My goodness, this world has gone crazy! If you haven't heard the news yet, a couple of Muslim lunatics charged into a synagogue in Jerusalem and killed five Israelis today (four of them were rabbis!!!)….
Why? Who knows? Muslims just like to kill, I guess. They do it all the time. I would sure hate to be those murderers on Judgment Day!
'Nuff said.
There is so much I could say about the world in which we live, but suffice it to say that we ARE in the end times as outlined in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. Take a look at what all has happened in just this past year! It won't be much longer before Y'shua returns. It is imperative that we "get ourselves right with God" while there's still time. Don't wait!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Why is the world "meh" to ISIS?
I don't know about you, but I am wondering what is going on in the world! Here we have an organization the world calls "ISIS" - a brutal, barbaric organization of Muslims taking action to "convert" the world to strict "Sharia Law" (where the men get to rule with sub-human brutality), yet the world seems to be turning a blind eye.
ISIS is a threat to ALL RELIGIONS, yet not one seems to be taking action to combat and defeat this scourge on society! And this holds true especially of those of Islam! Really! How many times have you heard "Islam is a religion of peace"? You've heard it from Islamic leaders, and world political leaders alike - including US Presidents! Yet if it's true, you'd think that all the billions of "peace" loving Muslims out there would be joining forces to destroy "ISIS" - who claim to be "Islam", yet are out there destroying the world!
Well, the proof is in the pudding as they say. Here we have Islam's true colors surfacing, and the reason you don't see "peaceful Islam" going against ISIS is because there is no such thing as "peaceful Islam"! And the reason you don't see the rest of the world taking up arms against ISIS is they are oblivious to what's going on! Since the Christian world pays no attention to the "Old Testament" in favor of their Torah-less, Adonis "Jesus", and the false doctrine of "grace", and are out there actively seeking to embrace gays and their $$$, they don't see the danger, and the other major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism for example, are too much in their "new age" mantras and attaining "enlightenment" to recognize the danger to them!
Well "wondering what's going on in the world" is really only a cliché, for I really already know what's going on! My head is not in the sand! If you are not "ready" by your spirit to go through these end-times, perhaps it's time you paid attention! Here's a good book for you to curl up next to a fire and digest: http://www.amazon.com/War-Heaven-Surviving-End-Times/dp/1623740045
ISIS is a threat to ALL RELIGIONS, yet not one seems to be taking action to combat and defeat this scourge on society! And this holds true especially of those of Islam! Really! How many times have you heard "Islam is a religion of peace"? You've heard it from Islamic leaders, and world political leaders alike - including US Presidents! Yet if it's true, you'd think that all the billions of "peace" loving Muslims out there would be joining forces to destroy "ISIS" - who claim to be "Islam", yet are out there destroying the world!
Well, the proof is in the pudding as they say. Here we have Islam's true colors surfacing, and the reason you don't see "peaceful Islam" going against ISIS is because there is no such thing as "peaceful Islam"! And the reason you don't see the rest of the world taking up arms against ISIS is they are oblivious to what's going on! Since the Christian world pays no attention to the "Old Testament" in favor of their Torah-less, Adonis "Jesus", and the false doctrine of "grace", and are out there actively seeking to embrace gays and their $$$, they don't see the danger, and the other major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism for example, are too much in their "new age" mantras and attaining "enlightenment" to recognize the danger to them!
Well "wondering what's going on in the world" is really only a cliché, for I really already know what's going on! My head is not in the sand! If you are not "ready" by your spirit to go through these end-times, perhaps it's time you paid attention! Here's a good book for you to curl up next to a fire and digest: http://www.amazon.com/War-Heaven-Surviving-End-Times/dp/1623740045
Challenging: “Why The Jews Don’t Believe In Jesus…And Never Will”
Rabbis at both Aish.comhttp://www.aish.com / and Jews for Judaism are knocking themselves out to prove Y’shua is NOT the Messiah. They post: “One of the most common questions we receive at Aish.com is: ‘Why don’t Jews believe in Jesus?’ Let’s understand why ― not in order to disparage other religions, but rather to clarify the Jewish position." And then they go to great lengths to disprove “Jesus and the New Testament” – suggesting, in part, that it was due to the mistranslations of the myriad Bible “versions”, etc.
