Category: A Drash to Start the Day

Parashah Chukkas (Regulations) Numbers 19 – 22:1

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This parashah has enough in it to for an entire summer-long bible study.

The Red Heifer for removal of uncleanliness (this is interesting because what has to be done to make you clean makes you unclean while doing it), Miriam dies, the sin of Moses at Meribah when he struck the rock to give water to the people (which prevented him from entering the Land), Aaron dies, the destruction of the king of Arad, the sending of snakes against the people for their complaints (and the creation of the brass snake which later became an idol), ending with the conquering and total destruction of Og, king of Bashan and Sichon, king of the Amorites.

So much to talk about, so little time to do it. However, since this week I have been talking about Yeshua (Christian name-Jesus) and of His existence as a man, I will work with the snake because, as you will see, what happened to the snake also happened to Yeshua.

And Yeshua told us it would be that way.

The story of the snake is in B’Midbar (Numbers) 21:4-9. The people complained about the route they were on, there being no water, and they are telling Moses (actually, kvetching to God) that they can’t stand any more manna. God sends fiery serpents among them to bite them and many die. They repent and ask Moses for help, and after Moses prays for them God says to make a serpent out of brass and place it high on a pole, where all the people can see it no matter where they are in the camp. If they are bitten, they need only to look to the brass serpent and they will not die. They still get bitten, and it must have really, really hurt, but at least by looking to the brass serpent, representing their repentance and reliance on God for salvation, they get to live.

In John 3:14-15 Yeshua says:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

Many have taught that this is a prophecy regarding the way Yeshua was going to die, lifted up on an execution tree where all could see Him. Other teachings I have seen relate this to the snake in that sin is in us, as the venom was, and looking to God and Yeshua for salvation is what saves us. Both are good teachings.

What I see is an immediate prophecy regarding His death, and a future prophecy regarding Yeshua being looked to not as God’s means of salvation but as God, Himself, in that Yeshua replaces God. And anything that comes between mankind and God is an idol.

In 2nd Kings, 18:4 we read how this very snake, a symbol of God’s salvation, was regarded as a god, called Nehushtan, and the people offered sacrifices to it. King Hezekiah destroyed it.

The relationship I see is that Yeshua came to earth to be the means of our salvation, our Messiah. He was to give His life so that we could have eternal life. His function, if you will, was to be the representation of God’s power, of God’s forgiveness, and of God’s salvation. He was, and still is, the instrument of God. However, in many churches He is no longer seen as the instrument but as the musician. He is worshiped as God: people pray to Jesus instead of praying to God and He is considered to be all there is and all that we need.

Just as the serpent was changed from a symbol to a god, they have changed Yeshua’s role and function from Messiah, the servant of God, to God, Himself.

Read everything that Yeshua said, and try to find one word, one phrase, just one single syllable that Yeshua utters that even remotely infers He thinks we should worship Him, or pray to Him, or even think about Him over his Father. On the contrary, every single thing Yeshua did, every miracle, every action, every word, was to give glory and honor to God. If Yeshua lived His entire life as a representative from God, then how can we treat Him as God? Let’s look to John 14:9-14 :

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Here Yeshua tells us, absolutely, that He and the Father are separate beings, not the same being. Yeshua says, essentially, that He is nothing except that which the Father tells Him to be. Yeshua is God’s marionette on earth, doing, saying and acting whatever His Father wants Him to do.

Religion has turned this on it’s head, and instead of recognizing and honoring Yeshua as being filled with the Spirit of God, many now teach that He IS God. I think how disappointed and upset Yeshua must be to see this happen; He spent His entire ministry telling us of the wonder, glory and honor that God deserves. Now He is seeing us turn that around and by worshiping Yeshua and praying to Yeshua instead of God, we dishonor God, instead. To turn a faithful, loving and subordinate son into a Absalom, a son that rebels against and usurps his father’s position and authority, is the great sin that many churches are teaching.

Yeshua is the son of God, which is not so much a parental relationship as a spiritual one; He was born supernaturally, He did supernatural things through the power of God (just as the prophets did) and He died as a human, so that He could accept the sin of the world. And today He sits at the right hand of God. That is where He said He would be when facing the Sanhedrin. Not on the throne of God, but at God’s right hand.

If Yeshua told us that He is not God, and told us that He serves God, and told everyone He healed that it was their faith that healed them, where do we come off praying to Him instead of in His name? Where do we come off teaching that He is God when He denied it in everything He said? Where do we come off worshiping Yeshua instead of worshiping God?

Good questions. What do you think? Do you pray to God or to Yeshua? If you pray to Yeshua, then there is no need to pray in His name, right? I mean, you’re praying to Him, why invoke His name, again? If so, you are refusing to do as Yeshua said- He said that when we pray in His name we will receive what we ask for, so if we pray to Him, which means we shouldn’t use His name, we won’t receive. Unless, of course, He lied to us and we don’t need to pray in His name to receive. Of course, if He lied He isn’t sinless, His sacrifice won’t count, and we have no salvation..

Can you see where this goes? Anytime, anyway you try to show Yeshua is God, you lose salvation in the end.

God is all there is, and it is all about God. Yeshua is worthy to be God’s messenger, He is worthy to break the seals on the scroll, and He is the Messiah God promised to send to us so that we all can be reconciled to God and saved from our sinfulness. He is all those things, and more.

But He ain’t God.

 

from bad to worse

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This blog is all about God; we see God in everything there is, when we take the time to look hard enough.

Lately, it seems God is missing because all we see is too much violence: Orlando shooting, cops shooting people and (now) people shooting cops.

