My brother is one of the funniest people on the face of the earth! But he is a sweet sort of funny, and not malicious. He knows we have been teaching Benjamin baby signs so that it will be easier to communicate with a pre-verbal toddler. Benjamin has learned more signs since he last saw his uncle. My mother saw my brother recently and he asked her if Benjamin was still going...(and he did the sign for more). My mom told him yes.
Having had a strong willed and high needs son, it has been imperative that we teach him how to communicate his wants and needs appropriately. It was also important for us in the beginning to be able to know what those needs were. Before he was born, I learned of a lady who was on Oprah who discovered that all newborns, regardless of culture or ethnicity, have a language. They make pre-cry sounds that are tied to a certain reflex. They make a sound that expresses the need. For instance, a baby whose pre-cry sounds like "nah" or "neh", is hungry. This pre-cry sound is tied to the sucking reflex, thus the "n" sound in the beginning. And so on. There are pre-cry sounds or "words" for tired, uncomfortable (hot or cold), upper gas, lower gas, and hunger. The research on the baby language is sound and proven and all babies exhibit this language from birth to age 3 months. For more info, Google "Dunstan Baby Language". We are so glad we learned this "baby language" because Benjamin was so fussy and colicky, it was comforting to know we could determine his needs if we listened closely enough. This helped in major ways, such as bonding and helping him to learn to trust that we would meet his needs. This contributed to overall security and well-being.
We also wanted to avoid the "terrible two's" altogether. Being a preemie, we knew there was a possibilty he would be late on all his milestones, including talking. Therefore, we started teaching him baby sign language at about 6 months of age. It has paid off. His first sign was "more", then "cheese", then "banana", then "yogurt". We started accepting approximations to the actual sign. Then we shaped up each sign as he became more proficient with his motor skills. I attended a playgroup where we learned some basic signs for food, etc. I combined this with the limited amount of knowledge of signs I had from working with kids who have autism and need to use signs. From then on, we found that the need for new signs outgrew our knowledge and resources. So I figured we would make up some of our own signs, since it is just us he needs to communicate with right now and he would soon outgrow signing altogether when he starts talking. We made a sign for "nursing". I do not use the sign for "milk" when I want to say "nurse", reserving it for cow's milk one day. We made up a sign for "cracker". It is the word "break", taking both fists and "breaking" them apart (since I break the cracker to give it to Benjamin). Pretty soon, his need for signs outgrew manding (requesting) and we taught him some signs to use for making comments (i.e. 'butterfly'..as in 'I see a butterfly', or 'where is the butterfy?')
I am glad we held off on purchasing an expensive signing curriculum, because after we had decided I was going to homeschool Benjamin, we learned of the "Your Baby Can Read" program. So far, this language and reading program has been worth the investment and I know it will be relevant to Benjamin's growing academic needs. The program is based on the research of Robert Titzer, PhD. The premise of the program is that babies can learn to read at the same they learn spoken language by pairing the two. Babies learn it much easier during the aquisition of language rather than later upon entering grade school, because they are being exposed to it during the time when they experience the most rapid brain development. After the first 3 days of exposure to the program, Benjamin started recognizing the words!
We do our reading program everyday, except for Saturdays which is the Sabbath and we rest from "all regular work", and for Ben, that is school. The program includes DVD's, flashcards, a book, and parent instructions. Benjamin is already on volume 1 after just 3 weeks. We reinforce his learning from the DVD's by reading to him the book and flashcards at night during storytime. We limit tv viewing in our household anyway, but this improves the efficacy of the teaching DVD's. How do I know he enjoys learning this way? Because during the day, if we have not watched his "video" yet, Benjamin walks over to the tv and points to it. I say, "Do you want to watch your video?" and he smiles and laughs. He loves them. And as a parent of a toddler about to embark on the spoken language which will make my life and my son's life more fulfilling and peaceful, I love it too.
**
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Halloween
My husband and I were recently driving through our neighborhood and saw all the various Halloween decorations that were up. Have you noticed how they have gotten way more gruesome just in the last couple of years? Anyway, we just don't happen to celebrate Halloween- I personally know for a fact that witches and warlocks and devils DO exist and I just don't feel like making it seem like "fun" for kids, thus desensitizing them to their reality. Other people might not feel the same way and I respect their opinion at the same time hoping they would respect mine.
My husband, who has a penchant for coming up with just the wisest thing to say at the right time quipped, "When Benjamin is older and he asks why we don't celebrate Halloween, I think I will tell him, 'because we worship the God of the living....not the dead'".
**
My husband, who has a penchant for coming up with just the wisest thing to say at the right time quipped, "When Benjamin is older and he asks why we don't celebrate Halloween, I think I will tell him, 'because we worship the God of the living....not the dead'".
**
Sunday, October 26, 2008
My Story
I recently met up with an old friend online from high school. She read my profile and being from the mid-west, in what is known as "The Bible Belt", she didn't know what a messianic Jew was. Then I realized that I take a lot for granted and perhaps there are many people who do no know what that is. I love talking about my faith and especially the way we choose to live out our faith in my household. So I decided to write a little something on the subject here.
Jewish?
God gave me a Jewish heart many years ago. He placed a deep love in me for Israel and the Jewish people, as well as for learning the Jewish roots of my faith. I also had a question in my mind about whether or not I myself have Jewish ancestry. Ya know, God keeps track of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knows our DNA. He is in covenant with them due to His love for our father, Abraham. But being Jewish is more than a religion. It is more than a race. Those many years ago when I questioned if I had Jewish ancestry, I received a dream in which God spoke and answered in the affirmative. Although I do not have any proof in the natural realm to prove this, my heart is plain....I love the Jews and if you were to peel back my skin and peek inside or look in my heart, you would see a Jew.
In The Beginning
My story is not one of great triumph and a life of privelege, although I am blessed. I had an unhappy childhood, spotted with domestic displays of violence, divorce, adultery, alcohol and drug abuse, and rejection. When I was 15 years old, I almost took my own life. I was at the bottom of a pit of despair and I did not love myself. Nor did I think that God loved me. When I was a freshman in high school, I moved to live with my mother and former step father who were living in northern Kentucky.
My life seemed to get better. I had a stable home life. I liked my school. Soon my brother joined us and we had a sense of family and some good times. I went off to University and it was there I met a representative for Campus Crusade for Christ. She shared the love of God with me from the scriptures and God's plan of salvation. I believed on Jesus Christ as my personal savior based upon God's Word. I had never heard of a Jew for Jesus. I didn't think such a thing existed. But my best friend's mom got us tickets to the synagogue in Evansville to see a musical group. I loved the music. I remember feeling that I didn't want to leave that concert!
I was a psych major in college. My Childhood Psych professor saw talent in me and she took me under her wing. As a freshman, I headed up research teams that did studies for graduate students to do their theses and dissertations. I had a road of success mapped out before me. My professor, upon learning of the bad news of my mom's divorce even offered for me to stay with her so I could continue my studies. (I later realized my psych professor was Jewish, as was her husband. They were from New York). When my mother's marriage ended in divorce and she convinced me to move back to California where we were from, I was devastated. College went down the drain. And so did all my dreams.
Back in California, we stayed with family as we had no home, no jobs. I soon gained employment, but I sank into a deep depression. My brother fathered a baby at age 17. He had moved back in with our dad. I thought if you loved me God, how could you let all this bad stuff happen? I walked away from the path He had for me. I walked away from God. But He did not walk away from me. I tried to drink and go out and party with my friends. It did not matter. I would be cornered into a conversation about God even at parties. I can remember sharing the gospel with friends over a drinking game! Nevertheless, I was hurting, and soon I felt God drawing me back by His unconditional love. I repented and turned back to the Lord and He led me to a church where I made friends, He gave me good jobs (working in special ed, nontheless, using the background in psychology.) He restored my dreams, even gave me new ones, and He restored my self worth.
It was then that God began to stir a deep love in me for the Jews. I would cry on my face before Him in prayer for them. I read "the Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and cried for a week. I would cry out during worship services, "God, I love your people". I read every book I could get my hands on. I enetered bible college and went on a missions trip to Russia where we helped Jewish people escape persecution and move to Israel, fulfilling a vision the Lord had given me while I was on my face months earlier. Up til that point, I never knew such a ministry existed. As a young woman nearing her 30's and wanting a family and children, I knew that I had to marry a Jewish person, or in the least someone who loved the Jewish people and would share my burden for them.
The Messianic Movement and a Marriage
I would read about ministries such as Chosen People, Jews for Jesus, and Jewish Voice. I devoured the teachings about the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. I read how the church got disconnected from the nourishing sap that is Israel and the Torah and the prophets. I learned how centuries of Christian anti-semitism turned off the Jewish people to Jesus; how many crimes were horrendously committed in His name. I wanted to ask the forgiveness of every Jewish person on behalf of my Christian spiritual forefathers for how they treated the Jews. I attended my first messianic congregation in Indianapolis (Rabbi Jeff Adler) with my best friend from college (I can remember wanting to marry Rabbi Jeff, but the Lord had to give me a dream to show me it was not His will). The friend in Indianapolis whose congregation it was was the same friend whose mother had taken us to the concert at the synagogue. I read books and articles about the pioneers of messianic Judaism in the 60's and 70's and I would lay on my bed and cry for hours on end feeling a deep connection with them.
