"Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Said Jalili, has signaled that Tehran is
"ready for constructive dialogue" over its nuclear program, in an apparent
response to the invitation by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana for talks with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China."
Well, if we need to save money, guess we can economize on the Secretary of State as well as the Press Secretary. Looks like Javier Solana can do the speaking for everybody but himself. He's got Cristina Gallach for that job!
Well, that moon's looking sort of pink again. Oh, and about the upcoming radio programs. The Macho Response's "Crack Emcee", the atheist anti-New Ager had an emergency and had to cancel Tuesday. He is rescheduled for Tuesday, April 28th.
I will be at a bar association meeting Thursday night, but I've replaced me with something better -- Sarah Leslie has some new and pivotal research on the Paul Temple - Willis Harman research, including some evidences of Paul N. Temple (co-founder and chief financier of Institute of Noetic Sciences not to mention Doug Coe's Prayer Breakfast network -- "The Family" / "Fellowship Foundation" with the "Emergent Church Movement." Sarah will host my radio program Thursday night and discuss her latest research.
Where's Saturday Night Live's "Church Lady" of old now that we need her? Let's see: The Institute of Noetic Sciences and Paul Temple funds, inter alia, the following:
- Campus Crusade for Christ
- Institute of Noetic Sciences
- Arthur Blessit Ministries
- Barbara Marx Hubbard
- "International Foundation" aka "The Family"
- Steiner Schools
- Waldorf Schools
- Montessori Schools
- All Seasons Chalice Church
And they, IONS, have had ecstatic things to say about Wayne Peterson and his relationship with Benjamin Creme and the "Emergence" of Maitreya / Betraya 'The Christ.' Fancy that: The Emergent Church and "The Emergence of the [er, ah] 'Christ'" Is Paul Temple hedging his bets not sure who will win the eternal wars, or is he (more likely) financing the subversion of Christianity?
Stay tuned!
Constance
219 comments:
1 – 200 of 219 Newer› Newest»It's not only Paul Temple that finances his causes in Church organizations:
Landrum Bolling of Churches for Middle East Peace, the advocates of a two state solution ( unbiblical):
http://www.cmep.org/LeadershipCouncil/council.html
http://tiny.cc/YgzNG
...also has power to finance his agenda..
Let's look at his profile and his connections with LIlly Foundation and Georgetown U. That would be Georgetown U of the Alliance of Civilizations..
http://tiny.cc/6fTwm
Joyce
..and of course Mercy Corp, which Landrum is involved with is also part of ONE organization, which is the umbrella organization for all the NGOs which has suckered the churches into participating in the UN's MIllennial Development Goals.
I want to be careful in saying there are many well meaning people that are involved in this, but they are unaware of the UN agenda.
Joyce
This should say it all:
"Because of his non-official but close involvement in Middle East affairs, Landrum became well acquainted with many of the leaders among all sides in the conflict. From time to time he served as an informal "messenger" between political leaders and governments that had difficulty in communicating directly. In this connection, he functioned as a link for The White House and State Department with Yasir Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization in more than one administration, but particularly during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. He has maintained a relationship with these and other world leaders to this day."
I'm no meaning to take away from the topic of Constance's blog, but complement it by saying yes, $$$$ speaks and churches or religious organizations must be very careful about who they take money from.. They might be selling their souls to the devil unwittingly.
Joyce
Constance, thank you for your compliment in the last thread!
I am so completely facinated to see God's sure word of prophecy unfold before my eyes. To think we may be watching Daniel's vision unfold before our eyes! I can scarce concentrate on anything else.
I'm listing to a song, "These are They who have come out of Great Tribulation" I love the words...
"All the strangers and pilgrims will be no longer be strangers, all the tired and weary wonderers will wonder no more. The table is spread for the great celebration and the welcome home banner flies over the door!"
What a reunion awaits the Redeemed.
QUIET SUN STORY ON DRUDGE (YESTERDAY)
Rev. 7:16 Specifically mentions the sun in reference to saints in heaven...."They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore,
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat".
Could the "quiet sun" be the calm before the storm?
**********************************
'Quiet Sun' baffling astronomers
By Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
The Sun is the dimmest it has been for nearly a century.
There are no sunspots, very few solar flares - and our nearest star is the quietest it has been for a very long time.
The observations are baffling astronomers, who are due to study new pictures of the Sun, taken from space, at the UK National Astronomy Meeting.
The Sun normally undergoes an 11-year cycle of activity. At its peak, it has a tumultuous boiling atmosphere that spits out flares and planet-sized chunks of super-hot gas. This is followed by a calmer period.
Last year, it was expected that it would have been hotting up after a quiet spell. But instead it hit a 50-year year low in solar wind pressure, a 55-year low in radio emissions, and a 100-year low in sunspot activity.
According to Prof Louise Hara of University College London, it is unclear why this is happening or when the Sun is likely to become more active again.
"There's no sign of us coming out of it yet," she told BBC News.
"At the moment, there are scientific papers coming out suggesting that we'll be going into a normal period of activity soon.
"Others are suggesting we'll be going into another minimum period -this is a big scientific debate at the moment."
More defectors from the faith -
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042107.html
DouginMI
Dear Susanna,
Where are you?
I miss your voice.
Just wanted you to know.
In His Love,
-SV
Dear SV:
Susanna's computer is down right now. She'll be back as soon as it's back up.
I'd like to hear from a lot of people whose input, opinions and insight is missing of late. Oldmanoftheski, Leana, and all the others who used to post frequently... this sight was once more vibrant. I miss your presence and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
VW
(I used to be an anonymous poster who valued your feedback)
Dear Anony 2:04,
Thanks so much for the info. I'll look forward to hearing from her soon.
:-)
Dear VW,
Me too.
Oldman, I know that you have lots of good stuff to share. Miss you sharing it.
By His Grace,
-SV
**OldThinker News and Berit Kjos both have really great articles regarding the current Earth Day Celebrations. These are just a few highlights from the articles.**
OldThinker News-
"We need to get some broad based support,to capture the public's imagination...
So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements
and make little mention of any doubts...
Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest."
- Stephen Schneider,
Stanford Professor of Climatology,
lead author of many IPCC reports
"It doesn't matter what is true,
it only matters what people believe is true."- Paul Watson, Co-Founder of Greenpeace
Link To Complete Article-
http://www.green-agenda.com/
------------------------------
Berit Kjos-
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Is this a scare tactic for global transformation? Consider the following quotes,
“During any ‘issue-attention-cycle’ in environmental campaigning, there is a phase in which the issue needs to be strategically exaggerated in order to establish it firmly on an agenda for action.”18 – International Institute for Sustainable Development.
“We have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we may have.”19 –Professor Stephen Schneider.
“No matter if the science is all phony, there are collateral environmental benefits…climate change [provides] the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world.”20 – Christine Stewart, former Canadian Minister of Environment.
But scare tactics are effective. They leave the masses wondering: How can the human race reverse our imminent environmental demise? What can be done to save Mother Earth?
According to the first Earth Day and The Environmental Handbook, we can start by placing the blame on Christianity and Western values, and then adopt pagan and radical socialist solutions.
Consider the following quotes from The Environmental Handbook.
“Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecologic crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not.” [p.26, Lynn White Jr.].
“What was it that enabled Eskimo shamen, their minds a product of the taiga, tundra, and sea ice, to travel on spirit journeys under the ocean and to talk with the fishes and the potent beings who lived on the bottom? How did the shamen develop the hypnotic power they employed in their séances? What can we learn from the shamen who survive about thought transference and ESP? The answers are in the arctic wilderness still left to us.
"Wilderness is a bench mark, a touchstone…New perspectives come out of the wilderness. Jesus, Zoroaster, Moses, and Mohammed went to the wilderness and came back with messages…This handbook, and the teach-in it serves, have their beginnings in wilderness.” [p. 148, Kenneth Brower].
Link To This Article-
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/forcing-change/09/4-earth-gaia.htm
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/LukMP
By His Grace,
-SV
Imagine Christian ministries like ARthur Blessit and Campus Crusade for Christ being on a list with the other ones. If my mind wasn't already completely boggled....
Mariel
RE: IONS
It seems IONS founder astronaut Edgar Mitchell is once again making the media rounds requesting US Gov't transparency on the existence of aliens. The NA propaganda is at work on so many levels. -VW
Campus Crusades for Christ is compromised? I don't know much about them, but I'm floored! what happened with them? I always knew there was something weird about the Montessori school.
Indy
To J. D.
This is in response to your concerns on the previous thread. (It begs the question: if this was going on 6 years ago, what is going on now in the year 2009?)
The following article is from the archives of World Net Daily - dated March 17, 2003):
Texas Sheriff Warns of Unidentified Troops (foreign troops in America)
HOMELAND INSECURITY Texas sheriff warns of unidentified troops. Believes armed men in fatigues spotted within country are foreign.
A southern Texas sheriff is warning the public that unidentified armed men dressed in military fatigues have been spotted on numerous occasions in his county near the border with Mexico.
For the "country's safety," Sheriff Erasmo Alarcon Jr., of Jim Hogg County, published a letter in a local newspaper to alert citizens of reports he has received for some years from ranchers who have spotted the unknown troops, equipped with "professional backpacks" and walking together in a military cadence.
The latest sightings were just a few weeks ago, he said.
The county's deputy sheriff, Guadalupe Rodriguez, said he believes the armed men were foreign and were not drug smugglers.
"They are not your regular traffickers that you get," he told WND. "But we don't want to draw conclusions at this point and get everybody worked up." Alarcon said in his letter that "these military-type individuals have been sighted in very remote locations of our county," which "stretches 50 or 60 miles from end to end."
"We have reported this information to higher-up law enforcement agencies, but no one really knows who these individuals are, not even the military," he said in his letter, published by the Jim Hogg County Enterprise in Hebbronville, Texas, March 13.
The sheriff said that reports of sightings most often were received the next day, meaning that there was little that could have been done.
On one occasion, a report was received within several hours of the sighting.
"That particular time, we formed an immediate multi-agency task force between the surrounding counties, but we were met with little success," Alarcon said. "We even brought in air support."
The sheriff said he is publicizing the information "because we still don't know who these individuals are."
"Obviously, they are trespassing, and obviously, they are carrying something," he said. "We hope it's narcotics and not something much worse."
Alarcon said he is bringing "this information to light because of the security crisis our nation faces."
"If you see these individuals please call us immediately," he said. "Remember the last plane that was taken down to prevent further terrorism was done by everyday Americans who loved their country enough to die protecting it."
He advised that "if you see these individuals do not talk to them, do not confront them, but simply call 911. We don't know who these individuals are so there no telling what they are capable of. Thank you! God bless America!"
Doug, it is so sad to see this article you referenced, but it is needful that we are aware of how far we can fall. I have copied an exurb and have followed with scripture and a comment.
By Hilary White
“FREIBURG, Germany April 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to the chairman of the Catholic bishops' conference of Germany, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven. The Archbishop of Freiburg, Robert Zollitsch, known for his liberal views, publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ's death in a recent interview with a German television station. . .”
Psalms 118 21 through 29 & Matthew 26:28
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, beseech thee, O LORD:
O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD:
we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.
27 God is the LORD, which hath showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Matthew 26:28 for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, teachers of the law. . . 23:16 Woe to, blind guides! 23:17 You blind fools! Which is greater; the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing. . .’
A great preacher, in my view, once wrote: “The altar is the cross of Christ.”
How frightening is that? How will we stand if “we neglect so great a salvation?”
Article from "Russia Today" - April 22, 2009
Blackwater still operating in Iraq under new name
Having changed its name to Xe, Blackwater security firm continues protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq - despite lacking a license to operate.
The company has plans to stay there long into the summer – far longer than previously thought – leading ground operations in parts of Iraq.
U.S. State Department officials acknowledge the company is still there, while Xe has not made any comments about a timetable for leaving.
"We follow the direction of our U.S. government client," Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said.
Blackwater armed guards were involved in a lethal gun battle in Baghdad's busy Nisoor Square in September 2007, which left 17 civilians dead, and another 20 injured.
Some Iraqis wounded in the notorious shooting said they were dismayed to hear the company will be staying in Iraq for another several months.
"The Blackwater personnel are mercenaries. The Iraqi government knows that very well," AP quotes Hussein Jabir, a Baghdad lawyer hit by gunfire in Nisoor Square.
After the Nisoor Square incident, Iraqi officials forbade Blackwater operations in the country. Several months later, in February 2008, Blackwater changed its name to Xe – pronounced as Zee. Despite the ban, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract in April 2008.
In January this year, Iraqi authorities denied Xe an operating license.
AOC has a vacancy for webmaster, any of you jobless may like to apply for the contract job, plus a chance for insider info to post for this blog
http://www.unaoc.org/content/view/355/200/lang,en/
I think we can go overboard sometimes when we criticize anything and everything by association, no matter how tenuous that association.
Campus Crusade has done an excellent work of evangelism through Christian college students who essentially take the Gospel to their peers.
They may get caught up in some of the relevancy crap to make the Gospel "more palatable" to the masses, but that doesn't negate all the good that has been done and is STILL being done across America and wherever else they operate, work of the Spirit in bringing about genuine conversions and bringing people into God's Kingdom.
-Marko
I never heard Bill Bright say one bad thing about the New Age Movement -- ever. I did run into people who claimed to be some of his key aides who were working with Marilyn Ferguson. Bill Bright was given one of the Templeton Prizes for Progress in Religion at Buckingham Palace by Prince Phillip.
Only God can judge and only God truly knows hearts, but I must confess I had and still retain my deep suspicions.
Constance
I think there are a lot of people that really do want to serve God and are getting seduced nowadays because American ministries in particular have become like a business. Peter Drucker's marketing strategies have been applied across the board. The kingdom has begun to be measured, by numerical and financial standards as if it was a Fortune 500 company trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
This opens a lot of doors for financing from organizations that might have less than honorable motives.
Yeshua never asked us to build His kingdom on the methodology of Madison Ave or Wall St...
I keep going back to Torah, because Torah is the foundation and teaches us about holiness. Once we are "in Messiah" His righteousness is credited to us, but we will have to work our our salvation with fear and trembling. We have to walk in what has already been credited to us.. this is what we call sanctification.
Sanctification comes by appropriating truths in our lives. From what I can see, there is a dumbing down of American believers and undermining of the Scriptures as being authoritative and the spirit of torahlessness ( lawlessness) was alive in Paul's day. This has only grown and continued. There will be wheat and tare mixed, but I'd like to point out a verse to you:
Matt. 13:30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
For those of you pre-trib fans, I want to point out that being "taken away" in hebraic thought is not necessarily a good thing...
Some people use being taken away as a proof text, but I want to point out the context of this one.. Just immediately preceding the "taking away"
Matt. 24:38-42 “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that bNoah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the acoming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one 1will be taken and one will be left. “aTwo women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.“Therefore abe on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
God will be able to sort out who is who and we don't know everyone's heart, so there is a need to be careful with how we talk about our brothers and sisters...If we see someone taking a stand that is unbiblical, I think we have a right and responsibility to expose it, so that error is called what it is.
Sometimes this is called "judging" but it's actually making right judgement, using the Scriptures as a guide:
John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
I hear things on the blog here at times that are utterly unbiblical, but if someone points that out they are criticized.. and I hear things that are just blatant sin, going unnoticed.
Eph. 5:15-16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Somehow I have the impression that exposing the New Age is the biblical value, but sinning with your mouths against a brother or sister ( if we are indeed that) is okay..
This week the Torah portion that is studied is about
leprosy, among other things. I encourage you all to study it. Leprosy in the Bible is not what most people think it is, a disease called Hansen's disease today. What is translated leprosy in our Bible's is actually a spiritual condition.. It can be a result of speaking badly about someone like Moses' sister Miriam, when she questioned his leadership.
I am all for exposing what is evil and making people aware of it, but sometimes we can miss the evil in our own dwelling. I guess the question is will God judge a minister who inadvertently takes money from an evil source, but in his heart believes he is serving and trying to bring the gospel to others or will God judge the person who slanders their brother or sister...
Col. 3:8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
James 3:8-11 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of adeadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
The leper was sent outside the camp, and later examined by the priest to determine whether cleansing had taken place.. This weeks Torah portion is a double portion and runs from Lev 12 through Lev 13 and Lev 14-15..
There's nuggets of God's wisdom throughout Scripture and even those things which don't seem remotely applicable to us today, strangely enough, do apply.
Does it? I'll let you decide...
Joyce
Anyone who has tried to witness to a hardcore New Ager (I've tried) will realize the surprising difficulty in getting them to reason logically. Neale Donald Walsch’s books are full of contradictions yet his fans love them. Interesting article by Alan Keyes:
Importance of being judgmental
Interesting article by Berit Kjos:
http://tiny.cc/vfPjW
I've seen it before, but happened to stumble on it again.
Joyce
Happened to stumble on it answering a question of Dorothy's on Rich's blog.. Interesting material about Bush's 1000 points of light there. Here's another one on that topic:
http://tiny.cc/trIhH
Funny how everything connects.
Joyce
Mac,
As I said earlier:
John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Joyce
Joyce, I fully stand behind that verse you quoted and the gist of what Alan Keyes wrote. I see no contradiction. Do you?
Mac, thanks for the Alan Keyes article; I still think that my vote for him, to be President of the United States, was my best one.
For those who didn’t read it, here is a quote:
“The Oprah/Obama crowd may pose as champion of the masses, but it serves an agenda that must ultimately reinstate the routine oppression of the many by the few. Before the meaning of Christ's incarnation was accurately translated for the benefit of the common people, such oppression was characteristic of societies everywhere. I believe that the American republic has been the primary and most successful result of that translation. As it now faces what may be the last crisis of its existence, its fate heavily depends on whether those who profess to be Christians will understand the indispensable role that must be played by the courage their faith makes available to all. This may be the most important practical prerequisite of the equality America's founders asserted on behalf of all humankind.”
As it was in the days of Sodom....
**********************************
Judiciary Committee greenlights 'hate crimes'
Members refuse to protect Christian pastors from charges
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: April 23, 2009
5:07 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee today rejected an opportunity to protect Christian pastors who preach the biblical condemnation of homosexuality and approved on a 15-12 vote a "hate crimes" bill that supporters admit could be used to bring charges against religious leaders.
The bill, H.R. 1913, now will be considered by the full House of Representatives
read full article here:
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95923
Jaclyn ,
I wrote a comment to you on the last
thread.
Long story short; Yes they can revive
the animal sacrifices and yes, all
they need is an altar.
Question - can we get - from a jewish perspective - messianic jew - all if possible - the fall feasts and thier timing?
Yes - I jkknow I can find it on various sights - I am looking for the personal insight please.
Constance: I would like to know what you think of the latest news concerning Javier Solana of having "black accounts" & illegally transferring money from interpretatiom to travel expense. How do you think this will play out? What will become of his career?
Mac,
Not at all...
We're on the same page.
Joyce
Anonymous,
The short version is that the Fall Feasts start in the Seventh Month with the Feast of Trumpets, Yom T'ruah at the new moon. Traditionally it required two witnesses who would site the new moon and declare it the new month of Tishri. There is not a lot of instruction surrounding this feast nowadays but to blow the shofar, or the ram's horn. Jews consider Yom T'ruah the New Year, but in the Bible, the month of Aviv is called the New Year. In a sense it could signal a new agricultural year, or like we have different New Years, for school, taxes etc.. one might consider it a New Year in this way. The rabbis believe this was the creation based on Talmud, but again this is strictly rabbinic interpretation and can not be substantiated by the Torah. You will hear Jews say "Shana Tova" and that simply means Happy New Year in Hebrew.
Prophetically, it is the time when we believe Yeshua will come back, "at the sound of the Last Trumpet, the dead in Messiah will rise....." It signals the Resurrection. If you read Revelations there are trumpet judgements.. so the last trumpet can speak not only of the trumpet judgements but of the final trumpet of the resurrection...followed by a national day of mourning for Israel. when "they look upon Him whom they pierced and weep as one weeps for an only begotten Son." Zech.
It's a time of examination particularly the days between Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement. The 10 days between the two feasts are called the day of awe, and of course the time of examination culminates in Yom Kippur where traditionally when the Temple was standing there were two goats, one for God and one for Azazel. The High Priest would first confess his own sins and make korban ( offerings) for His sin, and then the sins of the whole community. When the while putting his hands on the goat. A lot was cast to determine which goal would have the sins and be set lose outside the camp and which would be for God.. Modern day practice ( which the Bible also calls for) is to afflict oneself. This has been interpreted as fasting from sundown to sundown on the 10th of Tishri....No food, no water, and some will not bath or put perfum. The Bible doesn't say precisely what is "afflicting oneself" but the historical interpretation has been fasting.
After Yom Kippur is the Succot, or the Feast of Tabernacles.. Prophetically, we are talking the wedding feast of the Lamb, but historically it represented the time when the children of Israel dwelled in booths in the wilderness and God commanded them to build booths ( a succah) to dwell in to remind them of this time when they were in the Wilderness and He was among them. It is also thought that this is the Feast ( the appointed time-mo'ed in Hebrew) when Yeshua was born. It makes sense thematically that He "dwelled among us" or tabernacled among us during the feast of Sukkot and will do it again one day soon.
Again the modern practice and Biblical command is to spend a week staying in succahs. Some people just eat in the succah, others camp out.. It's a time of celebration and the succah is reminiscent of the hupa from a Jewish wedding feast. We dwell together in face to face relationship and are reminded of the time when Messiah will come back to dwell with us and when everyone will celebrate sukkot ( Zech 14). Sukkot is very joyous occasion and ideally should be celebrated in the Land of Israel, because it's a pilgrim feast.
When the Temple was standing, there were obviously animal sacrifices that accompanied these feasts.. We know that Yeshua paid for our sins, and as such, we no longer need the covering of Yom Kippur for our sins, but there are sacrifices that will be reinstated in the Millennial Temple, these would not be for guilt and sin however.
Today, the celebrations are a reminder of God's calendar and entering into sacred time which He instituted in Genesis, when He set the sun and moon in the sky for the times and seasons ( mo'ed).. God has a calendar and by walking in this calendar we start to understand many things about His prophetic plan. It is also a cycle by which we can learn about sanctification if we walk in it.
Hebrew thought is very much about hearing and doing, not just making things an abstraction. Hear O Y'israel, means "hear and do" Israel. By walking in these feasts we have reminders in our life that God has given us about Him daily, weekly monthly. He promises to meet us if we show up, so that's another important element.
This is a short version from my head, but there is much more to learn. The best way to learn is to do..if you are interested. It starts with Shabbat which is at sundown today...it's a weekly rest to remind us about ceasing from our labor and being in communion with Him. You can make a nice meal, light candles eat challah, all of which Jews have done by tradition, but the simple command is to cease from your labor.
The feasts are also convocations ( including Shabbat) meaning that we should celebrate with others. Obviously, you have to find some others who are interested in celebrating with you...I know people who do this within a church and others who go to Messianic Assembly or synagogue. The most important thing is to just do it and you will learn more as you go along.
