Is all mysticism forbidden?

Q. Is all "mysticism" forbidden?
A. That is a good question so let's look at it a liitle closer. There are two definitions of mysticism. In the Gentile world this has to do with occult practices like fortune-telling, tarot cards, communicating with the dead, palm reading and things like that. These practices are explicitly forbidden in the Scriptures. Television is full of these things. There is also Biblical mysticism which is a description of G-d or the things of G-d beyond human comprehension, given in visions, language and various other items.

One of the leading teachers on this subject asked a crowd "What was the most mystical Jewish writing?" His answer surprised many when he said it was the New Testament. There are many examples of "mystical" concepts, but let's name a few. Paul uses the term "mystery many times, and in particular the book of Ephesians and Thessalonians. The term means "'a deeper meaning" to whatever the subject was. There are 4 levels of interpretation in the Scriptures. There is the "peshat" or literal level, the "remez" or "alluding to" level, the "drash" or interpreative level, and last the "sowd" or mystical level. This is the level where deep concepts are discussed. Paul said "I knew a man who went to the third heaven" or his allusions the "first Adam and the second Adam".

The first Adam has a name in Biblical mysticism called the "Adam Kadmon" and it refers to the primodial man, the first or perfect man. He is identified with the Messiah and contrasted to Satan who is calledAdam Beliel." There are hundreds of examples of mysticism in the Brit Chadash or New Testament. The Book of Revelation is full of mysticism and there are mystical sayings and concepts all through the Gospels. There is what is called "Kabbalah" in Jewish thought. I don't agree with some of it but there is a Torah-based Kabbalah. Rabbi Gamaliel, Paul's teacher, was the leading Kabbalist of his time and Paul certainly learned many concepts from him. You have to know the Torah and the scriptures at a deep level to know the difference between true mysticism, or mystical writings, and that which is not to be studied.

There is a rule that one is not to study mysticism unless he is 40 years old. That doesn't mean in years alone, but you must have studied the Torah for 40 years and know the basics. You must teach your children the things of G-d, but you must restrain yourself from many things until they are ready because you could do more damage than good. A study of the Temple with Keruvim (Cherubim) on the walls, and the palm tress and pomegranates are all mystical. So, there is a forbidden mysticism, but there is a Biblical mysticsm that should be studied and pursued to bring us to a deeper understanding of G-d.

Hebrew 'Block Logic'

Q." IN MT. 27.9 IT QUOTES A PROPHECY BY ZECHARIAH BUT THE VERSE SAYS JEREMIAH, IS THIS A CONTRADICTION?"
A. No, it is not a contradiction but there is a concept in Hebrew thought that needs to be brought out, and that is the concept of "block logic". Let's explain it by analyzing the verse. In Zechariah 11. 12-13 thereis a prophecy about the 30 pieces of silver and the potter's field. The potter's gate was on the south end of the city. In Jeremiah 7 G-d instructs Jeremiah to stand in the gate of the Temple and prophesy to the people coming into the Temple.

We know this was the south side of the Temple Mount. In Jeremiah 18 G-d tells Jeremiah to go to the potter's gate again to prophesy. Jeremiah 19.1-2 G-d tells him to go to the Valley of the sons of Hinnom near the Potter's gate and Prophesy. In Hebrew this valley is called "gay-hinnom" where we get the term "gehenna" from. This valley is at the south end of the city where the Hinnom swings around to the east, the Tyropean in the middle and the Kidron valley meet. This area is also called "Tophet" in the Scriptures and it was wherre people offered their children to idoloatry. It served as the refuse dump in the first century and was considered the most cursed place on earth. This is also the valley where the judgement in Mt 25 will take place, and it is referred to in Joel 3 and Isa. 66.

Now, Jeremiah prophesies from there and the potter's field was there. Later, Herod added an extension to the Temple complex called the Royal Stoa. This was right over the place Jeremiah prophesied from. On the west end was the Bazaars of Annas and on the other end was a chamber for the Sanhedrin. During the week of Passover, the Sanhedrin did not meet in the Temple, but moved out to theeis area in the Royal Stoa. Yeshua goes into the Bazaars of Annas and throws out the moneychangers and the thieves. Now, it was ok to changes money in the Temple because gentile coins had images on them and they could not be used in the Temple, much like our coins of today. But, high prices were extracted from the people for this service and this was what Yeshua objected to.

