (as well as the seven words of Genesis 1:1).
d) Isaiah tells us that the entirety of Biblical (and world) history are declared "from" or "out of" the beginning (and you can't get any more "beginning" than "In the beginning..."!).

Now for the conclusion of the matter. I will see if I can lead you to the prophetic (yes, PROPHETIC) significance of this by asking a few questions so that when the answer dawns on you, it will be more exciting.

Of the seven words of Genesis 1:1, where do we find the "aleph/Tav" (if you were to number the words - ie. B'reisheet = 1, "bara" = 2, etc.)?

As Believers in Yeshua/Jesus not only as the Messiah and Savior of the world, but also the One of whom the ENTIRE Bible points to, how many times does He come to Earth?

If we take the seven Hebrew words, and ascribe one thousand years to each word (in other words, each word represents a millenia of time), in which millenia do we find the "Aleph/Tav"?

And lastly, by the placement of the Aleph/Tav in Genesis 1:1 - do we possibly have a prophetic declaration of God's Son, found in the very FIRST VERSE of the Bible?!? Did God, way in advance, tell us of the time(s) of the Messiah's coming(s)?

I hope that this is as interesting to you as it is me, because there are SO MANY MORE cool things in our Bibles embedded within the Hebrew that can teach, instruct, and even PREPARE us for the days in which we live.

;-) .j.

L'Shana Tova! Happy Rosh Hashana/Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)!

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
"Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD."
Lev. 23:23-25

"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
1 Cor. 15:51-55

Another Thought On Shadows...

In the last post we looked at a biblical passage often brought up in discussions regarding Christians and the Sabbath - that being Colossians 2:16,17. Within that discussion we briefly considered "shadows", and how they can be used to teach/show us things we may need to know, such as time of day, location, etc. We looked at this because Col. 2:17 says that the Sabbath, New Moons, and Festivals are "shadows" what is "to come."

It is obvious that the text tells us that the Sabbath, etc. are clearly shadows - in other words, they were and are meant to teach/show us something about the Messiah, and His redemptive work in this world. However, unfortunately most of Christianity has taken this to mean that they are "merely"shadows (as the NASB puts it), and that they really have no true value to the Believer in Jesus, because HE is the reality. I completely agree that HE is the reality, the true object of our faith and affection. But I must wholeheartedly disagree that the Sabbath and Festivals have no real value to the believer any longer - in fact, I contend that of all people, those that have accepted that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah and Savior promised in the Tenakh (Old Testament), the Believer in Him is the one that should see the GREATEST value in those things that are pictures of His redemptive work!

With that said, I would like to ask a simple question of those that believe that the Sabbath, Festivals, etc. are really not important, or something to be observed and paid attention to by believers in Yeshua the Messiah: If we do not need to observe the Sabbath, etc. because they are "mere shadows", and therefore not really important now that the Messiah has come the first time, then why is such pomp and circumstance given to things such as Christmas, Easter, The Lord's supper, baptism, etc.? Furthermore (and this is the crux of the question), if the Sabbath, New Moons, and Holy Festivals of the Tenakh were/are shadows of our Messiah and Savior, then what are Christmas, Easter, etc. shadows of? In other words, if our Messiah, and His redemptive "plan" is casting the shadows of Sabbath, etc., then what is casting the shadows of Christmas, etc.?

You see, Christians are focused on a whole HOST of "shadows" and don't even realize it. Is Christmas the reality of Messiah? Is Easter? Are they not "Festivals?" Again, I ask, If the Sabbath, and Festivals such as Passover, the Feast of Trumpets, The feast of Tabernacles, etc. are the biblically defined "shadows" of our Messiah, then who or what, pray tell, is casting the "shadows" of Christmas, Easter, etc. - things found absolutely nowhere in the bible?

Please, if you have not considered these things before, then do so now. I have no intention of judging anyone. My desire is to see ALL believers come into the "...measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). If you are celebrating ANY holiday with the intention that it is about Yeshua (Jesus), then you ARE observing a "shadow." Who's shadow are you really celebrating?