I had a prayer partner and some friends from church I found out the husband was Jewish and we all began to celebrate the feasts of the Lord outlined in Leviticus 23. This grew out of a group of people that prayed together. We started attending MJAA conferences (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America) and we found commraderie and strength as we assembled ourselves together with others who were like-hearted. I also began sensing when people I would meet or people on tv were Jewish.
Then through the advice of a friend, I met my husband through a messianic Jewish singles website. He was 14 years older than I. He was born in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley. He did some work with Jews for Jesus. He had 2 sons. During our first phone conversation, I remember telling him that I wanted to raise my children to know who they were (meaning that they were Jewish...the audacity! I did not even know at that point whom I would marry, I just figured it must be somebody Jewish). I told him how I felt that it was important for Jews who follow Yeshua to keep their identity, for they have a specific destiny in God and promises given to them by God that have never been taken away- land, abundance, spiritual blessings tied to Israel. My (future) husband agreed. On our second date, I remember not wanting to leave- the same feeling I had at that Jewish concert years before. We courted for about 2 months and were engaged for about 4 months. We prayed to seek God's will for our relationship. Never in that time did we ever kiss. (We had a secret handshake!) The first time we kissed was at the altar (under the wedding canopy) after saying our vows. During our wedding ceremony, I took the vow of Ruth which was an outward expression of what God had already done in my heart and it was an official vow to God. "Where you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God".
We lived in Berkeley the first couple of years of our marriage with my husband's older sons (at intermittent times). It was rough in the beginning. Then we moved to Hayward where our son Benjamin was born. Now we live in Patterson where we bought a house. We are close to the friends who were with me from the beginning and who celebrate the feasts with us. I call them the "Modesto Mishpocah"- mishpocah means family in Hebrew- for that is what they are.
So my journey has taken quite a few surprising turns, but the pilot has always been Yeshua HaMaschiah, Jesus Christ. I may have stepped out of the vehicle along the way, but one thing that cannot be denied is that His hand has been with me every step of the way. And the journey is not over. To people who ask me if I will one day move to Israel, I say that I might. After all, my son is Jewish and the land belongs to him too. And I made a vow that I intend to keep.
And so to all my friends here and in the mid-west where I went to high school and college, I say, "Shalom y'all!"
**
Jewish?
God gave me a Jewish heart many years ago. He placed a deep love in me for Israel and the Jewish people, as well as for learning the Jewish roots of my faith. I also had a question in my mind about whether or not I myself have Jewish ancestry. Ya know, God keeps track of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knows our DNA. He is in covenant with them due to His love for our father, Abraham. But being Jewish is more than a religion. It is more than a race. Those many years ago when I questioned if I had Jewish ancestry, I received a dream in which God spoke and answered in the affirmative. Although I do not have any proof in the natural realm to prove this, my heart is plain....I love the Jews and if you were to peel back my skin and peek inside or look in my heart, you would see a Jew.
In The Beginning
My story is not one of great triumph and a life of privelege, although I am blessed. I had an unhappy childhood, spotted with domestic displays of violence, divorce, adultery, alcohol and drug abuse, and rejection. When I was 15 years old, I almost took my own life. I was at the bottom of a pit of despair and I did not love myself. Nor did I think that God loved me. When I was a freshman in high school, I moved to live with my mother and former step father who were living in northern Kentucky.
My life seemed to get better. I had a stable home life. I liked my school. Soon my brother joined us and we had a sense of family and some good times. I went off to University and it was there I met a representative for Campus Crusade for Christ. She shared the love of God with me from the scriptures and God's plan of salvation. I believed on Jesus Christ as my personal savior based upon God's Word. I had never heard of a Jew for Jesus. I didn't think such a thing existed. But my best friend's mom got us tickets to the synagogue in Evansville to see a musical group. I loved the music. I remember feeling that I didn't want to leave that concert!
I was a psych major in college. My Childhood Psych professor saw talent in me and she took me under her wing. As a freshman, I headed up research teams that did studies for graduate students to do their theses and dissertations. I had a road of success mapped out before me. My professor, upon learning of the bad news of my mom's divorce even offered for me to stay with her so I could continue my studies. (I later realized my psych professor was Jewish, as was her husband. They were from New York). When my mother's marriage ended in divorce and she convinced me to move back to California where we were from, I was devastated. College went down the drain. And so did all my dreams.
Back in California, we stayed with family as we had no home, no jobs. I soon gained employment, but I sank into a deep depression. My brother fathered a baby at age 17. He had moved back in with our dad. I thought if you loved me God, how could you let all this bad stuff happen? I walked away from the path He had for me. I walked away from God. But He did not walk away from me. I tried to drink and go out and party with my friends. It did not matter. I would be cornered into a conversation about God even at parties. I can remember sharing the gospel with friends over a drinking game! Nevertheless, I was hurting, and soon I felt God drawing me back by His unconditional love. I repented and turned back to the Lord and He led me to a church where I made friends, He gave me good jobs (working in special ed, nontheless, using the background in psychology.) He restored my dreams, even gave me new ones, and He restored my self worth.
It was then that God began to stir a deep love in me for the Jews. I would cry on my face before Him in prayer for them. I read "the Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and cried for a week. I would cry out during worship services, "God, I love your people". I read every book I could get my hands on. I enetered bible college and went on a missions trip to Russia where we helped Jewish people escape persecution and move to Israel, fulfilling a vision the Lord had given me while I was on my face months earlier. Up til that point, I never knew such a ministry existed. As a young woman nearing her 30's and wanting a family and children, I knew that I had to marry a Jewish person, or in the least someone who loved the Jewish people and would share my burden for them.
The Messianic Movement and a Marriage
I would read about ministries such as Chosen People, Jews for Jesus, and Jewish Voice. I devoured the teachings about the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. I read how the church got disconnected from the nourishing sap that is Israel and the Torah and the prophets. I learned how centuries of Christian anti-semitism turned off the Jewish people to Jesus; how many crimes were horrendously committed in His name. I wanted to ask the forgiveness of every Jewish person on behalf of my Christian spiritual forefathers for how they treated the Jews. I attended my first messianic congregation in Indianapolis (Rabbi Jeff Adler) with my best friend from college (I can remember wanting to marry Rabbi Jeff, but the Lord had to give me a dream to show me it was not His will). The friend in Indianapolis whose congregation it was was the same friend whose mother had taken us to the concert at the synagogue. I read books and articles about the pioneers of messianic Judaism in the 60's and 70's and I would lay on my bed and cry for hours on end feeling a deep connection with them.
I had a prayer partner and some friends from church I found out the husband was Jewish and we all began to celebrate the feasts of the Lord outlined in Leviticus 23. This grew out of a group of people that prayed together. We started attending MJAA conferences (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America) and we found commraderie and strength as we assembled ourselves together with others who were like-hearted. I also began sensing when people I would meet or people on tv were Jewish.
Then through the advice of a friend, I met my husband through a messianic Jewish singles website. He was 14 years older than I. He was born in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley. He did some work with Jews for Jesus. He had 2 sons. During our first phone conversation, I remember telling him that I wanted to raise my children to know who they were (meaning that they were Jewish...the audacity! I did not even know at that point whom I would marry, I just figured it must be somebody Jewish). I told him how I felt that it was important for Jews who follow Yeshua to keep their identity, for they have a specific destiny in God and promises given to them by God that have never been taken away- land, abundance, spiritual blessings tied to Israel. My (future) husband agreed. On our second date, I remember not wanting to leave- the same feeling I had at that Jewish concert years before. We courted for about 2 months and were engaged for about 4 months. We prayed to seek God's will for our relationship. Never in that time did we ever kiss. (We had a secret handshake!) The first time we kissed was at the altar (under the wedding canopy) after saying our vows. During our wedding ceremony, I took the vow of Ruth which was an outward expression of what God had already done in my heart and it was an official vow to God. "Where you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God".
We lived in Berkeley the first couple of years of our marriage with my husband's older sons (at intermittent times). It was rough in the beginning. Then we moved to Hayward where our son Benjamin was born. Now we live in Patterson where we bought a house. We are close to the friends who were with me from the beginning and who celebrate the feasts with us. I call them the "Modesto Mishpocah"- mishpocah means family in Hebrew- for that is what they are.
So my journey has taken quite a few surprising turns, but the pilot has always been Yeshua HaMaschiah, Jesus Christ. I may have stepped out of the vehicle along the way, but one thing that cannot be denied is that His hand has been with me every step of the way. And the journey is not over. To people who ask me if I will one day move to Israel, I say that I might. After all, my son is Jewish and the land belongs to him too. And I made a vow that I intend to keep.
And so to all my friends here and in the mid-west where I went to high school and college, I say, "Shalom y'all!"
