“For thou art an holy people unto YHWH thy Elohim: YHWH thy Elohim hath chosen thee to
be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the
earth,” Deu 7:6.
By Brick Parrish
Ask almost any believer in the Jewish Messiah who the chosen people are and
you will be told they are the Jews. How
many times have you heard the phrase “I will
bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you”?
And here again, most people will say that this pertains to the Jews. But, is
this entirely true? “For thou art an holy people unto YHWH thy ELOHIM, and YHWH
hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations
that are upon the
earth,” Deu 14:2 .
This was spoken to Israel 3
months after the children of Israel and a mixed multitude came out of Egypt.
Moses had just gone up to meet with YHWH upon Mt Sinai and received a
marriage proposal for Israel from YHWH described in Exo. 19:3-9. The written
contract called a “ketubah” was burned into 2 stone tablets by the finger of
Elohim. These are commonly known as the Ten Words or Ten Commandments. If Israel
would keep His covenant and obey all His commandments, they would become a
kingdom of priests and a set apart (kadosh) nation to Him.
The thing
I want to point out here is that the marriage proposal was made with ALL of
Israel, not only Judah.
Peter refers to this chosen
generation, royal priesthood and set apart nation, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of Elohim: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy,” 1
Pet. 2:9-10.
“Generation”
in Greek is “genos” Strongs # 1085. Thayer’s Greek definitions translates it this
way: 1) Kindred; 1a offspring; 1b
family; 1c stock, tribe, nation.
Now, if we look at who Peter is
talking about, we will find he is quoting from Hosea
1:6-10, 23 which is speaking of Israel, the 10 tribes of the Northern kingdom.
These are returning Israelites (gentiles) who had been in exile for over 700
years at that time, “And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have
mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou
art my Elohim,” Hos. 2:23.
Paul also described the same group
of people, he also is quoting from Hosea, “Even us, whom he hath
called, not of the Jews only,
but also of the Gentiles? As he saith
also in H0sea, I will call
them my people, which were not my people; and her
beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children
of the living Elohim. Esaias also
crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the
sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved,” Ro. 9:24-27.
He is equating the gentiles with the returning House of Israel, the 10 tribes that were scattered into all of the world. These same people were described
in Zecariah 10:6, “And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them
again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them
off: for I am YHWH their Elohim, and will
hear them.”
The above is still a future event. The house of Joseph has never been
re-gathered since it was scattered into world wide dispersion 2700 years ago.
They are the Lo-ami (not a people)
and the Lo-rumahah (no mercy) of Hos. 1:6-10. They will be re-gathered in the
end of time by Yahshua as per the Two Stick Prophecy of Eze. 37 and many others.
The thing to notice in this scripture is that it speaks of the House of Judah and the House of Joseph. These are the two chosen families of Israel.
The
prophet Jeremiah writes, “Moreover the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, saying,
‘Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which YHWH hath chosen, he hath even cast them
off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation
before them. Thus saith YHWH; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the
ordinances of heaven and earth; Then
will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them,” 33:23-24.
Refer
to Jer. 33:14 and you will see the two families He is speaking of is the house of Israel (house of Joseph) and Judah. Together
they comprise the whole of Israel, all 12
tribes.
Most people don’t really
understand the magnitude of the blessing given by Elohim to Abraham. His
blessing to Abraham was unconditional, it was a promise and would come to pass,
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless
them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall
all families of the earth be blessed,” Gen.
12:2-3.
According
to Rav. Moshe Koniuchowsky in his Restoration Scriptures, the word "blessed" above is "Nivrechu"
which not only means blessed, but also "mixed". All nations will have
Abraham's seed mixed into their populations. This happened when Israel went into
world wide dispersion and became gentiles. The last half of verse 3 above
literally reads "Ve-nivrechu bekah kol mishpachot ha-adamah".