We are about to come into the fall feats given in the bible (spec. Lev. 23) - Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanna), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles). Right now we are in the Hebrew Month of Elul, the Month preceding Tishrei, the Month of the Fall Festivals. Elul is the Month considered to be a time of inward reflection and repentance (Paul tells us to "examine" ourselves in 2 Cor. 13:5). Prepare yourself for your Bridegroom.

It's Time To Start Understanding The Bible...Biblically!

About a week or so ago (I don't remember exactly now) on my way home from work, I flipped on the radio (it was around 4:15 p.m. or so) and caught the call in Bible answer program "To Everyone An Answer" - a program of CSN radio hosted by Pastor Mike Kestler. Mike was joined by Jim Tetlow, often the co-host of the radio program.

I just happened to catch the program just as a caller was asking the question of why Christians today worship on Sunday instead of Saturday (the Sabbath). This question has been asked many times on T.E.M.A., and is a subject of much debate, and has been for 2 millenia.

I don't expect to deal with this issue here and now in it's entirety because it is a huge issue with many, many points that need to be addressed. However...what I want to do is begin to address some of the biblical passages that get brought up to show why Christians don't "keep" the sabbath today.

Every time I hear this question get brought up, the "answer" is usually done in typical machine-gun style modern Christian polemic (oops, sorry, "apologetic") where 5-6 verses are thrown out there (without any regard to the CONTEXT of those verses), along with a slew of other various comments, grievances, etc., whether they pertain to the inquirers question or not (for ex. the issue of salvation is ALWAYS brought up, no matter whether the person asking made it an issue or not - ex. "we're not saved by keeping the Sabbath, or anything else...." This is almost always stated, when in fact the issue of salvation is rarely brought up in the matter).

I'd like to start with Colossians 2:16,17 which reads as follows:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."

This is usually one of the "big guns" in the arsenal of the Christian Apologist in answering the Sabbath issue, the point being that we should not let anybody judge us for not keeping the Sabbath, or the other Holy days, or eating biblically "kosher" (ie. no pork, shellfish, etc.) because they are simply the shadows of the Messiah, and not the real thing, and so why waste our time focusing on the "shadow" when we can focus on the REAL?!

This is one of the passages that I hear quoted EVERY time I hear the Sabbath issue being discussed (like I said, it is one of the "big guns!").

But let's do a little probing and see if this gun has any bullets in it, or if it's just shooting blanks!

Mike Kestler has a saying he often shares on the program which goes something like this: "use the 20/20 rule - read 20 verses prior to the verse you are looking at, and 20 verses after, in order to get the context." I think that is a great idea; in fact, I believe it will shed a lot of light on the issue!

Because it would make this post much longer, I'm not going to paste the entire passage here (Col. ch. 2), but will highlight several verses prior to v.v 16,17 - and several verses that follow.

If you were to look at just about any N.T. commentary, you would learn that one of the major "issues" being addressed in Colossians was a heresy called "gnosticism" (which comes from the Greek word "gnosis" - "knowledge"). Gnosticism is still around today in various forms, and in a nutshell is the teaching that the physical is evil - only the spirit is redeemable and holy, and we must attain to higher levels of "knowledge" in order to grow closer to the "divine", and even grow in divinity ourselves. In the first century, there were certain characteristics that identified gnostic practice, and the most predominant was an ascetic lifestyle, one marked by long, arduous fasts, often accompanied by self abasement.

Paul, throughout the epistle to the Colossians, continually points out the contrast between The Godhead manifested in the flesh via Yeshua (cf. vs. 9), and the "fullness" of our faith and fellowship found in Him, as opposed to the "philosophy" and "vain deceit" found within "traditions of men" (cf. vs. 8). He continues by sharing the fullness of that which we have obtained through our faith in Him. First and foremost, we are complete in Him. There is no higher, secret, hidden "knowledge" so-called to be obtained through the "philosophy" and "vain deceit." ALL wisdom and knowledge is found in HIM!

Paul continues by sharing that we have been completely forgiven of our sins, and our "rap sheet" so-to-speak ("handwriting of ordinances" or, as the ESV states it, the "record of debt") has been "nailed to the cross." Our salvation is complete in Him, with no need to search the hidden heights of so-called "knowledge", accessible to a select few that find it via their extreme, physically abusive methods.