Like it wasn’t bad enough with all the domestic violence, gang violence and wars throughout the world bordering on genocide. Now it is getting closer to home, in our own backyards.

And it’s going to get worse.

Read Revelations, read the signs, know what is coming so you can be prepared for it. Not just emotionally prepared, but spiritually prepared, as well. These acts of violence, human against human, are not the issue; it is a Red Herring, designed to throw us off the real problem.

What is the “real problem”? It’s not a physical battle- it is a spiritual battle.

The enemy is preparing the world for him (or maybe, her?) to walk in and take over. He is setting the stage, designing his battle plan and laying the landmines and barricades to freedom.

Look at our media services…what do they show us? Only bad things, only terrible events, and when something is horrible they report it until the horse is not just dead, but the bones are dust. Then they remind us of it, later. Ever notice when an important person is caught in a scandal or there is a horrific event how there is no news, anywhere else in the world, while that event is still “selling”?

Do you see the video games your children are playing? Indiscriminately killing zombies and vampires, stealing cars and murdering innocents along the way to gain points, battling in war where the more people they kill the more powerful they become. Did you ever consider that believing it is good and just to kill zombies is conditioning them to believe killing any ‘enemy’ without care or concern is good and just?

The only difference between zombies and God-fearing people who refuse to take the mark of the Antichrist is how they are perceived.

And what about the movies? Oh, we still have nice stuff like Finding Dory and love stories out there, but look closer. There is so much more Marvel in the movies than anything else, and (although I do like superheroes) they are now fighting themselves. “Captain America: Civil War” is about people wanting to help that are being criticized by the ones they save (sound like Moses and Korach?)  and fighting among each other. Today, even the good guys are at each other’s throats.

And the “church” is not doing enough. I know there are many Christian leaders who are teaching that Torah is only for Jews, and teaching that God has rejected them, and that Jesus is God, Himself, and that we should be “all about Jesus” and the church should worship Jesus.

Telling people Torah is not for them and the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people is called Replacement Theology, which is blasphemy because it is calling God a liar.

The name for worshiping Jesus alone because He is God is also called blasphemy because it is idolatry. Jesus is the son of God, as far as we mortals can understand it, and never, ever even once suggested or implied that He wanted us to worship Him. In fact, He told us this would happen when he said He would be raised up like the snake in the desert, which (in 2 Kings, 18:4) King Hezekiah destroyed because it had become an idol. Originally it represented God’s salvation from death when a snake bit the Israelites (Numbers 21:6) and later was turned into a god, in and of itself, that the people worshiped. This is what Jesus meant when He said He would be lifted up like the snake in the desert (John 3:14)- it wasn’t just an immediate prophecy about His death on a tree, but a future prophecy about His being made into an idol, to be worshiped in lieu of His Father in heaven.

The enemy will present himself as Jesus, as the world’s savior, and he will insist that he be worshiped instead of God. If there is anyone out there today saying that it is all about Jesus, that Jesus is God and should be worshiped as God, they are helping the enemy to take over.

We need to steel ourselves against the horrors that are coming, and to watch, carefully, for the hidden signs of the enemy’s approach. Satanic beings are not so bad, zombies will be everywhere and it is OK to kill them, war is fun when you have the right weapons, death is nothing, stealing is OK if everyone else is doing it…all of this is what our children are being taught to accept as normal activity.

“Repent: The End is Coming” has always been what we see when TV or movies want to show someone who has given up, and they are always portrayed as some nut-case. Well, the nut-case is the one who doesn’t listen. I am not saying to sit down in a corner and give up: just the opposite! I am saying to prepare to fight, prepare to be persecuted, and prepare (spiritually) to be at war. Not just with people, but with demons and demonic powers.

We have armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and we who have accepted Yeshua as our Messiah are on the winning side, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in for a really tough battle.

All I’m saying is get ready because the world is being set up for the enemy of God to take over, and God is allowing that to happen. Not forever, just for a while, and it is just around the corner; for those of us who will be here when it comes there will be such horror, strife and destruction, blasphemy and Godlessness that we will feel overwhelmed. And, for the most part, we will be overwhelmed. It is going to be through our continued faith and perseverance that we have any hope of surviving this Tsouris.

Our hope is not in mankind, but in God. Mankind will fail to win, the enemy will overcome it, but those who are faithful to God and stay the course will survive, eternally, and win the final battle.

God is not tolerant

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Here comes another “Dear Amy” (you’re off the hook today, Abby) letter that represents how misunderstood God-fearing people are in the world today.

In short, a child of Atheists is upset because her friend, a child of Christians, told her they can’t be friends because the Christian parents believe the Atheist girl will be a bad influence. Amy is very sympathetic to the Atheist child and complimentary to the parents (who wrote the letter) saying this is a great opportunity to teach their daughter about tolerance and intolerance.

And you know what? Amy is right. The Christian’s are intolerant. In fact, God is intolerant. God says so, more than once:

Ezekiel 44:23– “They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”

Leviticus 19:19– “Keep my decrees. “Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”

2 Corinthians 6:14– “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

These are repeated, in one way or another, throughout the Tanakh and New Covenant writings. God wants His people to be holy, which means, literally, separated. You can’t be separated from the unholy when you are playing with and living with and (yes, even this) working with the unholy.

When Bilam was unable to curse the Israelites (Numbers, Chapter 22) he got around that by suggesting to the Moabite king to have the women get “friendly” with the Israelite men, and by doing so they will influence them to begin to worship the Semitic gods of the Moabites.

And it worked.