**
Friday, October 24, 2008
Busy
We have been so busy lately, after a string of colds and flu's, and a flurry of activities, I forget what it's like to just BE! Well, after a busy season, it is nice to return to normalcy in my life. (Normalcy starts next week!) This week, we had dinner with guests in our sukkah, went to the pumpkin patch on a Moms Club field trip, went to the park, went to playgroup, did our academics (reading/language program), I wrote quite a few blogs, wrote on Facebook, posted photos on Facebook (If you aren't on there yet, it is a great way to catch up with people!), made a scrapbook for the Moms Club booth at the Family Fall Festival at which I will be manning from 11-12, and tonight our church leaders are having a prayer meeting at our house. My pastor's wife is a dear friend and is Jewish. She is bringing the Jewish roots of our faith to our church. Then on Sunday, we have Benjamin's baby dedication at church with reception to follow (I am so excited- some special people are coming!) Then on Monday I just have to make a meal for one of the moms who had surgery. Good thing next week is Halloween- of which we do not celebrate. That will be our breather.
Boy do I need a Sabbath!! :)
**
Boy do I need a Sabbath!! :)
**
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Torahlessness (lawlessness)
The Torah is the five books of Moses, of which Christians these days call the "Old Testament". Contained in the Torah is the Law of God (Law is a Greek term, in the Hebrew it is much more acurate to say Teachings or Commands of God). These are God's instructions to the people He called out of the nations to be His own people: the Israelites, called the Jews. Out of the Israelites came the messiah, Yeshua, or you may know Him by Jesus. The instructions God gave in the Torah are the plumbline for righteousness. And not just for the Jewish people, but for all those who put their trust in Jesus as well; and not just followers of Jesus, but also for the nations.
You might be asking....didn't Jesus do AWAY with the Law on the cross at Calvary? The answer is a definite: NO! Jesus did not do away with the law or teachings of God on the cross. He did away with the requirement of a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. In essence He, who was without sin, became a sacrifice for us so we could be forgiven and have a relationship with God. In fact, Jesus Himself said "Think not that I have come to destroy the Law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). That word fulfill means to make full, to explain fully. And indeed Jesus did that in His day. The pharisees and sadducees-teachers of the Law- were teaching a form of Judaism which had gone so far away from the true meaning of Torah that it became a burden on the people and they could not worhsip God the way He wanted them to. It actually took the people away from their God. So Yeshua, Jesus, came to CORRECTLY INTERPRET the Law, the Torah. Jesus also said that not ONE JOT nor ONE TITTLE (comparable to our saying dotting of the eye and crossing of the t) would be destroyed unless the earth be destroyed. I would say that Jesus Himself took the Torah pretty seriously! Why don't most Christians today?
Well, there are a few contributing factors. Two of which are early anti-semitism and persecution against Jews (the first followers of Jesus were all Jews) in the early church and the second of which is Replacement Theology. In a nut shell, replacemet theology teaches that the gentile church has replaced Israel in all God's promises to them in the Old Testament, including the promise for land. While we gentile believers are grafted into the olive tree which is the common wealth of Israel, we DO NOT supercede them in the promises God made to them, nor has God taken away these promises from the descendants of Israel and given them to gentile followers of Yeshua. Such teaching has no basis in scripture. Yet the predominantly gentile church of our day persists in this teaching, whether directly or indirectly.
The result of this throughout church history has been catastrophic. The church has literally cut herself off from much of the depth and the richness of her faith due to pride and anti-semitism. Our early church fathers were vicious anti-semites. In fact, Hilter got much of his inspiration from their writings. I am talking majorly influential fathers, such as Martin Luther. You can look this up. It is fact. He called the Jews vermin and said they should be persecuted. Also, the influence of pagan practices infiltrated the early church and was legislated as church doctrine by the self-proclaimed head of the church- Constantine. These pagan influences have replaced the Biblical feasts and have become man's traditions which are falsely taught as biblical doctrine.
The result of the gentile church taking the gospel to the nations without any emphasis on God's law or His holiness, which is demonstrated throughout both Old and New Testaments, has resulted in an anemic church which does not preach the whole truth and is ineffectual in gaining true converts. It has failed to produce much lasting fruit in the kingdom of God and other than a remnant, the scriptures predict that many will fall away from the faith in the last days to follow the anti-christ instead of following Christ. It has also resulted in the wickedness of men increasing on the earth, the lack of basic respect for life, and the natural love of many waxing cold. Men will call what is good evil and what is evil good. We are indeed a wicked (twisted) generation.
In Matthew 24:12, Jesus says, "Because of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold". That word lawlessness correlates to the Hebrew term Torahlessness. Also wickedness. The rabbis have taught for years that in the last days before the Messiah comes (and as we believers know, when He comes again), man will move further and further away from Torah (God's Law). We see this to be true today. Lawlessness abounds. The love of many has grown cold. When parents can beat their children to death, spouses murder eachother over money and adultery, when breaking the seventh commandment is portrayed as glamorous every night on tv, when people are lovers of self rather than lovers of God and dispose of babies in the womb simply because it is not convenient for their lifestyle to be responsible for another human being. Indeed, we are in those days where Torahlessness has increased.
What can we do then? How about RETURNING (repenting) to God and His ways, how about allowing ourselves to return to the whole word of God and his ancient paths? How about repenting to Israel and the Jewish people for the vicious anti-semitism we inherited from man's doctrines and traditions? How about by being reconciled to the root of Israel and letting Yeshua Himself be our teacher and guide and the interpreter of His own Law, just as He did in His ministry on the earth? What have we got to lose? Pride? Selfish ambition? Sin? Judgement? All of which are the ways of God's enemies. It would do us good to lose these things. I would even say it is NECESSARY for us to lose these things. Let us not forget that it was Jesus who told His followers that if your right eye causes you to sin, gauge it out! For it would be better for you to enter into the kingdom of God (eternal life) with one eye, than to be thrown into hell with both eyes (Mark 9:47). Now Jesus said this to make a point and the point is this: we MUST repent of sin and lawlessness.
On the other hand, what have we got to gain by returning to God's ways? Cleansing, righteousness, fear of God, a much closer more intimate relationship with the Savior, a supernatural blessed existence that will spur Israel and the rest of humanity toward God with the right kind of holy jealousy, eternal life in Heaven never to be separated from God...and life from the dead?
We need to weigh the options closely and choose life. We need to remember that doing NOTHING is still a choice. Just as God set before the Israelites life and death and He told them to choose life; so we too stare this choice in the face. As individuals and as a nation. I would say that to make the right choice will ultimately be worth it.
**
You might be asking....didn't Jesus do AWAY with the Law on the cross at Calvary? The answer is a definite: NO! Jesus did not do away with the law or teachings of God on the cross. He did away with the requirement of a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. In essence He, who was without sin, became a sacrifice for us so we could be forgiven and have a relationship with God. In fact, Jesus Himself said "Think not that I have come to destroy the Law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). That word fulfill means to make full, to explain fully. And indeed Jesus did that in His day. The pharisees and sadducees-teachers of the Law- were teaching a form of Judaism which had gone so far away from the true meaning of Torah that it became a burden on the people and they could not worhsip God the way He wanted them to. It actually took the people away from their God. So Yeshua, Jesus, came to CORRECTLY INTERPRET the Law, the Torah. Jesus also said that not ONE JOT nor ONE TITTLE (comparable to our saying dotting of the eye and crossing of the t) would be destroyed unless the earth be destroyed. I would say that Jesus Himself took the Torah pretty seriously! Why don't most Christians today?
Well, there are a few contributing factors. Two of which are early anti-semitism and persecution against Jews (the first followers of Jesus were all Jews) in the early church and the second of which is Replacement Theology. In a nut shell, replacemet theology teaches that the gentile church has replaced Israel in all God's promises to them in the Old Testament, including the promise for land. While we gentile believers are grafted into the olive tree which is the common wealth of Israel, we DO NOT supercede them in the promises God made to them, nor has God taken away these promises from the descendants of Israel and given them to gentile followers of Yeshua. Such teaching has no basis in scripture. Yet the predominantly gentile church of our day persists in this teaching, whether directly or indirectly.
The result of this throughout church history has been catastrophic. The church has literally cut herself off from much of the depth and the richness of her faith due to pride and anti-semitism. Our early church fathers were vicious anti-semites. In fact, Hilter got much of his inspiration from their writings. I am talking majorly influential fathers, such as Martin Luther. You can look this up. It is fact. He called the Jews vermin and said they should be persecuted. Also, the influence of pagan practices infiltrated the early church and was legislated as church doctrine by the self-proclaimed head of the church- Constantine. These pagan influences have replaced the Biblical feasts and have become man's traditions which are falsely taught as biblical doctrine.
The result of the gentile church taking the gospel to the nations without any emphasis on God's law or His holiness, which is demonstrated throughout both Old and New Testaments, has resulted in an anemic church which does not preach the whole truth and is ineffectual in gaining true converts. It has failed to produce much lasting fruit in the kingdom of God and other than a remnant, the scriptures predict that many will fall away from the faith in the last days to follow the anti-christ instead of following Christ. It has also resulted in the wickedness of men increasing on the earth, the lack of basic respect for life, and the natural love of many waxing cold. Men will call what is good evil and what is evil good. We are indeed a wicked (twisted) generation.
