We are going to continue our discussion on Baptism and how we can relate it to the teachings of Jesus. Last week we introduced the word Mikvah it is a ritual bath designed for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism. The word "Mikvah", as used in the Hebrew Bible, literally means a "collection" generally, a collection of water as defined by Wikipedia.
As we pointed out last week this was the ritual John the Baptist would have been performing. A Mikvah pool is a specially crafted and designed pool used to perform a spiritual cleansing, although they are now performed in pools, any body of water, such as a lake stream or flowing water can be used to perform the Mikvah cleansing. Starting with the Tabernacle and following through the Temple eras it was a requirement for any Jewish person to undergo a Mikvah before he/she could enter onto the Temple grounds, and no the baths outside the Temple were not used to perform this those baths and pools were part of the cleaning process prior to going through the Mikvah process.
Baptism (from Greek baptizo: "immersing", "performing ablutions", i.e., "washing")[1] is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted to membership of the Christian Church as defined by Wikipedia. As we pointed out last week if one wants to convert to Judaism that person is required to go through the Mikvah or immersion process.
This is a quote from and article found on Chabad.org site written by Rivkah Solonim. “In many ways mikvah is the threshold separating the unholy from the holy, but it is even more. Simply put, immersion in a mikvah signals a change in status -- more correctly, an elevation in status. Its unparalleled function lies in its power of transformation, its ability to effect metamorphosis.”
Do these words look familiar to any of you? Sounds like what happened to Jesus after being Baptized by John. Elevated just prior to entering the desert for 40 days to be confronted by Satin
Ok so I’m sure by know you are wondering what is the point here, so Jewish people call it a Mikvah, Christians call it Baptism, our point is that although Christians view it differently than their Jewish counter parts, Jesus does not, for us Jesus’ view is what it was meant to the Jewish people, it was a reconnection or rededication to God the Father Almighty in a ritual cleansing of ones Soul in order to accept the Torah and the Laws as found in the 5 Books of Moses.
Again we call on these verses from Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus himself confirms that the Mitzvoth of Torah will still be in effect long after his death. In verse 20 he is expressing to those listening that a persons that expects to enter the Kingdom of Heaven better be a person who will follow the Torah with a greater zeal then that of a Scribe or a Pharisee.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
Monday, August 24, 2009
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 15
This week we wish to begin a discussion on the Christian ritual of Baptism and where its roots begin in Jewish Culture.
The beginning of the Jewish faith wasn’t started until the entire family of Jacob was removed from Slavery out of Egypt. When Adonai came down and gave the people of Israel his laws at Mount Sinai. On must keep in mind that Moses’ wife as well of many of the wife’s of Jacobs children were a diverse group. For instance Joseph married and Egyptian women, Moses wife was the daughter of a Priest from a different culture; it is told that many of the other wife’s of Jacobs Sons were Canaanites.
So how did it all begin for the people of Israel, Exodus 19:10 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes”. The Jewish traditional understanding of this verse is that the people of Israel were immersed in water. It is not important if you believe this or not the important point is that the Jewish people were required to cleanse themselves before entering the Temple grounds period. To the Jewish believer they would have understood this as being part of the rich tradition of ones acceptance of the Torah that their forefathers took part in at Mt. Sinai.
So why is John the Baptist out baptizing people, what was he doing and why? Well this was a time when Adonai had left the presentence of his people for several hundreds of years. Adonai had kept his silence and left his people go about their business alone, without his directions. It was obvious from reading scripture he was at a point where he was allowing them to suffer at their own hands for as many put it their failure to comply with Torah Laws (Written) and not what mans interpretations were Talmud (Oral).
So just what was John out doing?, he was trying to bring the people of Israel back to the Torah, in his baptisms his attempt was to instill in the people a rededication to Adonai and his Torah. Which is why when Jesus came to him to be baptized John complained he wasn’t worthy of baptizing him, that Jesus was the Messiah and John was not worthy of the position of baptizing the Messiah found in Matthew 3:13-18. It wasn’t until Jesus told him in order to fulfill the prophets did John consent to do so.
