Q. Is "Tithing" applicable today?
A. To save the suspense, no it is not applicable today and here's why. When one reads the scriptures, you do not read it like you would a novel. You are to read it like a contract. Words mean things and to get the proper definition you must find the Hebrew meanings. Don't trust your English translations to give the right meaning, look them up the way G-d communicated them. In the details lies the message, so you need to go into the Word like a lawyer. Tithing in Hebrew is the word "ma'aser" . There are volumes written on this subject but it is nearly unknown within Christianity because they have "redefined" the words to fit what they want.
An attempt will be made here to get to the heart of the matter, but it will not be an exhaustive explanation.Tithing was agricultural. You did not tithe money. There are no scriptures to support what is done today. Secondly, you only tithed if you were involved in agriculture within the land of Israel. If you were a farmer outside the land, you did not tithe. Third, you tithed to the priests and the Levites, at certain times and places. There are three main types. There is the "Ma'aser Rishon" which is the first tithe, usually given around the feast of Shavuot. You went to the Levitical city near you and deposited the tithe there, at the storehouses and corrals that were prepared there. The years were divided into a "Shemitah" which is a seven year cycle. At the completion of seven cycles, or 49 years, the 50th year was a "Yovel" year, or mistranslated as "jubilee" year in most Bibles. Now, during each year it was divided into the spring and the fall. You brought the ma'aser rishon in the spring as things ripened in years 1-6 of the shemitah cycle. You did not tithe the 7th year.
The second type of tithing in Israel was the "Ma'aser Sheni" or the second tithe. This was brought in the fall around the feast of Sukkot to the Temple in the 1,2,4,5 year of the shemitah and a massive banquet was prepared and you ate it with the Priests and Levites at the Temple eventually. In the 3 and 5th year, it was taken to the Levitical city near you and given to the poor, widow, orphan and the Ger(Gentile who lived in the land and followed G-d). This was called the "Ma'aser Ani" or the poor man's tithe. You did not tithe the 7th year. There are two other types of ma'aser, or tithing. The first one is called the "Terumah Gedolah" or the great heave offering. This was 1/50th of your crop and given directly to the Kohanim, or priests. This was done all six years of the shemitah. The second is called the "Terumah Ma'aser" or the Levitical tithe where 1/10 of the Ma'aser Rishon is given to the priests by the Levites.
This is done all six years of the shemitah as well. As you can see, this does not resemble what is done today because what is done today isn't scriptural or accurate. It is a way to raise money for their respective churches and organizations, but it is not Tithing. Therefore, the verses like Malachi 3.8 and others that are used to promote these teachings so people will give are taken out of their intended meaning by G-d for personal gain. Now, that is not to say we should not give. If you give 10%, or 20% or whatever that is "Biblical Giving", but don't call it tithing and don't make people feel guilty if they don't. You who think you are tithing aren't really tithing biblically anyway.
Tithing was agricultural, done if you lived in the land of Israel, given to the priests, Levites, widows, poor, orphans and strangers, done at certain times of the year , to a certain place and not done at all every 7th year. The priests and Levites had no inheritance in the land and it was a way to take care of them. If you made your living off the land, you tithed to give back to G-d. If the people obeyed, He sent rain and kept the insects away. But, if you didn't, He would stop the rain and not rebuke the devouring insects until you did. This cannot be done in Texas, obviously. I hope this helps, Forward any questions you may have to OTMIN@SBCGLOBAL.NET. Now, go and study.
The La Quinta meeting room in Alvarado, 1165 Hwy 67W Alvarado, TX. 76009. (Behind Sonic)
For information Email at wmriley17@yahoo.com
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upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB95)
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Esau's birthright
Q Jacob has been accused of "stealing "the birthright from Esau, but is this accurate?"
A. There has been much said about this incident found in Gen 25-27 and much of it has been fueled by anti-semitic feelings, but a closer examination shows that there more to this story than meets the eye, so let's examine this a little closer. Rebekah is pregnant and is told by G-d she is going to have twins. They struggle within her and she is told that the older one will serve the younger. Later Esau comes through the birth canal first, with Jacob grasping at his heel, thus the meaning of his name. "Heel" is alluding the the "end" of days and is also a messianic reference from Gen 3.15. This episode reveals that Jacob had in his heart even at birth a desire to have first-born status. It mean't something to him. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob because he didn't care about it (Gen 25.34).
Now, Rebekah overhears Isaac telling Esau about blessing him and realizes that this was not what G-d desired. She knew the prophecy about Jacob and Isaac appparently was not lining up with that, so she devised a plan to have Jacob impersonate Esau. Jacob was apprehensive about it from the start, but Rebekah took full reponsibility for it in 27.13. Jacob goes in and says to his father after a certain question, "G-d has caused this to happen to me" and receives the blessing of the first-born. Esau comes in later and finds out Isaac has blessed Jacob and accuses Jacob of "stealing" his birthright in 27.36. But, that is not true because Esau gave it away in 25.34, so Jacob was first born and Isaac blessed him correctly.
