The great "falling away" is already happening....

Scripture tells us that in the end times there would be a “falling away” – and, folks, it has started, and it is happening in droves! 

I’m seeing it place especially within the ranks of those who have a habit of “religion hopping” – those Christians who found their way to Torah and became Torah observant believers in Y’shua … and then, after grazing around on Facebook or somewhere, they got hooked into traditional Judaism by other “religion hoppers” who had found “real rabbis” whose major goal in life is to draw people into traditional Judaism….

But that’s how it all starts, and what’s sad is that these new “unbelievers” fool themselves into believing they are “thinking for themselves” while singing the praises of atheists and pantheists and agnostics and generally those who haven’t got a clue about God and the Bible but yet have the audacity to proclaim themselves to be “experts”!

So, in essence, these newly-deceived people are willing to believe the messages of MAN, but not God Himself.  It makes absolutely NO sense! 

Regardless, the Bible did warn us that these things would happen.  Let’s take a look at just one of the pertinent passages in the Aramaic English New Testament, with footnotes:

2 Thessalonians 2:9. For the coming of that (Evil One) is the working of haSatan with all power and signs and lying wonders  10. and with all the deceptiveness of iniquity in them that perish; because they did not receive the love of the truth by which they might have life.  11. Therefore Elohim will send upon them the strength of a deception that they may believe a lie;[1]  12. and that they all may be condemned who believe not the truth but have pleasure in iniquity. 

13. But we are bound to give thanks to Elohim always on your account, my Brothers, beloved of our Master (Y’shua), that Elohim has from the beginning chosen you to life through sanctification of the Spirit and through faith in the Truth.  14. For to these it was that Elohim called you by our preaching;[2] that ye might be the glory to our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach. 

5. Therefore, my Brothers, be established and persevere in the Commandments[3] which you have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle.[4]  16. And may our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach himself, and Elohim our Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and a good hope through his grace,  17. comfort your hearts and establish in yourselves every good word and in every good work. (Aramaic English New Testament)

Footnotes from the AENT:

[1]  The price for not receiving the “love of the truth” is to become overly self-confident in false religion.  The “love of the truth” is the spirit of truth which must be sanctified by thought and action.  One cannot “love the truth” and, at the same time, break the Commandments.

[2]  The phrase “called you by our preaching” is another instance of the implied wordplay between “called” (qirakon) and the Hebrew name for the priestly book of Leviticus (Vayiqra), which is derived from the first words “and he called.” The same can be said of “preaching” which is once again being tapped by the Aramaic sebar (Good News/Hope).  The final repetition is also a favorite implied wordplay of Paul’s, with miltha “Word” being contrasted with “Commandments” which comes from the fact that the “Ten Commandments” are originally called “The Ten Words” YHWH spoke. One cannot also help but see the similarity with the use of “miltha” in the way John opens his Good News/Preaching; “the Miltha was with Elohim and the Miltha was Elohim.” 

This idea is reinforced further with the phrase “from the beginning,” dovetailing with the title of the Book of Genesis, which is called B’resheet in Hebrew, and rendered min reshita here by Paul. The fact is, there is very little difference between the two terms, coming down to a small alteration in how prepositions are used between “in the beginning” and “from the beginning.” Either way, this revelation that Paul is addressing cannot be a “new commandment” but the one that has always been, calling Jew and Gentile alike into the righteousness of Torah through its foremost interpreter, who is Mashiyach.

[3] The biggest misunderstanding of the Pauline Epistles is that Paul’s encouragements nullified or superseded Torah rather than complemented Torah, and most of this is due to erroneous Greek translations, such as in this verse which reads: “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the paradoesis (traditions) which you were taught, whether by word or epistle.” Paradoesis could mean “traditions” but may also be rendered “teachings” as in the NIV. However, there are BIG problems with both phrases as they imply a new “wisdom” has supplanted the Eternal Word.