Our question at The Refiner’s Fire is: If they’re not out to “disparage other religions” then why do they spend enormous amounts of time and energy trying to DISPROVE Y’shua and the New Testament? (Google the terms “anti-missionaries” or “counter missionaries” and see how many articles come up – it’s absolutely mind-boggling!) One can certainly “clarify the Jewish position” by simply ignoring the “noise” and just concentrating on teaching the Torah and Tanach. Instead, “they” are out there on various radio and YouTube videos blatantly making fun of those who teach about Y’shua!
Traditional Jews spend about as much time on disproving Y’shua as Christians spend on proving why December 25th is the supposed real birthdate of “Christ” (even though man-made traditions and “holy days” are rendered worthless by God Himself – see our articles on the pagan origins of Christmas and Christmas is unbiblical.)
The bottom line is: This whole Judaism vs. Christianity/Messianic Judaism/Hebrew Roots is nothing more than a “you say/we say” battle ground, fraught with mostly opinions that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Everybody has an opinion. “The Word says this!” “Oh no, it doesn’t! It says THAT!” … OPINIONS! Anybody can take a Bible verse and twist it into meaning what THEY want it to mean. It’s an endless battle of “my religion is better than yours.”
Well, here’s something to chew on: YHWH’s Word is not about “religion” or “opinions”; “religion” is simply man-made nonsense – theologies based on what MAN THINKS God said! “Religions” have nothing to do with God and the Bible. YHWH’s Divine Instructions in Righteousness as written down by Moshe in the Torah are Truth! The Neviim (prophets) are Truth; the Ketuvim (writings) are Truth … as are the Ketuvim Netzarim (writings of the Netzarim/Nazarenes), commonly known as Brit Chadasha/New Testament. Whether traditional Jews (and their mean-spirited converts who write snippy comments all over the Internet) choose believe the Ketuvim Netzarim or not, the fact remains that YHWH constantly alluded to a “rest of the story” – which, upon non-biased inspection from a Hebrew viewpoint - perfectly fits into, and lines up with, the first two-thirds of the Bible!
The only problem is, “man” (including Jewish rabbis) has skewed the entire Bible so much, that confusion, misperception and doubt overshadow YHWH’s TRUTH. (There are Bible verses – in both the OT and the NT that predict this would happen!)
Returning to the original point - sure, it’s okay to challenge someone’s ideas and opinions and theology, but we really need to examine ourselves if our WHOLE FOCUS in life becomes arguing, fighting and challenging the OPINIONS of others! Case in point, Rabbi Skobac of Jews for Judaism is in the process of trying to dissect and disprove every one of the 365 Messianic prophecies listed in our article! (This radio interview is just one example of many.) While we certainly respect his position and knowledge of Torah, we also realize he is just a man, like all the rabbis before him, trying to understand God. He is just as fallible as the rest of us....
Another “mere man” - a young, Jewish lawyer – came to believe that Y’shua is THE Messiah, after trying to disprove Him, back in 2005. The 48 prophecies in this article came straight from the mind of this young man, who graciously allowed us to post them on our site for all to see!
Aramaic scholar and author Andrew Gabriel Roth (Aramaic English New Testament and One Faith One People Ministries) has a similar story. He told us he used to have fun debating Christians (and pretty much making mincemeat out of their theology) while he was in college ... until one day when it suddenly dawned on him that Y’shua was the “netzer/branch”. Afterwards, he began to study the NT like never before, and a whole new world opened for him! He once wrote: “Netzarim is a SCRIPTURAL and not a cultural, title. Y'shua says in John ‘I am the vine and you are the branches,’, and from there is natural to link ‘He will be called a Nazarene’ (Matthew 2:23) with NETZER as righteous branch in Isaiah. It’s a name that Rav Shaul agrees is proper under interrogation in Acts 24:5. If anyone were to use ANY alternate term, it would Mishkhanee (Messianic). The only OTHER title for Gentiles, is KRISTIANAY, which does appear twice even in Aramaic because that's what Gentile believers were called. But the Shlichim (Apostles) NEVER WERE “Christian!” … which certainly punches a hole in the endless insistence of traditional Jews who INSIST that once a Jew believes in Y’shua, he/she is automatically “Christian”....