So, in reality, Rebekah believed G-d's word about Jacob and Isaac did not have his eye on what G-d wanted. She felt led to take this action and G-d caused this to come about in this manner, according to His purposes. Jacob didn't steal the birthright, it was given to him by Esau and this played out exactly as G-d desired. This story was initiated by Rebekah, not Jacob. G-d chose Jacob over Esau because G-d can do that, it's His choice. Esau wanted the status without the responsibility. Many teachers have called Jacob a "supplanter", and a "cheater and deceiver" but that is not the case. It was G-d's idea from the start and Rebekah was G-d's tool to bring this about in this way.
A. There has been much said about this incident found in Gen 25-27 and much of it has been fueled by anti-semitic feelings, but a closer examination shows that there more to this story than meets the eye, so let's examine this a little closer. Rebekah is pregnant and is told by G-d she is going to have twins. They struggle within her and she is told that the older one will serve the younger. Later Esau comes through the birth canal first, with Jacob grasping at his heel, thus the meaning of his name. "Heel" is alluding the the "end" of days and is also a messianic reference from Gen 3.15. This episode reveals that Jacob had in his heart even at birth a desire to have first-born status. It mean't something to him. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob because he didn't care about it (Gen 25.34).
Now, Rebekah overhears Isaac telling Esau about blessing him and realizes that this was not what G-d desired. She knew the prophecy about Jacob and Isaac appparently was not lining up with that, so she devised a plan to have Jacob impersonate Esau. Jacob was apprehensive about it from the start, but Rebekah took full reponsibility for it in 27.13. Jacob goes in and says to his father after a certain question, "G-d has caused this to happen to me" and receives the blessing of the first-born. Esau comes in later and finds out Isaac has blessed Jacob and accuses Jacob of "stealing" his birthright in 27.36. But, that is not true because Esau gave it away in 25.34, so Jacob was first born and Isaac blessed him correctly.
So, in reality, Rebekah believed G-d's word about Jacob and Isaac did not have his eye on what G-d wanted. She felt led to take this action and G-d caused this to come about in this manner, according to His purposes. Jacob didn't steal the birthright, it was given to him by Esau and this played out exactly as G-d desired. This story was initiated by Rebekah, not Jacob. G-d chose Jacob over Esau because G-d can do that, it's His choice. Esau wanted the status without the responsibility. Many teachers have called Jacob a "supplanter", and a "cheater and deceiver" but that is not the case. It was G-d's idea from the start and Rebekah was G-d's tool to bring this about in this way.
Almsgiving
Q. In Mt 6.1-4 it says when we give alms we are not to "sound a shofar(trumpet)", what does this mean?
A. The context of Yeshua's statement is giving alms. Alsgiving was done on a freewill basis and it has certain rules attached to it. The term used many times to cover this type of giving is "righteousness" which is the Hebrew word "tzedekah" and can also mean charity. There are many scriptures relating to this and one of the requirements is that you just didn't hand out money to anyone. You had to know whether or not they were really in need. In Vayikra Rabbah 34, which a rabbinic commentary on Leviticus, it says that there is an admonition to us to take personal interest in the person you give to, and to simply give a stranger alms. The thinking behind this is that G-d gave the money to a person to give as G-d directs and to just give without checking out the person would be a misuse of those funds that were meant for someone else. So, when we give, we should be involved with these people to a degree. We should not be giving money to imposters..
There are people who make their living off charities. In the Temple, there was a chamber that people went into to give alms or to take something out if you were in need. Nobody knew why you went in there. Also, there were 13 trumpet shaped receptacles in the Temple. When you gave alms, you dropped you gift into one of them The Mishnah and Josephus talk about thes receptacles. The reason they were shaped like that is because you could drop money in but you could not reach in and take any out, giving the impression you were giving. So, in Mt 6 "sounding a shofar"(the sound the money made as it went in) meant" to give the appearance of giving." In Prov 21.14 it says that we are to give in secret. Yeshua uses the very Hebraic term of "not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing" as a way of expressing that we are not to make a big production out of it. Today, people give and have their name written on a brass plate, or on a brick along a walkway, or have a building named after you.
THis practice ought not to be. THose things are incentives to get people to give and it appeals to the pride among the people. Yeshua said that they will not get a reward in Heaven because they were only after the affections of men, and they have their reward. In Lk 11.34-36 Yeshau uses another Hebrew idiom when He discussed giveng. He uses the terms "good eye" and "evil(bad) eye" and this term is also found in Proverbs. A "good eye" means a generous person and a "bad eye" is a stingy person. In our passage in Mt 6, verses 19-23 He uses these terms to describe a generous person contrasted with the stingy person. G_d wants people to give out of their hearts and with joy, not because you have to. There is an interesting passage in Num 31.48-54.
