Ever wonder why “respect” for certain professions has disappeared?

Ever wonder why “respect” for certain professions has disappeared?

HINT: The entertainment industry!

Think of any movie or song that includes the “cops and robbers” theme. Who normally wins? The cops? Nope. Most of the time, the criminals outwit the cops and make them look like a bunch of incompetent, bungling morons.

Oftentimes, the cops in movies and songs, are shown to be “crooked” – people to be hated and shunned. Same thing holds true for shows about lawyers and politicians. Most of the time, they are portrayed as being ignorant or crooked and scheming – and, consequently, people find themselves cheering for the “poor ol’ bad guys who were done wrong.”

This has been going on basically since the beginning of the movie industry. Same thing for the music industry that, at first, featured wholesome songs about God, family and country, and “doing the right thing.” But as time passed, the lines between “right” and “wrong” started to become blurred, and by the early- to mid-Sixties (when God was kicked out of schools and government buildings), all Hell broke loose within both industries.

Cops were no longer people to be respected; they became known as “pigs” by the “hippies” and “freaks” and the underground drug culture. People listened to Timothy Leary telling us to "Turn on, tune in, drop out!” In other words, it was now perfectly OKAY to engage in illegal activity!

If you didn’t believe that, you were considered to be “square.” Colleges and universities became places to “party” instead of learning. No one had a right to stop you from behaving however you wished. Hey – this was AMERICA, man! Home of the free and the brave!

“Good” became a thing to scoff, while “bad” was glorified. The “badder” the better! People LOVED it! With the sexual revolution (after the birth control pill was invented and freed women from the fear of pregnancy), it became popular to “love the one you’re with if you can’t be with the one you love.” Shame was a thing of the past.

Movies and songs of all genres began reflecting the “normalcy” of what was formerly considered “unhealthy” lifestyles. It became “normal” to WANT the “bad guys” and the “underdogs” to win – because, in all honesty, “bad” appeals to man’s “fallen nature!” Myriads could identify with the “bad guys” … especially, if they had ever had any run-ins with the law.

Fast forward to today, and check out the blatant carnality and downright “evil” in movies today. Listen to the lyrics to the various types of music … Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip-Hop, and even many Rock and Country songs that make cops, lawyers and politicians sound like the “bad guys” while glorifying criminals and criminal activity.

I mean, take a look at the lyrics of this old Merle Haggard song, “Branded Man” (1967) - and you’ll see how quickly we can identify with him, and feel sorry for his plight. (Haggard, seemingly a “career criminal” who had been in and out of prison for a slew of crimes, was arrested in 1957 at the age of 18 on a burglary charge and sentenced to 15 years in San Quentin.) Regardless, by the end of the song, there’s NO DOUBT that law enforcement was BAD, because it infringed upon his lifestyle and desire to be viewed as an upstanding citizen – never mind that he had CHOSEN to commit all those crimes!

I'd like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am
But they won't let my secret go untold
I paid the debt I owed them, but they're still not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man out in the cold.

When they let me out of prison, I held my head up high
Determined I would rise above the shame
But no matter where I'm living, the black mark follows me
I'm branded with a number on my name

Refrain.

If I live to be a hundred, I guess I'll never clear my name
'Cause everybody knows I've been in jail
No matter where I'm living, I've got to tell them where I've been
Or they'll send me back to prison if I fail

Refrain..

Can you see how easily “bad” becomes “good” and vice-versa? All it took was the introduction of a little bit of “bad” to make “bad” look “normal” (poor Merle has to suffer for something he did in his past); and “good” (the laws of the land that required prisoners to register their domiciles) to appear to be downright evil, something to be eliminated because it gets in the way of our “freedoms”….

And THAT is how we got to where we are today.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who change darkness into light and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter! 21 Woe to those seeing themselves as wise, esteeming themselves as clever.