The thing is, traditional Jews absolutely refuse to “see the other side.” They automatically reject it – and they LOVE to micromanage the Messianic prophecies! (They even came up with a “Six-minute counter missionary course” - which supposedly proves that Yeshua and the New Testament are “a farce” ... Well, we have answered every one of their allegations in our short article, as well!) Some Jews have no problem believing that the "Lubavitcher Rebbe" - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died June 12, 1994 is the promised Jewish Messiah, and they are still waiting for him to raise the dead! (We have shown in this article why he can't possibly even qualify!) It's totally ironic that they believe a mere MAN can be Messiah, and that they have no problems living by the Talmud and engaging in Kaballah; but mention Y'shua, and they go berserk! There is one woman on Facebook (someone who used to be Christian and has rejected Messiah Y'shua) who is constantly NOMINATING some guy in Israel to be the Messiah - and people are "liking" her posts in droves! Where in Scripture are we told we can NOMINATE the Messiah???
No matter how many Bible verses one can produce to counter “them” (and woe be unto you if you attempt to present New Testament scripture because they’ll immediately pounce on those), they will NEVER address YOUR points or bother to answer YOUR questions! They always steer the conversation onto the next “challenge” on their agenda. We know this because we have actually ANSWERED many of their challenges! Our responses have been on The Refiner’s Fire for at least 10 years, but we have yet to see ONE traditional Jew show us biblically where we are wrong! But they are certainly out there, continuing to toot their own horns and push the same, tired “challenges” time and time again. (Much like Christians who will pound you to death with the SAME, TIRED theology about how we are “under grace” because “Jesus paid it all” and nothing else is required, because all those “laws” were meant “only for the Jews”.... They have never yet figured out that it's "same God, same rules!")
Below is a short list of some traditional Jewish arguments – with the links in parentheses to our articles that counter them:
“Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because”:
1. Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies. (The Refiner's Fire responds: See Accurate Messiah Prophecies and Messianic Prophecies, and decide for yourself - without letting your personal opinions get in the way! Replying, “No he didn’t! Isaiah 53 is about Israel” or any other personal opinion, doesn’t cut it!)
2. Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah. (The Refiner's Fire responds: See Qualifications of Messiah in a nutshell.)
3. Biblical verses “referring” to Jesus are mistranslations. (The Refiner's Fire responds: Yes, let’s look at some of the revisionism that can be found in the JPS, shall we?)
4. Jewish belief is based on national revelation. (The Refiner's Fire responds: True! The Tribe of Yehudah was chosen to take Torah into the world and safeguard and preserve it [Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2]. But, let's not forget: YHWH caused Yeshua to be born into the Tribe of Yehudah/Judah. See the many articles the answer more of their challenges on our Messianic Judaism page.)
5. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28). (The Refiner's Fire responds: See Yeshua qualifications.)
6. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6). (The Refiner's Fire responds: There is no language that specifies the Messiah will bring the Jews back to Israel. The language states only that God will lead the Jews back to Israel. If you then point to Isaiah 11:10 - 11:12, you must distinguish between what the Messiah will do: "BE a banner to all nations" and what God will actually do: "RAISE a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel." Thus, one must distinguish between the roles of God in heaven, and the Messiah on earth. This contention is reinforced by Zechariah 10:8-12, which provides that God (not the Messiah on earth) will gather the Jews back to Israel.)
7. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) – (The Refiner's Fire responds: See Yeshua Qualifications.)
8. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: “God will be King over all the world ― on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One” (Zechariah 14:9). (The Refiner's Fire responds: See our article Yeshua Qualifications.)
As mentioned above, anyone can twist Scripture to suit their agenda. But the bottom line is, arguing really doesn’t resolve anything. As the old adage goes: "Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still." The traditional Jews and their hangers-on/converts have literally taken their lives into their own hands by playing “word games” and thus rejecting Y'shua! Just because MAN with his many Bible "versions" and misinterpretations has missed the mark doesn't mean that YHWH did!
One day, when we are all out of our “earth suits” we will stand before our Maker to give an account of our life here on earth, and then we WILL ALL KNOW HIS TRUTH! In the meantime, our prayer is that “religious folk” would stop the arguing and bickering and start concentrating on God and His Word – ALL of it.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Countering the “Six-minute counter missionary course” offered by Jews for Judaism
Traditional Jews are out there loudly tooting their own horns about the “Six-minute counter missionary course” (which supposedly proves that Yeshua and the New Testament are “a farce”) Well, we have answered every one of their allegations in our short article, if you are interested!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Can Women Teach Men?
They most certainly can! And please, men, come down from your pedestal and stop saying they can't!
