This
issue of YAHSHUA'S WITNESS MAGAZINE
was published for January-March 2011
Inside this issue:
The
Passover Counterfeit Called Easter
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Frances
Healan
PROOFREADERS: Frances Healan, Jerry Healan
DEALING WITH UNBELIEVERS!
The purpose of this magazine
and our ministry is to witness of Yahshua and His fulfillment of the Scriptures.
I was encouraged to break the article in this issue entitled “My New Name”
into two parts and run part in this magazine and the second part in the next.
But whether you believe it or not, or care or not, we are living in the
Laodicean age wherein the focus is mainly on wealth and goods rather than the
deep spiritual truths that are held in the Scriptures. I know that there are
plenty of people who are attending Sabbath services every Sabbath, the annual
feasts, etc. But is that all there is to it? I was excoriated by one minister
because he said that I was always trying to come out with something new, when
all I need to do is focus on the importance of the names, the Sabbaths, feasts,
clean and unclean foods, etc. But Peter wrote, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Sovereign and
Saviour Yahshua the Messiah. To him be glory both now and for ever.
Amen,” 2 Pet. 3:18.
Believe me...there is more to
the Scriptures than just meets the eye. I learned long ago that there are many,
many hidden secrets, truths, etc. in the Scriptures and we are supposed to be
like hungry sheep searching for more green grass to graze on, or like lusty gold
miners who are frantically searching for more and more veins of the precious
metals that are hidden in the earth (in this case, the Scriptures). After all,
the knowledge of Yahweh is more precious than silver and gold.
We should be developing a deep
and appreciative love for Yahshua and how the Scriptures speak of Him. I know
that I will never come to know it all, but I do want to know as much as I can
find in this lifetime. After all, He is eternal and I only have a brief life
span in this world, at least, in the flesh. I do hope to inherit eternal life
through Yahshua. He is my only hope.
But I want to address something
that I received in the mail just the other day. It was from a prisoner and he
took a little bit of time to write out some items carefully by hand, which,
don’t get me wrong...I do appreciate the labor that was expended. I know that
it was time consuming. Some of it was okay, but the last page tendered
information that is completely erroneous.
He, of course, has evidently
fallen into the trap of the House of Yahweh. Here is what he wrote:
NKJV: “In the beginning was the Word.” -
John ch. 1, v. 1. In the original translation the word “Word” was not
capitalized and simply meant a set discourse or plan.
“...and the word was God” (v. 1) should be in the
possessive, as belonging to.
“He was in the beginning with
God.” (v. 2) The word “He” is a mistranslation, and should read “it.”
“...through Him and without Him nothing was made…” (v.
3). The word “His” is again a deliberate mistranslation and should read
“it.”
“In Him was life,…” (v. 4). This
word should have been translated as “plan.”
Ref: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon;
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible; Egyptian Mythology and Egyptian
Christianity by Samuel Sharpe; The Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia, by
A. H. Sayce; A statement of Reasons for not Believing the Doctrine of
Trinitarians by Andrew Norton.
Book of Yahweh (H.O.Y. ed.)
“In the beginning was the plan of Yahweh, and the plan was with Yahweh,
and the plan was Yahweh’s. The same plan was in the beginning with Yahweh. All
things were done according to it, and without it nothing was done. In this plan
was life, and that life was the light of mankind.” This is quoted from their
version of John 1:1-4.
Now it does just happen that I
do have some great Bible helps both on my computers and on my library shelf. I
have the Greek and Hebrew versions of the New Testament. One version is the The New Covenant Aramaic Peshitta Text with Hebrew
Translation. The Greek version of John 1:1 looks like this:
En
avrch/| h=n o` lo,goj( kai. o` lo,goj h=n pro.j to.n qeo,n( kai. qeo.j h=n o`
lo,gojÅ
The
Hebrew version of John 1:1 looks like this:
(Remember
that the Hebrew reads from right to left.)