Tolerance in today’s world is more than tolerance- it is passive acceptance. According to Dictionary.com (if you want to get a worldly opinion, go to the Internet, right?) tolerance is:

a fair, objective, and permissive (bold added by me) attitude toward those whose opinions,beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry

There is a much more ancient definition, one I found using an historic, out-dated form of research called “looking it up in the Webster’s dictionary”:

to put up with; to recognize and respect the opinions and rights of others; to endure

There is a difference between tolerating something and accepting something as “right.” If someone living next to me is loud and un-neighborly, I think that is a very wrong way to act but I can tolerate them. But, if they are selling drugs I cannot tolerate that and must report them to the police. There is a level where tolerance becomes intolerance, meaning (simply) that I will not accept that behavior and will do what I can to either change it or get away from it.

Intolerance doesn’t mean bigotry, but today these two words are treated as synonyms.

God is intolerant of non-Believers. God says we are to be separated and holy, kept from that which is unclean and sinful. Yet, we are to be a light to the nations and Yeshua says no one lights a lamp and places it under a basket. So what does that mean? Are we to be tolerant? Should we intermix with sinners? Is God saying to stay to ourselves, become communal hermits from the world? If we do that, if we remain separated from the world, how can we be a light to the world?

We must be intermingling with the unholy, we must bring light to the darkness, we must be in the midst of the unclean to bring the cleanliness of God’s deliverance to them.

What we must be careful not to do is become influenced by the world.  We are commanded to be holy, for God is holy, and we are commanded to make Disciples. How can we make Disciples or show our light to the world if we are separated and apart from the world?

It is a conundrum, to be sure.

God tests our faith- we see that throughout the Bible. Abraham and Isaac, Jonah, Gideon, Kefa (Peter) walking on the water to Yeshua…all of these are tests of faith that God performed not to find out for Himself but to show us, ourselves, the level of our own faithfulness. Testing of faith is something we do for our benefit and the benefit of those watching us, and don’t think for an instant you aren’t being watched by the non-Believers! They are watching us like a hawk looking for a rabbit, and that predator-prey relationship is exactly what it is like. Non-Believers look for any excuse to show that God-fearing people are intolerant (as the world describes it, meaning bigoted and racist) in order to discredit God.

They do not understand what it means to be holy, and (frankly) they don’t care- they don’t want to be holy, and when you don’t want to be something you make that something look as unwanted and undesirable as you can.

We are to be intolerant of sin, but we are also to love the sinner. Love the sinner, hate the sin, and we can do both. To a Believer, tolerance should be accepting that others are different and they have that God-given right to be. God gave us all free will so we can choose to love Him from our desire to do so. Consequently, we also have the right and freedom to reject Him. That is all part of what God has given each and every one of us, and as people of God we should respect and honor what God has done and not condemn it.

Basically, we are to be holy and show the world what that means. We need to get dirty, we need to soil ourselves with fleshly exposure and we need to walk into the midst of Hell to see what souls we can save: we always have the blood of Messiah to cleanse us. I am not saying we should sin, just that we should allow ourselves to be exposed to the sin of others in order to bring them out of their sin.

Truth is, you can’t work with fish all day and not come home smelling of fish.

If you think that isn’t right, then ask yourself why did Yeshua strip off His righteousness and give up His divine spiritual being to become a flesh and blood human? He took off His divinity and put on the mantle of disgusting, earthly flesh, with all it’s stench and filth, and wore it while acting perfectly holy. His light shone through His flesh and taught us all that it is possible to be light, to be holy and to be God-fearing while in the world.

Both Yochanan and Shaul (John and Paul) tell us that although we are in the world, we are not part of it. We are separated, but we are also present: we are separated from the world spiritually but we are still in the world physically, so we need to show those in the flesh the way to join us in the spirit.

You can’t do that by being physically apart from the others.

I think the Christian family is doing what they think is right, but they are wrong. They should trust in God, and if the faith of their children is strong enough, then the Christian child should be allowed to play with the Atheist child as a means to deliver the light into the darkness.  In fact, the Atheist child should be invited into their home and welcomed to show what the love of God means in the real world.

We are the messengers of God, and the symbols of His kingdom; you can’t deliver a message to someone unless you talk to them.

 

Fear of the Lord or Afraid of the Lord?

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This coming Shabbat Parashah is the story of Korach. I was preparing my message (our Pastor is on vacation and when he is gone I help by leading the liturgy and delivering the message) and, although I usually keep that message separate from these postings, I really feel that it is important enough (well, I would hope they all are) to share here, as well.

After the rebellion is put down by God, Abiram and Dathan are swallowed by the earth, Korach and the 250 mutineers (in the Chumash they call this “The Great Mutiny”) are burned up alive, and the staffs that were placed in the Tabernacle have shown that Aaron’s is the one God has chosen, the people all cry that they are going to die if they come before the Tabernacle.

We can read in B’midbar (Numbers) 17:12-13:

The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!  Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?”

And, in truth, you can’t really blame them for being afraid. After all, Abihu and Nadab offered unauthorized fire before the Tabernacle and they were burned alive, and now these 250 men (not to mention Korach), all of whom were righteous (well, maybe we won’t mention Korach here) and well-respected leaders of their individual tribes, were also burned alive.

Maybe, just maybe, standing in front of the Tabernacle isn’t such a good idea because even those people who were good were killed.

Of course, we can also say that the people weren’t considering the sin these men committed against the Lord as the real cause of their death.