Israel
was scattered into all the nations because of their disobedience and breaking of
the marriage contract with Elohim. But because of
YHWH’s promise to Abraham, all nations would be blessed and mixed with
the seed of Abraham. Those chosen by YHWH, who heed the call of the Rauch
HaKadosh to come to a saving faith in Yahshua, the only begotten son of Elohim,
will be re-gathered when the times of refreshing come. They are the chosen
people, the Israel of YHWH.
Christianity
utilizes several New Testament Scriptures in order to justify human consumption
of any and everything that moves (or even doesn’t move) on the face of the
earth. Did Yahshua nullify the command of clean and unclean meats?
By Jerry Healan
My
family and I were enjoying some family time in the living room of our home some
time ago when
our daughter disgustedly proclaimed that one of her acquaintances
had gone to a restaurant where he ate a meal of frog legs. My wife and I
began to inform her of the various foods which are considered to be delicacies
by the modern-day world. Let’s see, there’s scallops, lobsters, crabs,
crayfish shrimp, escargot, squid, oysters, pork, dog, horse, snake, turtle,
etc., etc. Each time we would name something off, our daughter would squeal in
horror and disbelief. Why? Because she has never knowledgeably eaten such things
as we observe the Scriptural command to avoid unclean foods.
So many of our own relatives as well as the modern-day Christian world
would point their fingers at us laughingly informing us of the good
tasting foods that we are missing out on. Most of them do so because they
believe that Yahshua came and did away with the command to avoid unclean foods.
There are two key areas of Scripture which are utilized to justify this
belief. The first one is found in Mark 7:19 which states, “And He saith unto
them, ‘Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that
whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into
the draught,’ purging all meats?”
The second key Scripture is found in Col. 2:16-17, “Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the
new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of the Messiah.”
Now let’s look at Mark, chapter 7 to see what the topic was that
brought on the statement in verse 19. In verses 1-5, “Then came together unto
Him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2. And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread
with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen hands, they found fault.
(3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their
hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4. And when they come from
the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be,
which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen
vessels, and of tables.) 5. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, ‘Why
walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread
with unwashen hands’?”
Notice carefully that the subject is not clean and unclean foods, but
rather is whether to eat with washed or unwashed hands. The extensive washings
spoken of here are not found in Yahweh’s commands, but were added as
traditions of men. Of course, as Yahshua proclaimed in Mk. 7:6-13, man’s own
traditions become much more important in his eyes than the commandments of
Yahweh and eventually those man-made traditions are twisted to the point of
overthrowing the commands of Yahweh.
Yahshua continued in verses 14-21, “And when he had called all the
people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of
you, and
understand: 15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can
defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the
man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was entered
into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not
perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it
cannot defile
him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth
out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the
man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed
evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Now what does it mean when He says, “Purging all meats?” The KJV
utilizes old English renderings for certain words. The word “meats” utilized
here doesn’t mean the meat of an animal, but rather foods. He was making a
scientific statement wherein the body has the ability to extract from the foods
that which is beneficial and to eliminate that which is not.
The Centurion Cornelius was visited by the Angel of Yahweh who informed
him that he should send for the Apostle Peter (Acts 10:1-8). “On the morrow,
as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon
the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 And he became very hungry, and
would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw
heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great
sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all
manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things,
and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and
eat. 14 But Peter said, Not
so, Master; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake
unto him
again the second time, What Yahweh hath cleansed, that call
not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again
into heaven,” vv. 9-16.
While the Christian world also utilizes these Scriptures to justify
eating unclean animals, the question is, Why was Peter so mystified at this
command? Hadn’t he been with Yahshua years earlier when Yahshua responded to
the Pharisees in Mk. 7? Shouldn’t this have joggled his memory concerning that
incident and reminded him that Yahshua had purged all meats? Shouldn’t Peter
now have said, Hey! I get it now! It’s OK for us to eat anything that Yahweh
has created under the sun.