The most important thing about the feasts is that they are prophetic pictures about Yeshua and they are dress rehearsals. We WILL be celebrating them in the kingdom, so you might as well start now.
I am writing fast because I'm busy, but I think I covered the highlights...
Shabbat shalom,
Joyce
Thanks Paul, I had not read it.
Yes, Amen! Even wicked men must do the bidding of our Soveriegn God. As Martin Luther the great Reformer said, "even the devil is God's devil!!"
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him:
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
ONE LITTLE WORD SHALL FELL HIM!"
Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy [ENP] in 2008
Progress Report on Israel, dated 4/23/09 (last issued April 2008):
http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/pdf/progress2009/sec09_516_en.pdf
Tiny url for Israel's Progress Report, dated 4/23/09:
http://tinyurl.com/d58bsz
Anon 7:03
Thanks for the article. I have read several of the kind that place foreign troops within our borders, training for urban combat none the less. I have even read of foreign troops being trained for UN peace keeping missions within our borders. Until recently I haven't leant much credence to them, but given the nature of our changing world I have begun to wonder how much is being done within our nation in military preperation. Unfortunately, withhow advanced the US is regarding military, you would expect the UN would want other forces up to speed. Our nation has been compromised in every other fashion, I suppose this isn't that far fetched.
Report: Democrats Refuse to Allow Skeptic to Testify Alongside Gore At Congressional Hearing
Washington, DC -- UK's Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claimed House Democrats have refused to allow him to appear alongside former Vice President Al Gore at a high profile global warming hearing on Friday April 24, 2009 at 10am in Washington. Monckton told Climate Depot that the Democrats rescinded his scheduled joint appearance at the House Energy and Commerce hearing on Friday. Monckton said he was informed that he would not be allowed to testify alongside Gore when his plane landed from England Thursday afternoon.
“The House Democrats don't want Gore humiliated, so they slammed the door of the Capitol in my face,” Monckton told Climate Depot in an exclusive interview. “They are cowards.”
According to Monckton, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Energy & Commerce Committee, had invited him to go head to head with Gore and testify at the hearing on Capitol Hill Friday. But Monckton now says that when his airplane from London landed in the U.S. on Thursday, he was informed that the former Vice-President had “chickened out” and there would be no joint appearance. Gore is scheduled to testify on Friday to the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment's fourth day of hearings on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The hearing will be held in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
http://tinyurl.com/c2jyhw
Just one more piece showing the fix is in, regrding global warming.
Slash population to save the world: green lobbyist
Australia should consider having a one-child policy to protect the planet, an environmental lobby group says.
Sustainable Population Australia says slashing the world's population is the only way to avoid "environmental suicide".
National president Sandra Kanck wants Australia's population of almost 22 million reduced to seven million to tackle climate change.
http://tinyurl.com/cp39ue
I stumbled across these two youtubes this morning. I found them rather alarming.
Since the topic right now is foreign troops, I thought some of you may find them of interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPBf5apgP0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMw208QRXR4&NR=1
Yes, let's get our information from Alan Keyes, a man who probably has undiagnosed schizophrenia. Not a credible source at all.
Anon 2:45,
What do you disagree with
concerning the Alan Keys article?
Maybe you could add something to this blog?
Maybe not?
THIS NEARLY 10 YEAR OLD ARTICLE IS STILL RELEVANT IN HELPING US TO CONNECT THE DOTS . . .
WILL THE REAL ALAN KEYES PLEASE STAND UP
http://davidicke.www.50megs.com/icke/magazine/vol10/articles/keyes.html
Devvy Kidd
September 21, 1999
Alan Keyes was the Ambassador to the Communist controlled United Nations. He fully supported and endorsed their agenda. He probably still does but you can write and ask him yourself. Each individual has to make up their own mind about which political candidate or incumbent represents the ideas and ideals they would most like to see serve in public office. The UN is a big promoter of abortion and "women's reproductive rights." I'm not sure how Mr. Keyes could be so pro-life and yet be the Ambassador to an organization that is so pro-abortion. I don't like people who talk out of both sides of their mouth. It reminds me of politicians who stick a wet finger up in the air to see which way the poll winds blow.
The information in the piece below is historically accurate and you can check it out yourself by doing the same research. I had this piece posted last month but inadvertently gave credit to the wrong person for its authorship. I apologize. This particular piece can be attributed to:
A radio producer, from Knoxville, TN compiled the piece entitled Will The Real Alan Keyes Please Stand Up from information provided in the 2nd edition of Pastor James Patrick's "America 2000/Goals 2000 Research Manual" at the request of radio host, Dr. Norm Resnick who read it on the air in a AFN Radio Network broadcast approximately 2 years ago.
Will The Real Alan Keyes Please Stand Up
(Authorship above)
Good old Alan Keyes, he captured the attention of the conservative people with his dynamic speech against abortion years ago. He was heralded as a "voice crying in the wilderness," and immediately his speech hit the Christian talk radio programs and he was vaulted into the presidential race a few years ago. Let's take a good look at Alan Keyes.
Alan was William Kristol's (a Bilderberger) roommate at Harvard. Kristol's father, Irving Kristol, joined the Young People's Socialist League in the '30's. In 1953, Irving Kristol founded the magazine "Encounter" in England which was secretly being supported by the CIA. It, for example, ran puff pieces for Fabian
Socialist and Bilderberger Huge Gaitskill, head of the Labor Party.
In 1965, together with Daniel Bell, Kristol founded the "Public Interest." This was a publication of "Freedom House." Bell belonged to the Young Socialist League and the League for Industrial Democracy which had been named the Intercollegiate Socialist Party. Like Kristol, Bell was subsidized by the CIA through an organization called The Congress for Cultural Freedom of which Bell was a leader.
Irving Kristol's partner, Daniel Bell, has suggested that we do away with state boundaries and most local governments. This is not surprising since he was a member of the Institute for American Democracy, an offshoot of the ADL. Daniel Bell is a member of the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations). For ten years Bell had worked for Brotherhood of Death member (Skull and Bones & CFR) Henry Luce at one of his magazines, Fortune, 1969, Irving Kristol was made the Henry Luce professor at NY University.
George Field ran the Freedom House which published Kristol and Bell's, The Public Interest. Field was chairman of the Rand School for Social Science which was owned by the American Socialist Society. It was financed by the Garland Fund which keeps many Communist projects going. Freedom House's Bookshelf Program was run by Rex Stout who previously published New Masses, a Communist weekly. Nelson Rockefeller directly gave Irving Kristol $100,000 through his Commission on Critical Choices for just 15 short essays.
Irving's son, William Kristol did make it big time, he is a member of the Bilderberger group. William Kristol is being promoted by Newsweek as one of the top three strategists of the GOP. He launched a weekly magazine called the Standard and is backed financially by Rupert Murdock. Kristol is assembling the next generation of socialists on behalf of the NWO. The Kristol's have plotted for two decades under the disarming word "neo conservative." William Kristol ran Alan Keyes' 1988 senate campaign in Maryland.
Alan Keyes was part of Ronald Reagan's National Security Team. Reagan's Nation Security was made up of CFR George P. Schulz, CFR & Tri-Lateralist, Henry Kissinger, William Casey, CFR, Casper (Cap) Weinberger (1), CFR & Tri-Lateralist and General David Jones, CFR. David Rockefeller was an unofficial advisor; Rockefeller is also CFR/Tri-Lateralist.
Alan Keyes was promoted by Jeanne Kirkpatrick. Jeanne Kirkpatrick is a member of the Tri- Lateral Commission and the CFR. In fact, as recently as the 1980's, Kirkpatrick was still on the letterhead of the League for Industrial Democracy. She believes in abortion, East-West trade, business with the Communist Chinese and that the Monroe Doctrine is no longer valid. Her American Enterprise Institute is supported by NY banks and big oil, CFR and CIA assets. Her husband, Evron, for many years was with the OSS, State Department and was Director of the Office of Intelligence Research. His speciality was behavior science. Since 1954 he had been the Executive Director of the American Political Science Assoc. Hubert Humphrey was the direct product of Evron Kirkpatrick. The Kirpatrick's have fashioned candidates scientifically. Keyes is the product of his handlers: saying all the right things to sop up and drain support of gullible traditionalists.
Keyes was President of Citizens Against Government Waste founded by J. Peter Grace who was also CFR. J.P. Grace was no more conservative than McGeorge Bundy,
Henry Kissinger or W. Averell Harriman. See Esquire's September 1977 issue: The Latest Secrets of Skull and Bones by Ron Rosenbaum. [Ed. Note: George Bush, Sr is also Skull and Bones. If you want to see a good movie on this, The Brotherhood of the Bell, is it. This film has been removed from all public record.*]
William Grace is J. Peter Grace's father and was the signer of incorporation papers of the CFR in NYC July 25, 1921. Also signing on that document was Paul Warburg, a Rothschild agent and key player in the founding of the insidious "Federal" Reserve back in 1913.
The W.R. of W.R. Grace stands for William Russell. William Russell was a co-founder of the Brotherhood of Death. It is considered by some students of history that J. Peter Grace has been born into the American Illuminati. Also see Soviet expert, Dr. Antony C. Sutton's book, America's Secret Establishment, page 5. In addition to the Brotherhood of Death, there are two other senior societies, Scroll & Key and Wolf's Head and they are part of the same network.
The 1988 membership list of the Council for National Policy, which is allegedly the Christian right's answer to the CFR, J. Peter Grace along with 3 other CFR members was a member for the CNP. This group includes notable names such as: Pat Robertson, Phyllis Schlafly, Dr. James Dobson, Donald Wildemon, Joseph Farah, Larry Klayman and Paul Weyrich.
Joyce kept poking a hornet's nest and so has gotten her distortions of Judaism corrected by Len several threads down. Her made up new religion has nothing to do with true Judaism or Jews or true Christianity. There's nothing wrong with that I suppose. New Agers are always making up new religions.
Joyce, just ignore the above comment, it's an effort to start something and has no influence on the bloggers that know you.
Truly, I would ignore it!
Hi folks,
Thanks VW, I haven't been around too often, although I try to read when I can. I was at fulfilled prophecy earlier today when my computer shut down due to a virus. I would be careful over there, perhaps they have been hacked. I had just opened their site when my computer alerted me to a virus and shut off internet explorer.
I am taking a well needed 'break' from the heavy research, but I'll be back into it again soon.
Thanks for asking about me, it is nice to be missed.
Leana
This comes from Pastor Brian. VERY interesing!
*********************************
It seems that reading the news this morning that the upgrade in the ENP is more important than many people realize. The Czech Republic holds the rotating presidency until this summer when the reigns will be given to Sweden. I don't know if much will be done during the Swedish presidency, but in January 2010 Spain holds the rotating presidency just in time for Solana and company to give the final throwdown on Israel to accept the world's wishes or risk being sidelined. This coupled with possible Middle East conflicts in the months ahead fits nicely into prophecy.
It may come down to Solana, which is from Spain, in the beginning of 2010 to really put the screws to Israel. Then, in June of 2010 at the end of Spain's rotating presidency, Solana comes in and demands Israel play by the rules. Solana feels he can exert huge pressure on Israel because the anit-Israel Belgium government is next in line for the rotating presidency in July of 2010 and the Obama administration will have their patience run out too. Time will tell, but could the abomination of desolation be setting up in little over a year? Don't know, but wow. . .
Hmmm, Drudge is really making a big deal of the swine flu, giving it much coverage, calling it a possible pandemic.
Now 75 students at a prep school in New York have fallen ill and are being tested for the virus.
Yes, it is sad to learn of connections of the Organizations such and Campus Crusade (played a big role in my life), Navigators, Intervaristy, Billy Graham and more. Recently in reading rumors and such I went back and looked at Henrietta Mears and some background of that initial "Bible Study" that these ministers came out of. I ran across this article:
http://www.seekgod.ca/fuller1.htm and this article http://herescope.blogspot.com/2007/04/early-networks.html and it left me in a lot of shaking my head. Only God knows the true heart of these individuals, but when you start pulling at the threads, the roots of NAR and other seeds of deception of church can be seen here. It is astonishing that the major forces of modern spreading of the Gospel may have come from points where the Gospel was being distorted and twisted already. If you look at these things, you wonder how any is truely "saved" and it is disheartening. Yet, I know God does hold those who turn to Him truely. And while there may be much wrong at the head of some of these, there are many folks unaware of what the leadership actually holds to. It is sad and dumbfounding.
Anonymous poster of 4:18,
Len didn't correct any distortions of anything. Len simply hasn't yet come to see his Messiah and so for the moment has some blind spot...One day, when His eyes open he will look up Him who was pierced and weep as one weeps for an only begotten Son..
There will be no one boating in that day because His Glory will be in our presence, and not one will open their mouth in with proud comments.
Every knee will bend and every tongue confess that Yeshua is Lord to the praise and glory of His Name!
Joyce
Jaclyn,
I realize that. Sending Len to the blog to preach a Yeshua-less faith is another attempt at the same. I also understand that my people have had centuries of persecution and are very sensitive at what they perceive as attempts to "convert them".
The truth is that no one can "convert" anyone.. Personally, I don't believe Jews stop being Jews. They just recognize the Messiah, but this is a work of the Holy Spirit ( Ruach HaKodesh) and not of any man or woman.
Sadly there is a long history of forced conversions to religion, not to mention the Shoah, the pograms, the Inquisition, etc. My family was subjected to all this to the point where my side of the family hid their origins, so no one understands it better than I. I understand the suffering when people feel they must pretend to be something other than what they really are, so I for one don't minimize the Jews history. Some of this suffering was prophesied in Deutoronomy ( in fact all of it) and was because of disobedience to God's Torah.
He said when you do this, I will do that... but He also said He would bring us back ( all Israel, not only the Jews who represent 2 1/2 tribes) and He would put Torah on our hearts. I take that promise seriously, but if you read the passages that speak of this, it is HE who does this.. so I have full confidence that God is able to change the most stubborn Jews heart.. He changed quite a few stubborn members of my family.. I'm not talking about religious conversion here. I'm talking about new birth.
Like Yeshua said to Nicodemus, unless you are born again you can't see the kingdom.. He said to Nicodemus, "you are a teacher of Torah" ..
I also know Scripturally that the partial blinding of Israel was so that the Gospel would spread to all the nations. There is a great mystery in this that has to do with the scattering of the seed of all Israel into the nations. Orthodox Jews, like Len, recognize that the tribes are scattered and the seed mixed in the nations, but one day God promises that HE will bring them out..
This is a great mystery, because there is a link between Israel and the nations. Those who are Israel in the nations don't know it are receiving the Gospel as it goes out... One day, they will know who they are again ( tribal identity) .. God said that He would disperse Israel to the four corners of the earth and regather them..
Is. 11:12 And He will lift up a astandard for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
Right now only part of Judah knows who they are, the rest have been partially blinded through centuries of mixing of disobeying Torah. Keeping Torah is the way that Jews have kept their identity. To protect that during the Babylonian exile, the rabbis built fences around the Torah ( i.e. added to it) . Yeshua is often discussing their interpretations of Torah with the religious leaders in the Gospels..
He is correcting them, and they didn't like it.. Many Jews followed Him, but the leaders of the Second Temple who were corrupt, and in cahoots with the Romans did not like being exposed..
The Northern Kingdom, who Yeshua refers to as the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" were not part of this because about 800 years earlier, the Northern Kingdom was taken into Assyrian exile, never to return and the book of Hosea talks about how they would be mixed with the nations...At the time of the end God would give them back their tribal identities and reunite Judah and Ephraim ( the House of Israel/ Northern Kingdom)
The Jews are the 2 1/2 through whom Yeshua came, Torah was preserved, who were the visible remnant of Israel..
It's fascinating to go back to Genesis and see God's dealings with Israel, and the prophecies that He has kept... If you make a study of this, your faith will be strengthened.
Anyway, long story to say why I don't worry about Len.. I understand that biblically, he is still partially blind, although he believes in Torah.. He just doesn't understand that Yeshua is Torah..
Today, many Jew's eyes are being opened and it is God who is doing this. I know the stories...
Jews who don't know Yeshua feel like it is giving victory to all those who tried to extinguish their race, like Hitler but this is not so...It's giving life to them, it is the beginning sign of the coming restoration of all Israel, and the resurrection..
It's particularly hard because the established church was at times pretty brutal to the Jews and so they associate "Christianity" with hatred of Jews, and understandably if you read the history..
Christian Zionism, has partially tried to reverse this.. I don't particularly agree with many aspects of Christian Zionism, but do give credit for the support of Israel ( the nation) . Israel has few friends these days and will have even less as time goes on, so this group has been really key in making Christians aware of their responsibility visa via Israel. I struggle with the pre-trib group that thinks they will be raptured when all the Jews go into the Land. This just doesn't hold up biblically, but that's another story.
Anyway, that is a long response to your comment, to say. I don't worry about what Len says or doesn't say.. He is knowledgeable, but with a certain very clear bias so all of his comments, which come from anti-missionary sites, are designed to say Yeshua is not the Messiah and is not deity.
Len's probably a very nice man who really believes what he writes..I get a little scared for him when he blasphemes.. but God only knows... He believes He is defending the Torah.. There is the full revelation of Torah that we have when our eyes are opened to the light of the Gospel.
It is a little disturbing to see an idea that we should all "respect one another's religion" . If we are truthful with ourselves and others, we don't all respect one another's "religion" so this is very much a New World order tactic to squelch any and all discussions of doctrine or truth. In my spiritual upbringing, open, honest discussions about differences are very kosher..
The NWO approach is to get us all to get along, instead of doing what the Bible says and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, as Paul did, even if he did get kicked out of synagogues..
Proclaiming truth does not mean "converting" people, because we are incapable of "converting" anyone unless we do it by the sword, which has been done and in some places is still being done...
New Birth is from above.. It's when God, by His Spirit touches someone and opens their eyes.
I was blind and now I can see, said the young man...
This is just too tempting, I'm going to post the story of the blind man:
John 9:13-41 They *brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. aThen the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.
So they *said to the blind man aagain, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they awere afraid of the Jews; for the Jews bhad already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be 1Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”
John 9:25 He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “aI told you already and you did not blisten; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but awe are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, awe do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that aGod does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
“1Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “aIf this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “aYou were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they bput him out. Jesus heard that they had aput him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the bSon of Man?” He answered, “aWho is He, 1Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and aHe is the one who is talking with you.”And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he aworshiped Him. And Jesus said, “aFor judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that cthose who see may become blind.”Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, aIf you were blind, you would have no sin; but 1since you say, ‘bWe see,’ your sin remains.
You see Yeshua did three things that qualify Him as Messiah.. He healed a blind person who was bind from birth, He healed lepers, and He raised the dead.. For all of this the King of Glory was rejected...go figure!!
God loves Israel, enough to die for her.. Israel doesn't yet fully understand this kind of love..One day, she will.
Shabbat shalom,
Joyce
One more thing on a less elevating subject. The other day I noticed that CDC said some vials were missing from their inventory:
http://tiny.cc/C7cRZ
May or may not have anything to do with this, but the timing is just interesting that there is a new Swine flu epidemic in Mexico, and some cases reported in California:
Here's from the Washington Post:
http://tiny.cc/7FLyn
Interesting that Tamiflu, the same medicine which is developed for Avian Bird flu is the only effective treatment ( along with one other).
The other interesting thing from a Biblical point of view, for those of you who think that Yeshua "declared all foods clean" ( a verse which was in italics and never in the original text and is a bad interpretation of the verse which was discussing hand-washing, a tradition not a Torah command)
think again.
A pig is just as dirty as ever, because it eats excrement. It lacks certain protection in its digestive system, etc...God did not say why we shouldn't eat pig, but if He says it's dirty, I believe Him...Sorry if I grossed out some of you lovers of ham, bacon and sausage, but some of the plagues in history were spread through pork.
Ex. 15:26 And He said, “aIf you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear bto His commandments, and keep all His statutes, cI will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, dthe LORD, am your healer.”
The Jews understand this and were accused of spreading plagues.. Some believe that it was the purity laws of Torah, that kept them from getting sick.. It would fit..
http://tiny.cc/ptKYt
More Jewish history:
http://www.sunray22b.net/expulsions.htm
So, now you understand where Len is coming from a little.
Joyce
Forgot to mention the Rumsfeld connection to Tamiflu:
http://tiny.cc/d38X5
Mercola is a little New Agey at times, but that in no way undermines the facts about Rumsfeld.
Joyce
Anom 2:26
Your comment on where abouts is....
I not seen Wickus either don't know where he is as his blog has not been posted for months now.
Any news, as he gave great insight to end times prophecy also...
http://tinyurl.com/5f6oyx
This ia a link to the outbreaks in realtime... I got this link from this board a while back I thought it was worth posting again...
Israel takes bashing in EU foreign relations audit
ANDREW RETTMAN
23.04.2009 @ 17:44 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Progress on upgrading EU-Israel relations will remain frozen until Israel takes steps to repair the peace process with Palestinians, the European Commission indicated on Thursday (23 April).
"We do not believe the time is right to go beyond the current level of relations," external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in Brussels during an annual stock-taking of ties with its neighbours.
"We expect a clear commitment from the new [Israeli] government to pursue negotiations with the Palestinians. We expect a stop of all activities undermining our objective of a two-state solution and this includes in particular settlement expansion, which is continuing on a daily basis."
"The ball is now in the court of Israel."
CHECK THIS OUT:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/previous-swine-flu-outbreak-came-from-fort-dix.html
Today's disturbing headlines on www.drudgereport.com
"MEXICO CANCELS ALL PUBLIC EVENTS"
Correction -
Sorry, that should have read:
"Mexico CITY Cancels Public Events."
"Texas Family Quarantined After Son Contracts Swine Flu" (according to CNN)
If this becomes a pandemic - is this the "false flag" that will have our government declaring Martial Law?
Gordon Brown's plan for army of teen volunteers
Gordon Brown has vowed to make every young person do 50 hours of voluntary work by the time they reach the age of 19.
The Prime Minister said a pledge to introduce compulsory community service would be included in Labour's next general election manifesto.
Under the scheme, the work - which could include helping out charities in the UK and abroad - is likely to become part of the National Curriculum. It would be integrated into moves to make everyone stay in education or training until the age of 18 by 2011.
Writing in the News of the World, Mr Brown insisted: "It is my ambition to create a Britain in which there is a clear expectation that all young people will undertake some service to their community, and where community service will become a normal part of growing up in Britain.
"And, by doing so, the contributions of each of us will build a better society for all of us."
He went on: "That would mean young people being expected to contribute at least 50 hours of community service by the time they have reached the age of 19.
"This will build on the platform provided by citizenship classes as they develop in our schools. But because the greater part of what I envisage as community service takes place outside the school day, it will require the close involvement of local community organisations and charities."