The truth is that any sinner can come before the Lord if he or she comes with a penitent heart and a contrite spirit. David says so in Psalm 51 (verse 17):

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise

The people were afraid of God at Sinai, too, but I believe there was a big difference between how they felt then and what they are feeling now: back then their heart was different. Their fear then was a righteous fear- they felt their unworthiness before the Lord and asked Moses to be their representative because they were so unworthy that if they heard God’s voice again they would die, and this attitude God appreciated (Deuteronomy 5:27-29):

“Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.’ “The LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. ‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!…”

This verse, which Moses tells the people when preparing to turn them over to Joshua, shows us the remorse and pain God felt from the knowledge that this healthy and righteous fear of Him will turn into the type of fear that will lead His people to resent, rebel and (ultimately) reject Him.

Proper “Fear of the Lord” means to respect His holiness and honor Him by being lovingly obedient. Faithful obedience is what God wants more than sacrifice and more than anything else we could ever give Him. He has created everything- there is nothing we have that He cannot give to Himself, except for our love, faithful obedience and worship. Those things God cannot have unless we give them to Him, and that is what He wants more than anything else.

If we are afraid of God, if our “Fear of the Lord” is not awesome respect for Him but is being afraid of what He might do to us, that serves the enemy of God. That is what Satan wants you to feel- Satan wants you to be afraid of God, because that kind of fear will be a wedge separating you from God’s loving protection and blessings. Then, being alone and unprotected, you will suffer the curses of living in a fallen and cursed world, and you will turn against the Lord and curse Him to His face for all your Tsouris. That is what Revelations 16:10 tells us will happen:

“And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.”

We need to remember that for those who have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah, there is no more condemnation (Romans 8:1), and we can march boldly up to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16), unafraid and confident that He will listen to us and that our Intercessor, Yeshua ha Maschiach, is sitting there at His right hand saying to Him, “Father, this one is mine.”

What we need to be afraid of is ourselves. We are the biggest stumbling block to salvation there is: the enemy can’t do anything to us unless we let him, and God will do everything for us, again, if we let Him.  It is our choice, and we are (and will be held) accountable for the choices we make.

Have a healthy “Fear of the Lord”, which will keep you in His Grace, and be afraid only of your own sinfulness and pride, which will separate you from it.

 

Texas Supreme Court made the correct decision

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WHAT??? Steve- are you saying that you are pro-abortion?

No. I am not for abortion- it is murder. What I am “for” is common sense, and to expect that a court of law in America is going to uphold a godly position is not sensible.

From a strictly “civil” point of view, it is illegal to force or coerce someone to make a decision that regards their individual rights. In America, like it or not, a woman has a legal right to have an abortion, within the limitations of the law. Those limitations are based partially upon the premise that the abortion does not risk the health of the mother. The Texas Supreme Court said the laws they ruled against were not designed to protect the health of the mother, but simply to make getting an abortion legally more difficult. That is a coercive measure which impede’s a woman’s personal rights, and it is illegal.

Again, from a strictly legal viewpoint, the court made the correct decision.

We, as Believers, cannot expect to have a government formed by humans to be a godly one. If you do, you’re a fool. In fact, as Believers, we should not want any man-made government; we don’t want a representative republic (that is we have in America-if you thought it was a democracy, technically it isn’t), we don’t want socialism, communism, despotism or dictatorships. What we want is a Theocracy- a government that is led by God.

After the Exodus, God ruled the people, with divinely appointed prophets to be His representatives on earth. God ruled through the Prophets, and we saw how He empowered them with miracles and wisdom. This is the Theocracy that all Believers should want and be waiting for.

When Yeshua returns to reign, we will have what we want.

But that is not what we have now, and don’t think that this is a recent event. Read 1st Samuel, Chapters 9 through 12. Samuel appoints a king, which is what the people have been craving. And in Chapter 12, after Saul is established as king and Samuel is ready to go the way of all things, he really lets the people have it. He tells them, in no uncertain terms, how horrendous a sin they have committed against God by asking for a king, and how they will suffer for putting a human over them instead of God.

Since then, history has proven Samuel correct.

In the meantime, we are bound by Torah, by Yeshua’s command, and by legal statute to honor and obey the existing government. All those in power are there by God’s approval, and they will perform His will, whether they know it or not, sooner or later. God’s plan is the one that will survive and be fulfilled.

If you are expecting the United States government, whether federal or civil (meaning state) to initiate and pass laws that are in accordance to God’s laws regarding the rights of the unborn, then all I can say to you is…get real, People!” Governments that are formed by humans will have human laws and be based on human desires and emotions. Godly things, you know, like compassion, respect for others, love, fairness to all, and respect for the Torah- those things have no place in human-formed government. Oh, yeah- we make a big stink about them, talk like we mean to have them and we are all about fair and just, but when it comes down to it, well…you decide. Do you think that our system of justice is honoring the Torah or ignoring it?

When the Jews came out of Egypt, totally under the command and totally obedient to God alone (well, maybe not totally but usually?), we enjoyed living under His sovereign rule and had His divine protection. During the times of the Judges (about 5 Centuries or so after Joshua died), the book of Judges tells us that men did whatever they saw as right. It wasn’t pretty.

Then, as I referenced above, Samuel is told by God to anoint Shaul (Saul) as king: this was the first step to kicking God out of our lives.

Moving forward a few thousands years, we have many religions, all trying to kill each other, and we have many states and countries with different forms of government. Those that said they were for God and wanted to do God’s will are represented by the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Nazi party (yes, the Nazi Party- the belt buckles of the Nazi uniform said, “Gott mit uns”, which translates to “God is with us.”)

Historically, governments that said they were godly were just the opposite.