בראשית
היה הדבר,
והדבר היה lca את האלהים
ואלהים היהawh
הדבר׃
Now please allow me the privilege of interpreting the Greek: “In
beginning was the word, and the word was with (pro.j
=
with, by, beside) the god, and god was the word.”
Also, now the Hebrew: In beginning was the word, and the word was with (lca
= with, or beside) aleph and tau (ta) Elohim and Elohim was he the word.
The Greek word pros
(pro.j), and the Hebrew word etsel (lca) both mean the same thing. They both mean “with, by, or
beside.” Yahshua prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own
self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was,” Jn. 17:5. The
Greek word “with” in Jn. 17:5 is para
( Do these people not believe What the Scriptures say? Do they not believe what
Yahshua said? How about you?
The Greek word para
utilized in Jn. 17:5 is defined as: a primary preposition; properly, near; i.e.
(with genitive case) from beside (literally or figuratively), (with
dative case) at (or in) the vicinity of (objectively or subjectively), (with
accusative case) to
the proximity with
(local (especially beyond or opposed to) or causal (on account of).
Again, the Hebrew word utilized in Jn. 17:5 is etsel (lca). Shouldn’t
we confirm Scripture with Scripture first and foremost before we go to some
extemporaneous works of men, especially Egyptian mythological garbage?
What these people are doing is attempting to reduce Yahshua to a neutered
set discourse or plan, an “it”, and therefore, deny His esteem, honor,
authority, character, Name as to Who He really is. (Please read the article
“My New Name” to understand what I am saying here.)
The Greek word for “word” is logos (lo,goj).
I
can’t find anyplace in the Scriptures where it is translated as a “set
discourse, or plan.” The Hebrew word for “word” is dabar (rbd). I can’t find anyplace in the
Scriptures where it is translated as a “set discourse, or plan.” These
people have introduced their own meanings for these words which no Greek, or
Hebrew scholar, or interpreter has done.
He says that in verse two which says “He
was in the beginning with God (Elohim),” the “He” should be translated as
“it,” claiming that it was a deliberate mistranslation!
Hmmmm….Let’s look at the Greek version of this verse:
ou-toj
h=n evn avrch/| pro.j to.n qeo,nÅ
He is saying that the Greek word autos should be
translated as it.
Now let’s look at the Hebrew translation:
הוא
היה בראשיתlca
את האלהים׃
The first Hebrew word in this sentence is hu (הוא),
which is properly translated as “He.”
Let me ask this question, “Have these people been consistent by
translating every instance where the Greek word logos, and the corresponding Hebrew word dabar
appear in the Scriptures as “set discourse,” or “plan,” as they have
done in John 1:1-4? I will venture to say, even though I do not possess a copy
of this farcical work, nor do I desire a copy, that these people have followed
suit and correctly translated wherever they appear in the rest of the Scriptures
as “word,” “sayings,” etc.
HOUTOS
He claims that the word “He” in Jn. 1:2 should be translated as “it
because the Greek word houtos (outoz) is employed. But remember, we are speaking of the One
Who “was made,” or “became flesh” (v. 14).
So let’s take a look at how this word is utilized elsewhere. “For
this (outoz) is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
his paths straight,” Mt. 3:3.
We know that this is speaking of John the Baptist, so should this word be
translated as “it”? We know better than that don’t we?
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This (outoz) is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Mt.
3:17.
They have already made Yahshua (THE WORD) an “it” in Jn. 1:2, so have
they done the same thing here?
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so (outo),
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same (outoz) shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven,” Mt.
5:19.
“So” is translated from the same word but the sigma (z)
is left off .
“But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this (outoz), that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Mt. 8:27.
“And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of
the cloud, saying, This (outoz)
is my beloved Son: hear him (autoz),” Mk. 9:7.
The examples are too many to quote, but both Greek words outoz
and autoz are utilized in Jn. 1:1-4 concerning the Word/logos/dabar
that became flesh. You can reduce Yahshua to an “it” but we absolutely
refuse to do so and will resist all efforts of others who do such.