Many theologians suggest that Paul the Jew is saying to the Gentiles, “Don’t concern yourself with Torah, it’s just a Jewish thing; just listen to me (Paul) and follow to the new teaching.”  However, Aramaic reads: “Henceforth, my brethren, stand fast and hold to the Commandments which you have been taught, either by word or by epistle.” (Lamsa)  The Aramaic porqadona, unlike the Greek paradoesis, can only mean “Commandments”. The question is then, what commandments?

According to Matthew 5:19, Y’shua taught Torah and the Commandments of YHWH from the very beginning of his ministry.  According to Matthew 15:3, Y’shua warned the Pharisees against making void the “Commandment of Elohim” by their traditions.  In Matthew 19:17 Y’shua spelled out the Commandments to the rich young ruler, teaching that “if you will enter into Life, keep the Commandments.”  The rich young ruler asked which ones?  Y’shua gave him Torah Commandments!

Being led by the Ruach haKodesh to observe YHWH’s Torah (instruction in righteousness) is a perquisite to entering the Malchut Elohim; in fact, Torah is magnified (made great) by Y’shua according to Yesha‘yahu/Isaiah 42:21. In 2 Peter 2:21, 22, Peter levies a sharp rebuke; “…it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after having known (it), to turn back from the Set Apart commandment that was delivered to them.”

John teaches in 1 John 2:4; “For he that says I know him and does not keep his Commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  There can be NO doubt these are YHWH’s Commandments because John teaches in 1 John 3:22: “And whatever we ask, we receive from Him because we keep His (YHWH’s) Commandments and do acceptable things before Him.”  But some theologians teach that if you “love” you don’t need to keep any Commandments; however, this is the tradition of the Laodicean Church who interprets “love” according to religious tradition (see Definition of Love in Appendix). 

“And the dragon was enraged against the woman; and he went to make war upon the residue of her seed who keep the Commandments of Elohim and have the testimony of Y’shua.” (Revelation 12:17).  The true remnant, the Israel of Elohim, keep the Commandments of Elohim and they know Y’shua is Mashiyach ben Yoseph. 

The evidence supporting Torah Observance among Y’shua’s followers is overwhelming, but there are multitudes of doctrines and church traditions that make war against the Word of YHWH.  It’s one thing for a person to choose to disobey YHWH’s Commandments, but it’s quite another to teach others to also be disobedient.  Y’shua warns that it would be better for a millstone be hung around your neck and be sunk into the sea than to be guilty of causing one of his little ones to stumble (Matthew 18:6). 

Paul and all of Y’shua’s disciples, even the Pharisees knew that the “Word of Elohim” can only mean Torah! Therefore, this verse clearly demonstrates that Paul is determined to bring everyone including the Gentiles, the Tribes of Israel, and all Jews into the Grace of Y’shua so they could have Torah written upon their hearts.  Grace is power given by YHWH to live as a Kedoshim (holy people).

[4] Most Gentiles are unaware of the fervent debates between Netzarim Jews (Nazarenes) and traditional Jews regarding Y’shua being Mashiyach or his divinity. In particular, the issue that frequently comes up is the idea that Christians exalt a man as God. As we will see, part of the problem again lies with inaccurate Greek translations and, of course, there is a marked difference between Catholic, Protestant, “Messianic Jewish” and Netzarim beliefs.

It is most intriguing that some traditional Jews would label Paul’s letters as pagan, given his admonition to a pagan audience:  “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come unless it is preceded by a rebellion, and the man of sin be revealed as the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is reverenced; so that even in the Temple of Elohim, he sits as a god, and shows himself as though he were a god.”  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (Lamsa). 

The phrase “son of perdition” in Aramaic, breh d’abadana is the same as the Hebrew abaddon, meaning “destruction” and is torn from the pages of the Dead Sea Scrolls, alluding to sons of light and sons of darkness. Of course, such a metaphor makes little sense in Greek. However, more pointed to our discussion is the fact that Paul is describing a great deception whereby “Christians” would be entrapped into worshipping a man!  “And with all deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved thereby. For this reason Elohim shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that all who did not believe in truth but preferred unrighteousness might be damned.”  2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (Lamsa). 