In Matthew 24:12, Jesus says, "Because of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold". That word lawlessness correlates to the Hebrew term Torahlessness. Also wickedness. The rabbis have taught for years that in the last days before the Messiah comes (and as we believers know, when He comes again), man will move further and further away from Torah (God's Law). We see this to be true today. Lawlessness abounds. The love of many has grown cold. When parents can beat their children to death, spouses murder eachother over money and adultery, when breaking the seventh commandment is portrayed as glamorous every night on tv, when people are lovers of self rather than lovers of God and dispose of babies in the womb simply because it is not convenient for their lifestyle to be responsible for another human being. Indeed, we are in those days where Torahlessness has increased.
What can we do then? How about RETURNING (repenting) to God and His ways, how about allowing ourselves to return to the whole word of God and his ancient paths? How about repenting to Israel and the Jewish people for the vicious anti-semitism we inherited from man's doctrines and traditions? How about by being reconciled to the root of Israel and letting Yeshua Himself be our teacher and guide and the interpreter of His own Law, just as He did in His ministry on the earth? What have we got to lose? Pride? Selfish ambition? Sin? Judgement? All of which are the ways of God's enemies. It would do us good to lose these things. I would even say it is NECESSARY for us to lose these things. Let us not forget that it was Jesus who told His followers that if your right eye causes you to sin, gauge it out! For it would be better for you to enter into the kingdom of God (eternal life) with one eye, than to be thrown into hell with both eyes (Mark 9:47). Now Jesus said this to make a point and the point is this: we MUST repent of sin and lawlessness.
On the other hand, what have we got to gain by returning to God's ways? Cleansing, righteousness, fear of God, a much closer more intimate relationship with the Savior, a supernatural blessed existence that will spur Israel and the rest of humanity toward God with the right kind of holy jealousy, eternal life in Heaven never to be separated from God...and life from the dead?
We need to weigh the options closely and choose life. We need to remember that doing NOTHING is still a choice. Just as God set before the Israelites life and death and He told them to choose life; so we too stare this choice in the face. As individuals and as a nation. I would say that to make the right choice will ultimately be worth it.
**
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Bottom Line
The way I view this upcoming presidential election is similar in many ways to past elections, only the stakes are much higher. We live in a different nation than we did in the 2000 election, and with Iran's latest bully antics, the landscape is even different from the 2004 elections.
But given the choices we have, since the primaries, I have characterized this election as voting not so much FOR a particular candidate, as more AGAINST the other. I, like most Americans, am not thrilled with the choices.
We must not forget that the voter is left voting for a particular platform, more so than a particular candidate. I had wanted Alan Keyes to race to victory and become the first African American president and a conservative at that! But it was not to be.
However, the most important thing about looking at these candidates is that we cannot forget that each candidate carries the social values of their respective parties! A conservative platform and a liberal platform. Each has it's different ways of approaching issues from abortion to traditional marriage and the like. We must not forget that the upcoming president will be appointing judges to the Supreme Court and many of these controversial issues will come up at that level during his presidency.
What does this mean in light of voting in a way that we can sleep at night?
For me, the bottom line is this: life. As a Bible-believing American, I have to choose life over all of these peripheral issues. And sad to say, many Bible believers, whether they be Christians or Jews, have gotten the priorities of this election all out of whack. Rather than focusing on the mud slinging and the Gallup polls, why don't we focus on something that has brought this nation under the warning judgements of a righteous God? Why don't we focus on saving millions of pre-born lives and stop the holocaust of abortion in this nation? Millions of babies have been killed since the 1970's and that is innocent blood that is on our hands.
The act of pechuach nefesh, saving a life, is the highest commandment in all of Judaism, and I would argue, the highest commandment of Jesus as well. (I will write more in depth on this concept in a future post). It out-trumps caring for the poor, it out-trumps temple duty, even one's own religious duties to GOD.
And yet Barak Obama is decidedly pro-choice, a position that wants to ensure the choice to women to be able to have an abortion, thus taking innocent life. He is not only pro-abortion (let's call pro-choice for what it is- after all, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...it's a duck, people! Life begins at conception and the heart starts beating as early as 5 weeks), but Obama also advocates late-term abortion, something even a vast number of independants and moderate liberals oppose. If you are not familiar with Obama's voting record on abortion, I highly suggest you GET familiar with it soon!
So why is Obama getting the swing voter? Could it be that our nation has become so numb to this vital issue, that we would rather be lulled to sleep by someone's charm and acting ability?! No! I would have to say that most Americans want someone to promise them the moon (or rather just the current level of lifestyle they are living) and they will vote for that person even KNOWING FULL WELL that the person will not be able to deliver. That my friend, is sick. According to the Hebrew perspective of righteousness, if each individual is not doing something to fight against and stop this unrighteousness, no matter what the reason, it is as though that person were contributing to the crime.
I have contemplated this election from the beginning and the issue which is most at stake is not our mortgages!- It's not our gas prices....it's not even the future economy of America ('It is NOT about the economy, stupid!') this election is about protecting life. You can better be certain that if we do not choose life, as a nation, our lives will be taken. I am not joking about this. And if American voters do not think so, they are sorely deceived.
I cannot bear the thought of standing before those aborted babies in Heaven one day- the ones who never got to play soccer, or learn algebra, or take one breath, the ones among whom we may have had the inventor of the cure to cancer, the common cold, or AIDS, yes, even those whose blood cries out to God for justice day and night; I cannot stand the thought of standing before them and say I did not do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, much less my least responsibility and duty as a free American to make it possible for them to be alive on the earth.
You can rest assure that God has not forgotten those babies. And the Bible teaches clearly that the life of any creature is in the blood and their blood cries out for justice even now. What part of thou shalt not kill do Americans not understand? Because of the persistent shedding of innocent blood, our nation is coming under judgement. I would in no way diminish the lives that were destroyed in the recent past due to natural disasters like Katrina, etc, however, what America is about to experience in the near future, those events pale in comparison. Not because He is a vengeful angry God, but because we brought this upon ourselves. Sin brings its own reward. We did the crime and now we must do the time. There is a saying amongst some believers that "If God did not judge...(America)....He would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah".
And for those of my fellow brothers and sisters who are Christians, what makes them think they will be able to make a decision in this election based upon issues that have nothing to do with each candidate's track record of voting in the fight for innocent life in this country? No, I would argue that those people, by voting for a man who has consistently pushed and advocated for the annialation of the unborn in our country, are not only are in danger of searing their consciences, but they WILL stand accountable before a holy God for their decision this election day. This is becoming an unavoidable issue in our spiritual accountability. Those of my friends who profess Christ and are for electing Obama, I do not even know how they may say they follow Christ. Knowing their candidate has voted consistently for abortion, even late-term abortion, I do not see how Christians will be able to vote for this man and be able to sleep at night or conintue on in the blessings of God. Jesus said "If you love me, keep my comandments." Jesus NEVER advocated the right to kill a child in the womb. No matter what the "choice" was. He taught clearly to take up the cause of those who are defenseless.
Americans have done a good job of going to sleep this election cycle. We have allowed our focus to be taken off what is most important in this election and have fallen into fear of our own lives because we would rather retain our nice houses and continue to shop and serve the idol of mammon (love of money) in our lives and vote for candidates who seem to promise a continuance of that lifestyle, than to stand up for righteousness at the polls. We don't want to grow up. We don't want to take responsibility for our own poor decisions. C'mon people! Open your eyes and see. See that both candidates look the same except in regards for how they have treated abortion. This is the defining issue of our nation's history. Don't go to sleep now. The bottom line is LIFE.
America is in the balances according to Gods righteousness. And it is found wanting. Let it not be too late for this issue to weigh heavily on our consciences and truly affect our decision come that November night.
For a similar blog article written by a friend of mine and an intercessor, written at the same time as mine, although neither one of us knew it- please read: http://from-thewall.blogspot.com/
**
But given the choices we have, since the primaries, I have characterized this election as voting not so much FOR a particular candidate, as more AGAINST the other. I, like most Americans, am not thrilled with the choices.
We must not forget that the voter is left voting for a particular platform, more so than a particular candidate. I had wanted Alan Keyes to race to victory and become the first African American president and a conservative at that! But it was not to be.
However, the most important thing about looking at these candidates is that we cannot forget that each candidate carries the social values of their respective parties! A conservative platform and a liberal platform. Each has it's different ways of approaching issues from abortion to traditional marriage and the like. We must not forget that the upcoming president will be appointing judges to the Supreme Court and many of these controversial issues will come up at that level during his presidency.
What does this mean in light of voting in a way that we can sleep at night?
For me, the bottom line is this: life. As a Bible-believing American, I have to choose life over all of these peripheral issues. And sad to say, many Bible believers, whether they be Christians or Jews, have gotten the priorities of this election all out of whack. Rather than focusing on the mud slinging and the Gallup polls, why don't we focus on something that has brought this nation under the warning judgements of a righteous God? Why don't we focus on saving millions of pre-born lives and stop the holocaust of abortion in this nation? Millions of babies have been killed since the 1970's and that is innocent blood that is on our hands.