Today we have kicked God pretty much out of everything- out of the schools (no prayer allowed), out of the courthouse (take those 10 Commandments down- they are religious and we have separated state from church) and out of our families. Today when Jews marry someone of a different religion, it is the Jew that is usually converting. The “Nuclear Family” has done just what nuclear devices are designed to do- blow up. Eating dinner together around the table and sharing the day’s activities is a past relic.

And, as the Texas Supreme Court has upheld, people can legally kill their children. It reminds me of God commanding us not to worship Molech: the sacrifice to Molech, a god of the Semites, was to throw a young child, alive, into the fire. We may not be throwing our children into the fire, but we aren’t that far off- we are still killing them, just sooner than the ancients did.

The world is godless, as it should be- that is, if you believe in what Revelations tells us will happen. I see such horror and destruction- not just of things and people, but of spirit, justice and compassion. Our children grow up stealing cars and murdering prostitutes on the way (video game) or destroying and killing in war (video games, again.) They see violence, satanic beings that are really “okay”, and sexual impropriety every day on the TV and in the movies, and they have become inured to the horror of it all.

They are being prepared for the enemy to rule them.

This is God’s plan, people- this is what is supposed to happen. It ain’t nice, it ain’t pretty, and it is going to get worse- MUCH worse: be prepared to be persecuted if you worship God.

Don’t expect to see justice and fair treatment in the world; at least, not the kind God wants.

The bowls are in the hands of the angels, and the seals are being torn off the scroll. We are going through it, we are about to experience it- can’t you see it coming?

The End Times prophecies aren’t prophecy any more- they are current events.

Back home, with no help from El Al or Jet Blue

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If you read my post from June 23,  you got the story about how we had to make all these last minute changes to get to New York in time to catch our planes home. Well, the story was just starting!

We got to the airport in Tel Aviv and went to the El Al security. We told them we were a group and they got us all together. That started to look good, and we went through security fairly well. BUT- when we went to get the tickets and boarding passes, we were not in the system. I showed them the confirmation emails we had received when I had their customer service change the flights, but (apparently) the person sent the confirmations but never completed entering the information so there were no tickets for most of us. Well, now it was rush to the cashier, rush to get the boarding passes (with everyone else on line needing to get theirs, as well), then rush to get to the airplane in time to board it. Consequently, we did not have any time to go to the VAT (sales tax return) booth and recover all the sales tax we paid on items over $100. Not that it was a lot of money, but to some of us that would have been $30-$60 dollars back in our pocket.

Then, the plane sat on line for almost an additional hour! By the time we got off, we wouldn’t have time to make the switch to Lufthansa when we reached Frankfort. Besides having to get to the terminal, we all needed to have our boarding passes printed out because there wasn’t any time to do that in Israel.

Lufthansa held the plane (we weren’t the only ones that needed to make the switch) and we got the passes done. Finally- we are on the way to New York and we did land in time for everyone to make their flights.

That is, everyone landed in time, but not everything. For most of us, the luggage didn’t make it to the plane back in Germany. So, we thought we had time to get to our flights, but in fact we still cut it close (for some) because after we got through customs we had to go to the Lufthansa lost baggage area and file a claim. They said they would ship the bags back to us at our home- I expect mine to be here tomorrow.

To top it all off, my Jet Blue flight that was supposed to leave at 1800 was delayed until sometime around 2100, and I finally got back to Orlando the next day (officially, since it was after midnight.)

I was awake from Thursday night at about 2200 until Saturday morning around 0200, except for a couple of cat naps lasting less than half an hour, each. Somewhere in there is a 7-hour period loss to account for the time zone change, but I honestly have no idea how that works- do I add the time or subtract it?

I am home now. As soon as my clothes join me I can say the trip is complete. I have created a separate page on this site for the Israel trip, so when you look at the top of the home page, you will see it. Click on the “Israel Trip-2016” title page to get a run-down of the trip, and each day has a link to pictures of that day.

I have to confess it isn’t totally accurate- I did keep a folder of pix for each day with a run-down of the places we went to, but I was so tired and the blog site won’t let me upload folders, only individual pictures, so those of you who were with me may note some things are a little off. Please let me know and I will correct them in the next few weeks, but for everyone else, unless you are really, really familiar with Israel, these pictures will be great to view.

Now I have to figure out how to get Donna to go back with me.

Shalom, Yisrael

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Well, we have had a wonderful tour. The tour guide was wonderful, the driver actually was able to overcome the laws of momentum, physics and gravity by driving in such as way as the large, cumbersome bus was able to do things I couldn’t do in a Volkswagon Beetle.

One thing that was a problem, which is why I am writing this blog at 0125 in the morning, is that at 2200 (that’s 11 at night to you civilian types) I received a notification that our El Al flight leaving at 0840 was rescheduled to 1400 (2:00 PM) and would be on a Spanish airline. That means we would all miss our connecting flights back to Florida (and other places for some people) by the time we got to JFK airport in New York. So, we cancelled the 0400 wake-up call for everyone, called the rooms to let them know they could sleep in (hello, wake up, go back to sleep) and the Pastor who put this all together and I checked out alternatives. As we were thinking it through, El Al called me and we found out that we could take an earlier flight to Frankfurt (yes, the Frankfurt in Germany), then switch to Lufthansa and take that to JFK and arrive around 1335 in NY, which was about the same time we expected to land originally.

Well, that was good news and the El Al guy said there were plenty of seats (we needed to change flight plans for 14 people) and to call back if we wanted to do this, then he was gone. We called everyone, woke them up (again) and told them that the 0400 wake-up call would now be 0200 so we can be on the bus at 0300 so we can be at the airport in time to catch the 0610 flight to Germany.