But the Scriptures reveal that Peter was perplexed concerning this
vision, “Now while Peter doubted in himself
what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from
Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, 18
and called and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19. While Peter thought on the vision, the spirit said unto him, ‘Behold,
three men seek thee. 20. Arise therefore and get thee down, and go with them,
doubting nothing: for I have sent them’,” Acts. 10:17-20.
When brought before Cornelius, Peter finally understood the true meaning
of the vision, “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, ‘Of a truth I
perceive that Yahweh is no respecter of persons: but in every nation He that
feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him,” Acts. 10:35-35.
(Refer also to Acts 15:7-14)
The major point is that, had Yahweh intended to cleanse unclean foods,
then the spirit certainly would have revealed it to Peter and the other apostles
at this time, but such was not the purpose.
People of other nations and ethnicity had been viewed by the Hebrews as
being common and unclean. Many were even referred to as dogs. Yahweh’s vision
to Peter was making the point to him and the rest of the converted Hebrews that
He no longer was considering these peoples as common and unclean.
Notice that the words days
and is
are in italics. This means that they are not a part of the original writings,
but are supplied in order to supposedly help in understanding what is written.
However in this case, with the word “is” supplied, there is no help in understanding,
but rather confusion.
What should be understood here is that no man should judge us concerning
these things but the body of the Messiah. These things, meat (food), drink,
holydays, sabbaths, etc., are a shadow of things to come.
The Sabbath and holydays are tools Yahweh gave His people in order to not
only rest and rejoice before Him at His appointed times, but to understand His
wondrous plan of salvation. Those who are not observing these days are basically
ignorant that there is a schedule of events which must take place at the time
that Yahweh has ordained them to take place. (Order our free booklet entitled Col. 2:16-17 or Holidays Vs.
Holidays,
also our article entitled Should A New Testament Believer Observe The
Sabbath Day? and our tract entitled Just Who Was It That Sanctified Sunday
Worship?)
Believe it or not, foods, especially meats, can identify which Messiah
you are serving! There is the true Messiah Who is the Lamb of Elohim. Then there
is the false Messiah, who may be referred to as the lamb of Elohim, but whose
followers ingest every kind of flesh imaginable which is a type of blending the
truth about the Messiah with the unclean paganistic and heathenistic doctrines
of the world. (Order our free article entitled The Covenant Of The Clean And Unclean)
Paul writes, “Wherefore if ye be dead with the Messiah from the
rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to
ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the
using;) after the commandments and
doctrines of men?” Col. 2:20-23.
Yes, it is true that if we observe the command of clean and unclean
foods, that we are submitting ourselves to the ordinance of touch not, taste
not, handle not, etc. But this command is not after the commandments and
doctrines of men, but rather after the command and doctrine of Yahweh! Paul is
writing against the commandments and doctrines of men (such as, eat no meat on
Friday, or abstain from certain kinds of foods during the Lenten season, etc.)
not the commandments and doctrines of Yahweh.
Who is it that beguiles? Didn’t the serpent beguile Eve in the garden
of Eden? How did he beguile her? First by contradicting Yahweh’s word and then
stating an outright lie. The serpent beguiled Eve and enticed her to directly
disobey the command of Yahweh. What did he entice her to do? Wasn’t it to take
a food that was forbidden and eat of it?
Notice Paul’s additional warning in verse 8, “Beware lest any man
spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after
the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world
and not after the Messiah.”
It’s the tradition of men and the rudiments (elementary principles) of
the world that deceive and spoil us.
Philosophy is a combination of two word “philos” and “sophos”.
Philos is the Greek word for “love” and sophos means “wisdom.”
Philosophy, therefore, means “lover of wisdom.” But which wisdom is this
word speaking of?
Webster’s New World Dictionary
defines
philosophy as; 1.
orig. love of, or the search for, wisdom or knowledge
2. theory
or logical analysis of the principles of the universe: included in philosophy
are ethics, aesthetics, logic, epistemology, metaphysics, etc.
3. the
general principles or laws of a field of knowledge, activity, etc. [the
philosophy
of economics]
4. a)
a particular system of principles for the conduct of life
b) a treatise covering such a system.