The bottom line is no matter how we try to envision baptism or justify its meaning, if you fail to understand it’s meaning to the Jewish people, and why it was so significant for Jesus to be baptized. Even though Jesus is the Messiah and the Living Torah he has established and confirmed a need for the Jewish followers to recommit themselves to the Torah and the Mitzvoth contained within.
The Jewish culture and tradition during the Thousands of years before Jesus, any person who married outside of the Faith, would have been converted to Judaism in a ceremony called a Mikvah. Although the Bible doesn’t give details about these being performed it would have surly been obvious to its Jewish readers. It would be like me telling you my friend Kevin received his Doctorate in History. It is surly obvious and understood that Kevin wrote a Thesis and defended it.
So the next time you are attending a baptism or your Pastor does a service to rededicating your baptism understand that its true meaning is you are converting your self to following the Torah and the Mitzvah contained therein.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.
The beginning of the Jewish faith wasn’t started until the entire family of Jacob was removed from Slavery out of Egypt. When Adonai came down and gave the people of Israel his laws at Mount Sinai. On must keep in mind that Moses’ wife as well of many of the wife’s of Jacobs children were a diverse group. For instance Joseph married and Egyptian women, Moses wife was the daughter of a Priest from a different culture; it is told that many of the other wife’s of Jacobs Sons were Canaanites.
So how did it all begin for the people of Israel, Exodus 19:10 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes”. The Jewish traditional understanding of this verse is that the people of Israel were immersed in water. It is not important if you believe this or not the important point is that the Jewish people were required to cleanse themselves before entering the Temple grounds period. To the Jewish believer they would have understood this as being part of the rich tradition of ones acceptance of the Torah that their forefathers took part in at Mt. Sinai.
So why is John the Baptist out baptizing people, what was he doing and why? Well this was a time when Adonai had left the presentence of his people for several hundreds of years. Adonai had kept his silence and left his people go about their business alone, without his directions. It was obvious from reading scripture he was at a point where he was allowing them to suffer at their own hands for as many put it their failure to comply with Torah Laws (Written) and not what mans interpretations were Talmud (Oral).
So just what was John out doing?, he was trying to bring the people of Israel back to the Torah, in his baptisms his attempt was to instill in the people a rededication to Adonai and his Torah. Which is why when Jesus came to him to be baptized John complained he wasn’t worthy of baptizing him, that Jesus was the Messiah and John was not worthy of the position of baptizing the Messiah found in Matthew 3:13-18. It wasn’t until Jesus told him in order to fulfill the prophets did John consent to do so.
The bottom line is no matter how we try to envision baptism or justify its meaning, if you fail to understand it’s meaning to the Jewish people, and why it was so significant for Jesus to be baptized. Even though Jesus is the Messiah and the Living Torah he has established and confirmed a need for the Jewish followers to recommit themselves to the Torah and the Mitzvoth contained within.
The Jewish culture and tradition during the Thousands of years before Jesus, any person who married outside of the Faith, would have been converted to Judaism in a ceremony called a Mikvah. Although the Bible doesn’t give details about these being performed it would have surly been obvious to its Jewish readers. It would be like me telling you my friend Kevin received his Doctorate in History. It is surly obvious and understood that Kevin wrote a Thesis and defended it.
So the next time you are attending a baptism or your Pastor does a service to rededicating your baptism understand that its true meaning is you are converting your self to following the Torah and the Mitzvah contained therein.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 14
This week we want to continue our discussions from the last several weeks on Reincarnation of ones Soul. As we had explained last week that the verse in Hebrews 9:27 is one statement many Theologians claim that rebukes this reality, and is what we will continue to address this week.
Since we are unable to research the Talmud online it was important to seek a response from someone who would be able to give us Talmudic references to Judgment upon death to better illustrate the Jewish perspective on this subject. Here are three different excerpts from the Talmud which reference this subject.