Since the Wicked One in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 is clearly a man sent from Satan, we can rightly infer that this sort of man-worship is heartily and forcefully condemned by the Shaliach/Apostle Paul. That being said, it is odd that his critics would continue to accuse him of being an idolater himself, when all evidence in Scripture points to his keeping Torah! Furthermore, if the heresy is as Paul says, “a strong delusion” it seems likely that it is a popular one as well!  Certainly this vision of the distant future from Paul’s era drives a spike in the coffin to Replacement Theology (Supercessionism) and Dispensationalism, which are as “fathers” to polytheistic Christianity.

In the end, the true Good News is linked inextricably to the Word that came before, while the “other Gospel” teaches Torah is done away with, and/or that paganism rules the day. As we will also see later on, since Paul condemned as heretical the “man-god” idea, it seems very unlikely that the Shaliach would simply substitute the agent of Satan with the Hellenized “Jesus” who essentially does the same thing.

It was Paul who made statements as in 1 Corinthians 12:3 that “Y’shua is YHWH!” We must certainly differentiate between a man who would wrongly aspire to be YHWH, with a pure understanding of Aramaic/Hebrew and Torah that demonstrates how YHWH can take on any form He desires.  One is the age old pagan counterfeit from haSatan which entered the world by confusion in the Greek “New Testament” while the other is the ultimate understanding of Mashiyach as revealed in Torah and the prophets of YHWH as truth, and it’s Jewish to the very core.

So this "falling away" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3) is being manifested in our time! Sure, we still have no idea of the ultimate unfolding of events, but the signs are unmistakable!

The bottom line is, those who have left “God” by rejecting either YHWH or His Son, and spoken against His Word, they are guilty of "blaspheming the Holy Spirit" – which is an unforgivable sin!

Matthew 12: 30. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever did not gather with me, scatters. 31. Because of this I say to you that all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of men, but blasphemy that is against the Spirit will not be forgiven to the sons of men. 32. And anyone who says a word against the Son of man, he will be forgiven, But anyone who will speak against the Ruach haKodesh, he will not be forgiven - not in this world or in the world that is to come. (Aramaic English New Testament)

If a person committed one of the capital offenses that are mentioned in Torah, but confessed and pleaded for forgiveness, there were ways to receive atonement. But those who blaspheme against the Spirit of YHWH have no way to make atonement for themselves, nor can they make an appeal in the name of Yeshua. See also Acts 5:1-11 and Hebrews 10:28-30.

Matthew 13: 32. And anyone who says a word against the Son of man, he will be forgiven, But anyone who will speak against the Ruach haKodesh,[1] he will not be forgiven – not in this world or in the world that is to come.

It is "defiant irreverence" - a term that can be applied to such sins as cursing Yahweh or willfully degrading things relating to Him, or attributing some evil to Him, or denying Him some good that should be attributed to Him. For instance, in Matthew 12:31-32, the Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Yeshua was working miracles in the power of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit), claimed instead that He was possessed by the demon "Beelzebub" (Matthew 12:24).

Mark 3: 28. Truly I say to you, that all sins and blasphemies that the sons of man will blaspheme will be forgiven them. 29. But he who blasphemes against the Ruach haKodesh has no forgiveness ever, rather he is guilty before the eternal judgment. 30. This is because they were saying that an unclean spirit is in him.

Hebrews 10: 28. For if he who transgressed the Torah of Moshe, died without mercies at the mouth of two or three witnesses; 29. how much more, do you think, will he receive capital punishment who has trodden upon the Son of Elohim and has accounted the blood of his covenant by which he is sanctified, as the blood of all men and has treated the Spirit of grace in an insulting manner?

Acts 5: 32 And we are witnesses of these words and the Ruach haKodesh; He Who Elohim gives to those who obey Him.

Remedial vs Willful Ignorance

There are two sides of ignorance:

Someone defined the two sides of ignorance as "The first is blindly believing and doing what other people say without properly investigating the truth of it, and the second is not believing and doing what is rightfully correct because you refuse to accept the the truth. Either way, both are dangerous and leads to corruption of the mind."