The Sanhedrin "heard" what yeshua was doing because it was in the other part of the Stoa, and thus began His final confrontation with the authorities. In Jeremiah 7.11, Jeremiah says that G-d calls them a "den of thieves", which is the exact term Yeshua uses, basically prophesying in the same area. Judas is paid 30 shekels, linking this with Zechariah now, but gives it back. After Judas dies, the money cannot be used in the Temple so a field south of the city, in the area of the Potter's gate and Tophet as referenced in Jeremiah, is bought and called "akeldama" meaning field of blood. Remember, this area is the most cursed place on earth. In 41 A.D. there was an auction and Annas bought this field, and his family used this area for the family burials. The tomb of Annas and Caiaphas have been found there. They said, "Let the curse be on us and our children" and it was and they were buried in the most cursed place on earth, just a few hundred yards from the most holy place on earth (Temple) just north. You see, Annas and Caiaphas didn't care about the prophecies. They didn't believe ,so to them it was a good real estate deal.

The people would be very familiar with Jeremiah 7, 18, 19 and would link it to Zechariah by "remez", which is the 2nd of 4 levels of interpretation which means "alluding to" or "glued to." The people would have seen them in "block logic", beginning in Jeremiah and ending in Zechariah 11. So, it is not a contradiction to say Jeremiah when you look at this verse in "block logic" and that is why Jeremiah is mentioned first. His prophecies with the key words "potter" and "Ben Hinnom", "tophet" were to point to other verses in your mind and link it to Zechariah who also uses "potter" and "30 pieces of silver". Then seeing what the context was in Yeshua's arrest, these terms were linked and seen in block logic.

Feast of Sukkot

This week we are continuing our look into the Biblical festivals found in Lev. 23 that occur in the fall. Last week we discussed the High Holy Days and how they were a picture of the Birthpains, or tribulation period and the coming of the Messiah. This week we are going to talk about the Feast of Sukkot. This feast commemorates the time Israel spent in the wilderness as G-d led them. They lived in temporary shelters called "sukkot" in Hebrew. During this time G-d "lived" among them in the Mishkan and took care of all their needs. This is a week-long festival and the people were commanded to make "sukkot". In the Temple there was an elaborate ceremony involving "living water" being "poured out"over the altar. This festival would take hours to develop and teach but we'll look at a few highlights. The major prophetic themes of this festival is the coming Messianic Kingdom, the birth of the Messiah, the dedication of the Temple, and the future protection of Israel in the wilderness during the Birthpains. So let's look at these quickly.

This feast portrays the Messianic Kingdom. After Yom KIppur, there are 5 days till Sukkot. These will be the days that Messiah will judge the survivors of the Birthpains in Jerusalem as seen in Mt 25. Once that is over, as He says in this chapter, the believers "enter into the Kingdom" and His reign on earth begins. There are 70 bulls that are sacrificed during this week and on the first day there are 13, then 12 then 11 and so on. These bulls symbolize the 70 nations ordained by G-d in Dt 32 and Exo. 1.5. They diminish in number telling us that the influence of the nations will diminish in the Messianic Kingdom. This festival also teaches us about the birth of Yeshua.We know that John the Baptist was conceived in June (Lk 1) and six months later Miriam (Mary) conceived Yeshua. This is around the feast of Chanukah. There is a wonderful connection between Sukkot and Chanukah that will be developed some other time. Three months later, around Passover, John is born. Six months after that is the feast of Sukkot and the birth of Yeshua. Let's look at some of the concepts associated with His birth. It called the Feast of the Nations, the Feast of Lights, and the "season of our joy" and these are all terms associated with His birth.

The term "sukkot" means "stable" (Gen 33) and we know that He was born in a "sukkah" or stable. We also know from history that King Herod died in September and Yeshua had already been born, so all these reasons rule out a December 25 birth, which any encyclopedia will tell you is of pagan origin. This festival teaches the wedding supper and the blessings associated with that. From Yom KIppur you count 75 days and it brings you up to Chanukah and the dedication of Ezekiels Temple. Dan 12.11-12 talks about this. The 1290 days in v11 is from 30 days before the mid-point of the Birthpains when the False Messiah will set up the Abomination of Desolation around the feast of Purim plus 1260 days of the 2nd half of the Birthpains.

The 1335 days in v12 is from the mid-point of the Birthpains which is Nisan 10 on the religious calendar to Yom Kippur the last day of the Birthpains, when Yeshua returns to stand on the Mt of Olives (Zech 14). From Tishri 10 (Yom Kippur) you count 75 days and you come to Chanukah, a feast that teaches the dedication of the Temple and new altar after the Maccabean revolt. So, the last two weeks answer to the question about the High Holy Days should give you a good start to developing a biblical view of eschatology. The reason these things are not taught is because people have believed that the Law has been "done away with" and these festivals have been "replaced" with pagan dates and concepts. You can stay in darkness if you want to or you can go somewhere where the Truth is taught...it's your choice.If you would like more information about all this contact us at our e-mail address: otmin@sbcglobal.net. Now, go and study!

