A slap on the wrist for the media!

The media in the United States keeps sinking to new lows.

I've been a journalist for most of my adult life, and back when I went to journalism school, we were taught to present intelligent, thought-provoking questions designed to allow the audience to discover all relevant facts.  It was drummed into our heads that we were NEVER to insert our own opinions into a news story!

But today's journalists are apparently not learning the same things I learned, because many don't seem to have any real journalism skills.  Today's journalists (especially on TV) are mostly a bunch of "talking heads" with make-up, many of whom don't have a clue as to what they're talking about.  (Some look downright slutty - as in the case of some of the "weather women" on national TV. Whereas men are always in suits, many of the "weather women" look like they should be walking the streets, soliciting "johns."  Nobody seems to see anything wrong with how they are dressed for television in their low-cut dresses and push-up bras, and clothes so tight you could see a pimple on their rear ends if you looked hard enough....)

This morning we watched a perfect example of SKEWED journalism on television, something that reveals exactly how very liberal, brazen and downright STUPID our media has become, taking liberties with their reporting to slant the message toward their personal agendas or ideas.

Anyone with two braincells to rub together could surely see that his particular segment was a blatant attempt by the MEDIA to take a jab at Republicans. At the end of this segment they were sure to add that BILL CLINTON never did this kind of thing. Yeah...well, I wish they had also mentioned that GEORGE BUSH was never impeached for having committed adultery under his desk at the White House or LIED to the public about it when he got caught!

But hey, let's vote for Hillary because "their side" is GOOD!  Yeah, right....We're seeing exactly how "good" their side is, after eight years of being headed by someone who, among other things, has turned us into weaklings in the eyes of the world, and promoted racism and homosexuality and everything else YHWH considers BAD....

Regardless, like I said above, many journalists today are just a bunch of talking heads with makeup.  Case in point, take a look at this horrifically UNPROFESSIONAL interview Katie Tur recently did with Donald Trump.  She came on like a wildcat, clearly trying to trip him up and provoke him to anger!

What a pathetic society we have become. SHAME ON the media and their antics!

Ah, the old "Chew the meat, spit out the bones" philosophy....

Lately, The Refiner's Fire has received emails from several people using the adage: "Chew the meat and spit out the bones" to justify their reading and forwarding the teachings of "off-the-mark" pastors, priests, ministers, and rabbis because "part of what they teach is good".  When we point out the error of the false teacher they are responding to us with this tired cliche.

Do you understand what this adage means?

Basically, it means "Accept the good parts of the teaching, and ignore the bad."  Or: "I like what he says here, but not here, so I will ignore that other part."  While this may, at first glance, sound like wise instruction it is actually complete nonsense!

There are only two kinds of readers: Those who already know the material; and those who don't know any of the material (or only some of it).  Let's assume the former already knows the material and can therefore discern the difference between the good content and the bad content of the teaching.  This reader therefore possesses the intellect to "dismiss" the bad part. So this reader who already knows, has learned nothing; yet in today's world of social media, immediately sends the article to others as a "great teaching."

That leaves the other person.  This person does not possess the ability to discern the "good parts" and dismiss the "bad parts" so they accept it ALL!  As far as they know, it is completely righteous!  And this is a serious problem because many times, this person has received the article from some well-meaning person they trust; yet they, themselves cannot "chew the meat and spit out the bones!"  They don't know which parts to "spit out"!

Here's the deal:  Though the cliche is intended to make analogy to "this teaching is not perfect but he/she says some really good stuff" about some teacher of the WORD, it is, in fact a very bad analogy!  Think about this.  The bones make up the skeleton, the foundation, and the "meat" (muscle) is attached  to the skeleton!  If you remove the "bones", the "meat" is a lifeless mass of quivering muscle laying dying on the ground.  Without this "foundation" the meat (muscle) can't even survive because the very blood which nourishes the muscle is produced by the bone!  If, regarding someone's teaching of the WORD, you "chew the meat and spit out the bones" aren't you throwing out the very foundation of their theology? Why on earth would you "dismiss the foundation" of someone's theology only to retain the "lesser parts" which, when separated from the foundation, can't stand on their own?

Well you shouldn't throw away the foundation!  Don't spit out the bones!

Here's what you should do:  Throw out the teacher!  Do not go to that teacher for instruction if they don't stay 100% on-the-mark with scripture!  1 Corinthians 6:14 says: "what fellowship has light with darkness?" (AENT).  Certainly do go to this teacher and attempt to correct them, for we are to "rebuke our brothers less we carry sin because of him" (Leviticus 19:17 Matthew 18:15;  Luke 17:3); and realize that if you DON'T try to correct them, YOU are guilty! (Study Ezekiel 3!)