Basically, we have now come to the "trump card" verses that are used to show why we Christians don't keep the sabbath today. The only problem is, Paul's argument thus far has had NOTHING to do with God's commandments. He has not been speaking against God's word - he has been showing the contrast between the fullness of forgiveness, and our standing with and before God through Yeshua, who is the "fullness of the Godhead bodily", as opposed to the ascetic gnostic beliefs and practices that are obtained through the "traditions of men!"

Paul's statement in v.v. 16,17 are begun with the words "let no man therefore judge you...." In other words, in light of the fact that full and complete forgiveness of sins has been accomplished, and all of the fulness of wisdom and knowledge is found in Yeshua, the "fulness of the Godhead bodily", don't let these gnostic, ascetic people judge you. Judge you for what? Judge you, who are "complete in Him" for "meat" (ie. eating) and "drink" (drinking), or for keeping the sabbath, holy days (mo'edim), etc.

You see, the people being "judged" were not the ones NOT eating and drinking, and keeping the sabbath and holy days, it was the other way around. It was the gnostic people, who believed true wisdom and "knowledge" was obtained by punishing the flesh (which was "evil" in their view) via long fasting and denying of the flesh, that were judging the believers who "ate" and "drank", and kept the sabbath, etc.

Notice that in vs. 17 Paul says that these things are "shadows" of things "to come." At the time that Paul wrote this epistle, Yeshua had long since died, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. Yet Paul does not say that the sabbath, and holy days were shadows of things that "had been", or worse yet, shadows of things that "were to come" as the N.I.V. puts it (completely changing the tense of the Greek, something that can be verified by ANYONE simply by looking at the Greek at say, Blue Letter Bible, etc.)!

The Tabernacle, the sabbath, the feast days, the Priesthood, etc. are ALL shadows; they always were, and always will be!

What is the point of a shadow? I mean, why does it even exist? Is a shadow just a happenstance phenomena created by the sun?

We know that God uses the physical (that which can be seen) to teach us, and help us to understand the spiritual (that which cannot be seen). For example, how many times did Yeshua use the picture of a farmer, seed, coins, candles, earth, plants, trees, etc. in His parables in order to teach us spiritual issues? I'd say EVERY time!

So, what can shadows teach us? For one thing, a shadow can show you the general outline, or shape of something, even if the true object is out of your view (the shadow is something "seen" giving you the impression of something that is "not seen").

Imagine that you are walking down the street and are coming up on an alley. Coming out from the alley you see the shadow of a tree. You probably would not think twice about it, but you would know there was a tree there. But what if, instead of a shadow of a tree, you saw a shadow, a figure of a person holding up a knife. Would that catch your attention? The shadow is showing you something that is coming.

Another thing that shadows can show us is time and whereabouts. Survival books can teach you how to figure out the time of day, and your general location (North, South, etc.) using shadows.

So, two things that shadows can show us are the general shape or form of something, and the time and station (place) of something.

The sabbath and holy days are shadows of things "to come...." Let that sink in. Ponder that one for a few.

Is Yeshua still to return? Have we gone through the Millennium yet? Have the new heavens and earth come yet? Has the complete ingathering of Israel happened? Is Yeshua ruling from the Davidic throne in Jerusalem right now? Do we see Israel inhabiting the full scope of the Abrahamic covenant borders that God promised to Him in Genesis? Etc., etc., etc.

There is still MUCH to be fulfilled. Therefore, there is still a need for "shadows", something God intended for His people, and STILL intends for His people. After all, He wants us to be people of "understanding...."

Paul is NOT telling the Colossian believers to not let people judge them for NOT keeping the sabbath, etc., he is telling them the exact opposite! Do not let others judge you FOR doing those things.

You might be wondering at this point how I justify this interpretation. It might become more clear as we continue to look at the verses following v.v. 16, 17.