Biblical sacrifice

Q. What is the biblical concept of "sacrifice"?
A.This can be very complex in that there is a lot of scripture one has to put together to properly understand it, but here is a short version. There is a difference between the Torah concept of scarifice and the christian concept. Both Jew and Gentile have this concept: if you sin you have to bring a sacrifice to pay for it. But, the word for sacrifice in scripture is "korban" which means to draw near. It is related to the word for sexual intercourse. Was Yeshua ever impure? Yes, whenever He touched a dead body, or the woman unclean with a discharge , or anyone of the lepers He touched caused Him to be unclean. But being unclean is not sin. Did Yeshua ever offer a sin offering? Yes, but it doesn't mean He sinned-it acknowledges that there is sin in the world. "Sacrifice" in English means to "give something up", as in sacrificing for your children, etc. People believe you get atonement by bringing a "korban", but it comes from faith and repentance. There is a problem: we base what we believe on a messed up view of sacrifice, especially concerning Yeshua. Lev. 20.15 says that one is forbidden to offer their children as a sacrifice.. G-d forbids Abraham to offer Isaac in Gen. 22.

This brings up a problem w/in christianity. How could G-d break His own word? Isa 42-55 gives us the "servant" passages. These passages are identified as referring to Messiah, Israel or both. Christians say they refer to Messiah, Judaism says they refer to Israel. But in reality, they could refer to all three at times. In Jn. 1.29,36 there is a staement that is translated "the Lamb of G-d who takes away the sins of the world", but there's a problem. A lamb is not used to take away sin, it is a shelem, or peace offering at Passover. At Yom Kippur, a lamb is not used, but goats and a bull are. About 50 years ago the academic world thought that the people in new testament times spoke Aramaic, alanguage from Babylon that is similar to Hebrew. Later research has founf that this was untrue, they spoke Hebrew.

Around 200 C.E. they used Aramaic, but in the 1st century it was Hebrew. Aramaic was there but not the primary language. There are "loan words" from Aramaic that are used and scholars have reconstructed the Greek N.T. text and found problems. There are terms that don't make sense. There is an eastern structure and a western structure. From Hebrew to Greek, our verse does not make sense. But, in Aramaic it does make sense, using the loan word that says "the Servant of G-d who takes away the sins of the world". Now, it makes sense and there are hundreds of verses about the "Servant" of the L-rd. There is a concept in scripture called the "Suffering of the Tzadik".

A Tzadik is a righteous one, but not just any righteous one. The Tzadik is one who stands out in his generation ,far above his peers. There is much said on this subject and in the Mesorah Publications "Ezekiel" in appendix III on Ezekiel 4.4. It says that "Ezekiel's suffering might serve to atone for the sins of his people. The thesis was advanced that the sight of the Tzadik's agony, for which the people had been the cause, might inspire them to true repentance." This may be true to some extent, but there is a deeper picture to all this . We will pick up there with this concept in the Artscroll article on the suffering tzadik and how this relates to the concept of "sacrifice" and the death of Yeshua next week.

Church replaced Lost 10 Tribes?

Q. Isn't it true that the Tribes of Israel are lost and the Church has replaced them?

A. If that is true, then there is no New covenant and Gentiles are lost because the New Covenant was made with the 12 tribes (Jer31) and G-d said that Covenant is in force as long as there are stars in the heavens that can't be measured or the foundations of the earth that aren't searched out. This theory, or myth, is one that is very ancient. The Torah tells us of Jacob and Esau and their contention over the birthright and rights of the First-born. Esau despised the responsibilities that went along with the birthright, but wanted the material blessings. Jacob knew that with the birthright came responsibility, which was obedience. Esau wasn't interested in that. Later, the term Edom (Esau) was applied to the Romans, and then to Christianity which came out of Rome. Today, Christianity is like Edom, or Esau.

They want the blessing of the firstborn/birthright (Jacob/Israel) but they don't want the responsibility of keeping the Torah. So, over the years many groups have claimed to be "the true Israel", but did not want to keep the commandments. But , the tribes of Israel were never really "lost" to begin with, nor did they assimilate into what is now Europe as British Israelites say, or are they in Japan as some teach. After Assyria deported the 10 northern tribes, many stayed in the land and even returned in a few years. All the tribes were at Hezekiah's Passover (2 Chr 30), and Isa. 8.14 is addressed to all the tribes. They were present during Josiah's Passover and reforms (2 Chr 35).In Ezra 8.35 offerings were made for all of Israel.In Lk 2.36 Hannah the prophetess was from the tribe of Asher, so how could they know that if the 10 tribes were "lost". The book of James was written to the 12 tribes of Israel.