There would also be a "clear system of accreditation" to mark what youngsters have achieved through voluntary work, he added.
Mr Brown proposed the idea of a National Youth Service to channel teenagers into voluntary work last year. It is due to be formally launched in September, and would become compulsory if Labour was re-elected.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5143911/Gordon-Browns-plan-for-army-of-teen-volunteers.html
Georgia guidestones on wired.com
American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones
Since we are on the subject of this swine flu.
Biotechnology Company Provided Advance Warning of Mexican H1N1 "Swine Flu" Virus Outbreak
(PRWEB) April 25, 2009 -- Replikins, Ltd. published a FluForecast® warning in April 7th, 2008, a year before the recent Mexico and California H1N1 cases. The company was able to state the likelihood of H1N1 outbreaks based on its patented Replikin Count™ genomics technology, which examines specific regions in virus genes which have been linked with past epidemics.
The April 2008 announcement, attached below as published on the Web, stated that in H1N1 the company had then detected the highest concentrations of these specific regions ever seen, except for those from the 1918 pandemic which killed millions of people. Today, the company is actively pursuing licensing partnerships to apply its groundbreaking technology not only to early warning systems, but also to the development of synthetic vaccines to prevent or slow future epidemics.
Replikins, Ltd. published a FluForecast® warning on April 7th, 2008, a year before the recent Mexico and California H1N1 cases. The company was able to state the likelihood of H1N1 outbreaks based on its patented Replikin Count™ genomics technology, which examines specific regions in virus genes which have been linked with past epidemics.
A synthetic H1N1 Replikins Vaccine is available for testing. A similar synthetic Replikin Vaccine has been shown to successfully block the entry of H5N1 virus into, replication in, and excretion from chickens. Another synthetic Replikin Vaccine has been shown to protect 91% of shrimp from the lethal Taura Syndrome Virus. The company is able to produce these vaccines in as little as 7 days, rather than the many months needed for traditional vaccines, because they are synthesized at the peptide level.
The following is the text of the April 2008 release in which Replikins was able to pinpoint the high risk of H1N1 outbreaks:
"H1N1 Influenza Virus with Highest Replikin Count™ Since the 1918 Pandemic Identified in the U.S. and Austria
Boston, MA (PRWeb) April 7, 2008 -- Replikins, Ltd. has found that the Replikin Count™ of the H1N1 strain of influenza virus has recently increased to 7.6 (plus/minus 1.4), its highest level since the 1918 H1N1 pandemic (p value less than 0.001). A rising Replikin Count of a particular influenza strain, indicating rapid replication of the virus, is an early warning which has been followed consistently by an outbreak of the specific strain. The current increase appears to be specific to H1N1; there was a concurrent 80% decline in the Replikin Count of H3N2, for instance.
http://tinyurl.com/c7mdps
Make of this what you will, but I believe this shows that somebody had an idea this was coming.
Off line busy with legal work past two days -- now I'm home and IN THE DARK. Our power went out in an electrical storm -- approximately 115,000 people without power right now in our corner of Michigan. I have a little power on my netbook and a Sprint internet card which has me connected for now. I resent what it costs every month, but when the power goes out, it is handy!
Constance
I'm in the dark here, but wasn't pestilence, not to mention "the rider on the pale horse" prophetically specified? Personally, I do get my flu shots. There was one year I did not, and the flu that year (2001?) was extremely painful -- everything in the body ached and there was no way to get comfortable. However, I doubt sincerely that the flu shots we got covered swine flu. I remember getting a shot for what was supposed to be swine flu in the early to mid 1970's. Then it was later reported that some had contracted Guillame-Barre syndrome from that particular vaccine. I had no reaction, and the scared flu epidemic did not materialized.
We are still in the dark -- still life on my battery!
Constance
Yes Constance, it is biblical.
This is a move by the NWO...I have been telling my close family that a plague was coming, I guessed it would be the bird flu. Remember all the vaccines sent to 15 different countries?? Before they were dispersed, a diligent lab technician tested them and found them laced with a deadly strain of bird flu! Baxter, the pharma. company, apologized for the "accident". I am quite freaked out. I am hearing dire reports about horrible things coming this summer and hell breaking lose in the Fall. I don't know if this is the beginning, I hope not and I hope I'm wrong, I hope everybody has been wrong.
By the way, our local news did a story last week...there are mass graves being dug in Houston. Fema admitted to digging the graves! They said it was to help them be more efficient and cost effective.
Yeah, we know FEMA is all about efficiency and saving money!
I report, you decide.
Re the Solana alleged "black accounts":
"The Council also rejected fiery allegations made by MEPs on Wednesday who during the full sitting of the house accused Mr Solana of having "black accounts" and illegally transferring money from interpretation to travel expenses." (From Bjorn's/Farmer's) blogspot. THE COUNCIL refers to the Council of Ministers which is for all practical purposes controlled by Solana and which HAS THE LAST WORD in EU affairs. The Parliament is powerless. So is the Commission. THE POWER resides with the Council of Ministers for which Dr. Solana is the Secretary General. I suspect NOTHING will be done. I am not surprised to hear he has "black accounts." I would have expected it.
Constance
ANOTHER POSSIBLE SCENARIO?
If this Swine flu results in a national (or worldwide) pandemic, those who are not sick will choose to stay at home in an attempt to avoid germs in crowds at sporting events, concerts, restaurants, shopping malls, etc.
That most certainly will result in the further deterioration of the economy and a possible economic collapse - which could then lead to civil unrest and a declaration of Martial Law.
Dear Jaclyn,
If you have the links to your post regarding the mass graves/Fema admission, this is most helpful in backing-up a particular claim.
Thanks for your consideration.
By His Grace,
-SV
4/25/2009
Dear Joyce,
If you are as busy as you say, why did you write so much about a season almost half a year away; ecpecially considering that your message will confuse Anonymous with its many errors? You could have written about Passover, which was two weeks ago, or Yom HaShoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day), which was last week, or Yom HaAtzmaot (Israel Independence Day) which begins Tuesday night. On the last, let me quote from Ezekiel 36:
6 Therefore, prophesy concerning the soil of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, So said the Lord God: Behold I have spoken with My anger and with My fury because you have borne the disgrace of the nations. 7 Therefore, so said the Lord God: I have raised My hand; surely the nations that are around you-they will bear their disgrace. 8 And you, the mountains of Israel, will produce your branches, and you will bear your fruit for My people Israel because they are about to come. 9 For behold I am for you, and I shall turn to you, and you will be tilled and sown. 10 And I shall multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel in its entirety, and the cities will be settled, and the ruins will be built up. 11 And I shall multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be fruitful and multiply, and I shall settle you as in your early days, and I shall make you better than your beginnings, and you will know that I am the Lord. 12 And I shall cause man to walk upon you, My people Israel, and they will inherit you, and you will be to them for an inheritance, and you will no longer continue to be bereaved of them. 13 So said the Lord God: Because they say to you, 'You are a devourer of men and you were a bereaver of your nations,' 14 Therefore, you shall no longer devour men, and you shall no longer bereave your nations, says the Lord God. 15 And I shall no longer let you hear the disgrace of the nations; the taunt of the peoples you shall no longer bear, neither shall you bereave your nations any longer," says the Lord God. --- 24 For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land. 25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean; from all your impurities and from all your abominations will I cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My spirit within you and bring it about that you will walk in My statutes and you will keep My ordinances and do [them]. 28 Then will you dwell in the land that I gave your fathers, and you will be a people to Me, and I will be to you as a God. --- 33 So says the Lord God: On the day that I will have cleansed you from all your iniquities, and I will resettle the cities, and the ruins shall be built up. 34 And the desolate land shall be worked, instead of its lying desolate in the sight of all that pass by. 35 And they shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden, and the cities that were destroyed and desolate and pulled down have become settled as fortified [cities].' 36 And the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, the Lord, have built up the ruined places and have planted the desolate ones; I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will perform [it]. 37 So says the Lord God: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do for them; I will multiply them-the men-like a flock of sheep. 38 Like the flocks appointed for the holy offerings, like the flocks of Jerusalem on its festivals, so will these cities now laid waste be filled with flocks of men, and they shall know that I am the Lord."
To Jaclyn (9:53 PM)
I live in Houston and here is the story and "explanation" from our local KHOU Channel 11 (CBS affiliate). . .
Conspiracy theorists abuzz about mass grave videos on the Web
10:41 PM CDT on Monday, April 13, 2009
By Dave Fehling / 11 News
HOUSTON — The Internet is abuzz with videos suggesting the U.S. government is getting ready for a mass fatality or pandemic situation.
All you have to do to find them is search “mass graves” on YouTube.
One of the videos was shot here in Houston. It featured a multitude of numbered crypts – there looked to be hundreds of them – in a bulldozed field.
The guys who shot the video are friends who’ve known each other since their school days in Spring Branch.
“I asked Robbie, ‘Hey, let’s go check it out,’” Eddie Sanchez said.
“Film it. I went there. It’s there,” Rob Rippa said.
But what exactly was the “it” they were filming?
Rippa has his own theory.
“All FEMA-backed,” he said.
11 News: “You think it’s all backed by FEMA?”
Rippa: “Oh, I don’t think. I know.”
So 11 News decided to see for ourselves. First we found the field, which is located in northwest Houston. From the back side of the property, we could see dump trucks hard at work.
The field happens to be the Houston National Cemetery, which is run by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
So why are they suddenly preparing so many graves?
“There’s nothing secret, and there’s nothing related to what we read from YouTube,” Jorge Lopez, Director of the Houston National Cemetery, said.
Lopez says the cemetery is building 6,000 concrete crypts. He says the cemetery will go through that many crypts in just three years.
The crypts will house veterans, their spouses and eligible children.
In fact, some 3,000 burials take place at the Houston National Cemetery each year.
The numbers have been on the rise.
In response, the government is using a radically new procedure – pre-burying thousands of empty crypts and covering them up with dirt.
They say the entire field will then be sodded.
When a burial service takes place, the grass and soil will be removed from one of the crypts, and the casket lowered into it.
“This saves a lot of time and money and maintenance,” Lopez said.
The new process could be why some have jumped to other conclusions about the new graves.
Lopez says there is no way.
“No. Definitely not. And I’ll be honest, if I knew, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you. It would be top secret,” Lopez said.
We also checked with FEMA, the Dept. of Health and Human Services and the Texas Department of Health.
They all denied that the government is preparing mass grave sites.
Still, Texas officials said that they have worked with funeral directors in the past to determine the state’s mortuary resources in case of a catastrophe.
But do guys like Rippa and Sanchez buy it?
“I really don’t,” Rippa said. “I wouldn’t go so far to say I’d rule it out, can’t say that either. I just don’t believe what they say.”
Rippa says he and his friends will rely on what they learn on the Internet, and what they find out on their own.
Red flag from the 11:25 PM post -
"Still, Texas officials said that they have worked with funeral directors in the past to determine the state’s mortuary resources in case of a catastrophe."
Do officials mean a "catastrophe" as in a Swine flu type catastrophe???
4/28/2009
Joyce wrote: "In my spiritual upbringing, open, honest discussions about differences are very kosher.. --- [W]e are incapable of "converting" anyone unless we do it by the sword, which has been done and in some places is still being done...
Differences, honest ones, are kosher. But dishonest ones that twist reality and lie about the truth of Jewish Scripture are as kosher as surf and turf made of pork and lobster. It is the latter that typifies your messages.
You are truly following Paul who wrote in 1 Cor 9: 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself slave unto all, that I might gain the more.
20: To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law - though not being myself under the law -- so that I might win those under the law;
21: To those who are without law,I became as one without law, though not being not without the law of God but under law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without the law. 22: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak: I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23: I do it all for the gospel's sake, that I might share in its blessings.
(The Comprehensive New Testament).
And Paul (admittedly above) was liked the deceptive serpeent who lured Eve. He, and today's "messianics" from which you proudly hail, have found that they can convert someone more easily with deception rather than the sword. So you allegoricallly morph all the anti-idolotry sScriptures into idol worship.
You should change your name to Mandrake.
Len
Len,
Are you bashing the Apostle Paul as well as Joyce?
If so, I definitely DO NOT CONCUR!!!
Constance
To Jacklyn (and the rest):
Interesting. I went to the Macomb County Bar Association annual meeting and election Thursday night. The quality of participation and sincerity of the officers of that group is excellent in my opinion. An attorney heading the Bar Foundation work, Eugene Bolanowski warned all that with the economic instability we could well have civil disturbances this fast approaching summer.
Constance
It's good to hear from you again Len. How did Rabbi Saul use deception? I think you are reading into that Len. To put up with the traditions of men in order to relate to one another is necassary in any discourse wether in agreance or not. I don't believe relating to someone on their level or plane of comprehension is deceptive. Do you speak to three and four year olds as if they are collegues? Of course not, you speak on their level with their understanding.
Thanks Constance, I have been hearing all things will fall apart one day and then the next day everything is fine and the music is still playing. Ultimately God is in controll, but a few cans of soup under the bed with some extra masks might be a good precation.
Mexico government decrees special powers in flu crisis
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon issued an emergency decree on Saturday giving the government special powers to run tests on sick people and order them isolated to fight the deadly flu crisis.
Mexico City has already shut schools and museums and canceled sporting and cultural events as an outbreak of a new type of swine flu killed up to 68 people in the country and spread north to infect some people in the United States.
Saturday's decree, published in Mexico's official journal, gives the government power to isolate sick people, enter homes or workplaces and regulate air, sea and land transportation to try to stop further infection.
The flu has rattled residents of Mexico's overcrowded capital of some 20 million people.
Calderon tried to calm Mexicans earlier on Saturday, saying the flu was curable. He said health authorities easily had enough antiviral medicine for the 1,000 or so people suspected to be infected with the swine flu and that his government was monitoring the situation "minute by minute."
Tests on Saturday showed eight New York City schoolchildren had a type A influenza virus likely to be the same type as the Mexican flu, adding to nine people in California and Texas who tested positive for it, although they later recovered. Two swine flu cases were also confirmed in Kansas.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreaks a "public health event of international concern" and urged all countries to boost their surveillance for any unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.
The agency stopped short of raising the threat level to a pandemic -- a global epidemic of a serious disease.
Mexico City residents mainly hunkered down at home on Saturday, as children's parties were canceled and bars were closed and many of those on the street wore surgical masks.
Swine flu is deadly mix of never before seen viruses . . .
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/swine-flu-is-deadly-mix-of-never-before-seen-viruses/
In order to protect the citizens, wouldn't it be the logical and responsible thing to do for our government to make the decision to seal our borders right about now?
But, I guess we shouldn't let "logic" enter the picture.
Constance,
Before you run out and get your flu shot, at least read this:
http://www.capitalcentury.com/1976.html
http://tiny.cc/nb3TH
I don't know if you remember the story, but it was the shot that killed people back in the 70s.
There are a lot of strange things about this new scenario, but I don't want to be a "conspiracy theorist"...
Obama was down in Mexico visiting..then the CDC reports missing vials of something that may have been destroyed or may have been stolen.
Next this flu has been reported and vaccination will be recommended as well as Tamiflu.
The vaccines in the 70s paralyzed people and killed some people.
The there was Gulf War Syndrome...which a very well-known environmental doctor said was caused by cocktails of vaccines.
According to today's NY times "Caulderon is now calling in the military and giving emergency powers"
Heres' some interesting info:
http://tiny.cc/WXa7L
I don't necessarily agree with everything CuttingEdge says, but I've read them over the years and they are not so far out as some might think. It's at least good to have an awareness of what they are saying:
http://www.cuttingedge.org/NEWS/n1752.cfm
http://tiny.cc/l3ALf
The card game really exists:
http://www.sjgames.com/
Joyce
Len,
For your information, I wrote about the Fall Feasts because some anonymous poster asked me...
I'm well aware that we just came through Pesach.. Remember I asked you about how yours went? I am also well aware that Yom HaShoah just passed.. If you noticed in my post, I talked about the atrocities that happened to our people.
By the way, I don't call it a "Jewish Bible".. The Bible may be Hebrew, but Jewish would suggest that it's only for the Jews. It was written by Hebrews who were inspired by God..and among those Hebrews was Rav Shaul. He is not deceptive, but as Shimon Kepha stated, "he is sometimes difficult to understand".
Personally, I think Paul is very misunderstood..and very misinterpreted, but He would never contradict Yeshua who said..
Matt. 5:17 ¶ “Do not think that I came to abolish the aLaw or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ( fill up to the full measure with meaning until it is overflowing)
Matt. 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not 1the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Matt. 5:19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches 1others to do the same, shall be called least ain the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Since Rav Shaul knew Torah and knew Yeshua, I doubt that he was teaching people to annul the commandments.
If you want to insult me by saying I am like him, I would consider that quite a complement.. However, I don't think I'm on his level. He suffered was beaten, put in prison and ultimately beheaded for the sake of the gospel...I might be beheaded some day in the world we are living, but I haven't been beaten or put in prison.. I haven't preached the gospel in all the places where it hasn't been preached.. No Paul is a model to all of us, so I consider that a very high complement.
Paul never turned against Torah, and he never taught others to either. The theological discussions must be put in the context of what was going on in Second Temple Judaism and in the context of who he was talking to. There was a lot of gnosticims and Jewish mysticism in his day, so often who he is talking to are not Torah-observant Jews. We have to understand who these letters were addressed to and why he was writing them..
In Corinthians, where there were Gentile believers in Yeshua he says this:
1Cor. 5:7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our aPassover also has been sacrificed.
1Cor. 5:8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Here's the proof of who was in Corinth:
1Cor. 12:2 ye have known that ye were nations, unto the dumb idols — as ye were led — being carried away;
I used a different translation because the translators, translated the word "ethnos" to be "pagans" which is inconsistent with other passages. but the literal translation shows that in Corinth there were people from the nations who did not know the God of Israel and now Paul is teaching them to celebrate Passover...so you see Len, you've got Paul all wrong.
Instead of reading him as someone who was turning people from Torah, think of him as a true Pharisee, who discovered His Messiah and true to his calling as a Pharisee he was going to the nations
to bring this message of shalom..
He went first to his people, the Jews, but then to the nations. He also knew that Israel was hidden in the nations, and we can know this because he quotes from the prophet Hosea in talking about how he wishes that he himself could be cut off for the sake of his own people, he had such a burden for them:
Rom. 9:23 And He did so to make known athe riches of His glory upon bvessels of mercy, which He cprepared beforehand for glory,
Rom. 9:24 even us, whom He also acalled, bnot from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
Rom. 9:25 As He says also in Hosea,
“aI WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
Rom. 9:26 “aAND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF bTHE LIVING GOD.”
Read carefully, and read in context so that you can really understand who Rav Shaul was and why he did what he did. For someone who was a little like you and stood by giving approval to the stoning of Jewish believers in Yeshua:
Acts 8:1 ¶ And Saul was assenting to his death, and there came in that day a great persecution upon the assembly in Jerusalem, all also were scattered abroad in the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles;
Acts 8:2 and devout men carried away Stephen, and made great lamentation over him;
Acts 8:3 and Saul was making havoc of the assembly, into every house entering, and haling men and women, was giving them up to prison;
When God Himself opened Shaul's blind eyes, look what happened:
Acts 26:6 “And now I am standing trial for the hope of bthe promise made by God to our fathers;
Acts 26:7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this bhope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.
Acts 26:8 “Why is it considered incredible among you people aif God does raise the dead?
Acts 26:9 ¶ “So then, aI thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to bthe name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Acts 26:10 “And this is 1just what I adid in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the 2saints in prisons, having breceived authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I ccast my vote against them.
Acts 26:11 “And aas I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being bfuriously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them ceven to 1foreign cities.
Acts 26:12 ¶ “1While so engaged aas I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,
Acts 26:13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, 1brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.
Acts 26:14 “And when we had aall fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the 1bHebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? 2It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Acts 26:15 “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Acts 26:16 ‘But get up and astand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to bappoint you a cminister and da witness not only to the things which you have 1seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
Acts 26:17 arescuing you bfrom the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
Acts 26:18 to aopen their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of cSatan to God, that they may receive dforgiveness of sins and an einheritance among those who have been sanctified by ffaith in Me.’
Acts 26:19 ¶ “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Acts 26:20 but kept declaring both ato those of Damascus first, and also bat Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even cto the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.
Look at what he says.... He knows that he is supposed to bring the gospel to the nations because the tribes are in the nations... He knows that this is the hope that was given them, when they were cut off for their disobedience.. He was blind, but now he sees and is willing to go to his death for the message he received from Yeshua. He was blind before, but now he sees.
You prove my point perfectly pointing to Paul,and that's what gives me hope for you.. No matter how blind you are right now to the hope of your Messiah, God Himself can open your eyes.
b'shem Yeshua,
Joyce
4/16/2009
Dear Constance,
I am not "bashing" anyone but citing the evidence for a strong disagreemnt. Obviously Jews and Christians have big differences on religion and I welcome opposing views.
I am starting with the premise that Paul is the founder of Christianity, not Jesus, and Paul's major premise was that, since all the Torah's commandments cannot be followed, those who try to follow them aree doomed unless they convert to belief in Jesus.
Paul obviously did not believe in the atoning power of repentance.
But moreover, Paul admittedly influenced people to convert by deception. As a lawyer, how else can you characterize his words, repeated below?
1 Cor 9: 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself slave unto all, that I might gain the more.
20: To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law - though not being myself under the law -- so that I might win those under the law;
21: To those who are without law,I became as one without law, though not being not without the law of God but under law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without the law. 22: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak: I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23: I do it all for the gospel's sake, that I might share in its blessings.
(The Comprehensive New Testament).
Have a great week,
Len
4/26/2009
Joyce wrote: "Len didn't correct any distortions of anything."
Dear Joyce,
How can anyone tell when you distort?
When they see you publish a message about Judaism.
Almost every single sentance that you write about Jews or the Torah is a distortion when it is not flat out totally wrong.
As you persist in addinng to your distortions, and suffer from both self-righteousness and self-denial, it is fair to say that, in your case, ignorance is no excuse.
Len
4/26/2009
Dear Greek,
Paul was not speaking to 3-year olds.
I can give you some examples of his distortions of the Jewish Bible off the top of my head.
1. Romans 11:26-27
He distorted Isaiah 59:20-21 in Romans11:26-27:
"The redeemer will come from Zion, he will banish godlessness from Jacob. And this is the covenant I will make with them when I take their sins away." (Rom. 11:26-27)
Unfortunately, the Romans verses are based on an incorrect rendering of Isaiah 59:20-21; verses included in the daily Jewish prayer service.
"A redeemer shall come to Zion, and to those of Jacob who repent from sin -- the word of the Lord."
The NT, supposedly the inerrant word of God, is playing fast and loose with the REAL word of God. The NT is coming up with the exact opposite of what God really said.
First you repent; then the Messiah will redeem you. You do not have to be free of sin to be saved, but you must be sorry for your sinning and have resolved to improve.