The act of pechuach nefesh, saving a life, is the highest commandment in all of Judaism, and I would argue, the highest commandment of Jesus as well. (I will write more in depth on this concept in a future post). It out-trumps caring for the poor, it out-trumps temple duty, even one's own religious duties to GOD.
And yet Barak Obama is decidedly pro-choice, a position that wants to ensure the choice to women to be able to have an abortion, thus taking innocent life. He is not only pro-abortion (let's call pro-choice for what it is- after all, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...it's a duck, people! Life begins at conception and the heart starts beating as early as 5 weeks), but Obama also advocates late-term abortion, something even a vast number of independants and moderate liberals oppose. If you are not familiar with Obama's voting record on abortion, I highly suggest you GET familiar with it soon!
So why is Obama getting the swing voter? Could it be that our nation has become so numb to this vital issue, that we would rather be lulled to sleep by someone's charm and acting ability?! No! I would have to say that most Americans want someone to promise them the moon (or rather just the current level of lifestyle they are living) and they will vote for that person even KNOWING FULL WELL that the person will not be able to deliver. That my friend, is sick. According to the Hebrew perspective of righteousness, if each individual is not doing something to fight against and stop this unrighteousness, no matter what the reason, it is as though that person were contributing to the crime.
I have contemplated this election from the beginning and the issue which is most at stake is not our mortgages!- It's not our gas prices....it's not even the future economy of America ('It is NOT about the economy, stupid!') this election is about protecting life. You can better be certain that if we do not choose life, as a nation, our lives will be taken. I am not joking about this. And if American voters do not think so, they are sorely deceived.
I cannot bear the thought of standing before those aborted babies in Heaven one day- the ones who never got to play soccer, or learn algebra, or take one breath, the ones among whom we may have had the inventor of the cure to cancer, the common cold, or AIDS, yes, even those whose blood cries out to God for justice day and night; I cannot stand the thought of standing before them and say I did not do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, much less my least responsibility and duty as a free American to make it possible for them to be alive on the earth.
You can rest assure that God has not forgotten those babies. And the Bible teaches clearly that the life of any creature is in the blood and their blood cries out for justice even now. What part of thou shalt not kill do Americans not understand? Because of the persistent shedding of innocent blood, our nation is coming under judgement. I would in no way diminish the lives that were destroyed in the recent past due to natural disasters like Katrina, etc, however, what America is about to experience in the near future, those events pale in comparison. Not because He is a vengeful angry God, but because we brought this upon ourselves. Sin brings its own reward. We did the crime and now we must do the time. There is a saying amongst some believers that "If God did not judge...(America)....He would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah".
And for those of my fellow brothers and sisters who are Christians, what makes them think they will be able to make a decision in this election based upon issues that have nothing to do with each candidate's track record of voting in the fight for innocent life in this country? No, I would argue that those people, by voting for a man who has consistently pushed and advocated for the annialation of the unborn in our country, are not only are in danger of searing their consciences, but they WILL stand accountable before a holy God for their decision this election day. This is becoming an unavoidable issue in our spiritual accountability. Those of my friends who profess Christ and are for electing Obama, I do not even know how they may say they follow Christ. Knowing their candidate has voted consistently for abortion, even late-term abortion, I do not see how Christians will be able to vote for this man and be able to sleep at night or conintue on in the blessings of God. Jesus said "If you love me, keep my comandments." Jesus NEVER advocated the right to kill a child in the womb. No matter what the "choice" was. He taught clearly to take up the cause of those who are defenseless.
Americans have done a good job of going to sleep this election cycle. We have allowed our focus to be taken off what is most important in this election and have fallen into fear of our own lives because we would rather retain our nice houses and continue to shop and serve the idol of mammon (love of money) in our lives and vote for candidates who seem to promise a continuance of that lifestyle, than to stand up for righteousness at the polls. We don't want to grow up. We don't want to take responsibility for our own poor decisions. C'mon people! Open your eyes and see. See that both candidates look the same except in regards for how they have treated abortion. This is the defining issue of our nation's history. Don't go to sleep now. The bottom line is LIFE.
America is in the balances according to Gods righteousness. And it is found wanting. Let it not be too late for this issue to weigh heavily on our consciences and truly affect our decision come that November night.
For a similar blog article written by a friend of mine and an intercessor, written at the same time as mine, although neither one of us knew it- please read: http://from-thewall.blogspot.com/
**
Friday, October 17, 2008
Obama's link to Odinga...the REAL TERRORIST
There has been much talking head analysis today of Gov. Sarah Palin's recent remarks of Obama "Paling around with terrorists" referring to his association with a 1960's radical by the name of Ayers.
A more effective and factual approach would have been for Palin to expose Obama's "fact finding" mission in August of 2007 when he went to Kenya to help campaign for his cousin, Riala Odinga. Riala Odinga vowed to rewrite the Kenyan constitution within six months of taking office to establish Muslim sharia law. For those of you just tuning into this blog, I wrote about this previously in my blog when I spoke of Obama's ties to Islam through his family on his father's side, the Luo tribe, which are radical Muslims who mix occultish practices with their Islam. I received this information via an American intercessor who had just returned from interviewing members of the Luo tribe in Kenya who claim without a doubt Obama is a Muslim, and reported it to a prophetic ministry's radio program.
Here is a link to a news source which confirms some of what I reported in my article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78132
According to one source, Odinga issued covert orders for his cronies to carry out terrorist tactics against his opponents; such as threats, rapes, and killings.
Shouldn't we be looking into these ties with radical Muslims of our potential future president, rather than chasing a rabbit down a rabbit hole?
*
A more effective and factual approach would have been for Palin to expose Obama's "fact finding" mission in August of 2007 when he went to Kenya to help campaign for his cousin, Riala Odinga. Riala Odinga vowed to rewrite the Kenyan constitution within six months of taking office to establish Muslim sharia law. For those of you just tuning into this blog, I wrote about this previously in my blog when I spoke of Obama's ties to Islam through his family on his father's side, the Luo tribe, which are radical Muslims who mix occultish practices with their Islam. I received this information via an American intercessor who had just returned from interviewing members of the Luo tribe in Kenya who claim without a doubt Obama is a Muslim, and reported it to a prophetic ministry's radio program.
Here is a link to a news source which confirms some of what I reported in my article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78132
According to one source, Odinga issued covert orders for his cronies to carry out terrorist tactics against his opponents; such as threats, rapes, and killings.
Shouldn't we be looking into these ties with radical Muslims of our potential future president, rather than chasing a rabbit down a rabbit hole?
*
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Feast of Joy
This week (starting Monday evening) is the holiday of Sukkot. The Festival of Sukkot, also called the Feast of Tabernacles, was instituted by God in Leviticus 23:33-43. The Israelites were to have seven days of joy and feasting and living in booths after bringing in the harvest. They were also to bring offerings made by fire. The scriptures say God commanded them to live in tents for seven days and to wave branches, choice fruit, and palm fronds. This is to be done every year so that the descendants of Israel would know that God had the Israelites dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt. Verse 41 says it is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
Additionally, Zechariah 14:16 declares that in the Messiah's reign, the nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
We find that in John chapter 7, Yeshua went up to the Temple, as was required by all males, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast, the city of Jerusalem would be lit up by huge lampstands throughout the city and they would have a water libation ceremony, the pouring out of an incredible amount of water, starting at the temple.
It was here, during this feast with the backdrop of the huge water libation ceremony, in John chapter 7:37,38 that Yeshua said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
What a powerful picture! Here is the Messiah of Israel coming to fulfill the feast requirement that He Himself commanded and He says to come to him if anyone thirsts. Many Christians in the church see Yeshua as separate from the feast being described. They might even refer to this feast as a Jewish feast, thus minimizing it's fullness. I suppose the reason they do this is because most Christians, due to the way they have been taught and due to replacement theology that teaches that God is finished with the people of Israel and all the promises have been transferred to the gentile followers of Jesus, separate God into Old and New Testament gods. For instance, the god of the Old Testament was mean and vengeful and the God of the New Testament is all love and grace. Nothing could be further from the truth! God is not schizophrenic. And because of error in doctrine which has not been corrected on a wide scale throughout history, the church is in the dark concerning the fullness of scripture and most Christians don't see the blessing that is doing what the Lord commanded to be done, and that is for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.
So insistent was the Lord that the Feast of Tabernacles be celebrated before Him, that he commanded the nations to come up to Jerusalem for the Feast during Messiah's reign on earth and that if they do not, their nation will not receive rain for the coming year.
One of the fascinating things about the Feasts is that they ALL have their fulfillment in Messiah Yeshua! He came and fulfilled the Passover, as the sacrificial Lamb, the festival of Unleavened Bread, as our sinless offering, the Feast of First Fruits with His resurrection, and the Festival of Shavuot (also called Pentecost) with the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. These are all the spring feasts. Between the spring feasts and the fall feasts is the time of summer when the fruit ripens and then is harvested. Prophetically, this is the soul harvest of the earth.