Then we called El Al to confirm that we wanted to change everyone, but they couldn’t do that for me without the reservation /confirmation number for everyone, or their passport number. So, once again we had to wake everyone up, but this time we needed their passports; some of the others (since they were now up) went to the rooms and knocked on the doors: “Wake up, give me your passport, go back to sleep.”

I managed to get all 14 tickets changed, and El Al was nice enough to send all the change confirmations to my email. Well, almost all- I am listening to their MUZAK waiting to ask someone to send me two more changes I need to make sure I have confirmation of all the ticket changes.

Needless to say, I will be sleeping on the plane.

This last day we went to the Mount of Olives, Garden Tomb and Gethsemane. My poor little SD camera card gave up the ghost and I lost about 40% of the pictures I took today, but it was mostly just the garden tomb and that is OK. I have plenty of other pics and once I get home (assuming I do, that is) I will try to add a media page so you can look at the pics, too. If you want to , of course.

One of the most remarkable things about this tour is how well it has worked out (all except tonight, that is) but even with the flight screw-up, we will (probably) be OK . There are a number of people with me who have been Believers a long time, and have not had the chance to be really exposed to the Jewish thinking about Christianity, which our guide provided for us very well. I try to let people know how Christians need to “deal” with Jews, and this group was very open to the fact that Christianity has been, historically, Anti-Semitic. It can be very uncomfortable for a person who has a heart for Israel and the Jewish people, as all my traveling companions do, to hear the truth about why there is such a rift between Judaism and Christianity, when the only thing that makes sense is that we should all be working together. We are branches on the same tree- some natural, some grafted in, but we all feed off the same root and should be nourished the same way. Unfortunately, when the enemy lost the fight for dominance by reason of Yeshua’s resurrection, he made a very effective counter-attack. The general he used was Constantine, and the battle has raged since then, with the enemy gaining back a lot of ground.

Praise God that recently the rift is becoming thinner and thinner, as more and more Christians begin to understand how they need to work with Jews and to get back to the roots of their religion, which is God’s Word from Genesis through Revelations.

(I just got through the MUZAK and the El Al person came on. I gave her my name and reservation number and before I could explain what we have done she said, “Oh- you’re the one with the 14 tickets!” OMG- El Al knows me! She confirmed that the missing confirmations were in the queue and I would receive the tickets. I’m a celebrity!)

If you haven’t been to Israel, you really should come here. I am very impressed with all the history, everywhere, as well as the modern buildings and remarkable growth. The prophets all said the people would be regathered and the desert would become a garden- well, that prophecy isn’t a prophecy any more- it is now history.

(On my second cup of “room” coffee and the wake-up call just came in. So far, so good.)

I haven’t felt that change of life feeling that everyone I have heard tells me I should have. I wanted to come, I have come, and I have seen (no Romanized pun intended) and I am impressed. But, I have to admit, I have not felt some tugging of my spirit to make Aliyah (move here permanently) and I am almost a little defensive when my Christian travel companions have asked me, “Aren’t you going to make Aliyah?”

No- I am not. I am Jew and I am a Believer, and I love Israel and it is MY land, but it is not my country. I am an American by birth, I took an oath to protect America when I was commissioned into the Marine Corps, and just because I am no longer on active duty that doesn’t mean, for me, that the oath is no longer valid. Just because I am a Jew doesn’t mean I have to make Aliyah to be a “good” Jew. I almost feel that the question is close to racist, in that there is that assumption that all Jews want to make Aliyah. No- they don’t.

This isn’t like the 1920’s Jews that were invited to come here by both Britain and (believe it or not) Jordan, who stayed in Germany and Europe (and the US, too) because it was comfortable and they were assimilated. At that time God was calling us back (just for the record, I wasn’t born then) and we refused to go. The result was that they were there when Hitler took over. There is a passage in the bible (more than one, actually) that tells us what will happen when we want to join the world and no longer separate ourselves for God. According to our guide, Yosi, the Holocaust was the result of that refusal to return in order to assimilate. I think I will have to agree.

On the other hand, he also pointed out that without the Holocaust there would be no state of Israel. Zionism had already been around since the early part of the 20th Century, but after the Holocaust Jews had no where to go but Israel. So, God caused us to return, but we had to do it the hard way.

One way or another, God’s plan will be completed.

Will I ever make Aliyah? Probably not in this life, but there is land for me, somewhere, in Israel. I will see it when the resurrection is completed.

Would I like to make Aliyah? The answer is the same- probably. But I don’t see that as a possibility in the foreseeable future. I guess if God really wants me in Israel, He will make a path for me. Until then, although I believe in walking in faith instead of sitting around and waiting for it, I will continue to live my life as it is. Hopefully, Donna and I will be able to come back here on our own one day and if Donna wants to live here, we might. It isn’t all that easy since I have to prove my Judaism and all I have is my Bar Mitzvah certificate, and Donna (being a Gentile) may be allowed to join me but that will be harder to get done.

Look at the clock!  I have to get ready. I will (hopefully) recover enough by Sunday to work on getting the pictures uploaded to the blog site for you, so to those who are already following this site you will get a notice, and to anyone who is just reading this, maybe you would like to become a follower of the blog? Just look for the “Follow” button and add your email to the list. I would appreciate it, and if you like what you read, please buy my book (I also have a link to some sites where you  can get it) and get on board the “God has no religion” train.