THE WORD OF YAHWEH
Did you know that the Word of Yahweh appeared to Abraham/Abram? “After
these things the Word of Yahweh
came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward. 2 And Abram said, Adonai Yahweh,
what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is
this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no
seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the Word of Yahweh
came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come
forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir,” Gen. 15:1-4.
Even when he was Abram, Abraham recognized the Word of Yahweh as Adonai
(Sovereign, Master, Lord) Yahweh!
Interestingly, in the Hebrew the article “the” is not utilized, but
the Hebrew term appears as hwhy-rbd.
With the connecting dash (-), this means that these two words actually go
together as one of the names for Yahweh. The term Adonai Yahweh (hwhy
ynda)
does not have the connecting dash.
Dabar-Yahweh (hwhy-rbd)
is the One Who created all things by speaking them into existence! This was one
of Yahshua’s names before He was born in the flesh. This is what John was
addressing because the idea that eventually became Arianism was already being
taught in his day and he was resisting their teachings by revealing the truth.
Arius was an heretic who taught that Yahshua was created, that He did not
pre-exist. Arianism is alive and well in the assemblies to this day, and it is
an abominable teaching that discredits what the Scriptures, themselves, reveal
about Yahshua! Those who uphold this teaching should carefully review their
belief on this matter. The proof of the Scriptures is definitely not in their
favor.
John says that this Word of Yahweh (hwhy-rbd)
became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14), and we beheld His glory as the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He was in the world and the
world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.
He came to His own and His own received Him not (v. 10-11).
Please listen to me! His honor, authority, character, and therefore name,
is being denied today by many who claim, profess that He is their Savior! Arius
did that!
John didn’t stop there! In the book of First John he writes, “ That
which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and
shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Yahshua the
Messiah,” 1 Jn. 1-3.
John wanted us to know that Dabar-Yahweh (known commonly in English as
“the Word of Yahweh) had appeared to Him and others! He declares that they
saw, looked upon, and handled this Dabar-Yahweh! He wanted us to know that
ETERNAL LIFE had appeared and was with them!
I do not want to stand in condemnation of these others, but I must be in
the process of teaching, declaring, and warning myself, you, and them that if we
can receive these things, then we will become the Sons of Elohim, “But as many
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of Elohim, even to
them that believe on his name,” Jn. 1:12.
Please read the article entitled “My New Name,”
it will reveal to you the true meaning of the Hebrew word for “name.” To
deny these things is to deny Him, and He warned, “Whosoever therefore shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in
heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before
my Father which is in heaven,” Mt. 10:32-33.
Yahshua is the Word of Yahweh (hwhy-rbd).
John is in agreement with Psalms 33:6 which says, “By the word of Yahweh were
the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”
Again, this is the One Who pre-existed as the Word of Yahweh, and became
flesh in the days of the apostles to dwell among them and do His great works!
THE SON
The Hebrew is the language of revelation. It is the language that Moses,
the prophets, and the psalmists wrote in, except for a smattering of Aramaic.
Paul says that all things must go to the Jew first and then to the
Gentile or Greek (Ro. 1:16; 2:9-10). Thus, the New Testament Scriptures, believe
it or not, were written first in Hebrew, since that is what the Jews are, and
then converted to other languages later.
The Hebrew word for “word” is dabar (rbd),
that is dalet (d), beit (b), resh (r).
The Hebrew letters not only make up words, but they are utilized for
numbers and they also represent pictures. The most ancient Hebrew is called
Pictorial Hebrew. That is the Hebrew in which Moses wrote the Torah.
The dalet (d)
pictorially represents a door. The beit (b)
pictorially represents a tent,
temple, dwelling, family, etc. The resh (r)
pictorially represents a head.
When we speak a word, the word comes from our mouth, which is the door to
our dwelling, our house, which is also located in our head. The word originates
from our brain, which is hidden in our heads (thankfully).
But on a spiritual level, and when the Word comes from Yahweh, it may
originate with the Father, Who is the head, but the Son is the One Who does the
work.