5.
a) a study of human morals, character, and behavior
b) mental balance or composure thought of as resulting from this;
calmness.
Notice that philosophy includes wisdom, knowledge, principles, laws,
morals, character, behavior, balance and composure, but it all has to do with
the way that man dictates these things. Not one thing is said about Yahweh’s
commands, wisdom, knowledge, morality, behavior, principles, etc. as revealed in
His Holy Word. Man’s philosophy has nothing to do with Biblical wisdom!
Furthermore, “vain deceit” can also be translated as “empty
delusion.” Delusion is defined as; a false belief or opinion, a false,
persistent belief not substantiated by sensory or objective evidence. (Webster’s New World Dictionary)
Thus, vain deceit or empty delusion has to do with something someone
persistently believes in, but cannot be proven by sensory or objective evidence.
In the case of clean and unclean foods, the evidence is Yahweh’s word!
People look at this Scripture and then proclaim, See! Paul has said that
we can eat everything that has been created. All animals are now good for food.
However, the key to understanding what Paul was speaking of is found in
the very last verse, “...it is sanctified by the word of Yahweh…” We find
out what was sanctified by the word of Yahweh by going to Lev. 11 and
Deut. 14. Yahweh reveals there what He sanctified for consumption and
what He did not.
If you believe in Yahweh’s word, then it must be the foundation upon
which you build your life and knowledge. This means that you must refrain from
so many things that the world, as a whole, delights in and pursues. This also
means that the true believer may have to suffer from wants, lacks or even
desires that the world simply doesn’t have to suffer. This makes the life of a
true believer to be much more undesirable that the life of those seemingly
enjoying the things of this world to the hilt. But our reward is future in the
kingdom. Yahshua said that we must love Him and His way more than the world.
Yahweh’s word must rule our lives in everything that we observe. We do
not rejoice in the pagan holiday system that we see the world rejoicing in
(Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, etc., etc.) The fear
of Yahweh is the beginning of our wisdom (Prov. 9:10). The fear of Yahweh is
also the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Therefore, we observe the holydays
that He has commanded (Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets,
Atonement, Tabernacles, Last Great Day, New Moon, etc.) We also observe His
commands concerning the foods that we eat.
Following is a list of clean creatures that we are allowed to eat and
unclean creatures that we are not:
2. FISH/SEAFOOD:
anchovy, bass, bluefish, carp, cod, crappie, flounder, grouper, grunt, haddock,
halibut, hardhead, herring, mackerel, minnow, perch, pickerel, pike, rockfish,
salmon, shad, smelt, snapper, sole, sunfish, tarpon, trout, tuna (albacore,
bonita, yellowtail)
3. BIRDS:
chicken, dove, grouse, guinea fowl, partridge, peacock, pheasant, pigeon,
songbirds, quail, turkey
4. CREEPERS:
different types of locusts which includes grasshoppers.
2. FISH/SEA
CREATURES: abalone, catfish, clam, crab, crayfish, cuttlefish, dolphin, eel,
jellyfish, limpet, lobster, marlin, mussel, octopus, otter, oyster, prawn,
scallop, shark, shrimp, squid, sturgeon, walrus, whale.
3. BIRDS:
albatross, bat, bittern, buzzard, condor, cormorant, crane, crow, cuckoo, *duck,
eagle, flamingo, *goose, grosbeak, gull, hawk, heron, kite, lapwing, loon,
osprey, ostrich, owl, pelican, penguin, plover, raven, stork, swallow, *swan,
swift, vulture, *water hen, woodpecker.
4. CREEPERS:
crocodile, frog, insects (all, except the locust family), lizard, mole, mouse,
newt, rat, salamander, snail, slug, toad, turtle.
There are those who, not understanding Scripture, have
embraced the concept of an eternal, ever-burning hellfire. This idea seems to
come from Dante’s Inferno. Dante’s artistic idea of hell comes from the mind
and imagination of man. It doesn’t come from Scripture. This article will
refute the concept of an ever-burning hell-fire.