Christianity teaches that the sacrifices took away the sins of the people, and the Temple was destroyed because G-d sent the Messiah and a "new " way replaced this. They saw the passages about the sacrifices and how they "atone" for the soul. In Num 31, the people had just come from a battle with the Midianites and not one person was lost. In their thankfulness, the people gave gold, chains, bracelets, rings and earrings to "make an atonement for our souls before the L-rd." There were no animal sacrifices here.
The people were thankful in their hearts because they were safe and out of that they gave an offering back to the L-rd. It was not required but freewill, and it was equated with atoning for the the sins of the people. The blood of animals never took away sin, it was the hearts of the people in obedience to G-d that He saw, always did and always will. I hope this helps, now go and study.
A. The context of Yeshua's statement is giving alms. Alsgiving was done on a freewill basis and it has certain rules attached to it. The term used many times to cover this type of giving is "righteousness" which is the Hebrew word "tzedekah" and can also mean charity. There are many scriptures relating to this and one of the requirements is that you just didn't hand out money to anyone. You had to know whether or not they were really in need. In Vayikra Rabbah 34, which a rabbinic commentary on Leviticus, it says that there is an admonition to us to take personal interest in the person you give to, and to simply give a stranger alms. The thinking behind this is that G-d gave the money to a person to give as G-d directs and to just give without checking out the person would be a misuse of those funds that were meant for someone else. So, when we give, we should be involved with these people to a degree. We should not be giving money to imposters..
There are people who make their living off charities. In the Temple, there was a chamber that people went into to give alms or to take something out if you were in need. Nobody knew why you went in there. Also, there were 13 trumpet shaped receptacles in the Temple. When you gave alms, you dropped you gift into one of them The Mishnah and Josephus talk about thes receptacles. The reason they were shaped like that is because you could drop money in but you could not reach in and take any out, giving the impression you were giving. So, in Mt 6 "sounding a shofar"(the sound the money made as it went in) meant" to give the appearance of giving." In Prov 21.14 it says that we are to give in secret. Yeshua uses the very Hebraic term of "not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing" as a way of expressing that we are not to make a big production out of it. Today, people give and have their name written on a brass plate, or on a brick along a walkway, or have a building named after you.
THis practice ought not to be. THose things are incentives to get people to give and it appeals to the pride among the people. Yeshua said that they will not get a reward in Heaven because they were only after the affections of men, and they have their reward. In Lk 11.34-36 Yeshau uses another Hebrew idiom when He discussed giveng. He uses the terms "good eye" and "evil(bad) eye" and this term is also found in Proverbs. A "good eye" means a generous person and a "bad eye" is a stingy person. In our passage in Mt 6, verses 19-23 He uses these terms to describe a generous person contrasted with the stingy person. G_d wants people to give out of their hearts and with joy, not because you have to. There is an interesting passage in Num 31.48-54.
Christianity teaches that the sacrifices took away the sins of the people, and the Temple was destroyed because G-d sent the Messiah and a "new " way replaced this. They saw the passages about the sacrifices and how they "atone" for the soul. In Num 31, the people had just come from a battle with the Midianites and not one person was lost. In their thankfulness, the people gave gold, chains, bracelets, rings and earrings to "make an atonement for our souls before the L-rd." There were no animal sacrifices here.
The people were thankful in their hearts because they were safe and out of that they gave an offering back to the L-rd. It was not required but freewill, and it was equated with atoning for the the sins of the people. The blood of animals never took away sin, it was the hearts of the people in obedience to G-d that He saw, always did and always will. I hope this helps, now go and study.
Peter's two descriptions in Mt 16.13-23
Q.Why is Peter called "blessed "and then it seems he is called "Satan" in Mt 16.13-23?
A. The verses being referred to can be puzzling, but we need to see these verses as they would have in the 1st century. Yeshua is asking what the people are saying about him. He is in the north near Caesarea Phillipi. His talmidim begin to say what they have heard. He then asks them what they think, and Peter says He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living G-d. Yeshua then says that Peter is blessed for knowing that and that this revelation will be what the eschatological congregation will be built upon, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Now it is interesting that in the area where they were, there was a cave that the pagans believed was the gates of hell, dedicated to the pagan g-d Pan.