I am soooo looking forward to holding my wife in my arms again. We both have already agreed that this is the last, absolutely last, separate vacation we will ever take.

Shalom.

 

 

Finally got the Jew in Jew-rusalem!

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Today was the day I entered the City of Jerusalem, went into the Old City and walked around in the Jewish Quarter.

This is one of the highlights of my life, as I always wanted to visit Israel, and being in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, where David walked 3,000 years ago, was great. Of course, it looks a little different today than it did then, but the walls that David knew are still there, today. The original have had to be rebuilt, of course, and that was done in a wonderful way: by using the same rocks that the Romans left lying around when they destroyed it, which makes it look today almost exactly as it did then.

I am not surprised that the Jews won so many battles and were so tough- these streets are murder! If any of you reading this have been here, you know what I mean. Up the steps, down the steps, up the street (steeply angled street, that is) and then up the steps. I think now I really know why we say go “up” to Jerusalem- that’s the only direction there is here. Oy!

We had an interesting discussion at dinner: it started with some of the God-loving Christians (no doubt about that with this group) admitting that they never realized how poorly Christianity has been treating the Jews, the very source of their salvation. They wanted to know which is the “correct” day for the Shabbat, and do Christians need to follow the Torah, and even why don’t Jews accept Messiah Yeshua? After all, it was pointed out that God says “we” often throughout the bible. If He says we, He must mean Him and His son, Jesus-right?

I can easily answer that from a Jewish point of view- maybe God was speaking about Him and His Messiah, but even so, that doesn’t mean it was Jesus He was talking to.

Personally, I believe that God has no gender or physical presence- He is spirit, and only spirit. Any physical presence He may need, such as for talking with Abraham or saving Daniel from the lions, can be made as He needs it. And who we call His son, Jesus (or Yeshua, if you want His real name) may not be a ‘who’ but a ‘what’- a manifestation of God in the flesh, but still God, even though He was 100% human. Maybe, and I think this is the case, the whole Trinity thing is for our benefit, so that it is understandable to us 3-dimensional humans, living in a physical plane. After all, you can’t really expect someone living 5,000 years ago to understand physics, let alone metaphysics, such as String Theory, to explain how God can talk things into existence. Heck- we don’t understand that, today!

Another question was whether or not Christians are accountable for following the Torah, such as with Shabbat and the Festivals. Although Gary Cristafaro, my friend and the senior-most Pastor on the tour (and the one who organized it) was answering, he let me take this one. My answer was that the laws God gave about the festivals, as with all his laws, are for all our generations. God also said that anyone who sojourns with His people Israel (which means they live with them and accept the Jewish God as their God) must be treated the same as any other Jew. In other words, when someone connects themself to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they are sojourning with the Jews, and have all the rights under the law that the natural-born Jews have. That also means they have the same obligations and are subject to the same commandments the Jews are, as well. Therefore, any Christian who has been grafted into the tree is subject to the same laws the natural branches are subject to. Add to that the fact that Yeshua said He isn’t changing anything (Matthew 5:17), and the answer is: Christians are accountable to God, just as the Jews are, to obey the Torah.  

 This discussion also included that we shouldn’t obey for personal gain or just to go through the motions, but as a love response to what God has requested of us, as a love response to wanting to please Him, and as a love response to show Him we love Him.

It is all about the heart’s intent and not about the body’s action.

Friday I will try to get a blog out. We are leaving very early from the hotel to go home, so I will probably work on it on the plane and post it later in the day. I don’t think I will be doing a Parashah teaching, but will instead review what we have leaned on our tour, for your information and edification.

It has been educational, believe me. Yosi our guide is a wonderful example of the practical exercising of God’s word in someone’s life. We get too spiritual, and spirit is fine….if you’re a spirit, that is. We are not spirit, we are flesh, and our example to the world should be a practical demonstration of God’s word. Walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

We’ll be talking about that talking thing in the next blog.

report from the center of the universe

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I made it! I am in Jerusalem, in the Old City.

Before we got here today we went to Masada, which proves that love of God should be, and sometimes actually is, stronger than the love of life. The Jewish rebels, almost 1,000 of them, killed themselves rather than have to serve Roman gods.

We also stopped at En Gedi, an oasis where you read about David cutting the cloak of Shaul (Saul) as he was sitting in a cave taking care of business. There were trees and waterfalls, right there in the middle of the desert!

We are now In Yerushalayim/ Jerusalem, which I call the center of the universe because, …well…it is! This is where it all started, and where Yeshua will sit and judge the nations, and where it will all end.

This is the city of David, the King, and the place where we have the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock (which, I believe, will be returned to the Jewish people eventually, just as all the other places which God promised us we would live have been returned to Jewish control and ownership.) This is the place.

The next 4 days are my last here in the Holy Land, and tomorrow we see Shomron and Mounts Ebal and Geritzim. Then we spend 3 days in Jerusalem, which will be exciting.

I hate to admit but despite all the lessons I took trying to learn Hebrew, all the words escape me and my gender association is just plain rotten. I just called Yosi, our guide, to say, “Your wife is in the lobby” and what came out was “His wife is in the lobby.” He laughed, and thanked me for letting him know, but I realized afterwards what a stupid mistake I had made. I know what I am supposed to say, it just doesn’t come out right. He has been really patient and nice, and told me that three weeks in Israel alone and I would be fine.

I’ll take that as an encouragement.

The heat is really something, and there are many mountains, so you are walking a lot; up and down on slippery slopes, and if you grab for the handrail you nearly burn your hand because they are so hot. You need to drink water all the time. Donna will never believe it, because I hate to drink just plain water, but that is what I am doing. Something like 3-4 bottles a day, easy. I buy iced tea when we get to a store, but it is still more water than ever for me.