As for the covenant to which Paul refers (Romans 11:27), this is what God REALLY says in Is. 59:21:
"And as for Me, this is My covenant with them says the Lord: My spirit which is upon you, and My words that I have placed in your mouth, will not be withdrawn from your mouth nor from the mouth of your offspring nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring, said the Lord, from this moment and forever. (Is. 59:21)"
"My words" God speaks of here is the Torah; the eternal Torah; the same one Paul said is no longer relevant.
2. Romans 10:6-9
Paul completely distorted Deut 30:11-14 when he wrote:
Rom 10:5: For Moses wrote about the righteousness which is of [the] law, that “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
6: But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say not in your heart, ‘Who shall ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7: Or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)
8: But what does it say? “The word is near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart (that is, the word of faith, which we preach);
9: Because if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul distorted the Deut verses by changing their meaning completely in Christianizing them:
Deut 30: 11 For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" 14 Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it. 15 Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, 16 inasmuch as I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart deviates and you do not listen, and you will be drawn astray, and you will prostrate yourself to other deities and serve them, 18 I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to come and take possession thereof. 19 This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live; 20 To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.
3. No distinction between Jew and Greek
In Rom 10:12-13 he wrote: 12: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But this is deceptive because he mean no difference only for Jews who believe in Jesus. He uses the word, “Lord” here for the Father and there for Jesus.
By contrast, the Jewish Bible says that ALL people, Jews, Greeks, everyone without exception, can be saved simply by being good people. You don’t have to be a Jew to be saved.
Ps. 18 The Lord is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity. 19 He does the will of those who fear Him, and He hears their cry and saves them. 20 The Lord guards all who love Him, and He destroys all the wicked.
These are just a few distortions in Romans.
Have a great week,
Len
To Greek:
Erreta in last message.
The last quote is from Psalm 145.
Len
New Zealand pupils quarantined in swine flu scare
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WEL457702.htm
on the dutch news:
2 people in france possibly have swine flu.
SV, did anonymous 3:57 answer your question? If not I can look for the link. My brother sent it to me in an e-mail about a week or so ago, but I didn't read it because I had seen the story live the night before (on the evenening news). Let me know if you would like me to find it.
Len, it amazes me when people think they need to correct the apostle Paul...unbelievable!!
Does anyone else out there think it's rather strange that Swine Flu cases have been reported in Texas, California, New York, Kansas, and now (the latest) - Minnesota?
Let's see - North, South, East and West (with Kansas in the middle).
Does this pass "the smell test" with all of you?
To Jaclyn (9:01 AM):
I provided the link in my lengthy post at 11:25 PM last night to the Houston - KHOU Channel 11 April 13th local news story you were referring to (that S.V. also asked about).
Len - Joyce put her perspective on this blog about the fall feasts because I has asked the question - Thanks Joyce - I personally think that this fall, will be a very intersting season....
DouginMI
SV, your in luck, I was able to find the e-mail/link quite easily.
Here you go:
http://tinyurl.com/clk69y
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou090413_tnt_mass-graves.d0074e78.html
Regarding the debate on Paul:
I guess a lot can be said about the man (both pro and con) since he underwent a conversion from the evil "Saul" to the good "Paul."
He went from persecuting Christians (the followers of Jesus) to becoming one himself.
Mortality in Mexico is much higher than what is being reported.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm
You're welcome Doug.. I think you're right..
Blessings,
Joyce
Swine flu report in the UK Telegraph (headline news report) speaks of people stockpiling food in Mexico, the CDC describing this outbreak as "unusual", and say this strain is vaccine resistant.
JD - thank you for the post RE: Replikins (very interesting)
VW
Perhaps Len will give me his perspective of the fall feasts?
DouginMI
Maybe this swine flu is a terrorist attack. I don't know what show I was watching, but I remember that there is thinking that someone spraying a virus from a simple spray bottle could cause a giant epidemic.
Len,
My comment was swollowed up by the computer, very frustrating writing so long and it doesn't publish.
To make a long story short, I see no with what you are stating. Their is one transgression that needs to be removed, rejecting the Messiah. Just as Joseph recieved His brothers, so will the Messiah.
Pauls writings are not necessary to draw the same conclusions as to who Jesus is and how to recieve salvation.
Was this posted before? It's about swine flu and the fed declaring an emergency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_swine_flu_emergency
We all knew this kind of thing was coming.
Also, check out some of the links on FulfilledProphecy concerning Javier Solana.
Dear Anony 9:37AM & Jaclyn,
Thank you for the link. I appreciate it very much.
By His Grace,
-SV
I could become quite confused reading the various interpretations of the Apostle Paul. It makes one realize that we humans cannot come to a precise realization of what Paul meant. We get close, close enough to get the most basic messages, but never pin it down.
Even so, come Lord Jesus and tell us what Paul really meant. It is hard living in the Land of the Confused.
I personally like the interpretation of Paul which says we will have a rapture into heaven of the Body of Christ. That gives the most hope, although grief for those who don't go on the first load.
Mariel
4/26/2009
Dear Greek,
Believe what you wish with my blessings.
I have no problem with Christians whho I consider my brothers and sisters. I appreciate very much the Christian Zionist support of Israel.
My pet peeve is with missionaries who zealously try to convert Jews; especially with deceit, and who will not take "No!" for an answer. The main deceit is pretending that Christianity is Jewish because Jesus and the apostles were Jewish. This is Joyce's thing; and she never desists. She has taken the Great Commission upon her slender shoulders.
While Jesus and the apostles WERE Jewish that is irrelevant. It is no more relevant than if I asked you to convert to Judaism because many other Christians, including clergy, have done so; which is also true.
Speaking of the Great Commission, I once saw a guy in the gym wearing a Great Commision tee shirt. I started a conversation with him, found out he is a Gideon, and explained to him, as I did to you, that Christians should not target Jews foor conversion. One missionary said he wopuld rather convert one Jew than 100 pagans.
He understood perfectly, we have become close friends, and he has never tried to proselytize to me.
Peace and blessing,
Len
4/26/2009
Jaclyn wrote: "Len, it amazes me when people think they need to correct the apostle Paul...unbelievable!!"
Dear Jaclyn,
If you think Paul is sacrosant, just consider how I feel about God who Paul felt the need to correct; as I demonstrated conclusively. Why do you think Paul cannot be corrected but it is Ok for him to correct God???
Peace and blessing,
Len
Len, the scriptures are God breathed. Men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned words as they were impressed to do so by God. God has supernaturally preserved His word, He watches over His word....Heaven and Earth may pass away, but His word never will pass away.
2,000 years later you feel the need to make some corrections. I find this outrageous.
I'm going to leave it at that.
NAPOLITANO SAYS U.S. SHOULD PREPARE FOR NEW FLU OUTBREAK SOON EVEN IF THIS ONE FIZZLES OUT-
LINK HERE-
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009/04/26/2009-04-26T165622Z_01_N26489892_RTRIDST_0_NAPOLITANO-SAYS-US-SHOULD-SHOULD-PREPARE-FOR-NEW-FLU-OUTBREAK-SO.html
OR HERE-
http://tiny.cc/h4PLJ
U.S. SAYS NOT TESTING TRAVELERS FROM MEXICO FOR THE FLU-
"WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - The United States is not testing airplane travelers from Mexico for the swine flu virus that has heightened fears of a possible pandemic, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Sunday."
" 'Right now we don't think the facts warrant more active testing or screening of passengers coming in from Mexico,' she said at a White House briefing."
LINK HERE-
http://lite.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26491120.htm
OR HERE-
http://tiny.cc/h3Gew
** I find both of these statements from J.N. to be very odd, indeed.
By His Grace,
-SV
I heard a doctor today on Jones' show say that this can go dormant after a few weeks, gain strength and come back much stronger. I thought of Napolotanos remark about it "fizzling". He said it could be 30 times stronger than the spanish flu in 1918 that killed 40 million. We are just on the first wave.
He sounded very alarmed. He also said it may have a bridge gene allowing it to mutate to animals, cattle, sheep etc.
Use your imagination as to where this can lead. The doctor has no doubt this is from the globalist.
4/26/2009
Doug said: "Joyce put her perspective on this blog about the fall feasts because I has asked the question - Thanks Joyce - I personally think that this fall, will be a very intersting season...."
Dear Doug,
I noted that Joyce said her thing, Christianized of course, about the Fall holy days because of your question. I just wondered why you asked about it during the Spring holy-day season, and why she provided such a long answer when she said she had so little time.
It is interesting that all the major Jewish holy days
are biblically based while none of the Christian holy days are. Instead they are all about Jesus; though I suppose Christians would call that biblically based.
Joyce said that Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world, is not called that in the Bible. But she is wrong. While it is not called that in the Five Books of Moses, it is referred to by that name by Ezekiel in Ch. 40 Vs. 1.
"In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, in the beginning of the year (b'Rosh Hashanah), on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year, after the city was smitten, on this very day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me there."
Rosh Hashanah is called by the Bible "a remembrance of [Israel through] the shofar blast a holy occasion. (Lev. 23:24)" A shofar is not a trumpet. It is a ram's horn. And the day has nothing to do with Jesus other than the probability that he observed it as do I.
Trumpets were used on the Festivals and New Moons but not on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar's significance is quite different from the trumpet's; being more awe inspiring (Amos 3:6), and a call to contrition and repentance.
If you want to know about Christianity, ask a Christian. But if you want to learn about Judaism, ask a Jewish Jew.
Peace and blessing,
Len
Len,
Paul did not invent a "new religion".. Rav Shaul was a Pharisee, who had his eyes open by Yeshua. When someone's eyes are open by Yeshua, they understand that the mo'ed is all about Him, because He is the Living Torah.
So as Scripture says:
1Cor. 5:7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our aPassover also has been sacrificed.
1Cor. 5:8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, anot with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
If Paul had created a new religion he would not be telling the Corinthians to celebrate Passover without the leaven in their hearts.
You are doing what the people in this passage did. Paul had just finished doing the rites of purification, which included as you know an animal sacrifice and look what these men try to do:
Acts 21:26 Then Paul 1took the men, and the next day, apurifying himself along with them, bwent into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
Acts 21:27 ¶ When athe seven days were almost over, bthe Jews from 1cAsia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,
Acts 21:28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! aThis is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has bdefiled this holy place.”
He had just proven the contrary, and yet there were those that wanted to kill him for his testimony about Yeshua.
...but this should not surprise us because there were those that did the same to Yeshua. They accused Him of breaking the Shabbat, when He had not.. There are always those who are accusers, who try to say something against Yeshua or against Paul...
I don't have to tell you what happens to people who use their mouths against those that God sets up in authority. You know the story of Miriam..when she spoke against her brother Moses...
We know the one who opens blind eyes, heals the lepers and raises the dead, so you won't convince Doug that the feasts are not about Yeshua:
A Yeshua-less Torah, will not save anyone...Only when we realize who is Lord of the Shabbat, who is the Bread of Life, Who is the Living Water, Who is the Door, who is the Truth, who is the Light and the Way, who is the I WILL Be What I will Be, Who is the God who Heals, Who is the King of Kings, Who is the Prince of Shalom can we have true healing, true life and peace..
Matt. 8:3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his aleprosy was cleansed.
Are you willing, Len?
b'shem Yeshua,
Joyce
Len,
I know what a shofar is, but do you..? There will be one sounding soon, and when the last blast is heard, it will be the resurrection. I hope you will not be like that generation of our ancestors who perished in the Wilderness because they hardened their hearts..
You know what Paul said, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. God loves everyone and wants them to know Yeshua..
I suspect there will be a day soon, when people who want to share the good news will be silenced or killed, where sharing this good news will be some kind of criminal offense as it already is in some Muslim countries.. so I think while we have the freedom to share, we need to share..
Having said that, you are not my responsibility. You are God's responsibility, so I leave you the information and leave you in His hands to do as He wills in your life..
..but I will ask my believing brothers and sisters on the blog to really pray for you.. hopefully, after listening to the dialogue for the past few months, they will have a better understanding of how to pray.
You are more like Paul than you think, but you are just like Paul on his way to Damascus...I'd love to see what you would be like post-Damascus.
Shalom in Yeshua,
Joyce
Latest news from the Tony Blair Faith Foundation:
"On 21 of April the The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, in collaboration with the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), have announced 12 exceptional young people selected in the US to take part in a youth leadership program established to bring people of different faiths together to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and in particular, eliminate deaths due to malaria."
http://www.ifyc.org/
No real surprises here.. It's just interesting to see the overlaps in AoC's goals and Tony's.
Joyce
I'm watching this flu outbreak with a bit of skepticism. Will it be a mechanism used to start travel restrictions to avoid spreading the disease?
It seems to have surfaced awfully fast. The messages I'm reading and watching on television appear to be calling for anything but calm. But then again, it could be prophetic fulfillment.
Maybe I'm too jaded after watching these days and have been watching this unfold for too long.
Crisis = opportunity.
One of the organizations named on Tony's site is
Center for Interfaith Action. We can establish a direct link between them and AoC though their Exe Dir. Jean Duff who served at Washington National Cathedral with this group:
http://www.wfd-alliance.org/
Here we have the AoC players Queen Noor and Desmond Tutu.
Madelaine Albright was repsonsible for opening doors for Prince AlWaleed bin Talal's investments in Harvard and Georgetown, both engaged actively with AoC as well.
Take a careful look at the members.. There is the Jewish Renewal Movement: Aleph, and the American Islamic Congress, etc, all working together:
http://www.wfd-alliance.org/AUmembers.htm
...not to mention URI, other development organizations that are part of ONE, etc.
This theme is repeating over and over.. Global hunger, development, Global Warming, interfaith, peace...etc.
Joyce
This is the Board of Trustees of another group that is part of this, from Tony's website..
http://www.ing.org/about/page.asp?num=14
You will note one of the board is from Morgan Stanley which Tony is advisor for. You can see some of the top positions in strategic industries.
Then there are the Muslim scholars, including John Esposito from AoC's high level group:
http://www.ing.org/about/page.asp?num=15
They are offering K-12 educational services for those who want to learn about Islam:
"K-12 SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS
As part of the educational services that ING provides to the community, the following resources are available to K-12 administrators, educators and school and district staff. Our interactive, presentations for students meet the History-Social Science content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education and are intended to supplement your curriculum. Students should be introduced to the study of Islam and Muslims before the ISB presentation.
Scroll down to see a variety of different tools and resources that are available to help you, your students, and your colleagues develop a better understanding of Islam and the Muslim world."
Wonder what would happen if someone wanted to come teach a course about the Bible?
And of course:
http://www.ing.org/latestnews/default.asp?num=148
http://tiny.cc/dgsxW
Beware of people promoting inter-faith dialogue..
Joyce
JORDAN SEES NEW WAR IF U.S. DOES NOT ACT QUICKLY-
"AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan's king urged President Barack Obama Sunday to take a more forceful role in the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, warning of a new Mideast war if there is no significant progress in the next 18 months."
" 'In the next 18 months, if we don't move the process forward, and bring people to the negotiation table, there will be another conflict between Israel and another protagonist,' he said in the interview recorded in Washington on Friday."
"'If it's left to the players, the Israelis and the Palestinians by themselves, we're not going to get anywhere — it can only happen if there is an American umbrella with a determined American president,' he added."
Link-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_jordan_king_1
-----------------------------------
JORDAN'S KING PRESSURES OBAMA TO PRESSURE ISRAEL-
"In a joint statement following the meeting, both national leaders said negotiations were an immediate imperative, saying peace talks are in a "very critical stage," despite a major increase in rocket attacks by Gaza Arabs and rock throwing attacks in the Jewish biblical lands of Judea and Samaria."
"The Middle East Quartet, comprised of the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States, also insisted Sunday that Arabs and Israeli Jews plug away toward a treaty, at a meeting in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh."
Link-
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128314
-----------------------------------
ISRAEL MUST CHOOSE INTEGRATION OR ISOLATION-
" 'Now is the time for the United States to lead," said Abdullah, who held talks on Tuesday with Obama who has embraced a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians."
"The king said the Obama administration must make a high-level effort to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table and remain involved to the point of being ready to offer its own proposals in the event of a deadlock."
" 'A moment of truth is here for all who claim to seek peace and justice,' he added."
"The king on Wednesday said it was time for Arab and Muslim countries to help the United States do 'the heavy lifting' needed to forge an elusive peace between Israel and the Palestinians after more than five decades of enmity."
Link-
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hGjnwaGegMzjJLWUa0kXm25-TAgA
** Very strong words...18 mo's to possibly 'confirm a covenant with many'?? Time will certainly tell.
We need to be praying fervantly for Israel, friends.
By His Grace,
-SV
Arutz Link-
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128314
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/jMj3E
-----------------------------------
Yahoo News Link-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_jordan_king_1
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/pl7KR
-----------------------------------
Google News Link-
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hGjnwaGegMzjJLWUa0kXm25-TAgA
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/ZTr2K
**Sorry, forgot to post the tiny links.
By His Grace,
-SV
Dear Oldmanoftheski & All,
Will you to take a look at this, please?
I hadn't heard of this monument before, but others may have.
THE "TEAR OF GRIEF" MONUMENT. AKA,"TO THE STRUGGLE AGAINST WORLD TERRORISM":
"Features a 40-foot teardrop suspended in the fissure of a 106-foot bronze rectangular tower. The monument includes the names of all the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, as well as the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. At the ground breaking for the massive project, Vladimir Putin was present and called the sculpture 'a gift from the people of Russia.' "
Link-
http://www.answers.com/topic/zurab-tsereteli
Or Here-
http://tinyurl.com/db9uby
-----------------------------------
Link-
http://www.tsereteli.ru/eng/photo_44.php?ctlg=18
Or Here-
http://tinyurl.com/2yadzu
-----------------------------------
Snopes:
"This is the 'Tear Drop' made and installed by the Russians to honor those who died in 9/11 and a statement against terrorism. It is very impressive. The 'Tear Drop' is lined up with the Statue of Liberty."
Link-
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/tributes/teardrop.asp
Or Here-
http://tinyurl.com/c4b2tw
-----------------------------------
**This thing is a huge monument. The chicagovue, newyorker.com and
911monument.com were the only things close to 'mainstream media' coverage of this thing that I've come across.
I'm sorry, but just looking at the photos of this monument (particularly on the site with his name), this doesn't look like a fuzzy-warmy memorial for those who suffered loss on 9/11. It looks, in particular, like a giant version of a female's 'nether-region', (sorry, I just can't bring myself to type out the specific part of the anatomy). Every person that I've showed these photos to agreed immediately that it was not as innocent as a depiction of a 'tear drop'.
Know anything about this thing, OldMan?
Why would it be intentionally created with duplicate significance?
I'm hesitant to even type this out, but I'm curious as to what you would know regarding it and/or what others here may know.
Thanks for your consideration on this subject.
By His Grace,
-SV
By the way, one of organizations in Mass. is linked to the Harvard Pluralism Project..
http://www.pluralism.org/about/advisors.php
http://www.ifaction.org/
Eboo Patel is mentioned on the site.. All roads seem to lead back to AoC..and Obama:
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/eboo-patel/
Joyce
I check back at A Common Word site for updates, ever so often and found this very interesting letter:
http://tinyurl.com/d374e2
In the footnotes of the letter there are many other interesting links, but I don't have time to post them right now..
Rich @ 12:46 AM wonders:
"Crisis = opportunity."
Yes, I absolutely agree with you, Rich. If this Swine Flu becomes a world wide pandemic - does crisis equal opportunity for a possible declaration of Martial Law?
What had me losing sleep last night was that, according to the BBC, the numbers of the deaths in Mexico were being underreported by the U.S. mainstream media. Why?
Would there be a public outcry of Americans demanding that our government close the borders?
Also, why are Mexico's flu cases more severe (as in deadly) - while the U.S. cases are labeled "mild"? This makes no sense at all - especially since some of the students from St. Francis Prep School in Queens, NY may have "caught" this same Swine Flu "germ" while on a recent trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Does the word, "manipulation" seem to be a running theme here?
We must all pray, pray, pray.
Hi Len - well thank you - that was what I was trying to do and I appreciate your answer.
DouginMI
Facts about the Swine Flu virus:
http://swineflu-symptoms.info/
Artist D'Antuono' painting of a tribute to Obama's first 100 days titled "The Truth" will be unveiled in Times Square. It depicts Obama with a crown of thorns, outstretched arm under a black curtain. (Viewing photo speaks for itself).
Prophecynewsheadlines.com/2009/04/27obama-messiah-art-to-be-unveiled-in-times-square/
SV
One significance may be the teardrop connection to Rudrashka aka: Lord Shiva (Hinduism). Sanskrit origins: Rudra (or Shiva) and aksha (tear) is Rudraskha. Legends about the teardrop of Shiva becoming a tree that produced seeds that supposedly held mystical properties (among them being electromagnetic and inductive - speculative connection to Tesla/911 article provided by JD). A lot of ritual associated with the rudrabeads...still prevalent in Nepal.
I too would like Oldman's take on this as he was our resident expert of new age symolism. SV, as you say, it is a visually suggestive sculpture, perhaps it is representative of Gaia's fertility regions(???)
VW
PS:
A quick Google of Gaia + teardrop opened several NA sites, some with references to "tears of the mother earth goddess". As stones have significance, one reference was "representation of a new positive attitude replacing old egocentric patterns" ie: paradigm shift.
VW
4/27/2009
Christian/Jewish Interfaith
There are several very worthwhile organizations where Christians and Jews cooperate to improve the world, in general, and to support Israel in particular. Some are led by Christians and others by Jews. A key point that needs to be emphaisized here is that there is no proselytizing. Here are just a few of them:
http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer
http://www.iccj.org/en/index.php
http://www.ifcj.org/
http://www.rabbidaniellapin.com/dynpage.php?id=1
Len
4/27/2009
Dear Doug,
Here is an overview of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I will add a separate message on repentance; the key to the season. I will be glad to answer particular questions.
Why is there a special season for repentance and atonement? Can’t we repent at any time? Jews pray three times, each weekday of the year, “Pardon us, our Father, for we have sinned ...?” During the ten-day period from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, also known as the Days of Awe or Days of Repentance, Jews focus on their personal behavior. They perform “Khesh-bon ha’nefesh,” literally an accounting (or audit) of the soul. Tradition dictates that each person act as if he were on trial for deeds of the prior year, and that his life hung in the balance. This state could lead to panic were it not for their conviction that God, at once King and Judge of the universe, is merciful and gracious; that He desires, not the death of the wicked, but a sincere change in direction that leads to life. Life is a major theme of the season. By confronting the prospect of his mortality, the Jew becomes more thankful for life, and sensitive to the importance of using it wisely.