So He drew on what the local belief was to illustrate His point here. In v 21 Yeshua goes on to say how He must go to Jerusalem and be killed. So, Peter again stands up and says that this should not happen. It is then that Yeshua says"get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offense to me". Why did Yeshua say this? In the 1 st century there was a well known "midrash" or story about Abraham. In Gen 22 we have the story of the Akeida, or the binding of Isaac. Isaac was aroung 33 years old when this happened, not a young boy as has been depicted. He goes to Jerusalem, called Salem then, to the land of Moriah and is told to sacrifice Isaac. As Abraham is going, Satan tries to stop him by creating a river to drown them both. Realizing this, Abraham says "get thee behind me Satan" and the river disappears and they both go on to Moriah. In Mt 16, it is the same scenario. The father is going to Moraih to sacrifice His Son Yeshua.
Yeshua is the same age as Isaac, going to the same place. The story in Gen 22 is an obvious picture of what Yeshua will do in the future. Just as Satan tried to thwart Abraham in the midrash, Peter says no to Yeshua's task, thus putting himself in the role of Satan. So, when Yeshau uses the phrase "get thee behind me Satan" he was drawing an obvious parallel between the midrash on Gen 22 and what Peter was saying in trying to hinder His trip to Jerusalem. By using thes words, Yeshua was making this connection between what Abraham did and what He was going to do, and saying that Peter was opposing the things of G-d. He was not actually calling Peter "Satan" but saying that the power behind such statements are from the evil one.
A. The verses being referred to can be puzzling, but we need to see these verses as they would have in the 1st century. Yeshua is asking what the people are saying about him. He is in the north near Caesarea Phillipi. His talmidim begin to say what they have heard. He then asks them what they think, and Peter says He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living G-d. Yeshua then says that Peter is blessed for knowing that and that this revelation will be what the eschatological congregation will be built upon, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Now it is interesting that in the area where they were, there was a cave that the pagans believed was the gates of hell, dedicated to the pagan g-d Pan.
So He drew on what the local belief was to illustrate His point here. In v 21 Yeshua goes on to say how He must go to Jerusalem and be killed. So, Peter again stands up and says that this should not happen. It is then that Yeshua says"get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offense to me". Why did Yeshua say this? In the 1 st century there was a well known "midrash" or story about Abraham. In Gen 22 we have the story of the Akeida, or the binding of Isaac. Isaac was aroung 33 years old when this happened, not a young boy as has been depicted. He goes to Jerusalem, called Salem then, to the land of Moriah and is told to sacrifice Isaac. As Abraham is going, Satan tries to stop him by creating a river to drown them both. Realizing this, Abraham says "get thee behind me Satan" and the river disappears and they both go on to Moriah. In Mt 16, it is the same scenario. The father is going to Moraih to sacrifice His Son Yeshua.
Yeshua is the same age as Isaac, going to the same place. The story in Gen 22 is an obvious picture of what Yeshua will do in the future. Just as Satan tried to thwart Abraham in the midrash, Peter says no to Yeshua's task, thus putting himself in the role of Satan. So, when Yeshau uses the phrase "get thee behind me Satan" he was drawing an obvious parallel between the midrash on Gen 22 and what Peter was saying in trying to hinder His trip to Jerusalem. By using thes words, Yeshua was making this connection between what Abraham did and what He was going to do, and saying that Peter was opposing the things of G-d. He was not actually calling Peter "Satan" but saying that the power behind such statements are from the evil one.
Who is the Anti-Christ (False Messiah)?
Q. Who is the Anti-Christ?
A.The term "Anti_Christ" is a terrible way to convey what the L-rd has to say about this man. The term is better expressed by the "False Messiah" and that is what will be used in this article. The False Messiah is a man who will claim to be "Jesus" of Replacement Theology Christianity during the Birthpains. There is so much that can be said about this eschatological character that this article will not be an exhaustive one, but it will contain some things for you to think about.
There are numerous prophecies concerning this man, starting in Gen 49 and Jacobs blessing. The False Messiah will most likely be Jewish, from the tribe of Dan. The tribal symbol was a serpent In the the article "False Messiah" in the Jewish Encyclepedia, there are references to this fact. The twisted serpent , or "Leviathan" is a picture of the False Messiah. Pharaoh, with the serpent on his crown, is an abundant picture of the False Messiah. Antiochus Epiphanes, Haman, Absalom, Shebna, are just a few of the scriptural pictures of him. He does not believe in following the commandments and is called the "lawless one(without the Torah)" in 2 Thes 2 and Micah 2.4.
He is called the wicked prince of Israel in Ezek 21.25, the " foolish shepherd" in Zech 11.6-17, the "King of the sons of pride" in Job 41, the "teacher of falsehood" in Hab 2.18, the "fiery serpent" in Isa 14.29, the "worthless one " in Nahum 1.15. These are just a small sample of the information in the scriptures about this character. He will come out of Europe and be of Jewish descent, but will not be Torah observant. He will teach people that they don't have to keep the Torah, in fact, will make laws prohibiting the keeping of the Torah. He make it illegal to keep the Sabbath and celebrate Biblical festivals. He will persecute those who have the testimony of Yeshua and keep the commandments. The theology of Christianity will be the theology of the False Messiah, that's why he is called the "Lawless(Torah-less) one" and an apostate. The United States will be destroyed by an attack from Russia and her allies 7 days after the catching away of the believers on Tishri 1, year 6001 from creation. Eorope will be in a panic and will convene a security meeting to decide what to do.