If we stand by and let these false teachings go unchallenged, forwarding their teachings to others and expecting the recipient to "spit out the bones," we assist in these false doctrines and in how people become deceived!  Matthew 7 says:

13. Enter by the straight door, for wide is the door and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many are they, those that go in it.  14. How narrow the door and straight the road that leads to life, and few are they, those that find it.  15. Beware of false prophets that come among you in the clothing of lambs,  82  but from within are ravenous wolves.  16. But you will know them by their fruits.  Why do men pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?  17. Like this every good tree bears pleasing fruit, but an evil tree bears evil fruit.  18.  A  good  tree  is  not  able  to  bear  evil  fruit,  and  an  evil  tree  cannot  bear  good  fruit.  19. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut and thrown in the fire.  20. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. (AENT)

Do not read and follow teachers who provide "good stuff" yet their teachings contain parts you must "spit out"! And for goodness sakes, DON'T forward their teachings to your friends and relatives!  Your friends and relatives likely don't possess the ability to "spit out the bones"!  Don't participate in this deception!  Refer to 2 Timothy 4:

2. Proclaim the Word and persist (in it) with diligence, in time and out of time; admonish and rebuke with all patience and instructiveness.  3. For the time will come when they will not give ear to sound teaching; but, according to their lusts, will multiply to themselves teachers in the itching of their hearing;  4. and will turn away their ears from the truth, and incline after fables. (AENT)

And don't rely on your education from teachers "you like"!  1 John 2:

27. And you also, if the anointing which you have received from him remains in you, you need not that any one should teach you; but as that anointing is from Elohim, it teaches you all things; and it is true, and no falsehood is in it. And as it has taught you, remain you in Him.  28. And now, my children, remain you in him; that so, when he will be manifested, we may not be ashamed before Him, but may have an open countenance at His coming.  29. If you know that he is righteous, you also know that whoever does righteousness is from Him.

Stay in scripture!  Learn from the Ruach, from Elohim, not from man!  Yes, there are some "good" teachers (you will know them by their ability to make their teachings line up with Scripture), but be VERY discerning!  Only by personally staying in scripture will you ever come to this new adage: "Chew the meat and if it is not right, fire the cook!"

God only has one "name"; everything else is a "title"....

"YHWH" – Hebrew letters Yud Hey Vav Hey -  יהוה  (pronounced “Yah-weh”) is His Name, the ONLY “Name” He has. The rest are all titles. The two most-common titles for God are "Adonai", which expresses authority or the exalted position of God, and "Elohim", which expresses concepts of creative divinity. Both "Adonai" and "Elohim" Are Plural Hebrew Nouns. "Adonai" is the plural form of "Adon", meaning "my lord"; and the name "Elohim" is the masculine plural form of "Eloah".

More explanation:

Several passages in Genesis reveal that YHWH provided His Name:

Genesis 4: 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. That is when people began to call upon the name of YHWH.

Genesis 12: 8 He (Avram) left that place, went to the hill east of Beit-El and pitched his tent. With Beit-El to the west and 'Ai to the east, he built an altar there and called on the name of YHWH.Genesis 21: 33 Avraham planted a tamarisk tree in Be'er-Sheva, and there he called on the name of YHWH, the everlasting God.

YHWH's NAME was never "God" or "ADONAI" or anything else; those were simply TITLES....

We are then told in Exodus that He provided His Name to Moses:

Exodus 3:13-15 Moshe said to God, "Look, when I appear before the people of Isra'el and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?" God said to Moshe, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be]," and added, "Here is what to say to the people of Isra'el: 'Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.'" God said further to Moshe, "Say this to the people of Isra'el: 'Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [YHWH/Yahweh], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz'chak and the God of Ya'akov, has sent me to you.'This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation.

YHWH in Hebrew is comprised of the letters Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey: God Himself revealed His Name to us, and man has had acess to it all along. Ironically, traditional Jews refuse to utter his Name for fear of mispronouncing it or misspelling it, etc.; and on the other end of the spectrum, you'll never hear the Father's Name in most Christian churches as they are all concentrating on "Jesus" whom they think came to replace the Father and abolish all his original Divine instructions/teachings....

Get rid of the "blood sucking ticks" in your life...

Most of us have experienced “toxic” people – those who are constantly causing stress and strife and worry and division.  These types are either pushy, arrogant and demanding, or they sit around whining and crying and asking for help every five minutes because their life is “in the toilet” due to poor decisions.  Those people can absolutely suck the life out of you!  They’re like little ticks – blood sucking creatures that lie in wait for you to pass by so that they can climb aboard, dig their head into your skin, and begin to suck the blood right out of you.

These “human ticks” are forever asking for prayer and help and monetary donations to help them make it through their dreary days.  And when you finally refuse because they’ve sucked you dry, they berate you, put you down and discourage you. (You know exactly the type of person I’m talking about!)  They look for ways to trip you up and cause you to stumble. And when you do, they take great delight in watching you struggle and suffer. They then make it their mission to let everyone else know you’ve failed; they have no problem gloating about your weaknesses!