My take on this:

There are only two ways to express knowledge of a subject on the Internet: Truth or lies. In my short time on Facebook (cesspool that it is, I am happily no longer on Facebook), I observed that most have no idea how to distinguish the difference. Truth is backed by facts and sound conclusions, while lies are simply false conclusions based on opinion, hearsay, and ignorance. Sadly, since absolutely anyone can write anything they want and post it on the Internet as "truth", it is up to the reader to assess a post or article as truth or lies. I observed that the quite necessary "assessment" step most often fails to happen. Worse, I observed that most are not qualified themselves to carry out that assessment! 

Which leads me to:

There are two forms of ignorance: Remedial and Willful. One can be "ignorant" of a subject and that is not actually a problem because ignorance is remediated through study and education.  But when one chooses not to study and educate themselves they have willfully chosen to remain ignorant.

A Quick Biblical Concussion!

A bit of advice to those who think there are "two Gods" ("God" & "Jesus"), and "two rules" ("Torah", aka "the Law", for the Jews & "Grace" for the Gentiles):

Open your Bible to the dividing page between the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament" and TEAR OUT THAT PAGE!

Then start at the beginning, Gen 1:1, and read, without stopping, to Revelation 22:21.  You will find there is only ONE God and ONE Torah - one set of rules for ALL.  Pay special attention to what the Messiah (Jesus) says, and you will find that the Messiah only came to show the way to the Kingdom of God.  That's all.  He didn't "change" anything God said.  He didn't "nail" anything to the cross.  He didn't "bring grace".

Some of your predisposition is that you have read poor English versions of New Testament scriptures and concluded that "Paul" says Gentiles are exempt from Torah.  This is absolutely not true, so rule #1 while you read the Bible cover to cover is to set aside what you THINK Paul said, and read it all with an uncluttered mind - this time seeking first to understand Torah and the Messiah, rather than looking for justification to deny Torah.  For example:

When cornered by the Pharisees, Jesus was asked "Which is the greatest commandment?"  Jesus answered: "You should love Master YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest Commandment."  Then He goes on: "And the second is like it.  That ‘You should love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang Torah and the prophets." (Matt 22:37-40)

Most Christians see this as "Jesus gave only two commandments".  But when you have read the Bible, cover-to-cover (having ripped out that dividing page), you will come to realize that Jesus TAUGHT NOTHING NEW! In His answer to the question "Which is the greatest commandment?", Jesus quoted only Torah!  He did not give "new" commandments! For the first, and greatest commandment He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, and for the second, He quoted Leviticus 19:18!

And note that Jesus did NOT say "there are only 'two' commandments", rather, He said "On these two commandments hang [all] Torah"! All commandments remain valid - some just don't apply to you! And He did not bring "Grace" to "replace" Torah, rather He came to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God! (See Luke 4:43) So what is the "good news of the Kingdom of God"?  Well, it's not "all you have to do is believe"!  No!  It is found in John, chapter 17! Read it!  

(Okay, I hear the outcry already!  Some are clearly yelling: "But John 3:16 says: 'so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life.' - so all we have to do is believe!"  ....Err, I suggest you keep reading John! Pay special attention to John 16:3 "And they will do these things because they know neither my Father nor myself."  Then go read John 17:3 again!  What is "eternal life"?  Hint: It is NOT "just believe"!)

Then ask yourself "How do I 'know' the Father?"

Female rabbi attempts to “queer the text”

It’s mind-boggling how deceitful man can be.  Take this female rabbi, for instance, who insists that God never said homosexuality was “an abomination” -  but rather, the Hebrew word for “abomination” was mistranslated. 

How convenient!  But, hey – isn’t that what ALL “religious” folks are doing?  Traditional Jews employ the “it don’t really mean that” and the “you’re in error unless you are able to read the Hebrew Bible in HEBREW and have accepted Talmud as your guide” cards to debunk “Jesus” and the whole New Testament.  Christians twist the entire Torah into being irrelevant because it was “just for the Jews” (never mind that all 12 tribes AND the pagan gentiles who had accompanied Moses out of Egypt and had accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, stood at Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments – which HANG ON TORAH (Matthew 22:40)).  And Messianic/Hebrew Roots types will twist words and concepts to force them to fit into their myriad respective theologies.