Yahshua said that He is the “door” (d),
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep,” Jn. 10:7b.
He is the head of the body, “And he is the head of the body, the
assembly: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things
he might have the preeminence,” Col. 1:18.
We are one body, one dwelling, one tabernacle in Yahshua, “For as we
have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So
we, being many, are one body in the Messiah, and every one members one of
another,” Ro. 12:4-5.
Yes, it is true that the Father is Yahshua’s head, but Yahshua is our
head, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is the Messiah;
and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of the Messiah is Yahweh,”
1 Cor. 11:3.
Yahshua is the door to the head of the house, the body of believers, the
family of Elohim. He, therefore, is the Word/dabar (rbd).
But the last two letters, the beit (b)
and resh (r),
make up another important Hebrew word. They make up the Hebrew word bar (rb),
which is a word for “son!”
Yahshua became Yahweh’s only begotten Son when He emptied Himself of
the power and esteem that He had in the heavens, “Let this mind be in you,
which was also in the Messiah Yahshua: 6 Who, being in the form of Elohim,
thought it not robbery to be equal with Elohim: 7 But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore Yahweh also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That
at the name of Yahshua every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that
Yahshua the Messiah is Sovereign (Adonai), to the glory of Yahweh the Father,”
Phil 2:5-11).
He is now the Son/Bar (rb),
Who is the Door (d). Put it all together and we have the Hebrew
word for “word,” Dabar (rbd)!
This is the Word Who spoke all things into existence! He is the One, the
Word, Who was with (beside) Elohim/Yahweh, and Who also is Elohim/Yahweh. That
is what John is witnessing to in John 1:1-18.
He is the Word of Yahweh (hwhy-rbd/Dabar-Yahweh).
Do you believe this? Can you believe this? The proofs are rife in the
Scriptures. If you don’t or can’t believe these things, then you will lose
out on the opportunity to become a son of Elohim. You will be labeled as one who
denies Yahshua, an unbeliever.
Will this commentary change anyone’s mind on these things? We truly hope so, but if not, at least we have published the truth, and call a spade a spade.
Sunrise worship services, bunny rabbits, Easter eggs,
Easter ham, hot cross buns, do these things honor the resurrected Savior? If we
research into the way Easter is observed today, comparing it with the originally
commanded Passover, what do you think we will find? Let’s take a look to see.
By Jerry Healan
Should a New Testament
believer observe Easter or Passover? We know that the Jews observe the Passover,
but that was part of the Old Testament. What does a New Testament believer have
to do with the Old Testament? Isn’t the Old Testament done away? If such is
true, then why did Paul write, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye
may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even the Messiah our Passover is sacrificed for
us?” (1 Cor. 5:7)
The evangel accounts reveal
that Yahshua died on Passover day, the very day and afternoon that the Passover
lambs were being slain. When they took Yahshua to the Judgment Hall to hand Him
over to Pilate, the people wouldn’t enter into the hall because they didn’t
want to be defiled and therefore not be able to eat the Passover (Jn. 18:28).
Pilate customarily released a prisoner to the Jews on Passover day. He sought to
release Yahshua, but the Jews called for His death and wanted one named Barabbas
to be released instead (Jn. 18:38-40). When Pilate brought Yahshua forth to the
people, it was the preparation day. The fourteenth day of the month was the day
of preparation. This was the same day that Israel slew the Passover lambs in
Egypt in anticipation of their deliverance out of the house of bondage (Ex. 12).
But one might say, Well, Easter
is mentioned in the book of Acts, “Now about that time Herod the king
stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the assembly.
And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he
saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the
days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in
prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending
after Easter
to bring him forth to the people,” 12:1-4.
Hmmmm… If we just look at
what is written here on the surface, not searching the matter out, then we would
have to admit, Sure enough! There it is! But if we go to the Greek word from
which Easter has been translated, we find that the Greek word is pascha. A little further check will reveal that
in every place where the word Passover
appears in the New Testament, it is translated from
the Greek word pascha.