By Dave Ganton
Over
the years I have been asked a few times to explain the meaning of the term”
the worm that dieth not” in Mark 9:43-48.
This question has surfaced a couple of times recently and has prompted this
article. This scripture has been used to verify the belief in an ever burning
hell fire that will torture the unrepentant evil doer for all eternity. In this
study we will see that this is a false interpretation and come to understand
what Yahshua is actually saying.
The first thing to
remember is that Yahshua taught lessons about the Kingdom by using everyday
occurrences and things that people would understand. He stated many times,
"The Kingdom of Elohim is like," and would go on to tell a parable
about some common event that was familiar to the hearers. Most didn't get the
connection because it wasn't given for all to understand at that time. Mark 4:11 This is really no
different. Those that it is given to understand will and those that it isn't
will still use it to verify an eternal hell fire for the evil. This is because
they don't see Yahweh as the loving, gentle, kind, and compassionate Elohim that
we do. The god they worship will sentence most of the world’s people to an
ever burning, torturous eternal life in a fiery hell, (of mankind’s
imagination not Yahweh's) including children just because they haven't had the
chance to hear of the only one through whom salvation comes. Could you love this
kind of an Elohim?
To understand what the
term Yahshua used means, we need first to understand what He was not saying. In Rom. 6:23 we
are told," The wages of sin is death," not eternal life in any form. If one
insists that we have an immortal soul that cannot die, refer them to; Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are
mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul
that sins shall die.”
Ezekiel 18:20,
“The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of
the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness
of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall
be upon himself.” These two scriptures tell us that a soul can surely die. The
word “soul” is used 396 times in the Old Testament and is referring in each
case to the complete person. It is used 9 times in reference to animals and
fish. Soul is translated from the Hebrew “Nephesh”. In the New Testament,
the equivalent is “psuche” and under investigation one will find that this
“psuche” can die. Check James 5:20,
“Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will
save his soul (psuche) from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Rev.16:3, “And the second
angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead
man: and every living soul (psuche) died in the sea.”
In what condition will
the dead be? Malachi 4:3,
“And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles
of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Yahweh of hosts.” These wicked
souls will be reduced to ashes. There is no consciousness in death. The dead
don't know they are dead. Ecclesiastes 9:5,
“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing,
neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
The word dust in the
following can also be translated “ashes” #6083 ‘aphar. Mankind returns to
his original state, ‘aphar, which are the natural elements of the earth.
Genesis
2:7, “And Yahweh
Elohim formed man of the dust (‘aphar) of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul,(nephesh).” Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust (‘aphar) thou art, and unto dust (‘aphar) shalt thou
return.” Psalms 104:29,
“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they
die, and return to their dust (‘aphar).” Job
21:26, “They shall lie down alike in the dust (‘aphar),
and the worms shall cover them.” We will discover in this study just how this
return to dust comes about. (Notice the word worms in the preceding.)
We know from the book
or Revelation that the lake of fire is the final destiny of the incorrigibly
wicked. Revelation 19:20, “And
the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone.” Revelation
20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.”
From all of the above
it is very evident that the final wage received by the wicked is to return to
the original state that they were created from, the natural elements of the
earth. In this state there is total oblivion and not a conscious state of
eternal torture in a pagan invention called hell and adopted by Christianity.
The word “hell”
used in many translations of the bible is from the Greek “Gehenna” #1067,
which was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. There is a very good reason why
Yahshua would use this term to describe the reward of the wicked. Gehenna or Ge
(valley) hinnom (sons of Hinnom) is a place with an evil history that is not
commonly known by our modern day people who read the scriptures but was well
known to the people of Yahshua's time. They would know to what He was referring.