Here are the verses which so many conclude is a Biblical prohibition of women teaching men: "Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness." (1 Timothy 2:11-12)
Yes, there are behaviors expected of women clearly specified in scripture, but there are behaviors expected of men too! But when you read 1 Timothy 2:11-12, please take the time to understand the context before you conclude these two verses are a prohibition of women teaching men! I assure you, Paul did not say that "women can't teach men", rather, he was declaring what needed to be stated to Timothy, so he, Timothy, could properly spread the Gospel in Ephesus!
So what is the context?
Turn to 1 Timothy 1:3-4:
"When I was going into Macedonia, I requested you to remain at Ephesus and to charge certain persons not to teach different doctrines, and not to throw themselves into fables and stories about genealogies of which there is no end, which produce contention rather than edification in the Faith of Elohim."
So already we know that in Ephesus, false doctrine, fables and stories were being taught, and Timothy was charged to "get this under control". Indeed, we learn a bit more in verses 6 and 7: "But from these some have strayed and have turned aside to vain words; because they wished to be teachers of Torah, while they understood not what they speak, nor the thing about which they contend." Here we see that Timothy was having to deal with people who were trying to teach Torah while they neither understood Torah nor the subject they were addressing!
We must keep this charge to Timothy in mind as we read on in the letter. When we get to 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul says "For this is good and acceptable before Elohim our life-giver, who would have all men live and be converted to the knowledge of the truth." So here again, we see that Timothy is being told that Paul is seeking that only "truth" be presented and not the myths and fables. Paul goes on in verse 7-8 to say "...of which I am constituted a herald and apostle. I speak the truth and do not lie, for I am the teacher of the Gentiles in the belief of the truth. I desire therefore, that men may pray in every place while they lift up their hands with purity, without wrath and without disputations." Paul would have no need to say this to Timothy if it were not a problem in Ephesus that gatherings were being disrupted by wrath and disputation. We are not told what these issues are, all we know up to this point is that Timothy has been charged with trying to get the situation under control.
But Paul continues by speaking to one of the issues! He says (verses 9-14): "So also, that women (appear) in a chaste fashion of dress; and that their adorning be with modesty and chastity; not with curls or with gold, or with pearls, or with splendid robes; but with good works as is becoming to women who profess reverence for Elohim. Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness." What do we learn here? There is so, so much! At last we have a concrete example of the problem Timothy was facing.
Paul said, right after he said "Worship should be held without wrath and disputation", that "women need to be modest in dress, and stop disrupting!" Clearly, this was one of the problems in Ephesus. Women were not behaving as women of Torah were expected to behave, and they were "speaking out" in gatherings when they should not be speaking or usurping the authority of the congregational leaders. Indeed, the (gentile) women were dressing inappropriately and saying things they should not be saying, otherwise, Paul would have had no need to cite the behavior. What could they possibly be "speaking out" about that was so offensive?
Paul alludes to the issue in the very next verse! He says (verse 13) "For Adam was first formed, and then Eve. And Adam was not seduced, but the woman was seduced and transgressed the command." Huh? Where did this come from? Why would Paul mention Adam and Eve here? To understand, let's look again at the context. This time, historically.
Remember, Timothy is in Ephesus. This is a Greek town deep in the Mediterranean area of the Greek empire. Know also that the purpose of Paul's and Timothy's mission was to spread the Gospel to the gentiles. So here in Ephesus, Timothy was trying to coordinate the teaching of Torah and the Gospel to gentiles who themselves were mired in the ancient and false teachings of Greek life. And that Greek life included many false doctrines of false gods. Indeed, one of the false teachings at this time was the myth that women were like Eve ("Zoe" in Greek) and that it was women who were created first! The myth taught that women brought spiritual life to man and demonstrated that the creator of the world was not the true God. This is a form of Gnosticism and was prevalent in the Greek empire at this time, and it was this sort of teaching that gentile women were bringing with them to gatherings. Now we understand why Paul said: "For Adam was first formed, and then Eve. And Adam was not seduced, but the woman was seduced and transgressed the command" in his letter to Timothy! This was clearly a direct reference to a false teaching in Ephesus, that was one of the disruptions of which Timothy had to prevent.
Now we know the whole context of 1 Timothy 2:11-12! It is not a blanket prohibition of women teaching men! It is but an example of how Paul controls the congregation so only truth is permitted in a locale where much false teaching is prevalent! Remember Timothy's charge in 1 Timothy 1:3-4 (above). Still there is more evidence that there is no blanket prohibition of women teaching men. It is found in Acts.