Ethics of our Fathers 3:1 Akavia the son of Mahalalel would say: Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting. From where you came--from a putrid drop; where you are going--to a place of dust, maggots and worms; and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting--before the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. ibid 3:16 He would also say: Everything is placed in pledge, and a net is spread over all the living. The store is open, the storekeeper extends credit, the account-book lies open, the hand writes, and all who wish to borrow may come and borrow. The collection-officers make their rounds every day and exact payment from man, with his knowledge and without his knowledge. Their case is well founded, the judgment is a judgment of truth, and ultimately, all is prepared for the feast. ibid 4:22 He would also say: Those who are born will die, and the dead will live. The living will be judged, to learn, to teach and to comprehend that He is G-d, He is the former, He is the creator, He is the comprehender, He is the judge, He is the witness, He is the plaintiff, and He will judge. Blessed is He, for before Him there is no wrong, no forgetting, no favoritism, and no taking of bribes; know, that everything is according to the reckoning. Let not your heart convince you that the grave is your escape; for against your will you are formed, against your will you are born, against your will you live, against your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give a judgment and accounting before the king, king of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
I guess when one looks closer at these reflections from the Talmudic Laws it will give us a greater in sites into understanding the reason for the statement made in Hebrews. Keep in mind the Jewish people were the ones he was addressing in this text. As we explained in last weeks article this was just another reason why we think Paul was the author of this book, Paul would have been educated in these Talmudic teachings.
Although many of the teachings of Jewish and Christian Theologians wish to portray the non-existence of Reincarnation of Ones Soul, for the purpose of showing that to them the important point is not that it doesn’t exist, but what is important is that we are following God’s directions while we are here today, Love our neighbors, help the poor use the resources God has provided to us to care for others and not be selfish and use them only for our selfish desires.
The absents of any great details of just what Adonai’s Judgments will be is enough information for our belief that although this physical body will not return to this Physical plane our Soul will be judged for our merits and our wrong doings, as Jesus spoke of many times What you have done to unto the least of my brotherin you, you have done it unto me. Now it is important to note that anytime Jesus referred to his brotherin, he was referring specially to the Jewish people.
In closing this discussion one important point Jesus made to us all found in –Matthew 7:7 or Luke 11:9, Jesus tells us this “Seek and Yea Shall find Ask and it shall be given unto you Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” The point in closing is Jesus never told us that in giving us what we seek we would like what we are shown in truth. It is for us to choose to believe and follow Jesus or listen and follow Man’s interpretations of God’s directions.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
Since we are unable to research the Talmud online it was important to seek a response from someone who would be able to give us Talmudic references to Judgment upon death to better illustrate the Jewish perspective on this subject. Here are three different excerpts from the Talmud which reference this subject.
Ethics of our Fathers 3:1 Akavia the son of Mahalalel would say: Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting. From where you came--from a putrid drop; where you are going--to a place of dust, maggots and worms; and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting--before the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. ibid 3:16 He would also say: Everything is placed in pledge, and a net is spread over all the living. The store is open, the storekeeper extends credit, the account-book lies open, the hand writes, and all who wish to borrow may come and borrow. The collection-officers make their rounds every day and exact payment from man, with his knowledge and without his knowledge. Their case is well founded, the judgment is a judgment of truth, and ultimately, all is prepared for the feast. ibid 4:22 He would also say: Those who are born will die, and the dead will live. The living will be judged, to learn, to teach and to comprehend that He is G-d, He is the former, He is the creator, He is the comprehender, He is the judge, He is the witness, He is the plaintiff, and He will judge. Blessed is He, for before Him there is no wrong, no forgetting, no favoritism, and no taking of bribes; know, that everything is according to the reckoning. Let not your heart convince you that the grave is your escape; for against your will you are formed, against your will you are born, against your will you live, against your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give a judgment and accounting before the king, king of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.
I guess when one looks closer at these reflections from the Talmudic Laws it will give us a greater in sites into understanding the reason for the statement made in Hebrews. Keep in mind the Jewish people were the ones he was addressing in this text. As we explained in last weeks article this was just another reason why we think Paul was the author of this book, Paul would have been educated in these Talmudic teachings.
Although many of the teachings of Jewish and Christian Theologians wish to portray the non-existence of Reincarnation of Ones Soul, for the purpose of showing that to them the important point is not that it doesn’t exist, but what is important is that we are following God’s directions while we are here today, Love our neighbors, help the poor use the resources God has provided to us to care for others and not be selfish and use them only for our selfish desires.