The valley of Hinnom
was a ravine outside of Jerusalem. It was the valley in which Ahaz, in the days
of ancient Israel had instituted fire worship and the sacrifice of little
children in the fire. 2 Chron.28:1, “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in
the eyes of the Yahweh, like his father David, but walked in the ways of the
kings of Israel. He even made molten images for the Baals; and he burned incense
in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children as an offering,
according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Yahweh drove out
before the people of Israel.”
This form of pagan
worship was followed by Manasseh, 2
Chron. 33:6, “And he burned his children as
an offering in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and practised soothsaying and
augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in
the sight of Yahweh, provoking him to anger.” The valley of Hinnom or Gehenna
was the scene of one of Israel's most terrible lapses into pagan worship and
customs. In his reformations King Josiah designated the valley of Hinnom an
unclean place.” 2 Kings 23:10 “And
he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no one
might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.” When Josiah
declared this place as unclean it was set aside as a place where the garbage
from Jerusalem was thrown to be burned. Because of this it became a foul
smelling, filthy, place where disgusting maggots bred and lived on the refuse
that the fire did not consume, much like all garbage dumps. Like a great
incinerator it smoked and smoldered all the time.
As you already know,
the phrase that Yahshua used about the fire that will not be quenched and the
worm that does not die is taken from
Is.66:24 describing the fate of Israel's evil enemies. Because
of all of this, the valley of Hinnom, Gehenna, had become a symbol of the place
where the souls of the wicked would be destroyed. One place in the Talmud
mentions this; “The sinner who desists from the words of the law will in the
end inherit Gehenna.” So Gehenna became known as the place of final punishment
and the very word itself brought a terrifying picture to the Israelites minds.
This was still prevalent at the time of Yahshua.
To make the picture
even worse was the fact that sometimes the dead bodies of criminals were thrown
into this garbage dump. What the fire did not consume, the maggots or worms ate.
When something or someone was thrown into this refuse dump its fate was sealed.
The fire could not be quenched as the equipment to do so was not available. The
worms could not be killed or destroyed because there were no pesticides to do
the job as in our modern garbage dumps. The end result of the fire was ashes
which is matter returned to its original, natural state. The end result of the
worms eating what was left was compost, the return of matter to its original,
natural state. Either way the result was the same. Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Fire that is not
quenched will burn until all of the combustible material is depleted. Then it
will go out. Maggots or worms will continue to eat until all of the things they
feed on are gone. Then they will move on. This is the picture that Yahshua was
trying to in-still in those to whom He was speaking, the terrible, end-fate of
the incorrigibly wicked. Once they were cast into the final place of punishment
there would be no escape and they would be totally consumed and returned to dust
from which they were made. There could be no intervention to prevent this. The
fire could not be quenched and the worms would not die until the consumption of
everything was complete. It would be the total, horrifying end, as is the lake
of fire. This was the message that Yahshua was instilling in His hearers.
The surrounding
scriptures that mention plucking out your eye if it causes you to sin and
cutting off your hand if it causes you to sin are not to be taken literally, as
history has shown that some have done. Yahshua is instilling in people that we
must do whatever is necessary to enter into Yahweh's Kingdom and not be cast
into this terrible place where the fire is not put out and the worms don't die
until they accomplish their terrible purpose. Just as removing a part of your
body could be excruciating so removing the sources of temptation can also be
very painful and difficult. This is part of counting the cost of our calling. Luke 14:26-33, “If any one comes to
me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count
the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a
foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying,
‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going
to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel
whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with
twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an
embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce
all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
No cost should be too
high for the great honour we have been given being called to be a part of the
first fruit harvest of mankind for Yahweh's kingdom. If we are willing to pay
whatever it costs we need not fear the lake of fire where the flame is not
quenched and the worm does not die.
HalleluYah!!!
May Yahweh bless your studies.
“Study
earnestly to present yourself approved to Elohim, a workman that does not need
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth,” (2 Timothy 2:15).
By
Johnny McCarty
The
Scriptures are Yahweh’s wonderful gift to us.