Therefore, if you want your Scriptures to be consistent, you need to change the
word Easter in Acts 12:4 to Passover. This was a blatant attempt to justify the
observance of Easter by King James and his scholarly interpreters.
Easter is never mentioned in
the Scriptures, neither Old Testament, nor New Testament, as a day or time to
observe. The name Easter comes from a Germanic pagan goddess named Eostre, which
is very similar to the forbidden pagan queen of heaven named Ishtar. Her name is
shown to be pronounced as both Ishtar (eashter) and Istar (easter). The latter
rendering would be perfectly equivalent to the modern day version Easter.
Ishtar’s consort was her son,
lover, husband Tammuz who died and rose annually as a vegetation god. (Encyclopedia Britannica 14th Edition, Volumes 12 and 21, articles Ishtar
and Tammuz)
Yahweh condemned their worship.
Yahweh told the Prophet Jeremiah, “Seest thou not what they do in the cities
of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the
fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the
queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may
provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith Yahweh: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?” Jer. 7:17-19.
THE SANHEDRIN
Furthermore, Ezekiel, who was
among the captives taken to Babylon, was shown in vision what was going on in
the Temple of Yahweh at Jerusalem (Ez. 8:1-3). He was shown the image of
jealousy at the north gate, and then was taken to the door of the temple where
there was a hole in the wall. Ezekiel was told to dig into the wall where he
found a door. He was told to go in and behold the wicked abominations that were
going on there. (vv. 3-9).
Ezekiel continues, “So I went
in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and
all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And
there stood before them seventy men of the ancients
of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the
son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of
incense went up. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the
ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his
imagery? For they say, Yahweh seeth us not; Yahweh hath forsaken the earth,”
Ez. 8:10-12.
These seventy ancients or
elders of the house of Israel are nothing more than the Sanhedrin. They were the
ones who were the supreme religious body of Israel. Yahweh had told Moses to
choose out seventy men who were to accompany him, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons
Nadab and Abihu into the mount to see the Elohim of Israel (Ex. 24:1, 9-11).
In Numbers 16 Moses had
complained about the burden of Israel being on his shoulders, so Yahweh told him
to choose seventy elders and bring them before the tabernacle of the
congregation. He said that He would take of the spirit of Moses that was on him
and also put a portion of it on the seventy elders so they would also bear the
burdens of the children of Israel with him. (Num. 16:16-17)
This body of elders had
continued down to Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s day making important spiritual,
or religious rulings for the kingdom of Judah. These men are shown to have
greatly corrupted leading Judah to worship great abominations rather than
Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel.
TAMMUZ
Ezekiel continues, “He said
also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that
they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh’s house which
was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz,” Ez.
8:13-14.
The Encyclopedia
Britannica has this to say, “Tammuz, a Sumerian, Babylonian and
Assyrian god, who died and rose annually…There are many titles of the youthful
god, loved by his sister, the earth and heaven goddess, Innini (Ishtar), who descends yearly into Aralû
(under-world) at the time of his death to bring him back to earth in her
bosom…He is described as the shepherd who left his flocks, as shepherds sat in fields wailing for Tammuz…It
is obvious that a cult which is based upon
the death and resurrection of a propitiating god, and upon the love of
a divine mother who wails for her son, has direct connection with the facts and
the theological views based upon them, which gave birth to Christianity. But the form of the cult which apparently most directly
affected the origins of Christianity is that in which Marduk of Babylon was
identified with Tammuz. At the Nisan or new year festival at
Babylon, Bêl (Marduk) was said to have been imprisoned in the lower world, and
a priestess weeps at his sepulcher. A malefactor was slain with Bêl and they
descend together to the land of darkness. Beltis, his wife, descends to hell to
seek him, and Bêl’s garments are given Ishtar (mother of Tammuz). Bêl was
laid in a sepulcher, from which he soon comes forth…That
the cult had direct influence upon the origins of Christianity cannot be denied,
and the Greek cult of Adonis owes its essential content to the Sumerian
Tammuz.” (14th edition, Vol. 21, pp.