The absents of any great details of just what Adonai’s Judgments will be is enough information for our belief that although this physical body will not return to this Physical plane our Soul will be judged for our merits and our wrong doings, as Jesus spoke of many times What you have done to unto the least of my brotherin you, you have done it unto me. Now it is important to note that anytime Jesus referred to his brotherin, he was referring specially to the Jewish people.
In closing this discussion one important point Jesus made to us all found in –Matthew 7:7 or Luke 11:9, Jesus tells us this “Seek and Yea Shall find Ask and it shall be given unto you Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” The point in closing is Jesus never told us that in giving us what we seek we would like what we are shown in truth. It is for us to choose to believe and follow Jesus or listen and follow Man’s interpretations of God’s directions.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 13
Two weeks ago we addressed the issue of Reincarnation of the Soul through the teachings of Jesus himself. Today we would like to elaborate on this subject as well as the words in Hebrews chapter 9:27 how many Christians are taught to use this verse in order to rebuke this issue.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
The Quest Study Bible NIV that we draw information from, explains that the author of the book of Hebrews is unknown, that most think it was written by Paul, or Luke. It claims that this book was written as a warning to the Jewish believers who were considering reverting to the ways of the Old Testament.
In looking at the context of chapter 9 in Hebrews starting with verse 19 going onto verse 26, the author is confirming our argument that Jesus has taken the place for our need to take a physical sacrifice to the High Priest in order for him to interceded on our behalf. That Jesus being before Adonai is interceding on our behalf.
After much research we are still trying to figure out how this statement even relates to the context of the rest of the paragraph, this statement just doesn’t fit into the context of the author’s argument, nor is there any other direct Biblical reference to this statement what so ever in the Old Testament, so where is the author gaining this information from in the first place? What we have been able to obtain is that there are references to Judgment after ones passing. So in this case the author has placed his own perception here in this statement.
So lets go out on a limb here, and go with Paul being the Author of the Book of Hebrews, Paul being a Pharisee, we can put him in the same category as Nicodemus that we addressed several weeks ago when Jesus himself was speaking to Nicodemus, found in John Chapter 3.
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
But lets look at this from a humans view point, If our Soul is Reincarnated it most assuredly would not enter the same physical body we currently exist in.
So as Jesus told Nicodemus “that we must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,”
These statements of Jesus follow the Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings, This in fact does follow our though process on how our soul can be given the chance to arise to the levels of the Ten Sefirot we have been discussing in these articles. Prior to the arrival of the Jesus the Messiah we were required by Adonai to have the High Priest intercede on our behalf.
The real issue then becomes do you listen to the Words and teaching of Jesus, or do you allow yourself to be taken by those of and unknown author of a document that was written to address Jewish believers, ones who followed the Laws of the Old Testament, and continued to do so after Jesus death and resurrection? Keeping in mind that these words Jesus spoke to us found in Matthew chapter 5:17-18.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
The Quest Study Bible NIV that we draw information from, explains that the author of the book of Hebrews is unknown, that most think it was written by Paul, or Luke. It claims that this book was written as a warning to the Jewish believers who were considering reverting to the ways of the Old Testament.
In looking at the context of chapter 9 in Hebrews starting with verse 19 going onto verse 26, the author is confirming our argument that Jesus has taken the place for our need to take a physical sacrifice to the High Priest in order for him to interceded on our behalf. That Jesus being before Adonai is interceding on our behalf.
After much research we are still trying to figure out how this statement even relates to the context of the rest of the paragraph, this statement just doesn’t fit into the context of the author’s argument, nor is there any other direct Biblical reference to this statement what so ever in the Old Testament, so where is the author gaining this information from in the first place? What we have been able to obtain is that there are references to Judgment after ones passing. So in this case the author has placed his own perception here in this statement.
So lets go out on a limb here, and go with Paul being the Author of the Book of Hebrews, Paul being a Pharisee, we can put him in the same category as Nicodemus that we addressed several weeks ago when Jesus himself was speaking to Nicodemus, found in John Chapter 3.
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
But lets look at this from a humans view point, If our Soul is Reincarnated it most assuredly would not enter the same physical body we currently exist in.