They contain more knowledge than anyone can hope to understand even after
a lifetime of study. However, Yahweh
expects us to study His word so that we might better understand His plan of
salvation. Truly digging deep into
the Scriptures is not an easy task. Conducting
an in-depth study of the Holy Scriptures is extremely rewarding but it takes
much prayer, time, and resources. If
you are willing to invest the prayers and time, I can offer some help with the
resources.
There was a time when studying the Scriptures in their original language,
historical setting, and as viewed by Biblical scholars required a large monetary
investment. Hebrew and Greek
dictionaries, concordances, and lexicons, Biblical Encyclopedias, commentaries,
histories, interlinear translations, and other aids could cost hundred or even
thousands of dollars and occupy quite a bit of space.
But thanks to modern technology, all that has changed.
Today, a vast library can be contained on a single computer CD. There are many good Bible study programs available for the PC; some costing several hundred dollars. However, one of the best is absolutely free!
This program is e-Sword®. e-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Bible. e-Sword is feature
rich and user
friendly with more capabilities than you would expect in a free software
package. The fact that e-Sword is free is just one of the blessings and does not
speak of the quality of the software.
The list of features is long. You can search any version of the Scriptures in English or using Strong’s numbers to search for a particular Hebrew or Greek word. You can create your own Commentary, Study Notes, Topic Notes, and Parallel Bibles just to name a few. The program even includes a Graphics viewer for displaying detailed maps and other graphic images.
There are many Bible translations available (including The Scriptures®) for free download.
Also available are Commentaries, Dictionaries, Thesauri, Maps, and
professionally written Study Notes. It
is also compatible with software that uses the STEP standard of Bible study
aids. Recently a version for Windows
Pocket PC operating system has been released.
So now, if you have a PDA that runs that OS, you can carry e-Sword with
you when you travel. There is also a
macro for Microsoft Word that allows you to search the Scriptures and insert
verses into your documents while without leaving MS Word.
Where can you get this wonderful tool?
Simply go to www.e-sword.net.
The download and virtually all of the add-ins are free.
Get and use this powerful tool to help you to truly dig deep into the
Word of Yahweh, always guided by the Holy Spirit.
I’m a prisoner of the state of Texas but not of the Lord. I am young in
the faith and came across one of your free publications that brought me lots of
frustration. For several days I tried hard to prove that your paper was wrong,
but found myself proven wrong time & time again. I borrowed a Strong’s Concordance (Exhaustive) and like a mad
man, put your words to the test (or Elohim’s word). I found that I was closed
minded by the traditional and pagan ways like men still are. I want to thank you
for sending out the truth and I would like to be able to be on your mailing list
for any free books, publications, etc., that you send out. I would really like
to learn more and see what other things we carried over from our families and
such. On this worn publication named “The Creator Knows You By Name, Do You
Know Him By Name?” I found where they talk about a Moffatt’s Bible. Do they replace the names?
If it’s possible I would like to receive a study Bible with the names replaced
and possibly Hebrew and Greek references (in NKJ translation style). I see there
is a lot to learn about how it should be and how it is, and hope to be a tool
used to help others see the truth. JH/TX
Thank
you so very much for the literature you have been sending me. I have learned
more just in the last two months with you than in twenty years of “churchianity.”
I have also been challenged as never before to “walk in this new light. Thanks
to Mr. Healan for depth, insight, and ability to explain things that could only
be possible through prayerful, careful, study, and the leading of the Ruach Ha
Qodesh. Thank you. You’ve helped me change my thinking and my life. Yah bless!
I
am reading and researching everything you send as soon as I get it. Thank you!
PS.
Would it be possible for me to join you for the Feast of Tabernacles and be
immersed?
JH/CO
Stanley
Mayfield
I am running your letter in the magazine in hopes that
someone will contact us to let us know if there is anyone in that area. We know
of no one there, nor are we in contact with anyone there.
JH
Amazing
Find Plus News Reveal Prophetic Events Part II
The Blessings of the Dew
COMING SOON!
THE IRON FURNACE