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, men whose power goes to mixing strong drinks, 23 who acquit the guilty for bribes but deny justice to the righteous! 24 Therefore, as fire licks up the stubble, and the chaff is consumed in the flame; so their root will rot, and their flowers scatter like dust; because they have rejected the Torah of Adonai-Tzva’ot, they have despised the word of the Holy One of Isra’el. (CJB)

New to Torah? A word of advice about “having” to wear skirts or dresses….

In your new Torah walk, you will often encounter those who insist that women MUST wear skirts and dresses - and they'll point to all kinds of scriptures to support their beliefs.

Well, that's fine and dandy for those who like to wear skirts and dresses; but the truth is, Scripture does NOT command women to wear dresses! Scripture tells us that men and women are not to wear each other's clothing as it is "an abomination." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

In other words, one becomes "unbiblical" IF they wear clothing designed for the opposite sex because they desire to "look like" or even "be viewed as" the opposite sex.

(YHWH created two sexes, each created for a specific purpose (Genesis 1:27 and 5:2) and He has never wavered about their specific roles.)

Wearing trousers designed for women, does NOT make women "unholy"!

Why? Well, because pants weren't weren't even around in biblical times! (Trousers are a relatively modern invention.) EVERYBODY wore "dresses" (robe-like clothing, tunics). So, if one wishes to become truly legalistic, it would seem that today MEN should be wearing "dresses" - right?

So, if there's someone in your life trying to tell you that God commanded women to wear dresses and skirts, ask them to produce the scripture that specifically SAYS so; along with the one that says women cannot wear pants....

And if that doesn't work, simply ask them WHY they are wearing socks, since there is not one, single scripture discussing sock wearing - which means, they are clearly in violation of Torah!

A question for America

Why is it that whenever a Black person is attacked in any way by a white person, the media jumps all over it, making sure to mention the COLOR of the attacker was WHITE. Yet, whenever Blacks commit a crime, the color of the victim is rarely EVER mentioned, and their crime is immediately "downplayed" in some way?

WHY IS THAT?

And WHY wasn't this particular incident mentioned on the national TV news networks? I can assure you that if the perps had been WHITE, and the victim Black, there would have been screaming headlines and protest marches by the BLM in the streets!

Here is just ONE example of why I am so incensed about this kind of thing: This particular article doesn't mention what color the victim was, but it IS SURE to mention that the women's lawyer is making plenty of excuses for their violent and vicious behavior. Take a look:

"At the bond hearing on Tuesday, the sisters’ court-appointed attorney argued the first-degree attempted murder charges were too extreme because they were acting in self-defense and have bipolar disorder, according to the Chicago Tribune. The sisters have no criminal record."

Sorry, but I don't care WHAT they are "suffering from!" They deserve the maximum for being EVIL, VICIOUS, VIOLENT, pathetic excuses for humanity! NOBODY has a "right" to attack someone for doing their job!!!! I don't care WHAT "color" they are!

And, oh yeah - they were "acting in self-defense?" REALLY? The guard never approached them! He simply told them to put on a mask, because that is the store rules in SECOND WAVE our the COVID pandemic!

I'm getting really, really SICK of all those nonsense! TWO THINGS need to happen:

(1) The MEDIA needs to start reporting the NEWS, like they're supposed to; and stop forcing their own liberal, self-centered biased opinions down our collective throat!

(2) PEOPLE need to STOP behaving like childish, selfish, self-centered, uneducated, spoiled rotten brats; and begin to realize THEY aren't the only people on the planet, and that everything is NOT "about them."

And most of all, ALL Americans (Black, White, Red, Brown, Yellow and everything else in between) need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions, so they can come up with resolutions for the "greater good" because - as it stands right now, we are headed to Hell in that proverbial "hand basket."

We were once the greatest nation on earth - in part, BECAUSE we were "one nation under GOD" - consisting of diverse races, each contributing to a beautiful "melting pot" called "The United States of America" - where people were free to pursue their dreams (IF they were willing to get up off their rumps and WORK for it!)....