In Acts 18:24-26, Luke writes: "And a certain Jewish man from Alexandria named Apollos, who was trained to eloquence, and well taught in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He had been instructed in the ways of Master YHWH, and was fervent in spirit; and he discoursed and taught fully respecting Y’shua, while yet he knew nothing except the immersion of Yochanan. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him to their house, and fully showed him the way of Master YHWH." Here we find a woman (Priscilla), teaching a man about the Gospel of which the well-schooled Jewish man was unaware. If there was a prohibition against women teaching men, Luke would surely have known about it and he would have admonished Aquila and Priscilla. Yet he said nothing. Surely, if women were not to be teaching men, he would have indicated it here! He would have said something like "...this unrighteous woman blasphemed the Lord by teaching Apollos!" But he said nothing of the sort. And Paul mentions the help of women in spreading the Gospel in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, and Philemon.
No, all Paul cared about in his letter to Timothy was the proper teaching of truth to the Gentiles. (See 1 Timothy 2:7) To this goal, he had to ensure the synagogues were not disrupted by false teachings and by gentile women who saw the opportunity to compare themselves to "Zoe" by their Greek upbringing. Paul most certainly understands the role of both women and men, indeed he goes on in his letter to define the qualifications of the elder. And he discusses the qualifications of a righteous woman and her role in teaching the young. He says all this so Timothy can bring about good order in Ephesus. But while Paul held to the traditions of male authority in the Synagogue, Paul, like Luke, does not seem to be the kind of man who would deny a qualified woman - who knew Torah and her role - to teach men when it was appropriate. And there is most certainly no prohibition against it.
Here are the verses which so many conclude is a Biblical prohibition of women teaching men: "Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness." (1 Timothy 2:11-12)
Yes, there are behaviors expected of women clearly specified in scripture, but there are behaviors expected of men too! But when you read 1 Timothy 2:11-12, please take the time to understand the context before you conclude these two verses are a prohibition of women teaching men! I assure you, Paul did not say that "women can't teach men", rather, he was declaring what needed to be stated to Timothy, so he, Timothy, could properly spread the Gospel in Ephesus!
So what is the context?
Turn to 1 Timothy 1:3-4:
"When I was going into Macedonia, I requested you to remain at Ephesus and to charge certain persons not to teach different doctrines, and not to throw themselves into fables and stories about genealogies of which there is no end, which produce contention rather than edification in the Faith of Elohim."
So already we know that in Ephesus, false doctrine, fables and stories were being taught, and Timothy was charged to "get this under control". Indeed, we learn a bit more in verses 6 and 7: "But from these some have strayed and have turned aside to vain words; because they wished to be teachers of Torah, while they understood not what they speak, nor the thing about which they contend." Here we see that Timothy was having to deal with people who were trying to teach Torah while they neither understood Torah nor the subject they were addressing!
We must keep this charge to Timothy in mind as we read on in the letter. When we get to 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul says "For this is good and acceptable before Elohim our life-giver, who would have all men live and be converted to the knowledge of the truth." So here again, we see that Timothy is being told that Paul is seeking that only "truth" be presented and not the myths and fables. Paul goes on in verse 7-8 to say "...of which I am constituted a herald and apostle. I speak the truth and do not lie, for I am the teacher of the Gentiles in the belief of the truth. I desire therefore, that men may pray in every place while they lift up their hands with purity, without wrath and without disputations." Paul would have no need to say this to Timothy if it were not a problem in Ephesus that gatherings were being disrupted by wrath and disputation. We are not told what these issues are, all we know up to this point is that Timothy has been charged with trying to get the situation under control.
But Paul continues by speaking to one of the issues! He says (verses 9-14): "So also, that women (appear) in a chaste fashion of dress; and that their adorning be with modesty and chastity; not with curls or with gold, or with pearls, or with splendid robes; but with good works as is becoming to women who profess reverence for Elohim. Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness." What do we learn here? There is so, so much! At last we have a concrete example of the problem Timothy was facing.
Paul said, right after he said "Worship should be held without wrath and disputation", that "women need to be modest in dress, and stop disrupting!" Clearly, this was one of the problems in Ephesus. Women were not behaving as women of Torah were expected to behave, and they were "speaking out" in gatherings when they should not be speaking or usurping the authority of the congregational leaders. Indeed, the (gentile) women were dressing inappropriately and saying things they should not be saying, otherwise, Paul would have had no need to cite the behavior. What could they possibly be "speaking out" about that was so offensive?