Tobit was from Naphtali and Judith was from Simeon. In the future, the 144,000 in Rev 7 and 14 are from the 12 tribes, and the tribes are listed again in Ezek 48 as being present in the Messianic Kingdom, after Messiah comes. There is no question the Jewish people have been scattered all through the known world, but they are not lost. G-d knows who they are, and evidently so does our enemies. Hitler had no trouble finding the Jews. Spain had no trouble finding the Jews when they were expelled in 1492. England had no trouble finding the Jews when they were expelled in the 16th century. Our enemies today have no trouble finding the Jews, they never have had trouble. They don't read those non-sensical books about British Israelitism and the Two House Theory, or the Ephraimite Theory.

We are not lost, we are scattered, but that was part of G-d's plan, too. The scriptures say that G-d gave the Jewish people the Oracles of G-d, which is the word. When you examine the religions of the English, Danes, Europeans, Japanese or whever claims to be the "true" Israel you find that there is no history of Torah observance. Biblically, if you are descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob either through the father or the mother, you are Jewish. That doesn't save you, but there is a mandate from G-d to know Him and teach His word to the world.

But, the Church has not replaced Israel, and the L-rd says He never will, especially in Romans Ch 9,10,11. The basic premise for all this is just like Esau. They want the blessing without the responsibility. Funny, when our enemies will come looking for us in the future, I'll bet they don't step up to the plate. In fact, they will be the one's doing the persecuting, just like their father Esau. And you non-Jews who have been grafted into the Olive Tree and are a part of the Household of Israel by faith, they will come after you, too. In short, then, the whole story of the "10 lost tribes" is largely a myth.

Why Does God Save Us?

Q."Why does G-d save us?
A. The typical answer to this would be "So we don"t go to hell" which is partly true, but not the complete answer. He saves us so we can keep the commandments of the Torah in our lives. That is part of G-d's plan to restore back into a correct relationship with Him, which is the purpose for mankind that goes back to Eden. Why do we have situations in our lives?

So we can follow G-d's instruction in handling them. In Psa 119 David is asking G-d to save him so he can keep the commandments. That psalm has 176 verses and every one of them speak about the commandments. How could David murder and commit adultery, lie and everything else, and yet say he is man after G-d's own heart and say he followed the Torah all his life? Because he was saved by G-d's "chessed" or grace, not by keeping all the Law perfectly. G-d judged David on his faith AND desire to follow the Torah, not on his ability to keep every point of it. That is how people got saved before Yeshua ever came. Grace didn't start with the cross, it has always been a part of how G-d deals with mankind.

Sins were forgiven before Yeshua just like today. Starting from Adam all the way to 2003, G-d has been forgiving man when he truly repents and turns to Him. So, another question should come to mind. Why did G-d give the Torah at Mt Sinai if salvation was always attainable by faith? He did it out of mercy. G-d's word has always been in existence. Clean and unclean, Sabbath, theft, murder, loving your neighbor pre-existed Mt. sinai. In exodus 18, Moses is judging the people according to the Torah of G-d and that was before Sinai. In the time of Noah, man had become so sinful that He had to destroy all living things except one family.

But, he gave them 120 years to repent, but they didn't. In Abraham's time, the canaanites were given 400 years to repenet, and they didn't. Moving ahead to Yeshua, G-d is giving more time to people to turn to Him. Man has strayed from G-d and His will, the Torah. The Torah, which has always been there from the beginning, was given and written down at Sinai for several reasons. It was to give guidance because man's sin was getting very bad. It was to stir up sin in man so there was a line to cross. Man, knowing he is a sinner and falling short of G-d's standards, would now turn to Him for mercy and trust G-d for salvation. The Torah tells us how to love G-d and approach him by faith.

Faith in Yeshua does not, nor ever did, void the commandments in the life of a believer. There many who believe in a perverse teaching that once one believes, they are set free from the commandments. This theology says that the Law was too hard for people to follow, so when Yeshua came it was done away with and now they follow the "law of love" or "law of liberty" and are "led by the Spirit" or something. G-d said that following His caommandments was not too hard or too deep to comprehend (Dt 30.11-14). Nowhere in the Scriptures is there a hint that the commandments were done away with. G-d looks at your desire to follow them as a part of your faith. One who does not believe will not keep the commandments and say they don't apply, and that is the issue you must deal with when you stand before Him. To reject the commandments is to reject G-d Himself .

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