The False Messiah will be in that meeting and will tell the 10 delegates that he has a plan and they must act now by giving him power to rule and defend Europe. There will be no time to go to each individual parliament to get something done, he must have temporary dictatorship to act swiftly, very similar to the War Powers Act that gives the President power to act without Congressional approval. He will be given the power he needs and will defend Europe in a 3 year war with Russia. Feeling secure because they will be winning this war with Europe, Russia will unleash it's conspiracy with some Arab nations and invade Israel between Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur, Year 3 of the Birthpains. They will be defeated by an act of G-d and Israel ,as a nation ,will believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, due to the work of the 144,000 and the two witnesses who have been preaching in the land for 3 years.
Because of the war with Russia, Europe will be devastated and the False Messiah will move his headquarters to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the False Prophet, who is a religious leader of apostate Christianity, will set up an idol of the False Messiah on Adar 10 and proclaim to all that he is "Jesus" on Nisan 10 and cause many to believe it. This will be the exact half way point of the Tribulation(Nisan10) .But, those who follow the Torah and believe in Yeshua will not go along with this. The Jewish believers in Israel will flee to the Jordanian-Moabite wilderness, from Pella to Petra, and be preserved there by the L-rd for 1260 days. The False Messiah will try to hunt down these believers but will not be able to get at them. He turns his attention to anyone who keeps the Torah and makes war with them . Meanwhile, the KIngs of the East, a vast orental army, will begin to march to Israel. He fights several battles and loses, falling back to Jerusalem where a sige takes place and he is surrounded. On Rosh Ha Shanah, year 6008, Yeshua will return from Heaven with His saints to Mt. Sinai. For ten days He walks the same route Joshua took as he entered the land, rescuing believers who have been hiding in the wilderness.
On Yom Kippur 10 days later, He stands on the Mt of Olives. The False Messiah will try to flee but will be caught near the plains of Jericho, and cast alive into the Dead Sea, which is also called the Lake of Fire. As you can see, there is so much concerning this subject that it would be impossible to contain in this short article, but this is a very important subject and should be mastered. The theology of the False Messiah is all around us, especially if you are participationg in Replacement Theology Christianity, and it is easy to see how one could be deceived into believing a lie, it's being done to many and they don't even know it. The way for the False Messiah is being prepared today by anyone who teaches you that the Law is not for today.
A.The term "Anti_Christ" is a terrible way to convey what the L-rd has to say about this man. The term is better expressed by the "False Messiah" and that is what will be used in this article. The False Messiah is a man who will claim to be "Jesus" of Replacement Theology Christianity during the Birthpains. There is so much that can be said about this eschatological character that this article will not be an exhaustive one, but it will contain some things for you to think about.
There are numerous prophecies concerning this man, starting in Gen 49 and Jacobs blessing. The False Messiah will most likely be Jewish, from the tribe of Dan. The tribal symbol was a serpent In the the article "False Messiah" in the Jewish Encyclepedia, there are references to this fact. The twisted serpent , or "Leviathan" is a picture of the False Messiah. Pharaoh, with the serpent on his crown, is an abundant picture of the False Messiah. Antiochus Epiphanes, Haman, Absalom, Shebna, are just a few of the scriptural pictures of him. He does not believe in following the commandments and is called the "lawless one(without the Torah)" in 2 Thes 2 and Micah 2.4.
He is called the wicked prince of Israel in Ezek 21.25, the " foolish shepherd" in Zech 11.6-17, the "King of the sons of pride" in Job 41, the "teacher of falsehood" in Hab 2.18, the "fiery serpent" in Isa 14.29, the "worthless one " in Nahum 1.15. These are just a small sample of the information in the scriptures about this character. He will come out of Europe and be of Jewish descent, but will not be Torah observant. He will teach people that they don't have to keep the Torah, in fact, will make laws prohibiting the keeping of the Torah. He make it illegal to keep the Sabbath and celebrate Biblical festivals. He will persecute those who have the testimony of Yeshua and keep the commandments. The theology of Christianity will be the theology of the False Messiah, that's why he is called the "Lawless(Torah-less) one" and an apostate. The United States will be destroyed by an attack from Russia and her allies 7 days after the catching away of the believers on Tishri 1, year 6001 from creation. Eorope will be in a panic and will convene a security meeting to decide what to do.