How will Yeshua fulfill the Fall Feasts in the future? The first is Yom Teruah- the day of blowing of God's trumpet, the shofar. This is symbolic of God gathering His elect from the four corners of the earth "at the last trump" 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11. Christians call this the "rapture". This is followed by the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which prophetically will also be fulfilled in Yeshua when the whole nation of Israel will "Look upon me, the one they have pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child..."Zechariah 12:10. And "thus all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26).
How will Yeshua fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles in the future?- you may ask. Gloriously!!
Let us not forget that John chapter 1 tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God..."(1:1)[emphasis mine] and that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling [tabernacle] among us" (John 1:14). Yeshua, the Word, who was since the beginning, who is God, became flesh and dwelt among us! If that does not boggle the mind and excite your spirit..then are you even alive??
Yeshua will fulfill this feast when He returns again to the earth, as He has promised, and once again make his dwelling place among us and reign His righteous rule. This is when He will set ALL things aright and the restoration of all things and TRUE world peace will take place. No wonder God said to rejoice before Him seven days!! Not only does our God know that man is a party animal!- and that man needs to celebrate something, but He wants to give us something to really celebrate and party ABOUT!
Some of my Christian friends say, "Well, but that was Old Testament, we don't have to do that anymore". I simply ask if they want to tell that to the master of the universe who commanded it to be done throughout all generations, and what they have to say to Hebrews 13:8 which says, "Yeshua, the same yesterday, today, and forever."
I think it is time we start accepting God for who He is and enter into the blessings which are the feasts. We can begin this year! We will be glad we did!
*
Additionally, Zechariah 14:16 declares that in the Messiah's reign, the nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
We find that in John chapter 7, Yeshua went up to the Temple, as was required by all males, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast, the city of Jerusalem would be lit up by huge lampstands throughout the city and they would have a water libation ceremony, the pouring out of an incredible amount of water, starting at the temple.
It was here, during this feast with the backdrop of the huge water libation ceremony, in John chapter 7:37,38 that Yeshua said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
What a powerful picture! Here is the Messiah of Israel coming to fulfill the feast requirement that He Himself commanded and He says to come to him if anyone thirsts. Many Christians in the church see Yeshua as separate from the feast being described. They might even refer to this feast as a Jewish feast, thus minimizing it's fullness. I suppose the reason they do this is because most Christians, due to the way they have been taught and due to replacement theology that teaches that God is finished with the people of Israel and all the promises have been transferred to the gentile followers of Jesus, separate God into Old and New Testament gods. For instance, the god of the Old Testament was mean and vengeful and the God of the New Testament is all love and grace. Nothing could be further from the truth! God is not schizophrenic. And because of error in doctrine which has not been corrected on a wide scale throughout history, the church is in the dark concerning the fullness of scripture and most Christians don't see the blessing that is doing what the Lord commanded to be done, and that is for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.
So insistent was the Lord that the Feast of Tabernacles be celebrated before Him, that he commanded the nations to come up to Jerusalem for the Feast during Messiah's reign on earth and that if they do not, their nation will not receive rain for the coming year.
One of the fascinating things about the Feasts is that they ALL have their fulfillment in Messiah Yeshua! He came and fulfilled the Passover, as the sacrificial Lamb, the festival of Unleavened Bread, as our sinless offering, the Feast of First Fruits with His resurrection, and the Festival of Shavuot (also called Pentecost) with the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. These are all the spring feasts. Between the spring feasts and the fall feasts is the time of summer when the fruit ripens and then is harvested. Prophetically, this is the soul harvest of the earth.
How will Yeshua fulfill the Fall Feasts in the future? The first is Yom Teruah- the day of blowing of God's trumpet, the shofar. This is symbolic of God gathering His elect from the four corners of the earth "at the last trump" 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11. Christians call this the "rapture". This is followed by the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which prophetically will also be fulfilled in Yeshua when the whole nation of Israel will "Look upon me, the one they have pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child..."Zechariah 12:10. And "thus all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26).
How will Yeshua fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles in the future?- you may ask. Gloriously!!
Let us not forget that John chapter 1 tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God..."(1:1)[emphasis mine] and that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling [tabernacle] among us" (John 1:14). Yeshua, the Word, who was since the beginning, who is God, became flesh and dwelt among us! If that does not boggle the mind and excite your spirit..then are you even alive??
Yeshua will fulfill this feast when He returns again to the earth, as He has promised, and once again make his dwelling place among us and reign His righteous rule. This is when He will set ALL things aright and the restoration of all things and TRUE world peace will take place. No wonder God said to rejoice before Him seven days!! Not only does our God know that man is a party animal!- and that man needs to celebrate something, but He wants to give us something to really celebrate and party ABOUT!
Some of my Christian friends say, "Well, but that was Old Testament, we don't have to do that anymore". I simply ask if they want to tell that to the master of the universe who commanded it to be done throughout all generations, and what they have to say to Hebrews 13:8 which says, "Yeshua, the same yesterday, today, and forever."
I think it is time we start accepting God for who He is and enter into the blessings which are the feasts. We can begin this year! We will be glad we did!
*
Saturday, October 11, 2008
My Son- The Musical
My Aunt, once when she was talking about my son, said that I was making him think "he is growing up in a musical". The reason she said this was because we were visiting her and staying with her for a few days and she saw the different songs I sing to Benjamin throughout the day. I have done this since he was an infant. Most of the reason I made up and sang different songs to him throughout his daily routine was because I wanted him to transition easily from activity to activity and to become at ease.
He was such a high needs baby that I tried everything I could think of (especially when it came to bedtime routine) to try to get him to not cry and go to sleep. (He was also very colicky) Such was the night-night song at that time (he was about 6 or 7 months at that time). So at bedtime, (these days we take a bath before bedtime), I sang, "We wash the face, so we can go night-night.....we wash the hands and face...so we can go night-night, we go night-night to-day! We go night-night to-day"!
I also had songs for when he was taking a bath (newborns hate to be cold and I thought he would hate his baths, but turned out he loved them!), and we have a clean up song for cleaning up after playing with toys. "Clean up. Clean up. Everybody clean up. Clean up all your toys...all you girls and boys, it's time to mooove on!" (You never know, we may have a girl someday, or his cousin over to play.) And wouldn't you know it...? Benjamin actually like to clean up his toys and will often do it by himslef now before I have a chance to sing the clean up song, transitioning all by himself from one activity ot the next!
We have music constantly surrounding us. Especially worship, Jewish, and gospel. And classical (which my hubby insists on exposing our son to- his mother did with him..and is it any wonder....his grandfather-his mother's father- was a composer in Germany before emigrating to the US). We both have talented musicians in our family.
So I make music readily available and fun in our household. It certainly has been a useful tool for us to navigate through some tough times. And we want our son to have a happy and cafefree childhood. The way it should be. I can be a serious person enough as it is and don't want to make life too serious for a 1 year old, and I want Benjamin to have fond memories of our time together.
So we sing. We sing in the morning "We bgin our day by washing the face...WHAT? Washing the face..WHAT? Washing the face. O we begin our day by washing the face. Wahsing the face and hands and head. Washing the face and hands and head...!" We sing on special days, such as our biblical and Jewish holidays..."Who can retell the things that befell us...who can count them"...."Henei ma tov umanim shevet achim gam yachad" "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together...in unity, in unity....lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai...."
We are now upon the festival of Sukkot- Feast of Tabernacles. And we are looking for ways to make it fun, special, and memorable to our son so that we can begin building a strong Jewish identity in his life. So that he will know who he is. And that includes songs. Songs around the feast table in our sukkah (tabernacle). The Jewish people call these songs "Zmiros". Songs of joy. How they pull a family and a community together and make life full of joy...the way it was meant to be.
I insist on having the songs! Even if it means my son grows up thinking he does indeed live in a musical!
*
He was such a high needs baby that I tried everything I could think of (especially when it came to bedtime routine) to try to get him to not cry and go to sleep. (He was also very colicky) Such was the night-night song at that time (he was about 6 or 7 months at that time). So at bedtime, (these days we take a bath before bedtime), I sang, "We wash the face, so we can go night-night.....we wash the hands and face...so we can go night-night, we go night-night to-day! We go night-night to-day"!
I also had songs for when he was taking a bath (newborns hate to be cold and I thought he would hate his baths, but turned out he loved them!), and we have a clean up song for cleaning up after playing with toys. "Clean up. Clean up. Everybody clean up. Clean up all your toys...all you girls and boys, it's time to mooove on!" (You never know, we may have a girl someday, or his cousin over to play.) And wouldn't you know it...? Benjamin actually like to clean up his toys and will often do it by himslef now before I have a chance to sing the clean up song, transitioning all by himself from one activity ot the next!
We have music constantly surrounding us. Especially worship, Jewish, and gospel. And classical (which my hubby insists on exposing our son to- his mother did with him..and is it any wonder....his grandfather-his mother's father- was a composer in Germany before emigrating to the US). We both have talented musicians in our family.