Paul alludes to the issue in the very next verse! He says (verse 13) "For Adam was first formed, and then Eve. And Adam was not seduced, but the woman was seduced and transgressed the command." Huh? Where did this come from? Why would Paul mention Adam and Eve here? To understand, let's look again at the context. This time, historically.
Remember, Timothy is in Ephesus. This is a Greek town deep in the Mediterranean area of the Greek empire. Know also that the purpose of Paul's and Timothy's mission was to spread the Gospel to the gentiles. So here in Ephesus, Timothy was trying to coordinate the teaching of Torah and the Gospel to gentiles who themselves were mired in the ancient and false teachings of Greek life. And that Greek life included many false doctrines of false gods. Indeed, one of the false teachings at this time was the myth that women were like Eve ("Zoe" in Greek) and that it was women who were created first! The myth taught that women brought spiritual life to man and demonstrated that the creator of the world was not the true God. This is a form of Gnosticism and was prevalent in the Greek empire at this time, and it was this sort of teaching that gentile women were bringing with them to gatherings. Now we understand why Paul said: "For Adam was first formed, and then Eve. And Adam was not seduced, but the woman was seduced and transgressed the command" in his letter to Timothy! This was clearly a direct reference to a false teaching in Ephesus, that was one of the disruptions of which Timothy had to prevent.
Now we know the whole context of 1 Timothy 2:11-12! It is not a blanket prohibition of women teaching men! It is but an example of how Paul controls the congregation so only truth is permitted in a locale where much false teaching is prevalent! Remember Timothy's charge in 1 Timothy 1:3-4 (above). Still there is more evidence that there is no blanket prohibition of women teaching men. It is found in Acts.
In Acts 18:24-26, Luke writes: "And a certain Jewish man from Alexandria named Apollos, who was trained to eloquence, and well taught in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He had been instructed in the ways of Master YHWH, and was fervent in spirit; and he discoursed and taught fully respecting Y’shua, while yet he knew nothing except the immersion of Yochanan. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him to their house, and fully showed him the way of Master YHWH." Here we find a woman (Priscilla), teaching a man about the Gospel of which the well-schooled Jewish man was unaware. If there was a prohibition against women teaching men, Luke would surely have known about it and he would have admonished Aquila and Priscilla. Yet he said nothing. Surely, if women were not to be teaching men, he would have indicated it here! He would have said something like "...this unrighteous woman blasphemed the Lord by teaching Apollos!" But he said nothing of the sort. And Paul mentions the help of women in spreading the Gospel in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, and Philemon.
No, all Paul cared about in his letter to Timothy was the proper teaching of truth to the Gentiles. (See 1 Timothy 2:7) To this goal, he had to ensure the synagogues were not disrupted by false teachings and by gentile women who saw the opportunity to compare themselves to "Zoe" by their Greek upbringing. Paul most certainly understands the role of both women and men, indeed he goes on in his letter to define the qualifications of the elder. And he discusses the qualifications of a righteous woman and her role in teaching the young. He says all this so Timothy can bring about good order in Ephesus. But while Paul held to the traditions of male authority in the Synagogue, Paul, like Luke, does not seem to be the kind of man who would deny a qualified woman - who knew Torah and her role - to teach men when it was appropriate. And there is most certainly no prohibition against it.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Abbas: We won’t let Israeli extremists ‘contaminate’ Temple Mount; warns of global ‘religious war
The PA president recently announced that Palestinians want all the Jerusalem and West Bank territory captured in 1967; al-Aqsa rioters have ‘right to defend themselves'; and he slammed Hamas for ‘destroying’ unity. And he insists: "We won’t let Israeli extremists ‘contaminate’ Temple Mount" and warned of global ‘religious war.
Israeli extremists aren't supposed to "contaminate the Temple Mount"? Really? Methinks the guy has it backwards: The last time we checked, GOD gave Israel to HIS people (who are referred to as "Jews" - see the Torah!). Yeah, sure, His people were scattered into the nations, but "the world" returned Israel to them in 1948 after the Holocaust (thus making two Bible prophecies come true in one day, just as Jeremiah prophesied). So not only YHWH Himself but also "the world" admitted Israel was a nation that belonged to "the Jews"; not to the squatters who had allowed the Land to become a barren DESERT, who are calling themselves “Palestinians”!!! This also means the Temple Mount NEVER belonged to the Muslims – EVER!