The False Messiah will be in that meeting and will tell the 10 delegates that he has a plan and they must act now by giving him power to rule and defend Europe. There will be no time to go to each individual parliament to get something done, he must have temporary dictatorship to act swiftly, very similar to the War Powers Act that gives the President power to act without Congressional approval. He will be given the power he needs and will defend Europe in a 3 year war with Russia. Feeling secure because they will be winning this war with Europe, Russia will unleash it's conspiracy with some Arab nations and invade Israel between Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur, Year 3 of the Birthpains. They will be defeated by an act of G-d and Israel ,as a nation ,will believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, due to the work of the 144,000 and the two witnesses who have been preaching in the land for 3 years.
Because of the war with Russia, Europe will be devastated and the False Messiah will move his headquarters to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the False Prophet, who is a religious leader of apostate Christianity, will set up an idol of the False Messiah on Adar 10 and proclaim to all that he is "Jesus" on Nisan 10 and cause many to believe it. This will be the exact half way point of the Tribulation(Nisan10) .But, those who follow the Torah and believe in Yeshua will not go along with this. The Jewish believers in Israel will flee to the Jordanian-Moabite wilderness, from Pella to Petra, and be preserved there by the L-rd for 1260 days. The False Messiah will try to hunt down these believers but will not be able to get at them. He turns his attention to anyone who keeps the Torah and makes war with them . Meanwhile, the KIngs of the East, a vast orental army, will begin to march to Israel. He fights several battles and loses, falling back to Jerusalem where a sige takes place and he is surrounded. On Rosh Ha Shanah, year 6008, Yeshua will return from Heaven with His saints to Mt. Sinai. For ten days He walks the same route Joshua took as he entered the land, rescuing believers who have been hiding in the wilderness.
On Yom Kippur 10 days later, He stands on the Mt of Olives. The False Messiah will try to flee but will be caught near the plains of Jericho, and cast alive into the Dead Sea, which is also called the Lake of Fire. As you can see, there is so much concerning this subject that it would be impossible to contain in this short article, but this is a very important subject and should be mastered. The theology of the False Messiah is all around us, especially if you are participationg in Replacement Theology Christianity, and it is easy to see how one could be deceived into believing a lie, it's being done to many and they don't even know it. The way for the False Messiah is being prepared today by anyone who teaches you that the Law is not for today.
Prophecies in the Feast of Purim
Q.What is the Feast of Purim and how does it apply today?
A.The Feast of Purim comes from the boo k of Esther. At the literal level, it details the struggle of the Jewish people in Persia after the fall of Babylon against a man named Haman. He was high up in the Persian governmant and did not like a man named Mordechai. The king of Persia was Ahaseurus (Xerxes) and he had a wife named Vashti. She was summoned before the king and she refused, so he got rid of her and started on a search for a new wife. Hadassah, a Jewess, was elected to appear before the king in an ancient "Joe Millionaire" type beauty pageant with many other young girls, but the king did not know she was Jewish She was selected to be the next Queen and her name was changed to Esther. Her kinsman was Mordechai and he instructed her not to tell the king of her ethnicity.
Meanwhile, Haman hatches a plot to kill the Jews in Persia because their laws were different and it was not in best interest of the king to let them live. He gets permission to exterminate the Jews and cast lots, or "purim", to find a suitable date. Mordechai finds out and informs esther that she must go before the king to inform him. She requests a banquet with Haman as a guest, and this banquet is scheduled during Passover. At the banquet her true identity is revealed and the nature of Haman's plot. Haman pleads with Esther to save him, falling on her couch next to her. The king see's this and thinks Haman is assaulting her in his own house, and orders Haman killed on the gallows prepared for Mordechai. Haman has 10 sons involved in the plot and they too are impaled. Since the king's edict to exterminate the Jews cannot be revoked, he gives the Jewish population permission to defend themselves.
When the day for extermination came, the Jews won and that day has been set ever since as a day of thanks and celebration to G-d for their deliverance.That is the basic story, but there are hidden prophecies in the book, and as Paul Harvey says, here is the rest of the story. The characters are a picture of our redemption. The king is G-d. Vashti is like the unbeliever who does not come to the king. Esther is the believer who marries the king. Mordechai is like the Messiah and of course Haman is like Satan/False Messiah.the ten sons are a picture of the ten nations aligned with the False Messiah in the Birthpains. In Hebrew, when the ten sons are hanged, their names appear written in a column, not in block style like the rest of the book. This is a clue to their demise(Impaled). There is a Hebrew word next to each name, "v'et" meaning "there are ten more" suggesting this was not the last of these ten, or at least the concept of the ten. In the listing of these names, 3 Hebrew letters are written smaller than the rest of the letters. The letters read "1946".