So as Jesus told Nicodemus “that we must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,”
These statements of Jesus follow the Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings, This in fact does follow our though process on how our soul can be given the chance to arise to the levels of the Ten Sefirot we have been discussing in these articles. Prior to the arrival of the Jesus the Messiah we were required by Adonai to have the High Priest intercede on our behalf.
The real issue then becomes do you listen to the Words and teaching of Jesus, or do you allow yourself to be taken by those of and unknown author of a document that was written to address Jewish believers, ones who followed the Laws of the Old Testament, and continued to do so after Jesus death and resurrection? Keeping in mind that these words Jesus spoke to us found in Matthew chapter 5:17-18.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 12
Last week the opportunity came up to minister to a young friend, Young I say she is 35, but what was so unusual about the whole encounter really hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the whole purpose of this Ministry and what this Series is all about. How do we reach people whose Comfort Zone lies in the belief that the New Testament is the spoken word of Adonai. During the conversation it was pointed out that there are many inconsistencies in Paul’s teaching and his writings in the New Testament text. Cindy asked if it was our belief that God allowed this text to be placed in the Bible with false truths. When she receive the response I saw a very upset and confused individual,
This was the perfect gift from Adonai on how to bring this issue to the fore-ground many have expressed to us that the New Testament is ordained by Adonai as his word and it is truth, or he would not have allowed it to be published.
Question then why did Adonai not destroy the people of Israel after the Golden Calf, or when the 10 spies came back and told of lies of Giants living in the promised land? The people of Israel decided to follow the spies instead of following Adonai, so Adonai made them walk for 40 years in the desert to die so only their Children would enter into The Promised Land.
We have written several pieces about the Tallis and Tefflin as well as one on “Surrounding Yourself in the name of God” in all our writings and teachings of how Jesus would have followed the Laws of Torah, we have been very consistent to the fact that these ways were designed by Adonai, for us to always remember that he is in control of our lives, that he is always watching over us, and that he Loves us and protects us from evil.
Let’s look at an inconsistency in the New Testament. For those of you who believe that the writings in the New Testament are in fallible this is going to be a thought pill to swallow. Found in Matthew chapter 1:1-17 is the genealogy of Jesus this is the one we find to be false because it traces the line of Jesus through Jeconiah who was cursed by Adonai. Adonai would have never brought his Kingdom through the Children of Jeconiah. Found in Luke chapter 3:23-37 we find a completely different genealogy this particular one we believe to be the true one for one reason it doesn’t come through Jeconiah but through Nathan.
However the most glaring fact is that they are different! Irrespective of the one we chose to believe to be true one must be incorrect. News flash the New Testament infallibility argument dead on arrival one simply cannot explain away the fact that the two genealogies are totally different from Solomon forward.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
This was the perfect gift from Adonai on how to bring this issue to the fore-ground many have expressed to us that the New Testament is ordained by Adonai as his word and it is truth, or he would not have allowed it to be published.
Question then why did Adonai not destroy the people of Israel after the Golden Calf, or when the 10 spies came back and told of lies of Giants living in the promised land? The people of Israel decided to follow the spies instead of following Adonai, so Adonai made them walk for 40 years in the desert to die so only their Children would enter into The Promised Land.
We have written several pieces about the Tallis and Tefflin as well as one on “Surrounding Yourself in the name of God” in all our writings and teachings of how Jesus would have followed the Laws of Torah, we have been very consistent to the fact that these ways were designed by Adonai, for us to always remember that he is in control of our lives, that he is always watching over us, and that he Loves us and protects us from evil.
Let’s look at an inconsistency in the New Testament. For those of you who believe that the writings in the New Testament are in fallible this is going to be a thought pill to swallow. Found in Matthew chapter 1:1-17 is the genealogy of Jesus this is the one we find to be false because it traces the line of Jesus through Jeconiah who was cursed by Adonai. Adonai would have never brought his Kingdom through the Children of Jeconiah. Found in Luke chapter 3:23-37 we find a completely different genealogy this particular one we believe to be the true one for one reason it doesn’t come through Jeconiah but through Nathan.