So I make music readily available and fun in our household. It certainly has been a useful tool for us to navigate through some tough times. And we want our son to have a happy and cafefree childhood. The way it should be. I can be a serious person enough as it is and don't want to make life too serious for a 1 year old, and I want Benjamin to have fond memories of our time together.
So we sing. We sing in the morning "We bgin our day by washing the face...WHAT? Washing the face..WHAT? Washing the face. O we begin our day by washing the face. Wahsing the face and hands and head. Washing the face and hands and head...!" We sing on special days, such as our biblical and Jewish holidays..."Who can retell the things that befell us...who can count them"...."Henei ma tov umanim shevet achim gam yachad" "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together...in unity, in unity....lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai...."
We are now upon the festival of Sukkot- Feast of Tabernacles. And we are looking for ways to make it fun, special, and memorable to our son so that we can begin building a strong Jewish identity in his life. So that he will know who he is. And that includes songs. Songs around the feast table in our sukkah (tabernacle). The Jewish people call these songs "Zmiros". Songs of joy. How they pull a family and a community together and make life full of joy...the way it was meant to be.
I insist on having the songs! Even if it means my son grows up thinking he does indeed live in a musical!
*
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A Day of Repentance
Today, (beginning yesterday at sundown, ending today at sundown) was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Many people mistakenly call it a "Jewish holiday"...it is not. It was instituted by God. Yeshua fulfilled this feast day by becoming the sinless blood sacrifice for the atonement of our sins AND our high priest who enters the throne of God on our behalf. This day also has a prophetic fulfillment when the Jewish people will see Yeshua as the lamb of God sacrificed for them and thus "all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26).
Today on Yom Kippur, the Jewish people fast and pray that their sins will be forgiven for the coming year, as they did in the days before Yeshua, when God became flesh and dwelt among us. The day ordained by God in the Tanakh (Old Testament) was to be a solemn day of denying oneself (often marked by fasting) and repenting of past sins. The person was to first repent to any person he or she had hurt or offended and THEN approach God for forgiveness. This is confirmed by Yeshua's teaching in Matthew 5:24 to leave one's offering on the altar if you remember your brother has something against you, go be reconciled to your brother, then return to give the offering.
I must say that at the end of this day of introspection and repentance, I have a fire in my heart and a love for Yeshua more than I ever have in my life. He is more real to me now than He was at the beginning of this day.
The Hebrew word for repent is "teshuvah"- to turn. To turn from one's own way of doing something and turn toward God's ways. Or to be put more simply, to turn away from sin which separates us from a holy God. The Bible teaches us that it is the goodness of God that leads us toward repentance. We cannot even repent without God's help and His mercy. Usually it is due to revelation or an unveiling, of one's own sins or wrong committed that compels us toward repentance. Some repentance is hard to do. But ALL is necessary in order to follow the Messiah.
Today, there is MUCH for believers in Yeshua to repent for. Much of it comes from idolatry- the worshipping of other gods which is to break the first and second commandments. False teaching and the traditions of man have infiltrated the body of believers down through history and led many astray from the worship of the one true God. This has come by way of many sins in the history of the church- i.e. early anti-semitism, replacing the teachings of the Torah with practices from paganism, the incorporation of other gods into Christianity and so forth, but one thing is for certain: It affects ALL of those who follow the Messiah today. Put simply, we need to repent.
Many teachers and leaders in the church, however well-meaning they are, have led many astray in the teachings of these worldy and pagan festivals. One instance is the practice of Christmas and Easter. Many Christians want to "put Christ back into Christmas". However, I would argue that Christ does not WANT to be put into Christmas...for HE was never there to begin with!
Most Bible scholars, and anyone else who does their research knows that Jesus was not born on December 25th. But that date does mark the birthday of another god which many throughout time, including some of the Israelites, worshipped. His name was Tammuz. In Ezekiel, God showed that an abomination was occuring in the temple.."Those weeping for Tammuz" (Ezekiel 8:14).
The time of year also has significance to the feast of Saturnalia. The names down through history have been changed to protect the guilty. Easter? You guessed it: honoring the fertility goddess Eostra (also called Astarte or Ashteroth, also known as the 'Queen of Heaven') with fertility symbols such as bunnies and eggs (some hidden on church grounds for our babies to find)! All these pagan festivals are rooted in sun god worship, which has its roots in Babylon, and not the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is our redeemer Yeshua HaMashiach. Jesus never even heard of Christmas. He would have never celebrated a pagan festival. For that matter, He never even heard of a Christian, much less desire to start a new religion naming it's followers such! He came to make atonement for man's sins and return people to the Torah (teaching) of almighty God. He did not split the old and new testaments. Man did that through his false teaching and anti-semitism. Yeshua came to fulfill (make full)what was prophesied in those scriptures, not to do away with them (Matthew 5:17).
Moreover, many of us who follow the Messiah and see these things being practiced in His name are grieved. I speak from experience. We need to repent from such atrocities. It offends God, the one we claim to love, and it does nothing to help us turn other men to the truth.
What was the result of the children of Israel's worship of other gods in the scriptures? They were led away into captivity. Twice. God promised to restore them and He promised to redeem them and bring them back to their land, but I think the point is clear: God hates all idolatry.
Most people who practice these things usually tell me, "Oh, it is for the children's sake that we do this and that and make-believe". Really? What does scripture have to say about these things?
*God condemns the cutting down of a tree and adorning it with silver and gold. Jeremiah 10:3-4
*"...Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth and shall say, 'Surely our fathers inherited lies.." Jeremiah 16:19.
*Scripture teaches that the people of God are not to cause their children to pass through the fire (to the god Molech- for the assurance of prosperity and wealth) nor are they to teach them of pagan gods.
*We are no longer to be conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2) but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
*We are to cast "...down imaginations and every high and lofty thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
*We are to come out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing (2 Corinthians 6:17)
* Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great..."(Matthew 5:19)
Those who teach that God is only a God of mercy and that He will not judge his children here on the earth need to know that the Lord chastises all whom he considers to be a son. Correction is coming. The question is will we be willing and ready to turn away from such things? For there have been influences allowed in the church that have defiled many and have brought the word of God into disrepute. These are the tares that have grown up with the wheat. Rest assured, God promises to send his angels to separate the two in judgement.
I look forward to a day when the false teachings of christendom will no longer slam the door of the Kingdom of God in the faces of the Jewish people. Because of false doctrines that have been put forth, many Jewish people think that Christians are not monotheists at all but actually worship 3 gods and then we worship pagan gods twice a year! They know what God does to the idolaters. Until we start manifesting the glory of God, walking in His truth and humility, becoming holy as He is holy, and start rightly dividing the word of truth, that "revival" everyone is looking for will continue to elude us and this at the expense of men's very souls... possibly even our own.
*
Today on Yom Kippur, the Jewish people fast and pray that their sins will be forgiven for the coming year, as they did in the days before Yeshua, when God became flesh and dwelt among us. The day ordained by God in the Tanakh (Old Testament) was to be a solemn day of denying oneself (often marked by fasting) and repenting of past sins. The person was to first repent to any person he or she had hurt or offended and THEN approach God for forgiveness. This is confirmed by Yeshua's teaching in Matthew 5:24 to leave one's offering on the altar if you remember your brother has something against you, go be reconciled to your brother, then return to give the offering.
I must say that at the end of this day of introspection and repentance, I have a fire in my heart and a love for Yeshua more than I ever have in my life. He is more real to me now than He was at the beginning of this day.
The Hebrew word for repent is "teshuvah"- to turn. To turn from one's own way of doing something and turn toward God's ways. Or to be put more simply, to turn away from sin which separates us from a holy God. The Bible teaches us that it is the goodness of God that leads us toward repentance. We cannot even repent without God's help and His mercy. Usually it is due to revelation or an unveiling, of one's own sins or wrong committed that compels us toward repentance. Some repentance is hard to do. But ALL is necessary in order to follow the Messiah.
Today, there is MUCH for believers in Yeshua to repent for. Much of it comes from idolatry- the worshipping of other gods which is to break the first and second commandments. False teaching and the traditions of man have infiltrated the body of believers down through history and led many astray from the worship of the one true God. This has come by way of many sins in the history of the church- i.e. early anti-semitism, replacing the teachings of the Torah with practices from paganism, the incorporation of other gods into Christianity and so forth, but one thing is for certain: It affects ALL of those who follow the Messiah today. Put simply, we need to repent.
Many teachers and leaders in the church, however well-meaning they are, have led many astray in the teachings of these worldy and pagan festivals. One instance is the practice of Christmas and Easter. Many Christians want to "put Christ back into Christmas". However, I would argue that Christ does not WANT to be put into Christmas...for HE was never there to begin with!
Most Bible scholars, and anyone else who does their research knows that Jesus was not born on December 25th. But that date does mark the birthday of another god which many throughout time, including some of the Israelites, worshipped. His name was Tammuz. In Ezekiel, God showed that an abomination was occuring in the temple.."Those weeping for Tammuz" (Ezekiel 8:14).