After Hitler's demise, a type of Haman who tried to exterminate the Jews, 11 subordinates were sentenced to hang after the Nuremburg trials. Hermann Goehring committed suicide bringing the number to ten. They were hung in 1946, exactley as the hidden prophecy foretold in Esther. Not letting the irony escape his notice, one of the ten, an imfamous anti-semite named Julius Streicher, shouted "Purimfest, 1946" as he was dragged kicking and screaming to his just reward. The conflict in the Gulf War began around Purim in 1991. There was a ceasefire lasting 12 years, with hostilities resuming just days ago, also on the Feast of Purim. The Rabbis say that the events in the book of Esther take place over, you guessed it, 12 years.Lastly, many people are not aware of this next story. Joseph Stalin had a plan to exterminate the Jews in Russia. He ordered special prison to be built and would have followed up on his plan except for one thing. He went to a dinner party and consumed quite a few adult beverages, and he collapsed and died. The day he collapsed was, you guessed it , the feast of Purim.
There is not enough room to get into the other hidden prophecies associated with Purim, but I assure you there is more.The Biblical festivals and following the commandments give us insight into the future and the prophetic scenario laid down by the prophets and the Messiah. You cannot and will not understand prophecy unless you understand the Torah, the prophets or the festivals.Most of you reading this did not have any idea that these things have happened, and are happening right before your eyes. Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun, and all that has happened before will happen again. Find a Torah-based congregation that believes in Yeshua and learn the scriptures, we haven't seen anything yet.
A.The Feast of Purim comes from the boo k of Esther. At the literal level, it details the struggle of the Jewish people in Persia after the fall of Babylon against a man named Haman. He was high up in the Persian governmant and did not like a man named Mordechai. The king of Persia was Ahaseurus (Xerxes) and he had a wife named Vashti. She was summoned before the king and she refused, so he got rid of her and started on a search for a new wife. Hadassah, a Jewess, was elected to appear before the king in an ancient "Joe Millionaire" type beauty pageant with many other young girls, but the king did not know she was Jewish She was selected to be the next Queen and her name was changed to Esther. Her kinsman was Mordechai and he instructed her not to tell the king of her ethnicity.
Meanwhile, Haman hatches a plot to kill the Jews in Persia because their laws were different and it was not in best interest of the king to let them live. He gets permission to exterminate the Jews and cast lots, or "purim", to find a suitable date. Mordechai finds out and informs esther that she must go before the king to inform him. She requests a banquet with Haman as a guest, and this banquet is scheduled during Passover. At the banquet her true identity is revealed and the nature of Haman's plot. Haman pleads with Esther to save him, falling on her couch next to her. The king see's this and thinks Haman is assaulting her in his own house, and orders Haman killed on the gallows prepared for Mordechai. Haman has 10 sons involved in the plot and they too are impaled. Since the king's edict to exterminate the Jews cannot be revoked, he gives the Jewish population permission to defend themselves.
When the day for extermination came, the Jews won and that day has been set ever since as a day of thanks and celebration to G-d for their deliverance.That is the basic story, but there are hidden prophecies in the book, and as Paul Harvey says, here is the rest of the story. The characters are a picture of our redemption. The king is G-d. Vashti is like the unbeliever who does not come to the king. Esther is the believer who marries the king. Mordechai is like the Messiah and of course Haman is like Satan/False Messiah.the ten sons are a picture of the ten nations aligned with the False Messiah in the Birthpains. In Hebrew, when the ten sons are hanged, their names appear written in a column, not in block style like the rest of the book. This is a clue to their demise(Impaled). There is a Hebrew word next to each name, "v'et" meaning "there are ten more" suggesting this was not the last of these ten, or at least the concept of the ten. In the listing of these names, 3 Hebrew letters are written smaller than the rest of the letters. The letters read "1946".
After Hitler's demise, a type of Haman who tried to exterminate the Jews, 11 subordinates were sentenced to hang after the Nuremburg trials. Hermann Goehring committed suicide bringing the number to ten. They were hung in 1946, exactley as the hidden prophecy foretold in Esther. Not letting the irony escape his notice, one of the ten, an imfamous anti-semite named Julius Streicher, shouted "Purimfest, 1946" as he was dragged kicking and screaming to his just reward. The conflict in the Gulf War began around Purim in 1991. There was a ceasefire lasting 12 years, with hostilities resuming just days ago, also on the Feast of Purim. The Rabbis say that the events in the book of Esther take place over, you guessed it, 12 years.Lastly, many people are not aware of this next story. Joseph Stalin had a plan to exterminate the Jews in Russia. He ordered special prison to be built and would have followed up on his plan except for one thing. He went to a dinner party and consumed quite a few adult beverages, and he collapsed and died. The day he collapsed was, you guessed it , the feast of Purim.