However the most glaring fact is that they are different! Irrespective of the one we chose to believe to be true one must be incorrect. News flash the New Testament infallibility argument dead on arrival one simply cannot explain away the fact that the two genealogies are totally different from Solomon forward.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 11
We speak to many Christians who insist that they believe that “ALL” things are possible where Adonai is concerned. So when our conversation turns to Reincarnation of ones Soul, or Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings such as the Ten Sefirot which we have been discussing, We hear from some Christians that even though they espoused to believing “ALL” things are possible with Adonai. It is there belief that this only applies to how they read and interpret to texts of the Bible from with in the confines of their doctrinal beliefs.
How can one claim to be a Christian and deny what Jesus him self had said in Matthew 11:9-14
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come
Many Christians will attempt to refute this by claiming that Reincarnation of ones Soul is an Eastern Culture concept foreign to Judaism. However this is not true at all. In the days of Jesus, there were 2 distinctly different thought processes’, the Phariseedic process, which included the Pharisee's and the Essense, and various other Jewish sects. Who believed in life after death including Reincarnation of ones Soul, for the greater purpose of perfecting ones spirit with the ultimate goal of reaching the Kingdom of Heaven. The second being, that of the Sadducees which included several of sub sects. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death at all, and thought the definition of life everlasting was to be remembered by others.
It is interesting to note that the way a person becomes a Christian is through and act of ritual Reincarnation of the Soul, i.e., Baptism. Remember the words of Jesus himself, “no man shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven least he be born again”. As Jesus addresses this issue with Nicodemus in John Chapter 3, he answers Nicodemus, with these words.
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
The point Jesus made was how could this man be well versed in Torah and Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings and not even be able to see or understand that, Jesus was referring to the Reincarnation of the Soul.
The reason for the Title of this series “Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone” is to assist you in seeing that through Paul’s writings some Christian Theologians use his words in a context to fit a doctrinal belief that the Laws of Torah no longer apply. It is our belief that if we replace Nicodemus with Paul in this story Jesus’ question would be the same. How could Paul be a Master of Israel and not understand that Jesus’ taught the Disciples from the Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings. In addition it is interesting to note, that while Paul was teaching that the Law of Torah no longer applies, he still taught that we should tithe and personally chastised Peter for eating with the Gentiles, both of which are found only in the 613 Mitzvoth. If we taught such things we would be in fear of our Lord saying to us from Matthew 7:23 from Youngs Literial Translation
23 and then I will acknowledge to them, that -- I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.
How can one claim to be a Christian and deny what Jesus him self had said in Matthew 11:9-14
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come
Many Christians will attempt to refute this by claiming that Reincarnation of ones Soul is an Eastern Culture concept foreign to Judaism. However this is not true at all. In the days of Jesus, there were 2 distinctly different thought processes’, the Phariseedic process, which included the Pharisee's and the Essense, and various other Jewish sects. Who believed in life after death including Reincarnation of ones Soul, for the greater purpose of perfecting ones spirit with the ultimate goal of reaching the Kingdom of Heaven. The second being, that of the Sadducees which included several of sub sects. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death at all, and thought the definition of life everlasting was to be remembered by others.
It is interesting to note that the way a person becomes a Christian is through and act of ritual Reincarnation of the Soul, i.e., Baptism. Remember the words of Jesus himself, “no man shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven least he be born again”. As Jesus addresses this issue with Nicodemus in John Chapter 3, he answers Nicodemus, with these words.
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
The point Jesus made was how could this man be well versed in Torah and Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings and not even be able to see or understand that, Jesus was referring to the Reincarnation of the Soul.
The reason for the Title of this series “Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone” is to assist you in seeing that through Paul’s writings some Christian Theologians use his words in a context to fit a doctrinal belief that the Laws of Torah no longer apply. It is our belief that if we replace Nicodemus with Paul in this story Jesus’ question would be the same. How could Paul be a Master of Israel and not understand that Jesus’ taught the Disciples from the Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings. In addition it is interesting to note, that while Paul was teaching that the Law of Torah no longer applies, he still taught that we should tithe and personally chastised Peter for eating with the Gentiles, both of which are found only in the 613 Mitzvoth. If we taught such things we would be in fear of our Lord saying to us from Matthew 7:23 from Youngs Literial Translation
23 and then I will acknowledge to them, that -- I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness.