And now we have Rabbi Debra Kolodny, Executive Director of Nehirim, the national LGBTQI group, trying to “queer the text.”

Well, why not, right?  Everyone else is doing it!

The thing is, we WILL stand before our Maker on Judgment Day (Revelation 20:11-15) to come face-to-face with Him, trembling as we begin to explain our behavior on earth.  At that point myriads will surely rue the fact that they refused to “come before the Lord as children” (Mark 10:15) who have put aside their limited, human mindsets and simply looked at Scripture with “pure” eyes, so they could see the “whole picture” clearly….

No matter how one attempts to twist the words, the CONTEXT reveals that homosexual acts and any other SIN is NOT acceptable:

Leviticus 18: 22 "You are not to go to bed with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Leviticus 20: 13 If a man goes to bed with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they must be put to death; their blood is on them.

Leviticus 18: 22 - You are not to go to bed with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Deuteronomy 22: 5 "A woman is not to wear men's clothing, and a man is not to put on women's clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to ADONAI your God.

Ecclesiates 12: 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Revelation 22: 14 How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city! 15 Outside are the homosexuals, those who misuse drugs in connection with the occult, the sexually immoral, murderers, idol-worshippers, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Regardless as to how one tries to color it, sin is sin and - according to the above - homosexual acts are SIN!

My prayer is that ALL Believers would begin to humble themselves enough to realize that our human thoughts and deeds are totally irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and that EVERYTHING hinges on YHWH and His Word -  and our obedience to Him.  He gave us the choice to accept or reject Him. 

Does Hebrews 8 show that “the Old Covenant” was abolished at the cross?

Many Christians will point to Hebrews 8 to show that “the Old Covenant” was abolished at the cross.

Hebrews 8:7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).[1]  8. For he rebukes them and says: Behold the days come, says Master YHWH, when I will complete with the family of the house of Israel and with the family of the house of Yehuda, a renewed covenant;[2]  9. not like the covenant which I gave to their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; (and) because they continued not in my covenant, I also rejected them, says Master YHWH. 

10. But this is the covenant which I will give to the family of the house of Israel after those days, says Master YHWH: I will put my Torah in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts; and I will be to them a Elohim, and they will be to me a people.  11. And one will not teach his son of the city[3] nor his brother, nor say: You shall know your Master YHWH: because they will all know me, from the youngest of them to the oldest.  12. And I will forgive them their iniquity; and their sins will I remember no more.  13. In that he said a Renewed (Covenant), he made the first old; and that which is old and decaying, is near to disappearing.[4]

Employing a Hebraic mindset (rather than a "Greek" one) let’s take a look at this passage using footnotes from the Aramaic English New Testament by Andrew Gabriel Roth:

[1]  Most Christians seem to forget that without the first covenant, the second one is impossible!  In very short order Rav Shaul will quote Jeremiah 31:31-34, indicating that the Renewed Covenant is a contingency triggered by, and deriving authority from, the first covenant.  YHWH declared that the Ancient Covenant He made with Israel was good; it was to bring life, but the people of Israel chose to willfully break this Covenant and treat it as a vain thing.  See Deuteronomy 32:46, 47.

[2]   Paul makes reference to the Renewed Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) nine times in this letter.

[3]  The phrase in Aramaic is 'bar medintheh', which literally means “son of his city” but idiomatically carries the meaning of “fellow citizen, neighbor” and most definitely a metaphor Greek does not have. This fact puts Peshitta well before the end of the Second Century when the mistranslated Greek texts were done. It is also important to note that this is the last book of the Eastern canon. As a result, the entire collection must have circulated prior to this very early date.