In vs. 18 Paul tells them to not let anyone "beguile" them of their "reward" (the ESV translates the verse as follows: "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind....") In contrast to the ones refusing to allow others to judge them (v.v. 16,17) are people who are "ascetic", they "worship angels", and they are "puffed up" by their "sensuous minds." Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of the "O.T", and God's commandments, will instantly know that asceticism, angel worship, and "sensuality" are not found within His Torah (law)! His law is "holy", "pure", "undefiled", "perfect", etc.

Continuing on, in v.v. 20-23 Paul asks the Colossian believers, the ones in v.v 16,17 who are not to allow the others to "judge" them, that if they have died to the "rudiments of the world" through Messiah, why are they subjecting themselves to ordinances such as "Touch not; taste not; handle not...." Some, nay, many commentators have suggested that what Paul is referring to with "Touch not; taste not; handle not" is the dietary laws found in Lev. 23. This could not possibly be so, because the main issue Paul has been dealing with in ch. 2 is the gnostic heresies that are plaguing the Colossian Church. These are "ordinances" being placed upon them by the gnostic "teachers" - demanding an extremism because, after all, according to their teachings, the flesh is evil, therefore it must be denied/punished. Furthermore, Paul continues by saying, of these practices "which all are to perish with the using; after the commandments and doctrines of men." Notice what Paul calls these things - "commandments and doctrines of men." Are God's laws "commandments and doctrines of men!? I don't think so. Paul concludes the argument with this final clause: "Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." The "touch not, taste not, handle not" teaching is being called "commandments and doctrines of men", "will worship", and "[neglect] of the body." All fit perfectly within the framework of the gnostic doctrines Paul had been speaking against, and are in contrast with the biblical commandments God Him self gave that point to Messiah, and are shadows of the things that are "to come."

To conclude, I have to say that Colossians 2:16,17 cannot be used to teach that Christians don't keep the sabbath today. To use these verses to bolster that idea is to completely take them out of context - the very thing we are continually reminded that we are not supposed to do. So, using Mike's "20/20" rule actually renders his use - and anyone else's for that matter - of these verses as isogesis, and especially poor hermeneutic.

I would like to add that this is not meant to be a personal attack on Mike Kestler, Jim Tetlow, or anyone else for that matter. I simply used the T.E.M.A. program as a catalyst to analyze one of the most commonly used passages to try to show why Christians do not worship on the sabbath today. I hope to cover some of the other passages that are used at another time, but for now, I hope I have provoked you to go study your bible! Be willing to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:21

Tisha B'Av

Since Gentile believers in Yeshua are grafted into the olive tree, ie. Israel, I thought that it would be appropriate to share some info. on an upcoming (starting Wed. evening, and continuing until Thurs. evening) fast day/day of mourning for Israel.

Here are two links that will explain this fast day (which is referred to in the book of Zech. as the "fast of the fifth month).

Romans 12:15 tells us to "...weep with them that weep."

Link 1
Link 2

Yosef Karduner

I am hoping to have a real post soon (ie. my own thoughts!), but in the meantime I wanted to share two You Tube videos of a Breslover Chasidic Jewish singer - both songs are very good. The first is a song called "Shir lama a'lot" and is the 121st Psalm. The words are:

"A Song of Ascents. I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: from whence shall my help come?
My help cometh from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper; the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul. The LORD shall guard thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth and for ever."

The second song is called "Hashem Melech" and the words are:

"The Lord is King, the Lord was King, the Lord will be King forever and ever. The Lord will be King over the earth; on that day the Lord will be One His Name One."

I hope you enjoy them!

"Those That Do Not Learn From History..." You Know The Rest

Please go HERE and download the July 8 and 9 programs from Brannon Howse of "Worldview Matters with Brannon Howse." Real testimony from Holocaust survivor Anita Dittman. The end of part two (July 9 program) is very eye opening.

Wake up Christians and Jews in America (and around the world for that matter)!!!

Get into the word of God DAILY! Obey what you read! Draw near to the LORD! Repent of your sin and filth! Nominal Christians - first wake up and recognize that you are living in "la la land" - get your head out of the sand (and the filth of pop American culture, ie. Babylon) and begin to HEAR and OBEY God's word!

.j.