Rosh Hashanah literally means “the Head of the Year,” or the New Year. By tradition it is the birthday of the world, the anniversary of the creation of man. A birthday or wedding anniversary is an auspicious time for a husband and wife to settle a festering problem between them because it is a time when they feel particularly close. At such a time, when there are sentimental feelings and special warmth, they are more likely to give each other particular consideration. In a similar manner, we trust that God will remember his act of creation on its anniversary, and tender special consideration to His all-too-human creations. The last month of the old year, ELUL, is an acronym for "Ani L'Dodi V'dodi Li," a famous line from "The Song of Songs”: that means, "I am My Beloved and my Beloved is Mine." This signifies the relationship between God and the Jewish people; a relationship that is particularly close during this season. Judaism considers repentance such a powerful spur to improvement in one’s outlook on life that the Talmud says, “In the place where a repentant person stands, even the most saintly cannot enter.”
Because Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, this holiday season is the most universal of the year’s holy days. “Why did God begin humanity with only Adam and Eve?” the Talmud asks. It responds, “So no one can claim that his ancestors are better than any other’s.” The prophetic reading for Yom Kippur is “The Book of Jonah.” In this book God forgives the sins of the non-Jewish people of Ninevah, and recants His earlier decision to destroy the city, simply because the people of that city sincerely repented; no animal sacrifice was involved. It is this spirit that motivates the Talmudic statements, “The righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come,” and, “Whether you are Gentile or Jew the Divine Presence rests on you according to your deeds."
Peace and blessing,
Len
Repentance
Definhitions:
Repent: To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for something done or left undone by one's self; to experience such sorrow for sin as produces amendment of life
Atone, [Compounded of at and one, often found together in such phrases as 'to be at one...] To be at one; to agree to make reparation, amends, or satisfaction, as for an offense or crime
Shana: 1.Year; 2.To change, 3.To study, learn, teach, inculcate
Kapyr: To atone
This description of the repentance process is based on Maimonides "Mishneh Torah (Recapitulation of the Torah).
Chapter 1
1. If a person has transgressed any Torah precept, affirmative or negative, willfully or unitentionally, he must confess before God, blessed be He, when repenting and turning away from his sin...(Numbers 5:6-7). This means verbal confession. How does one confess? He says, "Lord, I have sinned; I have rebelled against You and have done [such and such]. I regret and am ashamed of my act. I will never do it again."
3. [People used to bring sin or guilt offerings to the Temple but since it] no longer exists... there is nothing left but repentance. Even if one is wicked to just before the end of his life, but then repents, we must not mention his wickedness to him (Ezekiel 33:12). Yom Kippur itself atones for those who repent; as it is written, "Atonement shall be made for you on this day" (Leviticus 16:30).
Chapter 2
1. Perfect repentance is where an opportunity presents itself to repeat the offense, and he refrains from committing it because of his repentance and not out of fear or physical inability. If one repents only in old age, when he can no longer do what he used to do, the repentance, though not the best, will still do him some good. Even if a person transgressed all his life and repented on the day of his death, dying during repentance, all his sins are pardoned.
3. Anyone who makes a verbal confession without resolving in his heart to abandon his sin is like one who takes a ritual bath while grasping a defiling object. The bath is useless unless he first casts the reptile away.
9. Repentance and Yom Kippur accomplish atonement only for sins against God, as when one has eaten forbidden food; ...sins against a person...are not pardoned unless he compensates the person and makes an apology...
10. One must not exhibit cruelty by not accepting an apology... He should forgive wholeheartedly. Even if he was caused much trouble, wrongfully, he must not avenge himself or bear a grudge...
Chapter 3
1. Every human has virtues and sins. One whose merits [substantially] exceed his sins is a tzadik (righteous person). One whose sins exceed his merits is a rasha (evil person). In the intermediate region is the bainoni [most of us].
3. ...Good and bad deeds of each individual are weighed on Rosh Hashanah: The tzaddikim are marked for life; the rashaim for death. The fate of the bainonim are held in suspense till Yom Kippur. Those who repent are marked for life; the others for death.
4. Though the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is a biblical commandment, it has an intimation, as if to say, "Arise from your slumber,...: search your deeds and repent; remember your creator..." Everyone should regard himself, throughout the year, as a bainoni [on the margin]. ...i.e. lf he then commits one additional sin he weighs the balance of merit against himself causing his destruction. If he performs a good deed he weighs the balance in his favor and is saved...As it is written, "The just man is the foundation of the world" (Proverbs 10:25). For this reason Israel [engages] in increased charity and good deeds between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Chapter 5
1. Free will is granted every human. ... It is written, "Man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:22). Humans are unique in ... intelligence and reason. No one prevents man from doing... as he pleases..."
2. Do not think that God decrees, at a person' birth, that he be good or evil, [a very common notion]. Every human is capable of becoming righteous like Moses or wicked like Jeroboam, wise or foolish, merciful or cruel, niggardly or generous; and so on... The sinner causes his own ruin...
4. ...If a person's destiny had been decreed from birth, or his innate makeup [orientation] draws him to something he cannot escape, what room would there be for the entire Torah?...
Chapter 7
2. A person should always consider himself as if he is about to die. ... He should therefore repent of his sins immediately. ... Solomon in his wisdom said, "Let your garments always be white." (Ecclesiastes 9:8)
3. Repentance is not limited to sinful acts, like...stealing... Just as one should repent of these, so he must search out bad traits, and repent of anger, hatred, envy, scoffing, greed, excessive pride, gluttony, etc. Bad traits are worse than sinful acts because of their addictive nature.
4. The repentant person should not imagine that, because of his sins, he is far removed from the merit of the righteous. He is tenderly loved by the Creator as if he had never sinned. Besides, his reward is great because he had tasted sin and got rid of it by suppressing his evil inclination. The sages said, "Where a repentant sinner stands, the thoroughly righteous cannot stand." His merit is superior to that of one who never sinned because the great effort required to suppress the impulse.
8. A repentant should be humble. If a fool insults him by dredging up a past ignoble deed... the repentant should pay no attention but should rather rejoice knowing that his repentance is to his credit....It is a flagrant sin to say to a repentant person, "Remember your past deeds" or ...embarass him [with specific recollections]....As it is written, "You must not vex one another" (Leviticus 25:17).
Continued
Excerpt from the chapter, Repentance, in the book, “The Thirteen Petaled Rose,” by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz: (Basic Books, 1980). (My choppy excerpts don’t do the original justice.)
“Repentance is one of the ultimate spiritual realities at the core of the Jewish faith. Its significance goes far beyond the narrow meaning of contrition or regret for sin, and it embraces a number of concepts considered fundamental to the existance of the world. --- It is the highest expression of [free will]- it is a manifestation of the divine in man. Man can extricate himself from the binding web of his life, from the chain of causality that otherwise compels him to follow a path of no return.
“Repentance --- [provides man] with a measure of control over his existence in all dimensions including time. Time flows in one direction; it is impossible to undo or even to alter an action after it has occurred ---. Though the past is fixed, repentance admits the possibility of changing its significance in the context of the present and future. The Hebrew word for repentance is teshuvah.
Teshuvah has three meanings. First it denotes “return,” a going back to God or to the Jewish faith. Second, it can mean “turning about,” adopting another orientation in life.
Third Teshuvah signifies “response.” --- In spite of the vast range of ways in which a Jew can alienate himself from his past and express himself in foreign cultural forms, he nevertheless retains a metaphysically, almost genetically imprinted image of his Jewishness. To use a [botanic] metaphor; a change of climate, soil [etc.], can induce marked alterations of the form and functioning of a plant, and even the adoption of characteristics of other species, but the unique paradigm or prototype persists.
A person’s spiritual development, whether he has sinned or not, is in a sense a path of repentance. It is an endeavor to break away from the past and reach a higher level. Notwithstanding the complexity and deeply felt difficulties involved, there is clear simplicity in the elemental point that is the point of turning.--- The starting point is precicely this fulcrum upon which a person turns himself about, away from the pursuit of what he craves, and confronts his desire to approach God; this is the moment of conversion, the crucial moment of repentance.
It is rare for repentance to take the form of a sudden dramatic conversion, and it generally takes the form of a series of small turnings. --- When response is direct and immediate, the process of repentance cannot continue, because it has in a way arrived at its goal; whereas one of its essential components is an increase of tension, the tension of the ongoing experience and the yearning. Jewish thought pays little attention to inner tranquility and peace of mind. The feeling of “I’ve arrived” could undermine the capacity to continue.”
The Talmud states; “In the place where a repentant person stands, even the most saintly cannot enter;” because the penitent has at his disposal not only the forces of good in his soul and in the world, but also those of evil, which he transforms into essences of holiness.”
Hi Constance and all especially those in MI
One of my clients called me today and she runs a food business in the Macomb area... anyways she was busy with an order for a funeral lunch for the Lutheran School Shelby, apparently a group from the the school went down to Mexico on Spring break and one of the parents died last week from an unknown illness when they came back..I guess they are doing an autopsy right now... will keep you posted.
I remember thinking that Paul the
Apostle was the "actual" founder
of Christianity. I think that I first
got the idea from the Martin Scorsese
movie "The Last Temptation of Christ",
which is essentially a very slick
pack of lies, as is everything that
Hollywood puts out, if it so much
as touches on anything Biblical.
Gamaliel is considered by mainstream
Judaism to be the "First" among seven
leaders of the students of Hillel The Elder,
which gave him the title Rabban.
Gamaliel "saved" Peter and John and others
from a very angry Sanhedron in the Book of
Acts 5:34, when the Sanhedron
wanted to bring a swift end to this new
sect of believers in one Rabbai Yashua
ben Josef of Nazareth.
Gamaliel's defense of the accused
was apparently more powerful than
the opinion of the rest of the entire
Senhedron, since they were let go.
Paul had been "_brought up in this
city [Jerusalem} at the feet of Gamaliel,
and taught according to the perfect
manner of the law [Torah} of the fathers,
and was zealous toward God, as ye
all are this day."
One should read chapters four and
five of Acts to get a bigger picture.
Acts chapter 22 is Paul's own defense
of himself will add clarity.
But Peter, James and John had already
started the religion and would
eventually write their own epistles
in which they would explain the
faith and explain how God was giving this
great salvation to any and all who truly
believed ( embraced ) in this Jesus. They all
agreed on the simple Gospel truth, and that
this amazing grace was being poured out
all over the world to all the tribes and
nations, and that this awesome power of
God was a direct fullfillment of all the
Torah AND the Prophets AND the books
of poetry and wisdom.
This was all well underway before Saul
of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle.
AND Peter calls Paul his "beloved brother
( II Peter 3:15 ).
Peter and Paul were both equally
despised by the Sanhedron, and they were
also both equally beheaded by Nero.
When I realized that Peter had very
clearly accepted Paul and his mission to
the Gentiles, was when I realized that
the notion of Paul as the originator of
Christianity was a lie, like so many
different lies and heresies that have
been told though the centuries
in order to try to kill the unkillable
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gamaliel had said; " if this council
or this work be of men, it will come
to nought: but if it be of God, you
cannot overthrow it; lest haply
you be found even to fight against
God."
And of course the Prophet John the Baptist
comes right before Jesus in time saying,
"REPENT!"
Len,
What you are describing about repentence is really the essence of Christianity. It is a turning from self and depending on God. It is what both Jesus and Paul teach, whether you can see it or not.
Len,
What you are describing about repentence is really the essence of Christianity. It is a turning from self and depending on God. It is what both Jesus and Paul teach, whether you can see it or not. Yet, the weighing of the good and bad behaviors is not found in Christianity for we depend on the righteousness of messiah. Interesting reading what you have to share Len.
Thnaks Len -
I appreciate you offering your insight -
DouginMI
4/27/2009
Dear Doug,
One more on the Days of Awe!
Participating in interfaith dialog does not, and should not, mean that each person’s belief is up for grabs. The principal purpose, from my viewpoint, is to enable people of different faiths to understand each other, respect and accept each other, and realize that the behavioral values that unite us transcend those that divide us. Getting to this point we can have a genuine love for each other.
From the Jewish viewpoint, our paradigm about reconsidering our beliefs for those of another religion is one that we review each Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we read one of the most moving prayers, the U-netaneh Tokef.
Quoting from the ArtScroll footnotes: “[It was] written by Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, Germany about 1000 years ago. ... The bishop of Mainz insisted that his friend and adviser, R’ Amnon, convert to Christianity. To buy time the rabbi asked for three days of grace to meditate on the question. Upon returning home he was distraught at having given the impression that he even considered betraying his God.
R’ Amnon spent the three days in solitude, fasting and praying to be forgiven for his *sin*, and he did not return to the bishop. Finally the bishop had him brought and demanded an answer. R’ Amnon replied that his tongue should be cut out for the sin of saying he would *consider* the matter. Furious, the bishop said that the sin was not in what he said, but in his legs for not coming as he promised. He ordered that R’ Amnon’s feet be chopped off, joint by joint. They did the same to his hands. After each amputation R’ Amnon was asked if he would convert, and each time he refused. Then the bishop ordered that he be carried home, a maimed and mutilated cripple...
When Rosh Hashanah arrived ... R’ Amnon asked to be carried to the Ark. He asked to be allowed to sanctify God’s Name in the synagogue as he had in the bishop’s palace. He recited U-netaneh Tokef and then died.”
Here is a remarkable video that conveys the feeling of the Days of Awe better than can any words: "Who Shall Live?"
http://www.jewishjournal.com/video/article/video_who_shall_live_20080928/
Len
That "Who Shall Live" video link did not take.
Try this:
http://tinyurl.com/cxtza6
Dear VW,
Thanks so much for your information! Excellent input!
Going along the lines of new age 'reasoning', if it is significant as a female symbol, then it is aligned somewhere with it's male counterpart. This is where I'm hoping Oldman might be able to help a bit
[or YoungGrasshopper :-) ].
By His Grace,
-SV
Len,
I am happy for the dailogue - especially when it is not pointed.
Thanks again.
DouginMI
Dear SV
Most likely no male counterpart as Gaia was a self-fertilizing deity.
The bio on sculptor Tsereteli is quite interesting though - UNESCO award winner ++++. (maybe it's just an unusual piece of sculpture). Bio stated the man likes to work in themes of human and global "tension" and the fissure represents tension. I'll let you know if I stumble across anything else.
VW
Joyce,
We celebrated Passover this year because my daughter was reading through the Pentateuch and asked about the Biblical feasts. We were so blessed and all the kids enjoyed that much more than Easter (despite the lack of candy). They all said they felt a much greater appreciation for Jesus than ever before. They were amazed at God's design of the feasts, His perfect timing and attention to detail. I've been studying Covenant in Bible study. I think all Christians should study Covenant and the Biblical Feasts. Our family was wonderfully blessed by it.
Deannie
Friends, my heart sank when I read this little link on Drudge titled:
Military "monitoring" outbreak
Since when does the Military monitor a flu outbreak??
Hang on tight, something is really wrong.
Sukkot
I have been discussing the Fall Days of Awe as a ten-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur – from the new year to the Day of Atonement. Four other festival days, the seven-day festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles or Booths – Lev 23:33ff), Hoshanah Rabbah (the Great Hoshanah – or Supplication/Salvation), Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day Assembly – Lev 23:36), and Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah) follow Yom Kippur closely beginning just five days after Yom Kippur.
One of the first things done by the religious family after Yom Kippur is to build a Sukkah. (Lev 23:42)
It isn’t necessary to get bogged down in the details of each day to point out that this series of Biblical holy days is a more joyful extension of the High Holy Day season, following Yom Kippur self affliction, with the final completion being Hoshanah Rabbah -- the Great Salvation. The following day, the Seventh Day Assembly, is analogous to the end of a big sleepover party at which the guests, when they are about to leave for home, are asked by their host (in this case God) to stay another day. Simchat Torah is the day when the annual cycle of Torah reading ends with Deuteronomy and begins again with Genesis. It includes lots of group singing and dancing with many people taking turns carrying and dancing with the Torah.
The significance of living in a temporary, flimsy dwelling for seven days is not only a reminder of the redeemed Israelites living in temporary dwellings during their 40-year desert excursion following the Exodus. (Lev 23:42-43) It is also designed to make us aware that we are subject to the forces of nature and that it is only God’s protection that enables us to survive. The roof of the sukkah is made of natural materials and must not be so dense to prevent sunlight and rain to enter. A strong wind could take the sukkah down.
The bible commands us to take four species of vegetation and wave them during Sukkot (Lev 23:40). These include palm, willow, myrtle (these three called a “lulav”) and an “etrog” – a kind of lemon but larger.
It is significant that there is a public reading of King Solomon’s Ecclesiastes on Sukkot. This book epitomizes the uncertainty of life and our ultimate dependence not on ourselves but on God.
Most people are familiar with thee “For everything there is a season” section of Chapter 1. To convey the nature of Sukkot and our dependence on God I prefer to set out the final Chapter; 12.
1 And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come, and years arrive, about which you will say, "I have no desire in them." 2 Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars darken, and the clouds return after the rain. 3 On the day that the keepers of the house tremble, and the mighty men are seized by cramps, and the grinders cease since they have become few, and those who look out of the windows become darkened. 4 And the doors shall be shut in the street when the sound of the mill is low, and one shall rise at the voice of a bird, and all the songstresses shall be brought low. 5 Also from the high places they will fear, and terrors on the road, and the almond tree will blossom, and the grasshopper will drag itself along, and sexual desire will fail, for man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about in the street. 6 Before the silver cord snaps, and the golden fountain is shattered, and the pitcher breaks at the fountain, and the wheel falls shattered into the pit. 7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God, Who gave it. 8 "Vanity of vanities," said Koheleth; "all is vanity." 9 And more [than this], Koheleth was wise, he also taught knowledge to the people; he listened and sought out, he established many proverbs. 10 Koheleth sought to find words of delight and properly recorded words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like well-fastened nails with large heads, given from one shepherd. 12 And more than they, my son, beware; making many books has no end, and studying much is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man. 14 For every deed God will bring to judgment-for every hidden thing, whether good or bad. The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man.
Sukkot erreta:
The sentance, "The following day, the Seventh Day Assembly, is analogous to the end of a big sleepover party at which the guests, when they are about to leave for home, are asked by their host (in this case God) to stay another day," should read:
The following day, the Eighth Day Assembly, is analogous to the end of a big sleepover party at which the guests, when they are about to leave for home, are asked by their host (in this case God) to stay another day.
4/27/2009
Deannie wrote: "We were so blessed and all the kids enjoyed that much more than Easter (despite the lack of candy). They all said they felt a much greater appreciation for Jesus than ever before. They were amazed at God's design of the feasts, His perfect timing and attention to detail."
I am delighted that you have discovered yet another aspect of God's great wisdom.
Peace and even more blessing,
Len
4/27/2009
Shavuot – Festival of Weeks
I have fallen into the trap for which I criticized Joyce; spending lots of space and time on holy days that are moths away. Now that I see how easy it is to become wrapped up I owe Joyce an apology.
However, Deannie brought me back to this season with her mention of Pesach – Passover. That ended a few weeks ago but the next holy day, Shavuot, is on the immediate horizon. As you will see, Shavuot is not an independent holy day but has a close connection to Passover.
Shavout has an alternate nameL: "Z'man Matan Torataynu" (The Season of the Giving of Our Torah). The Mt. Sinai encounter occurred the morning after the seventh week, at dawn, following the Exodus. Shavuot is, in this sense, connected to Passover and is considered by many to represent the culmination of the Passover season; hence, the name, “Weeks.” The significance of the connection is that freedom, per se, is a problematic gift unless it is accompanied by transcendent meaning and purpose. These were provided at Sinai where political liberation was transformed to spiritual dedication.
In the Code of Jewish Law, the amount of material on Shavuot is minimal; less than that for any other major holy day. This is because, of all the festivals, Shavuot is unique in that it lacks a particular ritual symbol. Passover has matza, Succoth the succah as well as the etrog and lulav. Rosh Hashana has the shofar (ram's horn), and Yom Kippur is associated with fasting. The nature of, and treatment, of these symbols occupies much of the festivals.
For Shavuot, however, the symbol is the Torah itself. "Incorporation of an alternative symbol might have conveyed the impression that it was the way to honor the Torah, whereas the Torah should be studied and applied to peoples' daily lives throughout the year. It should be applied in the home and in the workplace as much as in the synagogue. Accordingly, the tradition decided not to cloud Shavuot with a holiday-specific symbol so as to focus on the centrality of Torah. It is Torah, not ethnicity, which has enabled Jews to survive as a people for thousands of years. Without Torah Jews would not be a people and Judaism not a religion."
We mark the seven-times-seven intervening days by formally counting each one, in accordance with Lev 23:15, much as one does when anticipating an exciting event. As the event approaches the excitement intensifies to the point that sleep becomes impossible the night before.
The Torah was given in a no-man’s land, the desert of Sinai, rather than in the promised land. The Jewish Sages reasoned that the purpose was to emphasize that the Torah did not belong to Jews alone but is available for all people. A world that is a desert, with respect to law, can be transformed into a garden of harmony among peoples by following the Guide of Guides of human relationships.
In the same vein, the story of Moses’ father in law, Jethro, and the Book of Ruth, both of which are traditionally read on Shavuot, emphasize universal themes. Jethro and Ruth were not born Jews. Both, however, came to worship the God of Israel, who is also the God of all humanity. According to the Bible, the Messiah will be descended from Ruth, the convert, who was the great grandmother of King David.
In Hebrew, numbers are written with the letters of the alphabet. The Hebrew name of Ruth is equivalent to the number 606. Ruth was a convert who voluntarily added the Jewishly mandated commandments to herself. Beginning with the seven Noahite laws, incumbent on all mankind, and adding 606, she ended up observing the 613 incumbent on Jews.
The last verse of the Jewish Scriptures (in 2Chronicles) features King Cyrus, also a non Jew. “Thus said King Cyrus of Persia: Lord, God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and has charged me with building Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any one of you of all His people, Lord his God be with him and let him go up (2Chron. 36:23).” As Rabbi Benjamin Blech has written, “When the non-Jewish king, Cyrus, proclaims God as the God of Heaven and of earth, the Scriptures may come to their proper conclusion. ... That recognition marks the dawn of the day when the Lord of Israel will in fact be the One God of the entire world, as recited for generations in the [‘Hear O Israel] prayer.”
Reflections:
Oct 6, 2005 ABC News Online Scientists Recreate Deadly 1918Spanish Flu ... vials contained in secure labs.
Jan 24, 2006 Halliburton Awared HS Contract .. "contract may also provide migrant detention support to other governmental organizations in the event of an immigration emergency".
4/26/08 Mexico epicenter of deadly swine flu.
What defines an "immigration emergency"?
Ok I am really having a problem with this... anybody else feel the same way?
100 days in office, coronated Messiah
http://raycleveland.org/
S"N"MI
This morning I posted a link to another site showing a photo of Obama with the crown of thorns, etc... yup, I got a problem with the whole painting! Is the black curtain being pulled away, or drawn closed?
Anon 10:07
JV and VW, I’m no symbolism expert. In fact, I’m not an expert in anything. I’m just trying to keep my eyes open and prepare for these evil days. I do still read the comments here occasionally, though I don’t find I have much to add anymore without repeating myself.