[4]  The context is Jeremiah 31:31-34, what is “near to disappearing” is the sinful nature of man that breaks Torah, not the standard of Torah. Remember that we broke Torah, not YHWH.  YHWH did not drop the standard of Torah because Israel chose disobedience; rather, He installed a Renewed Covenant to write Torah upon the heart through the work of the Ruach haKodesh, according to Mashiyach.  The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21.  Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH’s part of the Covenant.  This verse in its twisted form, became one of the “crown jewels” of Torahless Christianity which teaches that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  See 2 Peter 3:16.

How a “religion” is born

(NOTE:  The source in this article for the information about the history of “Rivers of Babylon” is Wikipedia.)

One of my favorite songs of all time (since I first heard it in the late Seventies) has been "Rivers of Babylon" by a group called “Boney M.”  Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the gravity of the words until I became a Torah observant believer in the late Nineties … and my guess is, until then I was representative of most people who have ever heard the song and never bothered to discover what the lyrics were truly about....

"Rivers of Babylon" is based on the Biblical Psalm 137:1-4, a hymn expressing the lamentations of the YHWH’s people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC: Previously the Kingdom of Israel, after being united under Kings David and Solomon, was split in two, with the Kingdom Of Israel in the north, conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC which caused the dispersion of 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel. The southern Kingdom of Judah (hence the name Jews), home of the tribe of Judah and part of the Tribe of Levi, was free from foreign domination until the Babylonian conquest to which Rivers Of Babylon refers.
 

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion... They carried us away in captivity requiring of us a song... Now how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

The namesake rivers of Babylon are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The song also has words from Psalm 19.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight...

It is one of a few pop songs whose lyrics come directly from the Bible. But here’s the thing:  Originally Rivers of Babylon was a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics were adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Bible.

However, The Melodians' original version of the song twisted it to mean something else!

In the Rastafarian faith, the term "Babylon" is used for any governmental system which is either oppressive or unjust. In Jamaica, Rastafarians also use "Babylon" to refer to the police, often seen as a source of oppression because they arrest members for the use of marijuana (which is sacramental for Rastafarians). Therefore, "By the rivers of Babylon" refers to living in a repressive society and the longing for freedom, just like the Israelites in captivity. Rastafarians also identify themselves as belonging to the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

The original version specifically refers to Rastafarian belief in Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, considered by Rastas to be Christ, by changing references to "the Lord" in the Biblical text to "Far-I" and "King Alpha".   In addition, the term "the wicked" replaces the neutral "they" of Psalm 137 in the line "they that carried us away captive required of us a song…".

According to David Stowe, Brent Dowe, the lead singer of the Melodians, had adapted Psalm 137 to the new reggae style because he wanted to increase the public's consciousness of the growing Rastafarian movement and its calls for black liberation and social justice. Like the Afro-Protestant Revival services, traditional Rastafarian worship often included psalm singing and hymn singing, and Rastas typically modified the words to fit their own spiritual conceptions; Psalm 137 was among their sacred chants.

So there you have an inkling as to how “religions” get started!  We humans have the tendency to not only misunderstand Scripture (depending on many things, including our level of intelligence, our comprehension ability and our backgrounds, etc.); but also, our tendency to force the idea of God to fit into our own respective lifestyles and ideas as to “who” God should be.  It’s the rare person who is willing to move aside their limited human understanding and take a head-first plunge into the Bible, to read and digest it all, from cover to cover, with the help of the Holy Spirit - and without over-analyzing those things that are simply too hard to understand.

What I find most interesting is that Rastafaria and many other religions (including the world’s “biggies” – Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity and Islam) all have their roots in Torah!  And all have twisted YHWH’s Word to include their own, personal ideas and opinions….(Hmmm, care to guess why that is?)

Anyway, “Rivers of Babylon” was popularized in Europe by the 1978 Boney M. cover version, which was awarded a platinum disc and is one of the top ten all-time best-selling singles in the UK.  The Rastafarian language was excised from the Boney M. version of the lyrics, who performed an early mix of the song in a German TV show singing "How can we sing King Alpha's song", as in the Melodians version, although it was changed to "the Lord's song", restoring the original biblical words in the released versions.