There is not enough room to get into the other hidden prophecies associated with Purim, but I assure you there is more.The Biblical festivals and following the commandments give us insight into the future and the prophetic scenario laid down by the prophets and the Messiah. You cannot and will not understand prophecy unless you understand the Torah, the prophets or the festivals.Most of you reading this did not have any idea that these things have happened, and are happening right before your eyes. Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun, and all that has happened before will happen again. Find a Torah-based congregation that believes in Yeshua and learn the scriptures, we haven't seen anything yet.
'The veil in the Temple was torn'
Q. In Mt 27.51 it says "the veil in the Temple was torn", what does that mean?
A. At the hagim, or festivals, the veil at the front of the Temple building, at the porch, was opened according to Josehus and other historians. Many have the impression that the veil into the Holy of Holies was torn, and that simply is not true. There were two veils seperating the Holy PLace from the Holy of Holies, with an opening at the south end and the north end, with a corridor between them to allow the High Priest to enter there on Yom Kippur. The veil, singular, torn in Mt 27 was the outer veil to the Sanctuary. The veil was called "the Heavens" because it had the Milky Way and stars of the universe on it. It did not have the signs of the Zodiac on it. Now, why would the Temple have this in it? There is a forbidden "astrology" and an astrology that was allowed. Forbidden astrology had to do with horoscopes and fortune-telling by the stars and related practices.
But, there is an allowed" astrology" that is talked about in the Torah. Gen 1.14 says that there would be lights in the heavens for signs and seasons. The signs of the Zodiac, well known Temple times, revealed the redemptive plan of G-d through the Messiah. Joel talks about the sun and the moon as signs of judgement. Yeshua's birth was accompanied by signs in the heavens. Joseph had dreams concerning the sun ,moon, and stars. To pull this veil back at the festivals is called "opening the heavens" or "rending the heavens" and it means "G-d is going to show something deeper, a vision of G-d". It lso means that "harmony is being brought to the heavenly realm." In Ezek 1.1, it says that "the heavens were opened" and he was given a vision of G-d, something deeper.
When Stephen was stoned, the "heavens were opened" and he was given a glimpse into the throne of G-d like Ezekiel. In our passage in Mat 27.51, it may have literally happened, but this is a very mystical expression and it means much more than what is usually taught. In the case of Yeshua, harmony was being brought to the heavenly realm and there is a deeper meaning to what was going on. Just like at the festivals, we can get a glimpse into the deeper things of G-d when the "heavens are opened". Jewish history records there was another time when this veil was torn and that was in the time of Uzziah. This verse in Mt 27.51 carries far more meaning than one would expect when the Temple practice of "opening the heavens", or the outer veil of the Sanctuary is revealed and understood.
A. At the hagim, or festivals, the veil at the front of the Temple building, at the porch, was opened according to Josehus and other historians. Many have the impression that the veil into the Holy of Holies was torn, and that simply is not true. There were two veils seperating the Holy PLace from the Holy of Holies, with an opening at the south end and the north end, with a corridor between them to allow the High Priest to enter there on Yom Kippur. The veil, singular, torn in Mt 27 was the outer veil to the Sanctuary. The veil was called "the Heavens" because it had the Milky Way and stars of the universe on it. It did not have the signs of the Zodiac on it. Now, why would the Temple have this in it? There is a forbidden "astrology" and an astrology that was allowed. Forbidden astrology had to do with horoscopes and fortune-telling by the stars and related practices.
But, there is an allowed" astrology" that is talked about in the Torah. Gen 1.14 says that there would be lights in the heavens for signs and seasons. The signs of the Zodiac, well known Temple times, revealed the redemptive plan of G-d through the Messiah. Joel talks about the sun and the moon as signs of judgement. Yeshua's birth was accompanied by signs in the heavens. Joseph had dreams concerning the sun ,moon, and stars. To pull this veil back at the festivals is called "opening the heavens" or "rending the heavens" and it means "G-d is going to show something deeper, a vision of G-d". It lso means that "harmony is being brought to the heavenly realm." In Ezek 1.1, it says that "the heavens were opened" and he was given a vision of G-d, something deeper.
When Stephen was stoned, the "heavens were opened" and he was given a glimpse into the throne of G-d like Ezekiel. In our passage in Mat 27.51, it may have literally happened, but this is a very mystical expression and it means much more than what is usually taught. In the case of Yeshua, harmony was being brought to the heavenly realm and there is a deeper meaning to what was going on. Just like at the festivals, we can get a glimpse into the deeper things of G-d when the "heavens are opened". Jewish history records there was another time when this veil was torn and that was in the time of Uzziah. This verse in Mt 27.51 carries far more meaning than one would expect when the Temple practice of "opening the heavens", or the outer veil of the Sanctuary is revealed and understood.
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