Regarding the 9-11 "female anatomy sculpture”….seems to me you’ve already done plenty of research. The only thing I can add is that the Eye of Horus, a symbol, which I believe, figured prominently in the Obama campaign, and the EU, is also commonly depicted shedding a teardrop. But what matters these symbolic “coincidences”?
By the way, has anyone opened up the “continuity of government” (PDD 51) file at the FEMA website? Looks to me like a “Phoenix” has officially replaced the American eagle as an American icon, at least on the document’s cover page. And if I’m not mistaken, those white stars on the familiar blue background, are all turned upside down. This symbolic “change” seems appropriate to me, and perhaps quite timely, but that’s just my own perspective.
Here’s the link where you can see the FEMA symbols, and, if you’re so inclined, also read the very dry government speak continuity of government (martial law preparation) document:
www.fema.gov/pdf/about/offices/fcd1.pdf
I opened up the FEMA website because I was doing research on the “swine flu” outbreak.
I am keeping a close eye on the government’s reaction to this brand new genome (as sequenced by the CDC), which has been found to contain a cocktail combination of four different flu strains from three separate species. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it had been “created” specifically for times like these.
But back to symbols….
Was anyone watching Fox News this afternoon? Specifically the clip of Obama’s trip to Mexico, which aired around 3:05 PST. The topic was “swine flu”, and if Obama had, or had not been in contact with a man who has since died of a flu like “pneumonia”. I am curious to see if anyone else saw the shot of Obama seated at a conference table, with the Mayan calendar hanging on a wall directly behind him? The calendar’s central and very demonic sun symbol was clearly visible directly over Obama’s head. I guess it’s just a coincidence that this particular “decorative Mexican artwork” was hanging on the wall. Again, such a background has no real symbolic or prophetic overtones, at least nothing that could be considered offensive like that terrible IHS symbol at Georgetown.
As for me, my television days are numbered. Am turning DISH network off at the end of this month. I can’t handle the lewd programming and downright evil advertising. You might say I’m practicing going off grid.
Here’s something totally unrelated….
Sun Bear’s end times vision mirrored the last book of the Bible, with one difference being that an alternative set of “enlightened” earthy folks are the ones who are “saved”. For those who are curious, this is what Sun Bear said would happen during this time of "earth changes"...
http://www.wovoca.com/prophecy-ojibwa-sun-bear-many-smokes.htm
As for me and my house, we are waiting on the return of our Messiah, (spelled with a capital "M"!)
Rich,
You are absolutely right. It certainly seems to be a crisis in the making. I'm not so sure how serious this flu really is, but from the tone of the media, WHO, and our government, they're playing it up like it is the illness they've been waiting for.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/med_swine_flu
Apparently, it could affect the economy negatively, yet keeping that crisis going.
I read a thing on some blog about the Web Bot predictions for this year. To me the Web Bot is nothing but giant fortune cookie and you can't even eat it. However, it is predicting a total collapse of the dollar this year.
To oldmanoftheski @ 9:17
I want to thank you so much for your wonderful words of wisdom. They are invaluable in these very "dark" times we are living in and a tremendous help to us who are trying to discern these New Age symbols.
Dear Oldmanoftheski,
Thanks for your info!
Good to hear from you.
I would have to agree with you re: cable TV. I have so many channels permanently blocked that the cable guy remarked about it when he came to fix a problem recently. He wondered why we even pay for cable. I told him because of the Food Network, HGTV, and sports (for the husband) that's about it. :-)
Yes, I have noticed the increase
in "messianic" symbolism surrounding BO.
I have a few friends that are absolutely convinced that he is the AC, with all of this "exhaltation" of him. I'm waiting for the "abomination that causes desolation" before making the final call on all of the opining.
Thanks alot for the FEMA link. Very interesting info.
Just wanted you to know that you're missed. You always have interesting insight.
By His Grace,
-SV
Oldmanoftheski:
Good to hear from you and really appreciate your input. I've given much thought to one of your posts from a few months ago and it affected my thoughts about continuing research/posting the latest find on symbolism, NA news of whose who, etc. Even though I feel it is relevant information - sometimes it seems to me it is a cyber version of "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic". As you said - what does it matter with the symbols - the writing is on the wall.
God bless you - as we await Jesus the Messiah.
VW
From the "Last Trumpet Newsletter"
"For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" - I Cor. 14:8
http://tinyurl.com/d6vco5
___________________________________
Below are a couple of quote from the above source that I thought was worthy to post...
____________________________________
"In a recent interview on the program "60 Minutes," Steve Kroft interviewed President Obama, primarily regarding the U.S. economy. During the interview Mr. Obama stated the following: "I believe the global financial system remains at risk of implosion with the failure of Citigroup or AIG, which could touch off an even more destructive recession and potentially depression." When Obama made these and other such statements, he was continually smirking, chuckling, and laughing, which stunned Steve Kroft. Kroft said to the President, "You're sitting here and you are laughing. You are laughing at some of these problems….are you punch-drunk?" Obama replied by laughing again and said, "No, no. There's gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day." (10) There you have it! Our economy is crumbling, America is choking on debt and going down for the last time, our major corporations are down for the count, millions of Americans are out of a job and are losing their homes, families are being separated and destroyed, and Obama laughs at it all and calls it "gallows humor." It is a sad fact that our nation is on the gallows, blindfolded, and with a noose around the neck; and our President is laughing as he prepares to pull the lever!"
__________________________________
"On March 23rd, 2009, Almighty God made a direct statement against abortion, which was nothing short of a miracle. On that day, an airplane crashed into a cemetery near Butte, Montana. On board the chartered plane were the family and friends of Dr. Irving (Bud) Feldkamp, and there were no survivors. Dr. Feldkamp of northern California was waiting at the entrance of an ultra-exclusive ski resort for everyone on the plane to arrive, so they could join him there. Dr. Feldkamp and his family were heavily involved in the abortion industry. Feldkamp is the owner of the largest chain of abortion clinics in America, and his clinics all perform late-term abortions. He became filthy-rich and a multi-millionaire from blood money from the slaughtering of babies. The truly amazing part of this is that the cemetery where the plane crashed was unique in one special respect. This cemetery contained a special monument that was set up by pro-life and anti-abortion groups, and the monument carried the inscription "The Tomb of the Unborn." It is there that the plane crashed, and all fourteen people on board perished. (41)"
________________________________
Don't have time to respond to all of Len's comments on Shavuot, as I am traveling, and not on my computer, but I do want to make a few comments..
Shavuot was for all Israel, so it's confusing to call it a Jewish holiday, but that's a side note..God gave Torah to all Israel and the mixed multitude who left Egypt with them..
Joyce
I always want to be clear and say that Jews are 2 1/2 tribes of Israel, so that we don't obscure the fact that the other tribes were not called Jews in the Bible, but it has become tradition later on to refer to them as Jews.. This troubles me because they were not associated with Judah and went into exile, so to call them Jews is inaccurate. They never accepted Judaism which came later.. The Northern Kingdom was exiled around 820 bc and the Judah, the Southern Kingdom, around 536 bc, so the brotherhood between Judah and House of Israel was broken:
Zech 14 Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
This is quite clear from a number of texts, and what is also clear is that there is no time in history where they have corporately been reunited.. I think Len will agree with me on this part.
So these feasts are intended for All Israel and all those who attach to Israel, like the Ruths and Rahabs and other foreigners who dwell among Israel.. As for Noachide laws, I am not going to get into that right now, but I utterly disagree with this notion..rabbis have made this up, but Noachide laws do not exist in the Bible. I'll just quote from Yeshua:
Matthew 5:19
19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least (A)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
...Yeshua was very, very clear...He also said not one jot or tittle of His Word would pass away, so who are we going to believe Yeshua or the Talmud?
Now another interesting point about Shavuot..Three thousand were slain when Torah was given at Mt. Sinai, but on the Shavuot after Yeshua, the Passover Lamb was slain, and He told His disciples to pray and that they would receive power from on high, the Ruach HaKodesh ( Holy Spirit) was given and 3000 were saved.
Yeshua is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. God spoke, so from His breath ( wind, breath is the meaning of the word "ruach") the world was created.
Mary or Miriam's pregancy was also supernatural, but let's look at Yeshua's conception:
4Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
Luke 1:35The angel answered and said to her, "(AR)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (AS)the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason (AT)the holy Child shall be called (AU)the Son of God.
Look at Mary's song of praise, and she is prophetically speaking of All Israel. This is a song, very similar to that of Miriam ( Moses' sister or Deborah the prophetess)or Hannah, in 1Samuel.
6And Mary said:
My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
"For (BE)He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. "For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.
He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones,And has exalted those who were humble.
HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent away the rich empty-handed. "He has given help to Israel His servant,In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers,To Abraham and his descendants forever."
Miraculous births in the Scriptures are common.. There was Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary ( Miriam).. Let's look at the song of Hannah, and you will see that even though she was talking about giving birth to the Prophet Samuel, prophetically she was hinting at even more than that:
1 Samuel 2
Hannah's Song of Thanksgiving
1Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
"My heart exults in the LORD;
(B)My horn is exalted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2"(D)There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3"Boast no more so very proudly,
(G)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(H)For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4"(J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But the feeble gird on strength.
5"Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
(L)Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6"(N)The LORD kills and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7"(P)The LORD makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low, He also exalts.
8"(R)He raises the poor from the dust,
(S)He lifts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He set the world on them.
9"(V)He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
(X)For not by might shall a man prevail.
10"(Y)Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
(AA)The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And will exalt the horn of His anointed."
I'll let you find the connections between these miraculous births, but Anna in Luke 2, would be called Hannah in Hebrew.. These women understood the promises to unite Israel, all Israel. Judah, Israel and the those that dwell with them..
Just a hint. Anna, from the book of Asher is the only member of the Northern Kingdom identified in all of the Apostles writings until you get to the book of Revelations, which is total restoration.. Hannah, in 1 Samuel received the double portion from her husband Elkanah who was from the tribe of Ephraim (the tribe that was the leader of the Northern Kingdom and whose name is used to refer to the 10 tribes at times, in the same way that Judah represents Judah, Benjamin, Levi)
There's a mystery here that most overlook.. Yeshua came for the lost sheep of the House of Israel, who were scattered in the nations. He came to bring the shalom to the brothers. Of course He came to redeem all of mankind, those that will call on Him, but first and foremost for His lost sheep.
When the Ruach was poured out on Shavuot there were men from every nation, speaking different languages, Jews and others..so who are these others..? Remember they were there to celebrate Shavuot, one of the 3 pilgrim feasts of Torah.. They were Jews, god- fearers and converts, and they might have been those from the 10 tribes...
The point is someone who wasn't interested in the God of Israel would have had no reason to be in Jerusalem for Shavuot..These were people that had already attached themselves to the God of Israel, and were now receiving His Ruach.. Let's look at the definition of the renewed or newer covenant, remembering that the covenant that God gave was going to be improved upon:
1"(A)Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a (B)new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32not like the (C)covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I (D)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (E)covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
33"But (F)this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "(G)I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and (H)I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Israel, both houses broke the covenant that God made with them..
Zech 11:10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
He was going to have to renew it or make it better, and how did He do this, through the death of Yeshua, who shed His blood so that our sins would be cleansed at the mercy seat in heaven, once and for all. Through this, Yeshua would redeem Israel ( both houses) and the nations who would attach themselves to Him. This covenant would now be written on our minds ( leb-in hebrew).
God, who spoke the world into creation, and who was all the fulness of diety in bodily form, and who poured out His Ruach on Shavuot, so that Torah could now be put on our MINDS...This is the New/Newer/Renewed Covenant that is first and foremost with Israel, but was always intended for the nations too..so that He could restore what was broken in the Garden.. There was no other way, except for the second Adam to come, the only one who could swallow up sin and death. He became sin for us, so that we could be the righteousness of Yeshua..
Heb 8:But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the (N)mediator of (O)a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
The giving of Torah on Mt.Sinai is intimately linked to the giving of the Holy Spirit when God would put Torah on our hearts..
Sorry about the long post..and I don't know when I'll be back to respond to the comments this is sure to generate from Len.
The creation spoken into existence, by the Ruach, the Torah given at Mt. Sinai, Yeshua, the Torah, the Word became flesh, finally His Spirit given to us, so that Torah would now be written on our mind. There would be no more Temple or Holy of Holies with the ark of the covenant and the tablets ( the tablets had already been missing for a long time, and the temple would be destroyed in 70 a.d., but we would be the Temple of the Living God...
The covenant was broken and would have to be renewed by God Himself. Judah must come to teshuvah and cry out to the Living God...and He will restore them..Yeshua on the night, He was to be betrayed, quotes from this section of Zechariah:
31Then Jesus said to them, "You will all (AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, '(AM)I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE (AN)SCATTERED. ( See Zech 13) He is also the one sold for 30 pieces of silver in Zech 11.. and buried in the potter's field.
The covenant could only be renewed by God, when it would be written on our minds, through the giving of the Ruach Hakodesh, an everlasting covenant with a far better priesthood, the priesthood of Yeshua Himself.
For those who can see these connections..I hope you are blessed by how amazing God's Word is..I hope it encourages you, as it does me.
Joyce
S’N’MI,
I didn’t hear of the two reports you posted (2:11 AM), but found them illustrative of the shallowness of men and the poetic justice of God, either in design or in permissive will.
Thanks for your contribution.
New swine flu feared to be weaponized strain
By Wayne Madsen
Online Journal Contributing Writer
Apr 27, 2009, 00:12
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According to two mainstream media journalists, one in Mexico City and the other in Jakarta, who spoke to WMR on background, they are convinced that the current outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in Mexico and some parts of the United States is the result of the introduction of a human-engineered pathogen that could result in a widespread global pandemic, with potentially catastrophic consequences for domestic and international travel and commerce.
The journalists have been told by top officials of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) about the grave dangers posed by the new and deadly swine flu strain, known as A-H1N1. This flu, never before seen by scientists, has already killed up to 68 people in Mexico and has forced the cancellation of public events, including sports matches and concerts, and the closure of schools, libraries, and museums. Eight cases have been reported in Texas and California. Doctors are examining several students at a Queens high school in New York who displayed symptoms similar to those experienced by swine flu patients in Mexico.
Our Mexico City source said a top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, concluded that H1N1 possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest that the new flu strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon. The UN expert believes that Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the current A-H1N1 swine flu virus are biological warfare agents.
Past swine flu outbreaks have been spread from pigs to humans, who then passed the flu on to other humans. However, with A-H1N1, there have been no reported infections of pigs. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), A-H1N1 has gene segments from North American swine, bird and human flu strains and a segment from Eurasian swine flu. Costa Rica, Brazil, and Peru have issued alerts to check all incoming passengers from Mexico at border crossings, airports, and seaports for symptoms of the swine flu.
WHO is convening an emergency session of its top medical experts in Geneva and is set to declare H1N1 a “public health event of international concern.” It is reported that WHO will recommend travel restrictions to and from areas where the flu has been reported, including Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosà and Oaxaca.
Our Jakarta source said WHO officials are afraid that the presence of gene segments from dreaded H5N1 bird flu in the A-H1N1 swine flu strain could mean that the new swine flu strain was engineered to “jump species.”
WMR has been informed that the CDC and U.S. Army dug up the body of an Inuit woman who died in 1918 in Brevig Mission, Alaska from an outbreak of Spanish flu. The influenza pandemic that year killed up to 100 million people worldwide in an 18-month period. Brevig Mission saw 72 of its 80 residents die within five days, the worst case recorded anywhere in the world. WMR has been told the genetic material recovered by the U.S. government from the corpse of the Inuit woman provided the basis for the development of the H5N1, or bird (avian), flu strain at the U.S. Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the point of origin for the Ames strain of anthrax used in the 2001 bio-war attacks against the U.S. Congress and the media.
The fear in Asia is that if the A-H1N1 pandemic spreads to the United States, travel to and from the country will be all but shut down.
The following are the symptoms associated with A-H1N1:
· cough
· fever
· sore throat
· shortness of breath
· muscle and joint pain
The drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are seen as the most effective against A-H1N1.
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4631.shtml
Hi Setterman... here are the sources for that post..
On the plane crash of Dr Irving Feldkamp:
http://tinyurl.com/cbo9eg
and on the Obama newscast
http://tinyurl.com/cbcozp
I follow the "Last Trumpet Newsletter" By David J. Meyer has some insights on world events I find valuable so I though I would pass on a couple of the paragraphs...
His newsletter can be found here..
http://tinyurl.com/d6vco5
David J. Meyer is pastor of Truth Tabernacle, a totally independent Bible-believing Christian church which he founded in 1974, located in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Sara
4/28/2009
Dear Joyce,
If you knew a family, say the Smith’s, and Mr. Smith died, would you say that the remnant of the family can no longer be called Smiths?
That would be absurd. Yet this is the very “logic” you pile on the dead horse that you keep beating when you insist that the Jews are no longer Israel because 10 tribes were lost back when. There were 12 tribes of Israel. Each and any of the 12 are entitled to be called Israel.
That is not the only phony “logic” in your arsenal. You are full of it.
You are trying to convince people that religiously legal interpretations made subsequent to Sinai, or subsequent to the loss of the 10 tribes, are invalid. That is like saying the US Supreme Court’s decisions should not be accepted because they were not accepted by George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.
You may recall that, soon after the Decalogue at Sinai, Moses was wearing himself out as magistrate settling disputes (Ex. 18:13-16). His father in law (a Gentile, BTW) suggested that he set up an organization to help (Ex. 8:17-26). Moses did *not* respond: "No; that would be making up our own traditions and customs and replace them for God's word." Moses thought Jethro's advice good and followed it, delegating authority to others for deciding what God's written word meant.
Then God said to Moses, "Come up to The Lord, with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel." The Sanhedrin was instituted by Moses himself (Ex. 24:1), pursuant to God 's direction. "Sanhedrin" is the Greek word for the Hebrew "zekaynim," meaning elders, used in this verse. And, in Num. 11, "[Moses] gathered seventy of the people's elders and stationed them around the tent, Then The Lord came down in a cloud and spoke to him; He drew upon the spirit that was on [Moses] and put it on the seventy elders." (Vs. 24-25) What kind of God-given authority did these elders have?
"You shall appoint magistrates (or judges) and officials and they shall govern the people with justice." (Deut. 17:18)
This is exactly what the Sanhedrins were, with the Great Sanhedrin of 71 elders being the equivalent of the Supreme Court, sitting over a time span of many hundreds of years. The Talmud is the result of their adjudications; ie, the Supreme Court's deliberations, including the minority as well as majority opinions. All these judgments became what is known as the Oral Law. They all derive from Sinai and, it is said, that God gave Moses the entire Oral and written law at that time. This means that the Oral Law is nothing more than an explanation and elaboration for the Written Law. This is similar to the way the US works. The courts are co-equal to the executive and legislative branches of government, and they decide what the law means when there is disagreement.
"If a case is too baffling for you to decide you shall promptly repair to the place that The Lord your God will have chosen and appear before the levitical priests or the magistrate *in charge at the time*, and present your problem. When they have announced their verdict in the case, you shall carry out the verdict that is announced to you from the place that The Lord chose, observing scrupulously all their instructions to you. You shall act in accordance with the instructions given you and the ruling handed down to you; you must not deviate from the verdict that they announce to you either to the right or to the left. Should a man act presumptuously and disregard the priest ... or the magistrate, that man shall die. Thus will you sweep out evil from Israel." (ibid., 17:8-12)
Most people do not connect these verses with the Talmud. it is easy to misunderstand the written law. It is, in many places, very general rather than very detailed. For example, exactly what constitutes murder? What if it's accidental? What if injury, not death, was intended? What if death was intended, but the wrong person died? What if someone dies because of my carelessness, rather than my intent to commit harm? If two of us are wandering in a desert, and there is only water for one, has the survivor murdered the other?
How should one observe the Sabbath? Should one avoid "work" in the physicist's sense of the word? In the labor economist's sense? Is it "work" if one enjoys doing it? If I do it without pay, is it "work"? If a priest works, is it work? The commandment is very vague, as are many others.
Some laws are even written in ways that appear to contradict their true meaning; "an eye for an eye" for example, which was always interpreted to mean monetary compensation, but which on a surface reading seems to call for physical revenge of the cruelest sort. In Deut. 12:20-27, where we are given permission to slaughter animals and eat meat outside the context of sacrifice, v. 21 says we may slaughter "as I [God] have commanded you" but that command giving instructions for the method of slaughter is nowhere to be found in the *written* Torah; the instructions are detailed in the oral law. Yet the written Torah says explicitly that we are to slaughter following the rules we have been given, referring to the rules of slaughter given only in the oral law.
Finally consider Daniel, who would not eat the king's food or drink his wine (Dan. 1:8), and said his prayers thrice daily while facing Jerusalem. (Dan. 6:11) Where did he learn all this? It is not in the Pentateuch but it is in the Oral Law.
The sages of blessed memory were following God’s command by interpreting things for people that they did not understand. While I don't usually use Jesus as a citation, he himself said, "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. (Matthew 23:2&3)" Isn't it ironic that some Christians accuse Jews of making things up about the Torah when they do not follow it whatsoever???
Len
4/28/2009
Joyce has harped on the new covenant before and I responded. She has done so again so I will repeat my response for those who missed it the first time.
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.(Jer 31:31)
First, the new covenant is specifically for Jews; "the house of Israel." Not only is it designed for Jews -- but it will in fact be fulfilled in the Jewish people. Therefore a predominantly Gentile religion cannot possibly be in any respect a fulfillment of this.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
Furthermore, Israel cannot possibly break this new covenant -- period. To say that you have the new covenant and that the Jews do not is a blatant contradiction of this verse. You are, in fact, telling them that they are in violation of a covenant that (according to this verse) they cannot possibly violate.
33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Now -- it is not the church who will be God's people according to this passage, but Israel. If you want to find this new covenant... whenever it comes Israel will have it. If Israel does NOT have it, then it hasn't come.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Further -- the very fact that Christians evangelize is proof that the new covenant has not come. Christians tell Jews to "know the LORD", but when the new covenant comes evangelism will no longer exist. And it is God the Father who will remove sin; no one else.
35 This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name:
36 "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."
37 This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD.
(NIV)
Israel cannot be rejected. They cannot stop being the people of God -- because God will never stop being the God of this people. Will Israel sin? Will they make mistakes? Of course they will -- but God will always discipline and correct them. He will do this himself, and needs no help from anyone else.