So, in the end, the BIBLICAL version won out – Halleluyah!  Please check it out sometime.  It will give you chills!
Unfortunately, just because "Rivers of Babylon" was restored to its original intent, I know for a fact (judging by the horrific cussing - especially his preferred use of the "F" word - during his interviews) that the creator of "Boney M" had NO clue about God and the Bible! (He is dead now, BTW, and during his funeral his daughter stood on stage and every other word out of her mouth started with the "F" word, too.) I don't know about those who actually sang the song, though, but I pray they are all believers.

It kind of ruins this beautiful song for me, but at least I know the truth behind that's what makes listening to it worthwhile!

The fight about "Christmas" continues....

Having been Torah observant for nearly 20 years now, I continue to remain baffled as to why so many Christians cannot understand that Torah consists of YHWH’s Divine Instructions in Righteousness, without which, we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living.  It’s truly an enigma, and my prayer is that people would stop wasting so much energy on fighting to keep their opinions and, instead, begin to focus on discovering what the Bible says.  What I espouse, or what some “denomination” espouses is irrelevant.  What we must come to realize is what GOD has commanded.

It hurts my spirit to see so many endless arguments all over the internet where people are beating each other up verbally to prove “the other side” wrong.  I’m seeing Christians rabidly going after those of us who have chosen to be Torah observant, poking fun at us, viciously attacking us  for keeping the commanded Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts. (Apparently it’s BAD to want to obey God?  Must be, because they keep condemning us to hell for it!)

But the lengths to which they will go is truly baffling sometimes.  For instance, they cannot seem to grasp that, just because the Bible doesn’t prohibit, by name, certain activities, that God would NOT necessarily be happy with their deliberate disobedience by going ahead and doing them.  Case in point, Christmas.  At this time of year many Christians knock themselves out to make Christmas sound like God is happy with this man-made tradition.  They go to great lengths to make it “okay” just because it’s done “in the name of Jesus.”

Matthew 15:3. Then Y’shua answered and said to them, Why also do you transgress against the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?

Clear scripture is intentionally overlooked as the man-made tradition proponents scramble to find passages that support their desires to ignore His warnings against human desires and transgressions.  Please take a moment to read this article on GotQuestions.org that attempts to justify the Christian tradition of Christmas trees.

As I mentioned in a previous article A quick note about Christmas and Thanksgiving, while Christmas is supposedly the “birth of Christ” and the celebration of His birth, the bottom line is:  “Christmas” is NOT one of the Biblical Feasts, and December 25th is NOT Messiah’s birthday.  (See our article, Proof that Yeshua was NOT born in December!)  YHWH told us exactly which mo’edim (festivals) He wanted us to annually observe!

Nowhere in Scripture are we told to celebrate the Messiah's birthday.  To be fair, it doesn’t say you can’t, either, so if you wish to put up a tree and celebrate Christmas, GO for it!   We are to be thankful to our God every day of the year, and if you want to do enjoy “Christmas” activities, that’s your choice.  Just don’t be guilty of trying to pass Christmas off as a God-condoned "holy day" or insisting our Savior was born on December 25th, or telling your children the lie about “flying reindeer” and “Santa Claus” who magically comes down the chimney to bring them presents – because deception is NOT condoned in Scripture, and there is NO WAY to force it to be so! Same thing with “Easter bunnies that lay eggs.”  Deliberate deception!

And yes, Jeremiah 10 is not about “Christmas trees” – but come on! – let's read that passage IN CONTEXT!

Jeremiah 10: 1 Hear the word Adonai speaks to you, house of Isra'el! 2 Here is what Adonai says: "Don't learn the way of the Goyim, don't be frightened by astrological signs, even if the Goyim are afraid of them; 3 for the customs of the peoples are nothing. They cut down a tree in the forest; a craftsman works it with his axe; 4 they deck it with silver and gold. They fix it with hammer and nails, so that it won't move. 5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch, it cannot speak. It has to be carried, because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of it - it can do nothing bad; likewise, it is unable to do anything good!"