Muslims have always been terrorists, starting with their patriarch, Ishmael - whom YHWH referred to as an uncontrollable "wild donkey of a man.
Genesis 16: 11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."
Well, time and time again, the descendants of Ishmael have proven who they are! (If you haven't heard, just turn on the news to see how the entire Middle East is now in shambles because of the various factions of Muslims. They can't even get along with each other; let alone the rest of the world!)
Jews are the only people in the world who are continuously forced to justify to others their existence as a nation and spiritual entity and to prove their land rights on Israel. The world HATES "the Jews" - and most don't even know why! Well, here is the reason; here is the crux of it all: The Tribe of Judah was chosen to take Torah into the world and safeguard and preserve it (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2).
Somehow, the world sees this as "bad". (God forbid that the illustrious mankind should have any rules to follow!)
And then, of course, "hate groups" like to add that "the Jews killed Jesus"...What these lukewarm "Bible experts" DON'T know is that "we all killed Jesus"! Yes, "the Jews" initiated it on that fateful day; but who was it that spat on Him, pulled out hanks of His beard, flogged Him AND crucified Him? The Gentiles! The thing is, He HAD to die to become our "Savior"....If He had chosen not to, we would still be forced to kill innocent animals to atone for our sins!
Romans 11:11-12: "But I say: Have they so stumbled as to fall entirely? May it never be! Rather, by their stumbling, life has come to the Gentiles for (awakening) their jealousy. And if their stumbling was riches to the world, and their condemnation riches to the Gentiles; how much more their completeness?"
Please see our Challenging anti-Semitism page for more information concerning Israel and “the Jews.”
Zecheriah 12: 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Genesis 49: 10 The scepter will not pass from Y'hudah, nor the ruler's staff from between his legs, until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs; and it is he whom the peoples will obey.
Micah 4: 2 Many Gentiles will go and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the house of the God of Ya'akov (Judah's father)! He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of ADONAI from Yerushalayim.
NOTHING says that the Land EVER belonged to the “Palestinians!” The Palestinians have proven themselves to be nothing more than TERRORISTS who seek war at every turn. They don’t just want the Temple Mount (which has NEVER been theirs!!!); they want ALL Israel, and they want “the Jews” DEAD.
Too bad for them, because the very people they are in the process of trying to wipe from the face of the earth are HIS people!
Romans 11:25-27: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Monster Energy Drink Hype
Many are running around saying the three "claw
marks" on cans of Monster Energy drink are actually three Hebrew
letters, the "vav". And they argue that since the Hebrew "vav" carries
the numerical value of 6 that "vav vav vav" is thus "666" - the mark of
the beast! Here is the logo:
And here is the Hebrew letter "vav", repeated 3 times:
So these people say this is "666". But they are wrong.
Yes, the Hebrew letter "vav" has a numerical value of 6, but Hebrew letters are additive so IF one assumes the claw marks on the cans are the letter "vav", then it would be "18", not "666". Hebrew letters do not covey the decimal notation of arabic numerals. In other words, the "left-most 6" does not represent "600", but simply retains its numerical value, "6". Similarly, the middle 6 does not mean "60". So "vav vav vav" is simply 18. Saying it represents "666" is just ignorance.
There is no doubt that Monster Energy drink is marketed to the godless masses, especially youth, just visit the monsterenergy.com site to convince yourself of this, but to "make up" outrageous claims as to the meaning of the logo puts you in the same ilk.
And here is the Hebrew letter "vav", repeated 3 times:
Yes, the Hebrew letter "vav" has a numerical value of 6, but Hebrew letters are additive so IF one assumes the claw marks on the cans are the letter "vav", then it would be "18", not "666". Hebrew letters do not covey the decimal notation of arabic numerals. In other words, the "left-most 6" does not represent "600", but simply retains its numerical value, "6". Similarly, the middle 6 does not mean "60". So "vav vav vav" is simply 18. Saying it represents "666" is just ignorance.
There is no doubt that Monster Energy drink is marketed to the godless masses, especially youth, just visit the monsterenergy.com site to convince yourself of this, but to "make up" outrageous claims as to the meaning of the logo puts you in the same ilk.
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