On the subject of Israel's being punished, the Bible is full of such incidents. This makes it believable. Jew2s do not hide our dirty linen. But God says He will redeem Israel notwithstanding. This is the meani9ng of Isaih Ch. 53 where the gentil;e kings expresss shock at the thought just as Joyce expresses disbelief. It is confirmed in the next chapter, 54:
6 For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God. 7 "For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you. 8 With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord. 9 "For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you. 10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you. 11 O poor tempestuous one, who was not consoled, behold I will set your stones with carbuncle, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires. 12 And I will make your windows of jasper and your gates of carbuncle stones, and all your border of precious stones. 13 And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord, and your children's peace shall increase. 14 With righteousness shall you be established, go far away from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from ruin, for it will not come near you. 15 Behold, the one with whom I am not, shall fear, whoever mobilizes against you shall defect to you. 16 Behold I have created a smith, who blows on a charcoal fire and produces a weapon for his work, and I have created a destroyer to destroy [it]. 17 Any weapon whetted against you shall not succeed, and any tongue that contends with you in judgment, you shall condemn; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their due reward from Me, says the Lord.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.
Peace ande blessing,
Len
Mathew 23 - in context:
Matthew 23 (King James Version)
Matthew 23
1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
In my own opinion (and others also) the church is not Israel and Israel is not the church - and no - not even if you "spiritualize" it
DouginMI
Len,
Probably don't have time to address all of your points right now, but on the subject of the Jews.. The whole family was never called Jews, they were called Israel, so it's not logical that the 12 tribes are now referred to as Jews. Yehudah was the name derived from the tribe Judah and given to the Southern Kingdom, comprised of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, that dwelt among them.
Now, of course God will not forget His people and He chastens those that He loves. No disagreement there. The means by which God made His newer improved covenant is the blood of Yeshua.. Yes, you are correct in saying it is God who does this. It is God who puts it on the minds of His people.. He has already been doing this since Shavuot 30ce ( apx..) when He poured His Ruach out on the Jews and others from the nations who were gathered in Jerusalem.. That started and has continued for centuries.
The lost sheep of Israel have been receiving this good news for centuries, in the nations and will continue to.. and Judah is also responding to this new message of Torah on the mind, through the Ruach...not all of Judah, yet, but little by little.. No one can do this..It's a work of God.. Salvation is of Him, Yeshua.
We can only pray with you and continue to share the truth.. You are a very smart man, so your intellect might get in the way of you hearing His voice.. but I have confidence that someday you will understand. Spiritual seeing is from Him. It's not intellect, it's not book learning.. It's when He opens the eyes of your heart so that you can see how long and how deep and how wide His love is, that Yeshua laid down His life..
He did for us, what we were incapable of doing for ourselves. He didn't start a new religion. He didn't abolish Torah..He simply gave His life, so that we may have life and have it abundantly.
b'shem Yeshua,
Joyce
CDC is now reporting 64 cases of Swine flu inside the USA 45 of them in New York.
that represents a 225% increase in one day.
For all those determined to not take a vaccine shot for this, as Baxter has been choosen no matter the small mixup a few weeks ago to make the vaccine for this new outbreak.
How to Prepare (Naturally) for Swine or Avian Influenza — Updated
learn how to protect yourself in a pandemic
April 25, 2009
Jonathan Campbell, Health Consultant
Natural Therapies for Chronic Illness & Health Maintenance
Several years ago, various U.S. and U.N. agencies and the Council on Foreign Relations were spreading the word that the Avian Influenza could be as severe as the worldwide Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918, and predicted hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide. Fortunately, that outbreak did not come to pass. This year, however, a severely debilitating swine flu has already stricken more than a thousand people in Mexico and killed as many as 68, with 20 confirmed (as of April 25, 2009).
For people who have weakened immunity and are vitamin C deficient, this influenza likely kills it victims by rapidly depleting ascorbate (vitamin C) stores in the body, inducing scurvy and collapse of the arterial blood supply, causing internal hemorrhaging of the lungs and sinus cavities.
Most people today have barely enough vitamin C in their bodies (typically 60 mg per day) to prevent scurvy under normal living conditions, and are not prepared for this kind of illness. (Vitamin C deficiency is the root cause of high infant mortality and many childhood deaths worldwide; it is the root cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - SIDS.)
The way to prepare yourself and protect your family from this influenza is not a vaccine or anti-viral drug. I strongly recommend that if vaccines and/or anti-viral drugs are offered to you, that you refuse them. These actually reduce your immunity; vaccines contain many toxic components, such as aluminum, mercury, and solvents, and anti-viral drugs interfere with critical body processes. Historical evidence of vaccinations has shown that they actually increase the chances of becoming severely ill. Influenza vaccines in particular are notoriously ineffective and have harmed thousands of people, and there is evidence already that Tamiflu, now being stockpiled for a possible epidemic, is useless against Avian Influenza. The best way to prepare for influenza is by enhancing your immune system and increasing the amount of vitamin C in your body.
The amounts of vitamin C suggested below are perfectly safe. This nutrient is actually produced in the bodies of most animals, in enormous quantities. Only humans, monkeys, and a few other animals must consume it to get enough of it, and most humans get about one-thirtieth (1/30) of the amount they really need. It is necessary for dozens of body processes, such as the building of collagen and the making of antibodies, white blood cells, and neurotransmitters.
The supplements I suggest below can be obtained at good quality supplement stores such as Vitamin Shoppe or at online supplement discounters such as iherb.com, although for the most part the powdered forms can only be purchased from online discounters. Buy good quality supplements such as those made by NOW Foods, Source Naturals, Jarrow, Nature's Way, Vitamin Shoppe (store brand), etc. (These are not endorsements, but suggestions based on my personal experience). For vitamin C, buy ascorbic acid, not the chelated forms such as calcium or sodium ascorbate or Ester-C, because at the acute illness dosages you would be taking too much of these minerals). Do not use drug store supplements. For children, modify the dosages according to the body weight of the child as compared to that of an adult (~150 lbs, 70 kg). For instance, if your child weighs 50 lbs, use 1/3 of the adult dose. Always divide the dosages over the course of the day, taking 1/3 of the daily dose with meals.
1. Begin increasing the amount of vitamin C that you take each day to very high levels, spread over the course of the day, in divided doses taken with meals. Start at 1000 mg per meal, and increase slowly to 2000-4000 mg per meal. (These are adult doses, modify by body weight for children.) Your optimal dose is just below the point where your body complains by giving you mild diarrhea. This is called the "bowel tolerance dose." Such doses are perfectly safe - vitamin C is natural to our bodies and needed for many body processes. Most people don't get nearly enough. Stock up on this vital nutrient - buy ascorbic acid in 1000 mg capsules or in powder form, 1-pound or 3-pound canisters. Mix powder with water or fruit juice. Be sure to take vitamin C with food that will coat your stomach to prevent stomach upset, such as organic soymilk, and to rinse your mouth afterwards to prevent mouth irritation or potential interaction with tooth enamel.
2. Take 6000 mg of the amino acid lysine per day, 2000 mg per meal (adult dose, modify by body weight for children). Lysine is a natural protease inhibitor - it prevents bacteria and viruses from spreading in your body. You can obtain it in tablet, capsule, or powder form. The latter form is the least expensive; buy several pound containers of it.
3. Take a high-potency multivitamin/multimineral tab, and a calcium/magnesium supplement, every day.
4. Drink at least 2 quarts (8 cups, 2 liters) of non-caffeinated liquids per day. Spring water and/or decaffeinated green tea made with spring water are best. Do not drink diet soda or consume anything with aspartame or other artificial sweeteners.
5. Stock up on other anti-viral agents and nutrients: l-proline and l-glycine (amino acids - at least one pound of each, in powder form), turmeric extract capsules, ginger capsules, garlic capsules, 15-mg zinc/1-mg copper capsules or tabs, oil of oregano (Gaia Herbs brand is a good one), decaffeinated green tea extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), and non-gmo or organic soy protein drink concentrate. (Note to expectant mothers: Do not use oregano oil or green tea extract during pregnancy.)
6. In advance (right now), find a chelation or alternative health clinic that is willing to administer 30-gram intravenous vitamin C infusions. This may be necessary if you are stricken by the Avian Flu and find that you cannot keep up with it with the oral dosage. Please contact me at http://www.cqs.com/contact.htm if your clinic needs preparation and administration information.
7. If you do become ill, start increasing your daily vitamin C dosage dramatically - your bowel tolerance dose will rise as it is used to detoxify your body from the virus toxins; it may rise to as much as 100,000 mg (100 grams) per day (adult dose). Take up to 2000 mg per dose, increasing the number of dosages to as many as once per hour. Back off the dosage and frequencey if you get diarrhea. Start taking 12,000 mg of each of l-lysine, l-proline and l-glycine per day, in divided doses. Take 1000 mg oregano, 4000 mg turmeric extract, 4000 mg ginger, 4000 mg garlic, 45 mg zinc/3 mg copper, 1500 mg N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and 2000 mg green tea per day, in divided doses. Increase fluid intake to 3-4 quarts (liters) per day. (These are the adult doses, slightly more or less is OK, modify by weight for children.) Eat small easily-digestible meals complemented with 1/2-scoop soy or whey protein shakes. Continue this regimen until all signs of illness have subsided. If the illness is not controlled by the regimen, obtain a series (2-3 per week) of 30-gram Vitamin C intravenous infusions at a chelation or alternative health clinic, with higher dosages if necessary for pneumonia or previously compromised immunity (e.g., AIDS or CFIDS). (Important: See note above regarding use of this regimen during pregnancy; do not use oregano oil or green tea during pregnancy.)
8. If you are currently taking Lipitor or another cholesterol-lowering (statin) drug, stop taking it immediately. These drugs are very damaging to the immune system. The above vitamin C and lysine regimen will (through a completely different mechanism) naturally balance your cholesterol and protect you from heart disease. If you continue to take a maintenance dose of 6000 mg of vitamin C and 6000 mg of lysine per day, you will never need to take statin drugs ever again. For more information on this, see http://www.cqs.com/lipitor.htm for an article about statin side effects. If you have any other kind of heart or blood pressure problem, see the article http://www.cqs.com/cvstherapy.htm.
9. You must take the regimen above every day, consistently. After the danger period has passed, I recommend that you continue the regimen at the level of 6000 mg vitamin C and 6000 mg lysine per day (adult dose, modify by weight for children). You will enjoy better health, lose fewer days to illness, and protect yourself against heart disease. (If you choose not to continue the regimen, please taper off gradually.) Use your stocks of anti-viral nutrients for any illness you may encounter.
If you or a member of your family have any kind of serious or chronic disease, or you are looking for a long-term regimen to maintain health, I urge you to look at the Natural Therapy Virtual Clinic website, http://www.cqs.com
References
Campbell J. A Simple Preventive and Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). http://www.cqs.com/cvd.htm Littleton, MA 2003
Campbell J. Eradicate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Now! http://www.cqs.com/sids.htm Littleton, MA 2004
Campbell J. Lipitor, Neuromuscular Degeneration, and Recovery. http://www.cqs.com/lipitor.htm Littleton, MA 2004
Campbell J. An Effective Natural Therapy for AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). http://www.cqs.com/aidstherapy.htm Littleton, MA. 2003
Cathcart R. Vitamin C, Titrating to Tolerance. Medical Hypotheses, 7:1359-1376, 1981.
Cathcart R. Preparation of Sodium Ascorbate for IV and IM Use. Los Altos, CA
Cathcart R. Treatment of the flu with massive doses of vitamin C. Los Altos, CA
Levy T. Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, Diseases, & Toxins - Curing the Incurable. Xlibris Corporation, 2002.
Rath M. Why Animals Don't Get Heart Attacks...But People Do! Fremont, CA, MR Publishing, 2003.
Rath M, Cancer. Cellular Health Series. Fremont, CA: MR Publishing, 2001.
Rath M. The Heart. Cellular Health Series. Fremont, CA: MR Publishing, 2001
Stone I. Eight Decades of Scurvy. The Case History of a Misleading Dietary Hypothesis. Presented at the Conference On controversies In Human And Clinical Nutrition, Boston University School of Medicine, Hyannis, Massachusetts, Hyannis, Massachusetts. July 16, 1978
http://standeyo.com/NEWS/09_Health/09027.prep.4flu.naturally.html
Dear Joyce,
If you want to call me an Israe3li, that is fine too.
My name is Leonard but somee call me Len, Lenny, even Stinky.
But don't calll me late for lunch.
You should complain to Netenyahu and te4ll him to rename his country "Judah."
Len,
You could almost do a stand-up comedy routine. I still can't stop laughing.
Hi Len,
No, I think Netanyahu has it right...it's Israel.
It's not me that wants to rename it...I think you have that wrong..It's the Palestinians who want to call it something else..
Far as I'm concerned the sooner the tribes come back from exile and realize who they are, and the sooner Judah recognizes Yeshua is the one who came to bring shalom and make the two sticks one, we'll be in business...
Shalom in Yeshua,
Joyce
"Marines and Multinational Forces Train in Florida"
http://www.infowars.com/marines-and-multinational-forces-train-in-florida/
Len 4/27/2009
Galatians 4: 21-31
4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Len - you do have a good sense of humor -
The timing of this article published in an energy magazine is timely.
http://tinyurl.com/d7hqbh
All,
I am interested if any one has info regarding the UN, WHO sanctioned food nutritional code due to go into implementation at the end of this year? From what I am reading thus far it doesn't look good, however I assume some one here has to be more up on this than I am.
4/28/2009
Shem quotes Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is
[Ha]gar.
Sounds like replacement theology to me! It is saying that the Torah enslaves its followers.
Quite the contrary! Those without Torah are enslaved by their animal "inclinations." The Torah provides its followers with the tools to rise above their enslavement to the world as it and enables them to rise to the world as it should be.
The great philosopher, Emanuel Kant, wrote extensively about the idea of freedom and will. He distinguished between the willed will and the willing will. The former is the will one has from being a prisoner of our senses; from seeing the world as it is. The latter is true will; that which one exerts to make him and the world as they should be. Willed will is not true will as is willing will.
Kant demonstrated that it is possible to have a universal morality without God. Actually he wrote that the basis of religion must be morals rather than science or theology. He added, however, that these morals must be absolute; not derived from questionable sense-experience, precarious inference or fallible reason.
Kant held that we must find a universal and necessary ethic; a priori principles of morals as absolute and certain as mathematics. He said that the moral imperative needed as a basis for religion must be an absolute, a categorical imperative.
From a Jewish standpoint his argument supports the Torah which we consider to be that objective categorical imperative. Kant, of course, did not see it this way preferring to believe that the categorical imperative could be derived from pure reason. Kant asked what it is that brings the bite of remorse, and the new resolution. His answer is that it is the categorical imperative in us, the unconditional command of our conscience, to “act as if the maxim of our action were to become by our will a universal law of nature.” If Kant lived during present times, he would see that this is an unreliable method for determining morals because people cannot agree. As the Book of Judges says: “In those days there was no king [read universal categorical imperative] in Israel; everyone did as he pleased.” (Jud. 21:25)
50 days after the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt they received the Torah with its 613 commandments. Ostensibly restricting their newly won freedom, the Torah actually provided the means for the former slaves to acquire a willing will to replace their willed will (slave mentality); one they retained after leaving Egypt.
Freedom, by itself, is a hollow benefit unless it is accompanied by a life having transcendent meaning and purpose. These were provided at Sinai where political liberation was transformed to spiritual dedication. While it cannot happen instantly, a person acquires a willing will when he internalizes the Torah, and makes God’s will his own. Such a person then becomes relatively immune to harmful temptations that seduce the average person who has a willed will.
We do have basic instincts just as do the lower animals. However, we are higher than animals, according to Judaism. Animals eat what they want whenever they want; have sex with whom (or what) they want whenever they want.
Humans, created in the image of God, have a higher intellect that carries with it a degree of restraint. Most Jewish laws are intended to separate us from animals in the areas of eating and sex. If you see someone following a basic instinct to slobber over his food, you say, “he is eating like an animal.” If you know someone who is following his basic instinct to be promiscuous, you consider that he “screws like a bunny.”
Liberty, too, has a special meaning for us. Those who follow their every whim are not free at all. In the "Hear O Israel" verses, read by religious Jews twice daily, we are requested not to follow the desires of our heart and eyes that lead us astray. (Num 15:29)
The English poet, John Milton, wrote,
"License they mean when they cry Liberty;
For who loves that must first be wise and good."
Wise and good! In the Jewish tradition, "The beginning of wisdom is reverence for God; good sense to all who have it." Far from putting us in bondage the Torah pointed the way, and still does, toward a joyful, but disciplined, life that avoids the extremes of unbridled desire and asceticism. Whenever we read the Torah we therefore say, "The Torah is a tree of life to those who take hold of it, and its supporters are happy."
Peace and blessing,
Len
4/28/2009
Doug wrote: "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
"In my own opinion (and others also) the church is not Israel and Israel is not the church - and no - not even if you 'spiritualize' it."
Dear Doug,
I don't get your point. Please explain further. As far as the first paragraph above, it was lifted from Psalm 118:
26 Blessed be he who has come in the name of the Lord; we have blessed you in the name of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God (the Father), and He gave us light.
We read this psalm on every festival and on the new moon. I have not seen Jesus yet:-)
Regards,
Len
Ahmadinejad Says Iran Preparing New Nuclear Proposal (Update1)
By Bill Varner
April 26 (Bloomberg) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government is preparing to offer the U.S. and European nations an updated version of a one-year-old proposal for talks about its nuclear program.
“We are reconsidering our proposed package,” Ahmadinejad said today in an interview on ABC television’s “This Week” program. He said Iran was “adding new issues” and would make the proposal public “as soon as possible.”
The U.S. and its allies, who didn’t agree to the earlier proposal, say Iran’s uranium enrichment program is a cover for the development of an atomic weapon. Iran, the second-largest oil producer in Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, says its plan is to generate electricity.
Iran, in a May 13, 2008, letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, offered to engage in “just negotiations without preconditions” with the aim of a “comprehensive agreement” on issues including Iran’s nuclear program, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and collaboration to combat terrorism, drugs, illegal immigration and crime.
The U.S., Britain, France and Germany, which have taken the lead in efforts to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment program, balked at Iran’s broad-ranging agenda. They had offered economic benefits such as wider trade and investment in exchange for an Iranian enrichment freeze and international nuclear inspections.
Continued at: http://tiny.cc/iJ18G
Dear JD,
Here are two links that I've searched previously. Lots of info on the OCA site and they have a forum with hot topics and such to browse through. Not sure if it helps you, but thought I'd share what I have.
Link Here-
http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/VT5OE
-----------------------------------
Link Here-
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp
Or Here-
http://tiny.cc/JCPUt
By His Grace,
-SV
And JD,
You know me and with my "fair warning" thing, so just an FYI for you, the OCA site has lots of NA, green movement, raw food...you know what I'm talking about. Still has some helpful stuff too, though.
By His Grace,
-SV
Israel's Arab neighbors grasp what the Obama administration won't
By Caroline B. Glick
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | It is a strange situation when Egypt and Jordan feel it necessary to defend Israel against American criticism. But this is the situation in which we find ourselves today.
Conntinued here:
http://tiny.cc/1ItTr
The argument isn't Torah vs no Torah. This is a false dichotomy. Torah, is God's teaching, instructions is the target that we aim for sin is missing the mark, so Torah is good. The argument is about how are we justified.
Through Yeshua's blood we are declared righteous, so the question of being "under law" means under the penalty that Torah prescribes for our sin, or the contrary, being "born-again" new creatures, who are no longer seen dead in our trespasses, but we are declared just by the perfect judge.
Our dna ( just an expression) has been transformed, and we now receive Yeshua's righteousness. This is the crux of the gospel message. It doesn't mean that we are to throw out, or abolish Torah.. This is a historical understanding passed down errantly by the traditional church.
Ro 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c]
The problem isn't the Torah that is bad, the problem is sin living in us, which is why we need to be "born again". Our old man must die, we must be born of the Spirit. We are each appointed to death, but when our "old man" that which was sown corruptible becomes incorruptible in Yeshua..
In ancient times Jews called God, HaMaqom, which means "the place". When we are "in Messiah" "in Yeshua" we are restored to delight ( eden). We were chosen, "in Him" before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.. What does this verse mean? God transcends time, and He wants to restore us to the place of delight, face to face dwelling with HIm.
The Torah is now put on our minds, as we renew our minds with the Word which gives life..so the problem is not Torah or no Torah, the problem is us.. Yes, God created us in His image, but since the Fall our nature is one of sinners.. God is holy, and we cannot be "in Him" if our sin nature is not dealt with.
No matter how hard we try to "control our flesh" we do not succeed. The Torah shows this perfectly. This is why God has to save us.
Ephesians 2 outlines this for us:
But God, being (rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved,and raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved (V)through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
God's intention was to restore us to "the place" in Him.. but before we can be "in Him" we must be holy as He is holy. He had to give us His righteousness. God is a God of grace, but also of holiness, and His justice had to be satisfied, so He being the ultimate just judge, and at the same time holy and incredibly merciful took the penalty that we deserved to overcome the wages of sin, which was death. Our sin still has consequences, but He paid the ultimate price to restore us to Himself. This kind of love is very difficult for man to receive. We always want to earn something ourselves and are not used to resting in Him. This is the real definition of Shabbat. We can cease from our labor because Yeshua accomplished for us, what we could not do.
Salvation is from God, then the good works follow, so Torah is not abolished. It was never designed to save us, just to teach us God's ways and His holiness and to show us how we "miss the mark" the definition of sin is when we break Torah.. That's how we know what sin is.
Israel over and over again is chastised by God because He was like a husband to Israel, but constantly Israel strays... This is why, He came to redeem Israel. Yeshua is from Judah, so God did not reject Israel and replace Israel with "a church". He came for the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel ( this is a specific expression referring to Northern Kingdom) who had been cut off. Their kingdom was done away with after the Assyrian exile.
The plan was that the nations too would come to know God through Israel who was to be a light, but when Israel sinned and did not bring the proper glory to His name through spiritual harlotry ( worshipping the golden calf a second time) God scattered them and mixed them among the nations, so that as the gospel goes out to the four corners of the earth..all Israel will be saved. This is not to exclude the Jews at all, but just to say that God's ways are a mystery.
Romans 11:25-26 (Young's Literal Translation)
25For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret -- that ye may not be wise in your own conceits -- that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fulness of the nations may come in;
26and so all Israel shall be saved, according as it hath been written, `There shall come forth out of Sion he who is delivering, and he shall turn away impiety from Jacob,
The fulness of the nations is the expression in Greek that refers to what the Northern Kingdom/Ephraim had become, the melo hagoyim.
Ephraim was the scattered seed of Israel to be gathered up.
God says He will gather the House of Israel ( Ephraim)
Amos 9:9 (Young's Literal Translation)
9For lo, I am commanding, And I have shaken among all the nations the house of Israel, As [one] doth shake with a sieve, And there falleth not a grain [to] the earth.
This is clear in Hosea:
Hos1:2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "(G)Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for (H)the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD."