Unfortunately, we somehow turned into a nation of entitled, me-oriented, self-centered "toddlers," pitching fits if everything isn't handed to them on a silver platter....

Well, here's a hard truth:

As things stand right now, "Pandora's Box" has been opened, and there's no stopping this craziness, until Yeshua returns. The ONLY remedy is if the entire country shuts its collective "big mouth" and starts looking toward YHWH/Yeshua/Torah for resolutions.

A plain and simple truth!

A plain and simple truth!

You can't know WHOM you're worshiping unless you've actually studied the Torah.

Unless Torah is engraved in the furthest regions of your soul, you cannot possibly know who ADONAI is, who His Divine Messiah is, or what YHWH expects of His people. Without a firm grasp of Torah, you cannot know how to be holy, set apart….

Example:

A toddler is happy just being alive, running around, playing, and simply being a child - but he can do nothing on his own. He can't provide for himself; he can’t read or write or do simple arithmetic, ride a bike or drive a car. He cannot function in the world all by himself. He has to LEARN all those things while his body and mind continue to grow.

Same holds true with Scripture. Unfortunately today, MOST prefer to remain in the "toddler" stage.

Ever noticed that "pork" and "circumcision" are a real sticking points for some?

Have you ever noticed that "pork" and "circumcision" seem to be real sticking points for some? Bill and I have actually witnessed some people deciding to either ignore those two items, or simply return to Christianity because they weren't about to get circumcised or give up pork!

Some people simply don't understand that if you try to "cherry-pick" Scripture, you will be considered "lukewarm" and be vomited from Yeshua's mouth upon his return (Revelation 3:16). In this week's Torah portion (Parasha 3) we saw YHWH making the covenant of circumcision which Avraham. (As you know, ONLY YHWH Himself can make or break covenants. If you break "your side" of the covenant, His covenant still remains, but you're no longer His. After all, WHOM are you worshiping if you can't follow rules?)

Genesis 17:10-11: This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you."

Circumcision, like the Sabbath is a sign that we are in covenant with Him. We cannot say we are in covenant with Him and not keep the signs! If you wish to ignore the circumcision covenant, then you might as well stop bothering to keep His Shabbats or Mo'edim/Appointed Times as well, because if you pick and choose, then you’ll be considered lukewarm.

Many attempt to use Acts 15 as ammo to prove that circumcision is unnecessary, They don't realize that Paul did NOT suggest that at all. (In all honesty, when the Bible is read through a "Hebrew" instead of "Greek" mindset, it becomes clear that Paul NEVER negated Torah - ever!)

The arguments that raged in Paul's time were about how the rabbis were saying Gentiles MUST be circumcised before they came to faith (and abandoned their old gods). Paul was only saying that gentiles should be given the time to come to faith in their heart first, and not be "forced" into what were rituals in Judaism.

Then, once the gentile has fully accepted YHWH as their God and Yeshua as their redeemer, then they can enter the covenant by the circumcision.

Paul did not say that circumcision would be a burden; rather, he said that forcing circumcision before the gentile truly came to faith would be a burden. Since circumcision is a "forever" covenant, Paul (and none of the apostles) had any authority to change that covenant.

The main problem is that Christians always refer to Paul as the be-all-end-all when it comes Scripture. Nobody seems to realize that Paul - a mere human - had no right to change ANYTHING YHWH commanded, or what Yeshua taught. (In all honesty, when the Bible is read through a "Hebrew" instead of "Greek" mindset, it becomes clear that Paul NEVER negated Torah - ever!)

And as was evident in this week's Torah portion, YHWH COMMANDED circumcision for "generation after generation."

This, by the way, was not just "For the Jews" as Christians are quick to point out. Avraham wasn't a Jew! Neither were the next two Patriarchs, Issac and Jacob. There were no "Jews" until Jacob had a son name Yehudah (Judah) where the name "Jew" was derived.

The bottom line is: Same God, same rules! See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.