These types of people are actually mentioned in Scripture.  King David, for instance, was well aware of the destruction the “human ticks” can bring.  You can see David’s struggles in Psalms 18, where he gives credit to  יהוה (YHWH) for saving him from his enemies.

It’s easy to get pulled into the “drama” of others!  But Psalms 18 perfectly shows that seeking out our Creator is key – and while doing so, it is imperative to remember to keep our own hands clean.  We cannot deal with all the “stuff” others drag into our life – especially in places like Facebook where we have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of “friends”!  Instead of becoming angry and saying or doing something we might ultimately regret, we must begin to focus on our own “backyard” – on our spiritual and physical health - and let God handle the “life sucking ticks.”  HE will deliver you in HIS timing!  You don’t have to do anything except kick the “ticks” out of your life and focus on the One who created you to live this earthly life in a set-apart/holy manner for all to see!

David truly had a “heart for  יהוה.  He kept His focus on worshiping Him in good times and bad, through the proverbial “thick and thin.”   Our life will be a lot less complicated when we decide to do the same as David did, living each day according to our ELOHIM’s will … AND becoming VERY discerning about the people we allow to be our “friends” – some of whom are clearly sent into our life by the enemy who wishes only to wreak havoc and destroy everyone involved….

Why the "Virgin Mary" cannot possibly be "watching over us"

We recently saw a story about how the Pope is traveling on “our side of the world” and one of his stops will be in Quito, Ecuador – a city that is being “watched over by a statue of the Virgin Mary.” 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news for those who believe in bowing down before statues of Mary, but Mary cannot possibly be “watching over the city” because:  (1) Mary wasn’t divine and hasn’t been resurrected, and dead humans don’t come back to “watch over anyone.”  (2)   Mary is dead in her grave!  She was alive the day her Son died and there won’t be another “resurrection  until He returns (see our article about why "the virgin Mary cannot possibly be our intercessor"). 

Mary is quite simply not a "heavenly being" so HOW could she possibly be "watching over" the city of Quito?  Furthermore, we need to quit calling her “the Virgin Mary because Mary was NOT a virgin when she died, because she had other children (see Matthew 1:25, 12:36 and 13:55-56; Mark 6:3; Luke 2:7).

A perfect example of how Jews and their converts skew the plain TRUTH!

Here is a perfect example of how the counter-missionaries encourage each other … via their skewed understanding of Scripture. You won’t believe what this one (who is a former Hebrew Rooter converting to Judaism) is “teaching.” Take a look - and be sure to catch my comments at the end.

ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197612#.VZXez_lViko

Captioned this article "After suffering the choice of forced conversion, tax to stay Christian, or death, Iraqi Christians are taking up arms to fight for their faith." Fighting for their faith for Christians is actually antithetical to and goes against the instructions given in the apostolic writings or "New Testament".

This is proof that the Christian doctrine that Jesus supposedly teaches in the "gospels" leads to the annihilation of any people who practice it when he instructs his followers (in Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29) to " do not resist an evil man" who might want to take advantage of or harm you and "if someone strikes you on your left cheek, turn and avail the right cheek to him (to strike) as well".

Christian doctrine, therefore, specifically instructs people to NOT PROTECT their personal boundaries, but to make themselves into doormats for evil people to take advantage of, rape, and pillage them for the sake of martyring themselves in the name if Jesus/ Yeshua, and that this is to be considered as a noble act!

On the contrary, TORAH instructs people to defend themselves without guilt or remorse, because Torah says repeatedly that people are forbidden from moving ancient boundary stones, and those boundaries apply to boundaries other than property lines in the physical world. They also apply to boundaries in the unseen world!

So here we have a bunch of Christians violating Jesus'/ Yeshua's specific instructions- why? Because the teachings of Jesus/ Yeshua in the apostolic writings or "New Testament" bring death, not life! They are obeying Torah, because the TORAH BRINGS LIFE.

Ecclesiastes states that eternity is set in the heart of man. It is human nature to protect and defend life- to SURVIVE- not to lay down and allow an evil person to take the most valuable gift given to man- his very life!

Referring to this anti-missionary's "proof" scriptures of Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29, it is clear they never had a proper understanding of the pshat/plain meaning.