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone 10
The Ancient Jewish Mystical Teachings; were always handed down, from Master to Student. Jesus picked 12 men to Master, during his ministry. Much like a Teacher Student relationship, he used the world of his time, to teach his pupils all they needed to know about how God created the Universe, and how to use the Ten Sefirot in order to achieve these wonderful miracles of healing, they were able to perform. Jesus sends them out to minister to the people, on their own, see Luke 9:1-6, Matthew Chapter 10. Bear in mind, when Jesus was teaching the masses, he spoke in Parables, while he gave explanations to the 12 disciples. Yet they also followed Jesus’ lead in as much as they gave explanations, but left some little details out of what he taught them
As Jesus himself paraphrased from Isaiah 6:10 “You will keep on hearing, but never understanding, and keep on seeing but never perceive, because the heart of this people has become dull with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart and do repentance, so that I may heal them.”
At this point, let us take a step back in time, and review the Book of Numbers Chapters 13 & 14. Adonai directs Moses to pick 12 leaders from the 12 Tribes of Israel, and send them out to the land I promised to your Fathers. Moses does as he was directed, and as we read; picks 12 leaders, from the Tribes of Israel. These leaders go forth and scope out the Lands before them. There are many views on the out come and choices that were made by these men. The one that we will address is a view point of power and control. In this account 10 of the 12 report this was not a good time to invade the land was filled with Giants and to disobey Adonai.
Let’s look at these men from the perceptive of human nature. These men had just come from Egypt only recently. Moses had only placed these men in there positions a very short time before this event. What is their reaction?
When giving their report 10 of the 12 gave false negative reports of the land they had been ordered to observe. Where they lazy and didn’t do there Job? Where they afraid of losing there new found power after entering the land? We may never know, what we do know is that even after they had witnessed all the Miracles Adonai had performed, in bringing them out of bondage they still showed that they were more concerned with the Physical world then that of the Spiritual world. It is amazing to us that these people can witness all these miraculous events yet still lack in their faith in Adonai.
Joshua and Caleb on the other hand step out of their Comfort Zone, and are willing to live beyond the physical, and stand up to the others and recognize the great blessings Adonai is offering his people.
The question we each need to ask ourselves is are we a Joshua or Caleb, or are we following the other 10 refusing to follow Adonai’s directions and live in the physical world were hearing we will never understand and seeing we will never perceive?
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman,
As Jesus himself paraphrased from Isaiah 6:10 “You will keep on hearing, but never understanding, and keep on seeing but never perceive, because the heart of this people has become dull with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart and do repentance, so that I may heal them.”
At this point, let us take a step back in time, and review the Book of Numbers Chapters 13 & 14. Adonai directs Moses to pick 12 leaders from the 12 Tribes of Israel, and send them out to the land I promised to your Fathers. Moses does as he was directed, and as we read; picks 12 leaders, from the Tribes of Israel. These leaders go forth and scope out the Lands before them. There are many views on the out come and choices that were made by these men. The one that we will address is a view point of power and control. In this account 10 of the 12 report this was not a good time to invade the land was filled with Giants and to disobey Adonai.
Let’s look at these men from the perceptive of human nature. These men had just come from Egypt only recently. Moses had only placed these men in there positions a very short time before this event. What is their reaction?
When giving their report 10 of the 12 gave false negative reports of the land they had been ordered to observe. Where they lazy and didn’t do there Job? Where they afraid of losing there new found power after entering the land? We may never know, what we do know is that even after they had witnessed all the Miracles Adonai had performed, in bringing them out of bondage they still showed that they were more concerned with the Physical world then that of the Spiritual world. It is amazing to us that these people can witness all these miraculous events yet still lack in their faith in Adonai.
Joshua and Caleb on the other hand step out of their Comfort Zone, and are willing to live beyond the physical, and stand up to the others and recognize the great blessings Adonai is offering his people.
The question we each need to ask ourselves is are we a Joshua or Caleb, or are we following the other 10 refusing to follow Adonai’s directions and live in the physical world were hearing we will never understand and seeing we will never perceive?
The Lord Bless you and Protect you!
The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