While the above Scripture isn't talking about "Christmas trees" per se (it's in reference to carving idols from trees....gilding them with gold and silver and fixing them to the ground and worshiping them), we can certainly see the resemblance! We also need to remember that God used to put people to death for gross disobedience, or worshipping Him with "strange fire":

Leviticus 10: 1 But Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before Adonai, something he had not ordered them to do. 2 At this, fire came forth from the presence of Adonai and consumed them, so that they died in the presence of Adonai.

The Prophet Daniel gave us an end time prophecy which reveals the seriousness of changing God's Word. Here he is speaking of what the "Antichrist" will do:

Daniel 7: He will speak words against the Most High and try to exhaust the holy ones of the Most High. He will attempt to alter the seasons and the law....

What are the "seasons and the law" that Daniel talking about? God's Torah, our Divine Instructions in Righteousness, and His Appointed Times: The Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts! And who is speaking words against the Most High today? Those who insist His Torah is a curse!

YHWH amply warned us against the incorporation of pagan concepts:

Deuteronomy 12: 28 Obey and pay attention to everything I am ordering you to do, so that things will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, as you do what ADONAI sees as good and right. 29 "When ADONAI your God has cut off ahead of you the nations you are entering in order to dispossess, and when you have dispossessed them and are living in their land; 30 be careful, after they have been destroyed ahead of you, not to be trapped into following them; so that you inquire after their gods and ask, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I want to do the same.' 31 You must not do this to ADONAI your God! For they have done to their gods all the abominations that ADONAI hates! They even burn up their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods! 32 "Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it. (CJB)

As to the idea of what Romans 14:5 supposedly says, here is an excerpt  from the book, “Should Christians be Torah Observant?” that responds to this annual argument.

Romans 14: 5. One man discriminates between days; and another judges all days alike. But let every one be sure in regard to his knowledge.  6. He that esteems a day, esteems (it) for his Master: and he that esteems not a day for his Master, he does not esteem (it). And he that eats, eats to his Master and gives thanks to Elohim: and he that eats not to his Master he eats not and gives thanks to Elohim.

Does the above suggest that Paul said it is up to each of us to decide what we should eat and what day we should keep?

Absolutely not! The context of this passage was a dispute over whether one can eat food that may or may not have been offered to idols.  In those days food that may or may not have been offered to idols was usually put out for sale to people on a certain day of the week – and some believers refused to purchase or eat food on those days, just to be on the safe side. On the other hand, some did because they figured, since they didn’t know for sure whether or not it had been offered, it wouldn’t be wrong to eat it.

In the previous Scripture (Romans 14:5-6) Paul was not addressing kosher foods or Sabbath day observance at all; he was referring to the disagreement over whether market place food, because of idolatry, should be bought and eaten on a certain day of the week. 

Please check out David H. Stern’s explanation in the preface of his Complete Jewish Bible, wherein he demonstrates the difference between “kosher” and “ceremonially clean.” Stern says YAHWEH never said pork, shellfish, etc. were food.  People called these animals food in rebellion against God….

The passages in Romans are dealing with animals YAHWEH gave us to eat and whether they are ceremonially clean and can be eaten at that time.  Even in Peter’s vision (Acts 11), Peter would never have eaten the kosher animals that had been in contact with treif (non-kosher) animals. The vision was to show that, as Peter knew which animals were clean and which were not because as God had shown him, Peter was to accept the Gentiles as God had now shown him they were “clean”.  The rest of the passage in Acts 11 shows that this is the correct interpretation and what the vision was all about (see Acts 11:18).

Brethren, I implore you to try to understand that if we wish to PLEASE our ELOHIM, we need to start laying aside our personal opinions and stupid human traditions and begin to do it HIS way.  Here’s why:

1 Corinthians 10: 21. You cannot drink the cup of our Master (Y’shua) and the cup of demons; and you cannot be partakers at the table of our Master, and at the table of demons.  22. Or, would we provoke our Master (Y’shua’s) jealousy?  Are we stronger than he?  23. Everything is in my power; but everything is not profitable. Everything is in my power; but everything does not build up.  24. Let no one seek his own things, but also the things of his fellow-man.  (AENT)