New to Torah and being harassed by your pastor or friends and family? Here are some pointers!

For those who are new to Torah (the first five Books of the Bible), and you are being harassed about it by your pastor, friends or family, simply ask them some pointed questions – questions that are thoroughly answered in articles on our website, The Refiner’s Fire!  For instance:

• “If we're all ONE in Christ, then why don't we do exactly as HIS people do, such as keeping the COMMANDED Seventh Day Sabbath – which is a SIGN between God and those who belong to Him? Where is the scripture to show that Jesus abolished the Seventh Day Sabbath and told us to meet on the “first day” (Sunday, on our Gregorian calendars)? ”
  

• “Why aren’t we keeping His commanded Feasts/Appointed Times - all of which foreshadow Jesus, who has thus far only fulfilled the first FOUR, with the next one being the so-called rapture?”

• “Where are “Christmas and Easter” commanded in the Bible?”

• “Where, exactly does GOD Himself say that, when His Divine Son dies, people will no longer have to adhere to His “forever” commands outlined in Torah?  (Such as the Seventh Day Sabbath, the Feasts, and eating only “clean” foods.)   After all, God commanded EVERYONE who accepts Him as their God, to do exactly as His people do!  (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.)”

Be prepared for the possibility of being inundated with endless questions and challenges from your pastor, family or friends, because they simply cannot comprehend the idea of Torah!  To them, Torah means “works” or that you are “trying to earn your salvation.”  They were taught that “God is love” and that a Torah-less God-man named “Jesus” came to bring grace and mercy and basically abolish YHW'H’s Torah so that Christians would have to do nothing except “Believe in Jesus.”!

Guaranteed, their responses to you will ALWAYS be, “But PAUL said….”  (And, as you now know, Paul’s writings often seem to NEGATE what God commanded in His Torah and what Yeshua taught.  However, Paul’s writings, when read in a Hebrew instead of Greek context, clearly reveal that he NEVER negated Torah, mainly because Paul – as a mere human – didn’t have that right!)

If you end up feeling overwhelmed by all the challenges you are certain to encounter, simply send your pastor, family or friends to our website, The Refiner’s Fire, and we will be happy to help them understand what Torah is…. 

Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “prove” that Christians are exempt from obedience to any Torah commands?

Many Christians attempt to use 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 to “prove” that Christians are exempt from obedience to any Torah commands.

But what is the reality?

Let’s take a look at that whole chapter in its original context as revealed in the original languages of Hebrew and Aramaic (basically, a dialect of Hebrew), which Yeshua spoke. (Yeshua, also written as "Y'shua" is our Messiah's actual, given Hebrew Name; a Name that means "YHWH is Salvation" in Hebrew) For your convenience, I’ve put in parenthesis in the following passages some of the English words you’re familiar with:

Here goes:

1 Thessalonians 4: . Wherefore, my Brothers, I entreat you and beseech you by our Master Y’shua that, as you have received from us how you should walk and to please Elohim, so you would make progress more and more. 2. For you know what command we gave you in our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach (Messiah).

3. For this is the will of Elohim, your sanctification; and that you be separated from all sexual sin 4. and that each one of you might know how to possess his vessel in sanctity and in honor 5. and not in the passion of lust, like the rest of the Gentiles who know not Elohim: 6. and that you dare not to transgress and to overreach anyone his brother in this matter; because our Master (Y’shua) is the avenger of all these, as also we have said and testified to you in time past.

7. For Elohim did not call you to impurity but to sanctification. 8. He therefore who spurns, spurns not man but Elohim who has given His Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) in you. 9. Now concerning love to the Brothers, you need not that I should write to you; for your own Qnoma (inner being, core substance) taught you of Elohim (and) to love one another.{1]

10. You likewise do so to all the Brothers who are in all Macedonia: but I entreat you, my Brothers, to be exuberant: 11. and that you strive to be quiet and to attend to your own affairs; and that you labor with your own hands as we directed you; 12. and that you walk becomingly towards those without and that you be dependent on no man. 13. And I wish you to know, my Brothers, that you should not mourn over them who have fallen asleep, like other people who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Y’shua died and rose again, even so them who sleep, will Elohim, by Y’shua, bring with him. 15. And this we say to you by the word of our Master (Y’shua), that we who may survive and be alive at the coming of our Master (Y’shua), will not precede them who have slept.