Again we see the punishment and the subsequent restoration, then the joining together of both houses, which is why I am very careful to refer to them by their proper names.. This prophecy is obscured by both Christianity and Judaism, although Orthodox Jews are aware of it:
Hos 1:4And the LORD said to him, "Name him (J)Jezreel; for yet a little while, and (K)I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and (L)I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5"On that day I will (M)break the bow of Israel in the (N)valley of Jezreel."
6Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Name her [a]Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer (O)have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.
7"But I will have (P)compassion on the house of Judah and (Q)deliver them by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by (R)bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen."
8When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son.
9And the LORD said, "Name him [b]Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God."
10Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the (S)sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And (T)in the place
Where it is said to them,
"You are (U)not My people,"
It will be said to them,
"You are the (V)sons of the living God."
11And the (W)sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be (X)gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves (Y)one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel.
We can see that Judah ( the Jews) are not all Israel, nor does the Church replace Israel. God has never stopped His dealings with Israel, but sometimes Israel doesn't know who they are..
When Joseph was in Egypt, his brothers did not recognize him.. Until Judah repented for the hurt they had done to their father Jacob/Israel, Joseph did not reveal himself. Joseph, who was to bring shalom to his brothers, did not reveal his identity until Judah had done teshuvah. Judah offered himself in place of Benjamin, another image of Messsiah.
These two become images of Yeshua. Joseph the suffering servant who was betrayed by his own brothers for 20 pieces of silver ( 10 less than Yeshua) and Judah, who offered to be imprisoned in Benjamin's place.. Benjamin was the real brother of Joseph, and when Judah offered himself up, he proved that the jealousy was no longer and he was truly repentant.
The jealousy between the descendants of Leah and Rachel still exists, but look what the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah have to say about this:
8"When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us (X)what you mean by these?'
19say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."'
20"The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.
21"Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will (Y)take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;
22and I will make them (Z)one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and (AA)one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
23"They will (AB)no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but (AC)I will deliver them from all their [c]dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.
Isaiah 11:13
Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
I like the way Zechariah describes it too:
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the LORD their God
and I will answer them.
7 The Ephraimites will become like mighty men,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will signal for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before.
9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them.
11 They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria's pride will be brought down
and Egypt's scepter will pass away.
If we just read the texts, we will see that God has told us the same thing, over, and over, and over again, but our problem is that we don't read what the text says, and we don't believe that He will accomplish what He says.
He will bring ALL Israel back into their land, from the nations where they were scattered and mixed. They will know Yeshua, who is God's salvation and there will be nations that dwell among the tribes of Israel in the Land who will receive an inheritance along with Israel, then all the nations will understand, including Israel, who is the God of Israel.
17And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and he who is hearing -- let him say, Come; and he who is thirsting -- let him come; and he who is willing -- let him take the water of life freely.
God wants to restore us to the place of delight in Him. He is delight, and only through Yeshua's atoning work, when we receive His righteousness can we be restored. This is the good news of what Messiah accomplished, to reverse the curse of the Garden which can not be accomplished by our obedience to Torah. Obedience to Torah is a fruit or outcome of that restoration as we renew our minds with living water of the Word. This is how Torah will be put on our minds in the newer, better improved covenant.
Joyce
Len,
One more thing...the reason you have not seen Yeshua yet is you need to call on Him.
Ex2:23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
Ancient Israel stayed in Egypt for 400 years before their cries went up. I wonder what it's going to take this time around..
Sometimes we overlook the obvious. I think Doug nailed the right passage there..
There's a great song by a Jewish singer, can't think of his name called "Don't Hide from Me". You probably know him, but it is a cry to God to not hide His face, that it's been 2000 years.. He wants to hear His people call on Him..
Shalom in Yeshua,
Joyce
Joyce
Okay his name is Avraham Fried and here are the lyrics. It's very moving, and I would love to tell Avraham, the same thing I said to you:
Don't hide from me, though i know that you are truly there everywhere,
Still in all i cannot see you, don't hide from me
It's been so long since last time saw You smile
Don't hide from me, where's the promise you would take my hand understand,
My life is not complete without You don't hide from me
I need to see You more than ever now,
Two thousand years is a million years to long
to search for the light that I have never known
Chorus:
Show me your face, I need Your embrace
won't You please come out of your hiding place,
Take me on your wing teach me how to sing
The on song the world wants to hear, Oh father dea.
Don't hide from me,
it seems You're hiding more and more each day, why I pray, I keep on looking, you keep hiding,
I feel so alone, I'm calling to You Father please come home.
Two thousand years is a million years to long
to search for the light that I have never known
Show me your face, I need Your embrace
won't You please come out of your hiding place,
Take me on your wing teach me how to sing
The on song the world wants to hear, Oh father dear.
Who would believe the walls of darkness finally have come down all around,
But the walls that stand between us don't want to fall,
Tell me the final secret to it all
don't hide from me, is my one and only plea,
father can't you see i'm calling desperately
Len writes:
"I have not seen Jesus yet"
The "veil" upon your heart is your "willed will" Len.
There fore, you simply Kant.
I'm sure that you remember the Christ like figure of Obama, the one with the thorns on his head? Well the showing is canceled; they say it is because of "The outcry." But I think it just could be "O's" MOCKING reproduction of the 9/11 event that sent thousands scrambling for fear of another attack. (The unveiling would be associated with his incompetence) The signs of the time are everywhere.
'The Truth': D'Antuono Cancels Unveiling of Obama Painting Due to Public Outrage
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=prnw.20090427.NY05949&show_article=1
Hi Len,
I just sought to put the quote that you took out of context - Mathew - into context.
As I read the quotes from Daniel - I also found that they were not exactly as written, at least in the authorized KJV I would use to quote from - personally (again - read - personally) - no accusation just an observation.
You also wrote,
"We read this psalm on every festival and on the new moon. I have not seen Jesus yet:-)"
Hang on Len - it won't be long - you will - then (I think, and also hope) you shall join those who ask "where did you get these scars" and say - "blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord"
I do not support replacement theology Len - maybe that is the question you are asking(?).
And Len - I am not trying to convert you - just have a conversation -
A question for you - how do you read Isaiah chapter 53 - and also Psalm 22?
Your thoughts - noot quotes from authors - other than the L_rd G_.
DouginMI
Contance, check out how they are uniting all religions on one sabbath. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwT5cE00GJY
One is another name for "the one" which is satan in the occult.
4/29/2009
Joyce wrote “The argument isn't Torah vs no Torah. This is a false dichotomy. Torah, is God's teaching, instructions is the target that we aim for sin is missing the mark, so Torah is good. The argument is about how are we justified. “
The whole point of Shem’s Galatians quote was that Sinai, i.e., Torah, leads to bondage. Paul said that Jesus “redeemed us from the curse of the law.” What is your statement above but an attempt to change the subject?
Your “argument” is a Christian one, not a Jewish one. I do the best I can and don’t worry about how I am “justified.” As the Talmud says:
“Do not be like the servants who serve the master for the sake of receiving a reward, but be like the servants who serve the master without the expectation of receiving a reward; and let the fear of heaven be upon you.”
“Hallelujah. Praiseworthy is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly desires His commandments. (Ps. 112:1)
Reward or “justification” is nice but that should not be the main driver of behavior. Jews believe in following the Torah for its own sake. As Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik wrote:
“The World to Come is a tranquil, quiet world that is wholly good, wholly everlasting and wholly eternal, wherein a person will receive the reward for the commandments he performed in this world. However, receiving of a reward is not a religious act; therefore Halakhic man prefers the real world to a transcendent existence because here, in this world, man is given the opportunity to create, act, accomplish, while there, in the World to Come, he is powerless to change anything at all... The task of the religious individual is bound up with the performance of commandments and this performance is confined to this world; to physical concrete reality, to clamorous tumultuous life, pulsating with exuberance and strength.”
That dualism, so prevalent in other religions, which distinguishes between the man who stands before the Lord in an atmosphere suffused with heavy solemnity, and the man driving a hard bargain with his fellow in the marketplace, is totally foreign to Halakha. Man stands before God not only in the synagogue but also in the public domain. 'And you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up (Deut. 6.7)''
Len
4/29/2009
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik zt"l did noit believe in interfaith religious dialogue; only that for social cooperation. But his nephew, Meir, has leapt into the fray with an excellent comprehensive comparison of Christianity and Judaism. I am making it available here with the first section and a link to the rest:
Redemption and the Power of Man
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik
Judaism and Christianity differ on man's moral capacity.
A venerable Jewish anecdote describes a man hired by his shtetl to sit at the outskirts of town and alert his brethren should he see the messiah coming. When asked why he had accepted such a monotonous form of employment, the watchman would invariably reply: "The pay's not so good, but it's a lifetime job." Indeed, waiting for the redeemer of Israel is considered a lifetime job for the Jews. According to the Talmud, Jews are obligated not only to believe in the messiah, but to yearn for his arrival. Thus the list of credos recited daily by many traditional Jews concludes: "I believe with perfect faith in the advent of the messiah, and though he may tarry, I will await his arrival every day."
I
This expectation of a tarrying messiah has always been uniquely Jewish. The Protestant theologian Harvey Cox, who is married to a Jew, marveled at this theological point in a book he wrote describing his experience of the Jewish rituals. In a chapter devoted to his reflections on the Passover seder, Cox describes the tradition of opening the door for Elijah, who, according to the prophet Malachi, will precede the messiah to herald the coming redemption. "If no one is there," Cox notes, "none of the dinner guests seem too upset. From a Jewish perspective, the wait has already been a long one. There are smiles and jokes, maybe in part because the adults have already consumed the seder's requisite four cups of wine. But the light touch cannot fully obscure my recognition that here we come to a great divide."1 For Jews and Christians famously disagree as to the identity of the messiah. Christians argue that Israel's messianic expectations were realized with the birth, life, and death of Jesus of Nazareth; moreover, Christian doctrine asserts that Jesus was divine, God incarnate, and the second person of the divine Trinity. Jews not only argue that the messiah has not yet appeared, but also disagree vehemently with the concept of incarnation. Jewish tradition has always insisted that the messiah will be a human, rather than divine, redeemer, who will restore the Davidic dynasty and defend Israel from its enemies.
All too many Christians and Jews, however, assume that this is the only essential difference between Jewish and Christian eschatology. Cox reflects that "as a child in Sunday school, I was taught that the main difference-sometimes it was put as the only difference-between Jews and Christians was that 'they believe the messiah is yet to come.' I do not recall that this was ever said in a deprecating way. It was just a difference... but nothing more than that."2 Not surprisingly, many texts focus only on this theological distinction in describing the disagreement between Judaism and Christianity. For example, the catechism of the Catholic Church, in its one discussion of post-biblical Judaism, reads as follows: "And when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend toward similar goals: Expectation of the coming (or the return) of the messiah. But one awaits the return of the messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus."3 Similarly, Reinhold Niebuhr, in his book Pious and Secular America, notes that Jews and Christians disagree as to whether the messiah has already arrived, and adds that the issue is only one "of emphasis, but there is no radical contrast."4
It is true that the question of the messiah's arrival is one that will divide Jews and Christians until the end of days. Yet there is a more profound divide in the way Jews and Christians conceive the idea of the messiah. This distinction relates not to whether he has already come, but rather to what part humanity plays in bringing about the messianic redemption, a distinction that reveals very different approaches to the moral capacities of mankind. For Christians, redemption is essentially an act of divine grace, the salvation of a humanity that is incapable of saving itself. For Jews, however, the reverse is true: Redemption depends entirely on the repentance of man, who is responsible for his own fate. As such, the difference in the respective religions' approach to the messiah is, in truth, a difference in the understanding of man's own moral capacity, and of the nature of good and evil itself.
Continued here:
http://tiny.cc/bHPma
4/29/2009
Dear Doug,
Here are the Daniel quotes from the authoritative Judaica Press translation:
Dan. 1:8 Daniel resolved not to be defiled by the king's food or by the wine he drank; so he requested of the king's chief officer that he should not be defiled. 9 God granted Daniel kindness and mercy before the chief officer. 10 And the chief officer replied to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who allotted your food and your drink, for why should he see your faces troubled more than the youths like you? And you will forfeit my head to the king." 11 And Daniel answered the steward whom the chief officer had appointed for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 "Now test your servants for ten days, and let them give us some pulse (legumes) that we should eat, and water that we should drink. 13 And let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be seen by you, and as you will see, so do with your servants." 14 He heeded them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15 And at the end of the ten days, they looked handsomer and fatter than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 And the steward would carry away their food and the wine they were to drink and give them pulse. 17 And to these youths, the four of them, God gave knowledge and understanding in every script and wisdom, and Daniel understood all visions and dreams.
6: 11 And Daniel, when he knew that a writ had been inscribed, came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he kneeled on his knees and prayed and offered thanks before his God just as he had done prior to this.
4/29/2009
Dear Doug,
You asked how I view Isaiah Chap. 53. To give you a complete response I have to introduce 53 with what comes before, and follow it with what comes after. So I beg your indulgence.
Please keep Jewish tragic history in mind while reading Isaiah 53. If you can do this you’ll see the chapter the way we believe it to be intended; a description of God’s suffering servant, Israel. Several chapters leading up to 53 make this obvious. Similarly, several sentences make it clear that 53 is NOT referring to Jesus; that God is not planning for another god to enter history.
ISAIAH’S LEAD-IN
Is 41:8 “But you, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham My friend.”
41:9 “You whom I drew from the ends of the earth and called from its far corners, to whom I said, ‘You are My servant; I chose you; I have not rejected you.”
42:1 “This is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight. I have put My spirit on him. he shall teach the true way to the nations.” If you have any doubt about whom this refers proceed to:
42:6 “I, The Lord, in My grace have summoned you and I have grasped you by the hand. I created you and appointed you a covenant people, a light of nations.” And, two sentances later, Verse 8 belies the claim that Isaiah is about to prophecy the advent of a God incarnate.
42:8 “I am The Lord, that is My Name; I will not yield My glory to another, nor my renown to idols.”
Of the suffering Israel, 42:22 says, “It is a people plundered and despoiled. All of them are trapped in holes, imprisoned in dungeons. They are given to plunder, with none to rescue them; to despoilment with none to say, ‘Give back!’ More in 43:1ff:
43:1ff “Who created you O Jacob, who formed you O Israel: Fear not, for I will redeem you. I have singled you out by name. You are Mine. When you pass through water I will be with you; through streams, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire you shall not be scorched; through flame, it shall not burn you. For I, The Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
43:10-12 “‘My witnesses (note plural form) are YOU,’ declares The Lord. ‘My servant, whom I have chosen. To the end that you may take thought, and believe in Me, and understand that I am He: before Me no god was formed, and after Me none shall exist; none but Me, The Lord. Besides me NONE can grant triumph. I alone foretold the triumph and I brought it to pass. I announced it, and no strange god was among you. So you are My witnesses,’ declares The Lord.”
44:1,2 “Hear now, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!”
44:6,8 “Thus said The Lord, the King of Israel, their Redeemer, The Lord of Hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is NO god but Me.--- There is no other rock; I know none.”
44:21,22 “Remember these things O Jacob, for you, Israel, are My servant. I fashioned you; you are my servant. O Israel, never forget me. I wipe away your sins like a cloud, your trangressions like mist. Come back to me for I redeem you.”
45:4-6 “For the sake of My servant, Jacob, Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I hail you --- I am The Lord and there is NONE ELSE. Besides Me there is NO god.”
49:3,6 “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, Israel, about whom I will boast.’ --- ‘It is too little that you should be My servant in that I raise up the tribe of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel: I will also make you a light of nations, that My salvation may reach the ends of the earth.”
52:4,6,13,14 “‘For thus,’ said The Lord, ‘you were sold for no price, and you shall be redeemed without money. --- Of old, My people went down to Egypt --- but Assyria robbed them, giving nothing in return. --- My people shall learn that I, the One who promised, am now at hand. --- Indeed My servant shall prosper, be exalted, raised to great heights. Just as the many were appalled at him; so marred was his appearance, unlike that of man, his form beyond human semblance.”
After all the above, it is beyond credulity, and defies logic, that Isaiah would suddenly go off in a completely different direction with respect to:
Who the servant is.
52:10 says, “My servant shall prosper.” Did Jesus ever prosper? Israel did during the subsequent reign of Hezekiah, and during other periods. See Is. 61:6-7, below.
That the newly defined servant is to be a god incarnate.
This would be an about face from all the statements that there would be no God but The Lord.
ISAIAH 53
Is. 53 paints the image of Israel suffering for the sins of the other nations, in their eyes. Actually, we do not believe that someone is punished for another’s sins. Isaiah 53:4-5, 10 are therefore metaphoric; it is *as if* Israel was suffering vicariously for the other nations sins. Verse 11 pursues this theme: “My righteous servant makes the many righteous, it is their punishment that he bears.” But God will make it up to Israel for this suffering by giving them the land and causing them to prosper.
ISAIAH’S FOLLOW-UP
If, after all this, there is any doubt about who the righteous servant is, it should be dispelled by 60:21 and 61:6-9: “And your people, *all of them righteous*, shall possess the land for all time; they are the shoot that I planted, my handiwork in which I glory.... you shall be called ‘Priests of The Lord,’ and ‘*Servants of our God*.’ You shall enjoy the wealth of nations and revel in their riches. Because your shame was double -- men cried, ‘Disgrace is their portion’ --Assuredly they shall have a double share in their land... Their offspring shall be known among the nations, their descendents in the midst of the peoples. All who see them shall recognize that they are a stock that The Lord has blessed.”
ISAIAH WORKED OVER DEUT. 32
All this should not be surprising as it confirms the swan song of Moses in Deut. 32, for which Isaiah is a direct parallel. It describes, concisely, the entire story of Israel’s sins, punishment and redemption, just as does Isaiah.
“So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked -- you grew gross and course -- He forsook the God who made him ... They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, gods they had never known, new ones who came but lately (Here’s Jesus; just as in Isaiah. 42:8 and 43:10-12), who steered not your father’s fears... [God] said, I will hide my countenance from them ... I will sweep misfortunes on them ...(Deut. 31:15-25)
“I might have reduced [Israel] to naught, made their memory cease among men, but for fear of taunts of the foe, their enemies who might misjudge and say, ‘Our hand has prevailed...Were [Israel] wise, they would think on this...’How could one have routed a thousand, or put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, The Lord had given them up?’ For their rock is not like our Rock, in our enemies own estimation.” (ibid., 31:26-35)
“For The Lord will vindicate His people and take revenge for His servants, when He sees their might is gone... See that I am He; there is no god beside Me... O nations acclaim His people! For He will avenge the blood of His servants, wreak vengeance on His foes, and cleanse His people’s land.” (ibid., 31:36-43)
Len
4/29/2009
Dear Doug,
You asked how I view Psalm 22. This psalm has been Christianized by mistranslation of certain verses so first let me just provide a proper translation by the authoritative Judaica Press. If you still have more questions I will be glad to oblige:
Psalm 22:
1 For the conductor, on the ayeleth hashachar (a musical instrument), a song of David. 2 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [You are] far from my salvation [and] from the words of my moaning. 3 My God, I call out by day and You do not reply, and at night I do not keep silent. 4 But You are holy; You await the praises of Israel. 5 Our ancestors trusted in You; they trusted and You rescued them. 6 They cried out to You and they escaped; they trusted in You and they were not shamed. 7 But I am a worm and not a man; a reproach of man, despised by peoples. 8 All who see me will mock me; they will open their lips, they will shake their head. 9 One should cast his trust upon the Lord, and He will rescue him; He will save him because He delights in him. 10 For You drew me from the womb; You made me secure on my mother's breasts. 11 Upon You, I was cast from birth; from my mother's womb You are my God. 12 Do not distance Yourself from me, for distress is near; for there is none to help. 13 Great bulls have surrounded me; the mighty ones of Bashan encompassed me. 14 They opened their mouth against me [like] a tearing, roaring lion. 15 I was spilled like water, and all my bones were separated; my heart was like wax, melting within my innards. 16 My strength became dried out like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my palate; and You set me down in the dust of death. 17 For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me, like a lion, my hands and feet. 18 I tell about all my bones. They look and gloat over me. 19 They share my garments among themselves and cast lots for my raiment. 20 But You, O Lord, do not distance Yourself; my strength, hasten to my assistance. 21 Save my soul from the sword, my only one from the grip of the dog. 22 Save me from the lion's mouth, as from the horns of the wild oxen You answered me. 23 I will tell Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. 24 You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all the seed of Jacob, honor Him, and fear Him, all the seed of Israel. 25 For He has neither despised nor abhorred the cry of the poor, neither has He hidden His countenance from him; and when he cried out to Him, He hearkened. 26 Because of You is my praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of those who fear Him. 27 The humble shall eat and be sated; they shall praise the Lord, those who seek him; your hearts shall live forever. 28 All the ends of the earth shall remember and return to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall prostrate themselves before You. 29 For the kingship is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations. 30 They shall eat all the best of the earth and prostrate themselves; before Him shall all those who descend to the dust kneel, and He will not quicken his soul. 31 The seed that worships Him; it shall be told to the generation concerning the Lord. 32 They shall come and tell His righteousness to the newborn people, that which He has done.
OK Len -
Thank you - I appreciate the dialogue
Can you and I agree to disagree - pleasantly?
DouginMI
SV,
Thanks for the links. I had noticed that the only sites with info on this are advocates for "natural foods", which seem to have many NA aspects to them. After pouring over the Codex itself though, I can classify this as a real issue and not just the typical spin. This also sheds new light on the attack on private gardens, which has been discussed at length here. I have to chalk this up to the NA habit of mixing truth with lies.
4/29/2009
Dear Doug,
"Pleasant" is my middle name:-)
If nothing else, I hope you realize that there is a Jewish (Pardon the term Joyce:-) view of Scripture that is consistent and sensible.
Most Christians have no idea of this. My wife's cousin married a Mennonite who told me she never reealized that the Psalms were of Jewish origin till she was in her twenties.
Most Christians think the Old Testament and Tanakh (Jewish Scriptures) are identical. They are not).
Peace and blessing,
Len
Len I had that understanding - and I appreciate your input.
DouginMI
we are now at a level 5.
A level 5 what?
WHO - World Health Organization's Margaret Chan upped the swine flu to a pandemic indicator of Level 5
Fulfilled Prophecy has headlined another most interesting EU/Solana/Israel article:
"EU officials seek to calm row over upgrading Israeli ties"
"Earlier, on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner insisted that Israel must recognise a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict BEFORE ties with Europe can be strengthened.
Javier Solana, the man who "speaks" for Europe, as usual is noted in the background as the calm, negotiator.
http://tinyurl.com/dlhgl3
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1240855322.02
********************************
More on the "sidelines". Last Thursday April 23,2009:
"A meeting is scheduled Thursday in Brussels to revive the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM), frozen since the war in Ghaza, according to a European source in Cairo.
Organized at the initiative of Javier Solana, the chief diplomat of the EU, this informal meeting will attempt to gather again around the table European partners, Arabs and Israeli."
http://tinyurl.com/c2kaa5
http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/980.html
-Rudi
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