The time of year also has significance to the feast of Saturnalia. The names down through history have been changed to protect the guilty. Easter? You guessed it: honoring the fertility goddess Eostra (also called Astarte or Ashteroth, also known as the 'Queen of Heaven') with fertility symbols such as bunnies and eggs (some hidden on church grounds for our babies to find)! All these pagan festivals are rooted in sun god worship, which has its roots in Babylon, and not the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is our redeemer Yeshua HaMashiach. Jesus never even heard of Christmas. He would have never celebrated a pagan festival. For that matter, He never even heard of a Christian, much less desire to start a new religion naming it's followers such! He came to make atonement for man's sins and return people to the Torah (teaching) of almighty God. He did not split the old and new testaments. Man did that through his false teaching and anti-semitism. Yeshua came to fulfill (make full)what was prophesied in those scriptures, not to do away with them (Matthew 5:17).
Moreover, many of us who follow the Messiah and see these things being practiced in His name are grieved. I speak from experience. We need to repent from such atrocities. It offends God, the one we claim to love, and it does nothing to help us turn other men to the truth.
What was the result of the children of Israel's worship of other gods in the scriptures? They were led away into captivity. Twice. God promised to restore them and He promised to redeem them and bring them back to their land, but I think the point is clear: God hates all idolatry.
Most people who practice these things usually tell me, "Oh, it is for the children's sake that we do this and that and make-believe". Really? What does scripture have to say about these things?
*God condemns the cutting down of a tree and adorning it with silver and gold. Jeremiah 10:3-4
*"...Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth and shall say, 'Surely our fathers inherited lies.." Jeremiah 16:19.
*Scripture teaches that the people of God are not to cause their children to pass through the fire (to the god Molech- for the assurance of prosperity and wealth) nor are they to teach them of pagan gods.
*We are no longer to be conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2) but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
*We are to cast "...down imaginations and every high and lofty thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
*We are to come out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing (2 Corinthians 6:17)
* Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great..."(Matthew 5:19)
Those who teach that God is only a God of mercy and that He will not judge his children here on the earth need to know that the Lord chastises all whom he considers to be a son. Correction is coming. The question is will we be willing and ready to turn away from such things? For there have been influences allowed in the church that have defiled many and have brought the word of God into disrepute. These are the tares that have grown up with the wheat. Rest assured, God promises to send his angels to separate the two in judgement.
I look forward to a day when the false teachings of christendom will no longer slam the door of the Kingdom of God in the faces of the Jewish people. Because of false doctrines that have been put forth, many Jewish people think that Christians are not monotheists at all but actually worship 3 gods and then we worship pagan gods twice a year! They know what God does to the idolaters. Until we start manifesting the glory of God, walking in His truth and humility, becoming holy as He is holy, and start rightly dividing the word of truth, that "revival" everyone is looking for will continue to elude us and this at the expense of men's very souls... possibly even our own.
*
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sukkah
My husband cracks me up. We sent out invitations for some people to come have dinner with us in our sukkah (tabernacle, or temporary dwelling place) we just built for the Feast of Tabernacles and this is what he RSVP'd for his:
"Don't be a sucka....come to the sukkah"!
A friend helped him build it and even Benjamin had a part. His first real sukkah for Sukkot!
In our old apartment in Hayward, we built a makeshift sukkah on our balcony made of bamboo fencing material. I made signs of posterboard for decorations and we ate some of our meals out there. Ben was an infant and won't remember his first sukkah. It was a start. It was our meager attempt at fulfilling the command to dwell in tents once a year to remember how our forefathers, the Israelites dwelt in temporary dwelling places in the desert. We looked forward to the day when we could have friends join us, when the boy could participate and we would be closer to the fulfillment and joy that is the Festival of Sukkot.
Actually, as believers in Yeshua, we have a deep profound richness to the tradition which surpasses remembering and observing. For in the book of John, chapter 1, it is written about Yeshua that "IN the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and the word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us" (addition mine). How exciting that the word of God became flesh and lived among us. He still does.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is depicted as standing amongst the seven golden lampstands (representing the churches, or congregations of believers). It further says that He also holds the seven stars, which are the seven spirits of God in His hand. This indicates that He dwells among us as believers and He is also at the same time in control, sovereign. This is comforting to the follower of the Messiah.
In Zechariah, there is also a prophecy that talks of the rule of the messiah on the earth and that all the nations of the earth (or at least their representatives) will be required to go up to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of Tabernacles, lest they have no rain on their land for that year. Check it out for yourself. That's what it says. I suppose my husband's comments will apply to those during the millenium as well!
Those and other scriptures speak of a day when Yeshua will return again to the earth with power and great glory. He will reaign on the earth for a thousand years of peace. This is the final fulfillment of the Festival of Sukkot, Feast of Tabernacles.
Until then, we gather with joy and unity of the believers in our feast tent and we sing songs and anticipate the day when the ultimate fulfillment of this feast will be accomplished.
*
"Don't be a sucka....come to the sukkah"!
A friend helped him build it and even Benjamin had a part. His first real sukkah for Sukkot!
In our old apartment in Hayward, we built a makeshift sukkah on our balcony made of bamboo fencing material. I made signs of posterboard for decorations and we ate some of our meals out there. Ben was an infant and won't remember his first sukkah. It was a start. It was our meager attempt at fulfilling the command to dwell in tents once a year to remember how our forefathers, the Israelites dwelt in temporary dwelling places in the desert. We looked forward to the day when we could have friends join us, when the boy could participate and we would be closer to the fulfillment and joy that is the Festival of Sukkot.
Actually, as believers in Yeshua, we have a deep profound richness to the tradition which surpasses remembering and observing. For in the book of John, chapter 1, it is written about Yeshua that "IN the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and the word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us" (addition mine). How exciting that the word of God became flesh and lived among us. He still does.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is depicted as standing amongst the seven golden lampstands (representing the churches, or congregations of believers). It further says that He also holds the seven stars, which are the seven spirits of God in His hand. This indicates that He dwells among us as believers and He is also at the same time in control, sovereign. This is comforting to the follower of the Messiah.
In Zechariah, there is also a prophecy that talks of the rule of the messiah on the earth and that all the nations of the earth (or at least their representatives) will be required to go up to Jerusalem every year for the Feast of Tabernacles, lest they have no rain on their land for that year. Check it out for yourself. That's what it says. I suppose my husband's comments will apply to those during the millenium as well!
Those and other scriptures speak of a day when Yeshua will return again to the earth with power and great glory. He will reaign on the earth for a thousand years of peace. This is the final fulfillment of the Festival of Sukkot, Feast of Tabernacles.
Until then, we gather with joy and unity of the believers in our feast tent and we sing songs and anticipate the day when the ultimate fulfillment of this feast will be accomplished.
*
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Separateness
God is a God of separateness. Those who know the Lord, because of His nature, are called out to be separate (holy) and set aside for God's purposes.
For the people in the "emergent church" whose lives look no different nor their speech sounds any different from the people who do not know Jesus as savior and Lord (boss), let me give you a short and simple concept from the Bible that shows God is a God of separateness.
God separated the darkness from the light.
God separated the day from the night.
God separated the land from the sea.
God separated the man from the woman.
God separated the man and woman from the Garden.
God separated the offering which was received from the offering which was not.
God separated the language (at the Tower of Babel).
God separated the father (Abraham) from his kinsman.
God separated the holy from the profane.
God separated his children from the idolaters.
God separated out a people for Himself (Israel)
God separated his land out from the nations (Israel).
God separated the Sabbath from the week.
God separated the Most Holy Place from the holy place.
God separated the court of the Gentiles from the inner courts.
God separated the ways of the gentiles from the ways of His people (through the Law, or Torah)
God separated the sins from His people (through Yeshua).
God separated the eternal destiny of those who follow Him-Heaven, from those who do not-hell.
definition of separate: disunited, to differenciate or discriminate the differences between, distinct.
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:34-39 NASB) (emphasis mine).
"Come out from among them and be ye separate", saith the Lord. 2 Corinthians 6:17.
*
For the people in the "emergent church" whose lives look no different nor their speech sounds any different from the people who do not know Jesus as savior and Lord (boss), let me give you a short and simple concept from the Bible that shows God is a God of separateness.
God separated the darkness from the light.
God separated the day from the night.
God separated the land from the sea.
God separated the man from the woman.
God separated the man and woman from the Garden.
God separated the offering which was received from the offering which was not.
God separated the language (at the Tower of Babel).
God separated the father (Abraham) from his kinsman.
God separated the holy from the profane.
God separated his children from the idolaters.
God separated out a people for Himself (Israel)
God separated his land out from the nations (Israel).
God separated the Sabbath from the week.
God separated the Most Holy Place from the holy place.
God separated the court of the Gentiles from the inner courts.
God separated the ways of the gentiles from the ways of His people (through the Law, or Torah)
God separated the sins from His people (through Yeshua).
God separated the eternal destiny of those who follow Him-Heaven, from those who do not-hell.
definition of separate: disunited, to differenciate or discriminate the differences between, distinct.
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:34-39 NASB) (emphasis mine).
"Come out from among them and be ye separate", saith the Lord. 2 Corinthians 6:17.
*
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