16. Because our Master (Y’shua) will himself descend from heaven with the mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger and with the Qarna (Trumpet/Shofar) of Elohim; and the dead who are in the Mashiyach will first arise; 17. and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up[2] together with them to the clouds to meet our Master (Y’shua) in the air; and so will we be ever with our Master. 18. And so, comfort you one another with these words. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Qnoma is a very important term that has been greatly diluted and misunderstood over the centuries. Through an exceedingly complex linguistic chain of events this word, meaning “an occurrence of a nature” got morphed and perverted into “person” in Greek.

As a result, the One Elohim (YHWH – English letters for the Hebrew Tetragrammaton comprised of the Hebrew letters Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, that God gave to Moses in Exodus 3:13-15) is represented in a pagan manner in the Greek New Testament as a “person” distinct and equal with “Elohim the Son” and “Elohim the Ruach haKodesh.” Instead, it is the oneness of YHWH that manifests in Mashiyach, not that Mashiyach’s divinity is separate from his Father’s.

However, in this case we are talking about humanity and not YHWH, and both of them have “natures” that cannot be seen, and yet are a root part of their being. Or, to put it another way, a “nature” is like a body hidden behind a curtain. For those in the audience, nothing of that nature can be seen.

Then, all of a sudden, a hand and part of an arm appears through the veil. While we know there is a body attached to that limb, the limb is all we see. Furthermore, that arm moves with full force, will and agreement of the mind that controls the body. For the viewers, the arm appearing out of the curtain is the qnoma (occurrence) and the hidden mind behind that limb’s movement is its kyanna (nature).

As the centuries moved along, the ancient meaning of qnoma as “occurrence of a nature” devolved by Aramaic assemblies who compromised with the Byzantine Empire. Gradually, “core substance” became the common definition; at first it closely paralleled its Greek counterpart, hypostasis.

More time passed and Greek redactors changed the meaning of hypostasi, taking it further from the original definition of qnoma. Qnoma/hypostasis became equivalent to “person” to line up with Greek passages that used this meaning in the form of the word prospon.

In Greek, “person” implies a physical presence as opposed to Aramaic where body metaphors like “I will set my face towards” are very common. The revision began at the beginning of the Third Century when these same “westernized” Aramaic Christians began to proffer up readings in their “Peshitt-o” versions of Acts 20:28 and Hebrews 2:9 that were meant to align with the Byzantine majority Greek.

However, the original eastern “Peshitt-a” escaped these revisions as it was in the rival Persian Empire. Aramaic, as in this verse, retains the original meaning of qnoma. It is NOT the external “person” that teaches someone about Elohim, but the Ruach (Spirit) working through their “inner being.” The idea of “person” in Greek, unfortunately, does not address the neshama (spirit) of a person as the likeness or “image of Elohim.”

[2] The Rapture Theory was invented by Jesuits in the late 1500’s. Protestants were pointing to the Vatican as the harlot beast system of Revelation. Several Futurist movements sprung up in Europe suggesting that the book of Revelation was entirely future and that Rome could not be the harlot, as this was a future event.

The Jesuits also peddled the Rapture Theory that “the saints” would not be on Earth during the time of tribulation; thereby, taking pressure off of Rome. However, Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) clearly teaches that the first resurrection and the “catching up” will occur at the return of Mashiyach, which will be around the same time that the Earth will be going up in smoke (2 Peter 3:10-12) at the end of Jacob’s Trouble.

Anyone who wishes to see more information on this issue may check out my website’s article – which is based on an an excerpt from my book, "And there was War in Heaven."