People need to understand that Y'shua teaches we are not to react with evil towards evil; but rather, we are to allow patience and temperance to prevail when accosted by evil doers. Torah instructs the strong to protect the weak, Deut 22:27. Ya’akov teaches to “stand firm” against Satan, James 4:7. Paul teaches to stand against the strategies of the Accuser in Ephesians 6:11; neither does he mince words in Acts 13:10. Isaiah 14:15 states that haSatan will be brought down to hell and a slaughter is prepared for his children (verse 21). Rev 20:10 promises a date for Satan in the lake of fire, in the meantime we are to recognize that our battles are not against flesh and blood, and to act accordingly.  (Info borrowed from footnotes in the Aramaic English New Testament)

To make the comment that person made above, that Christians are supposed to "make themselves into doormats for evil people to take advantage of, rape, and pillage them for the sake of martyring themselves in the name if Jesus/ Yeshua, and that this is to be considered as a noble act!" - shows that many who have rushed toward Judaism have NO discernment. Yet they are out there, mouthing off and being lauded and embraced and encouraged by their new friends who are just as lost as they are when it comes to Scripture.

Please take a few minutes to read some indepth explanations in our article to learn what "Turn the other cheek" means! 

Rabbi Singer: "Apostle Paul was an opponent to Torah"....

In this video counter-missionary Rabbi Tovia Singer says the Apostle Paul was an opponent to Torah.  (And ironically, Christian pastors say the same thing, don't they?)

As "learned" as this rabbi may be, he clearly has no clue - because the Bible - read in context! - reveals that Paul NEVER went against Torah! Here is one of the clearest passages that shows that Paul WAS Torah observant:

Romans 3:31. Do, we then nullify Torah by faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish Torah.

And by the way, Paul himself was caught “being Torah observant” 29 years after Y’shua’s death (Acts 21:23-24)!  So, was he a Torah opponent?  Not hardly!  Nobody with an open mind could read the scripture above and come to that conclusion!

It is truly sickening that the anti-missionaries/counter-missionaries or whatever you wish to call them, go around saying whatever lie it takes to "debunk" Y'shua and the New Testament!  But they are out there, knocking themselves out - and they're finding followers....

(For more on Paul’s writings please check out our articles designed to put his writings back into context: Book of Romans and Galatians.)

The types of statements made by Rabbi Singer and other counter-missionaries (which includes comments made by those he has managed to "bring out of Christianity" and who have now set up ministries designed to make money by rabidly "debunking Jesus") reveal just how lost our world is - and how willing people are to be led completely away from YHWH's Truth!  They have no clue that, because they have consciously and publicly rejected Him, Yeshua will vomit them from His mouth upon His return  (Revelation 3:16).  They have no clue that the "narrow gate" spoken of in Matthew 7:13 is more NARROW than anyone realizes....

The only thing Singer and his ilk have managed to do is to awaken people to THEIR respective ideas about TORAH. They impress by using their knowledge of extra-biblical writings such as Talmud and Tanya and Kaballah and the sayings of the ancient sages.  They impress with their knowledge of Hebrew - convincing you that everything you've ever seen written in the Bible is bogus because you didn't understand it via the original language or the "Hebrew mindset." And they impress by insisting that the entire "New Testament" was made up by idiots who didn't know what they were doing, and that by "believing in Jesus" you are, in effect, believing either in an idol or a myth.  They are VERY impressive and convincing - IF you are prone to be gullible! 

One of the first things you'll encounter is how they love to twist Isaiah 53 into being NOT "about Jesus" but all about Israel. And they'll outright ignore you if you ever ask:  Can Israel DIE for Israel? (No, but Y’shua did! See Matthew 27.) Can Israel be wounded for our transgressions? (No, but Y’shua was! See Matthew 27.) Can people take Israel's garments and divide them? (No, but that certainly happened in Y’shua’s case! See John 19:23.) WHEN was "Israel" wounded for our transgressions or crushed because of our iniquities? Has the world been HEALED by "Israel"? Not hardly! Y'shua has filled myriads of Tanach prophecies - and people can reject it all they want, but they cannot CHANGE those facts! (For more on this, please check out our blog article The "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53 cannot possibly be about "Israel".)

Our suggestion, if you've fallen into their trap and are thinking of "leaving Jesus," is to make it a priority to consult the Holy Spirit (be careful, because they'll even make fun of that term, because to them, "the Holy Spirit" isn't really THE Holy Spirit who resides within us!) and read your way through the Bible again - every word, from Genesis to Revelation.  (Many who have "fallen away" have never even read the Bible through once!)  If, at the end, you decide to accept Judaism and reject the New Testament, at least you'll have made an "informed decision"...one you will be able to discuss with YHWH when you stand before Him on Judgment Day. 

Most people I've seen rejecting Y'shua on Facebook have done so within a short time - days, weeks or a few months, at most.  They come to this conclusion NOT by buckling down and reading or re-reading and studying the Bible, but by grazing the Internet and allowing some armchair "expert" who "left Jesus" overnight, to tell them why it's a great idea!  They laud and pass around videos by Rabbi Singer and others as solid proof about this "myth" called thew New Testament - when in fact, all it is, as you can see by the above - is the BLIND LEADING THE BLIND!