And I am going through sheckels like I am sweating- profusely. Although the prices here aren’t much different than at home.

I hope to be able to write more- maybe if I miss Wednesday I will be able to catch up on the plane ride home and post Friday sometime. I hope you don’t miss me too badly, but (I have to confess) I hope you do miss me, a little, when I am not posting regularly.

God’s blessings on you, my readers, and anyone else that reads this blog. It is really something to be in Israel, and although I am not as emotional about it as some of the other people here, I am excited and it is beautiful. Such stark majesty and awesomeness.

Wow!

 

 

 

 

 

More from the Holy Land

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I have been a bit remorse in getting to this blog this week, and most likely will be so next week, too. I am sure you will forgive me, knowing that I am touring the holy Land and quite busy all day. We have been on a full schedule, and now as Shabbat comes to an end, we are going to take a nice “Shabbat Walk” hike to a natural spring. I spent the entire day just resting and talking with a friend who I rarely get to talk to, and it was great.

Floating in the Dead Sea as we talked was nice, too!

I have seen communities here in Israel, the kind the media calls “obstacles to peace” and am amazed at how much lying and misrepresentation there is in America about the truth of the relationship between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

Our guide, Yosi, is an Israeli who served and fought in the IDF, has written a book about his experiences, and is a very Godly man, with very practical ideas. His testimony about Jew and Arab relations, along with the confirmation we have received from people living in communities where they live on the border, literally, of the Syrian terrorists, is that Jews and Arabs have no problem with each other: it is the minority made up of of extremists and the satanically-influenced (that part is my own belief) lies of the media that make the world believe it is all the Jews’ fault.

I saw a man and his family walking to the community pool in flip-flops and bathing suits, and he had an M-16 over his shoulder. Every soldier I have seen in the streets, not on patrol but just walking somewhere, has a gun.

We in America have had no idea what life here is like except when we were going through a similar thing during the revolutionary days.

Yet, they stay. Despite potential for terrorist attack, or from any of the surrounding nations, despite hateful and lying media slurs and condemnation, despite the world coming against them, the people of Israel stay and will not leave. Why? Because this is their land. Not just Jerusalem, but the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley, all of the land God promised, even those parts that are now Jordanian and Syrian. It is all theirs.

I am a Jew- it is my land, too. I don’t live here, but let me tell you this- if it was possible, I would. Why? The reason is simple: IT IS MY LAND! God gave this land to me and I am supposed to live on it; no one should ever take it away. And I would never let it go without a fight. Of course, I don’t live here, and probably never will, but I am still a part of this land.

I am here now, this very moment, and the land and I are together;  I will always have a part of my heart here, and the land will always be a part of me.

I am writing this sitting at a desk, and directly to my right is the large patio door leading to the balcony overseeing the Dead Sea, with the Jordan Rift mountains all around us.  It is magnificent! It is breathtaking. It is humbling.  The awesome power of God to create mountains that are so powerful, so absolutely desolate and yet, at the same time, so absolutely beautiful. Not to mention all the history they have witnessed.

This is the place to come if you really want to know what the Jewish world is like, and to get close to God. Talk to these Jews, who have gone through hardship and suffering, yet who still are friendly and happy to help you. Oh, yes- they seem to be impolite, they  yell and walk right through you, but it’s just because they are practical and have no time for “niceties” – they are too busy living.

We in America have it so soft and so easy that we end up spiritualizing everything because we are relaxing in our high-back chairs,, watching the game on our 62″ HD TV, and thinking about God on the commercial breaks.  We thank Him for His goodness and then go back to the game.

These people are survivors who are descendants of pioneers:- they are tough, they are determined, and they are not going to give you any “bull” or accept any from you. They talk from their heart, honestly, and expect the same back. That is why, to we soft and self-absorbed Americans, they seem harsh and unfriendly. They aren’t, please believe that- they are just not interested in “fluff.”

Their practical approach to God is simply that God wants us to be good to each other, help the needy and put doing good over doing what religion says is required. What I mean by that is that if you are passing by a man who is sickly and needs help as you go to the Temple, and you do not help him because by touching him and feeding him you would become unclean and could not then worship God, you have done wrong. God would prefer that you do not worship or sacrifice to him if it means not helping that man. Yeshua told us (and showed us) about this when He healed on the Shabbat, when He told the parable of the Good Samaritan, and when He (gently) chastised Martha for cleaning and cooking while Mary listened to Him talk.

Too often people are so spiritual that they spiritualize themselves right past God. They are so anxious to act “righteous” and be “holy” that they forget the best way to do that is to dress down and wash someone’s feet. That is the lesson Yeshua was trying to teach the Disciples when He washed their feet.

The bottom line is that it is what we do for each other every day that God wants to see. What we do for Him, specifically religious rites and ceremonies, are not as important to Him as what we do for each other. Whatever sacrifice you make to God needs to be one that smells nice to Him- loving concern for others smells nice, giving to the poor and needy smells nice, helping people get somewhere they need to go smells nice.  Not leaving a tip for the waiter but leaving a tract stinks like yesterday’s diapers. Saying you are going to do something for someone then copping out reeks of two week old eggs. Making a big deal about your tithe or your giving to a charity or your wonderful experiences with God when you haven’t really had any is a stench that will reach to heaven and back again.

Our guide Yosi said it so very well: If you could sing songs and dance for Jesus or give food to a hungry person, which would you do?”

Which do you think would please God more?