776-777)
It says that this cult is based
on a “propitiating god.” To propitiate simply means to atone, or the
atonement, the covering of sins. The obvious conclusion here is that Satan the
devil, that old serpent that has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9), has done
just that.
The women of Judah were sitting
at the door of Yahweh’s house weeping for Tammuz. The priesthood and Sanhedrin
had become corrupted and were feeding the people falsehoods, false Babylonian
religious ideals that venerated Bel of Babylon who is none other than Ba’al of
the land of Canaan. Christianity has been deceived to follow these same
teachings!
SUNRISE SERVICES
Yahweh continued, “Then said
he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou
shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner
court of Yahweh’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of Yahweh,
between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their
backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they
worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O
son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the
abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with
violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the
branch to their nose,” Ez. 8:15-17.
The east, of course, is where
the sun rises. Yahweh’s tabernacle and temple were built so that the entrance
into the temple was facing east which forced the worshipper to turn away from
the east and face toward the west (typifying repentance). The pagan sun
worshippers always faced toward the east to worship because their false pagan
religions, while filled with many abominable gods, were nothing more than the
worship of the host of heaven making the sun and moon the primary objects of
adoration. This practice of facing east for early morning prayer is practiced
daily by modern day Rabbinic Judaism. The excuse is that they are praying toward
Jerusalem, but one could just as easily face west to pray toward Jerusalem. In
other words, nothing has changed since the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The
appearance is that they are being Torah observant when Yahweh reveals that such
is simply not the case.
Notice that it says “they put
the branch to their nose.” This is dealt with in the writings of the prophet
Isaiah who declares, “In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken
bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of
Israel: and there shall be desolation. Because thou hast
forgotten the Elohim of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of
thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make
thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of
desperate sorrow,” Isa. 17:9-11.
The Hebrew for the word
“slips” is the exact same word that has been translated as “branch” in
the above quotation from the book of Ezekiel. What Yahweh is saying is that the
Israelites were going to serve strange branches of salvation. In the article
from the Encyclopedia Britannica, look at all of the
false pagan deities that represent Tammuz. There is Marduk, Bêl, Adonis. Then
there is Ishtar, the female pagan goddess who represents Easter, Isis, Ashtaroth,
Astarte, the queen of heaven and many other pagan female deities. Bêl
represented the sun while Ishtar represented the moon, which reflects the light
of the sun.
The shepherds and the women
wailed and wept for Tammuz because of his death. But around the vernal equinox
they began to rejoice because the spring brought back the dead vegetation.
Tammuz revived and they all faced the east in order to rejoice at the
resurrection of Tammuz (Istar/Easter sunrise services).
CONFUSION
Yahweh said that the children
of Israel provoked themselves to the confusion of their own faces (Jer. 7:19).
The Hebrew word for confusion is bosheth
(tcb). It comes from another
Hebrew word that is utilized in Genesis 2:25 which says, “And they were naked,
the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (buwsh/cwb). Buwsh is #954
in the Hebrew lexicon of Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance and is defined as: a primitive root; properly, to pale,
i.e. by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or
delayed. Bosheth is #1322 and is defined as: from 954; shame (the feeling and the
condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol.
To practice idolatry brings one
to shame. It confounds and confuses a person with half-truths, lies and deceit.
You see, Idolatry always falls short of that which is true even though it may
look like it is the real thing.
What people need to realize is
the Satan is a deceiver. He is very, very subtle. He is able to deceive people
into practicing something similar to, a counterfeit of that which is true. They
think that they are practicing the truth but his ways are always counterfeit and
false.
In the article on Tammuz from
the Encyclopedia Britannica, a malefactor is
slain with Tammuz, but there were two malefactors slain with Yahshua, the true
Savior and Redeemer (Mat. 27:38). Satan’s idolatrous paganism has fallen
short.
Yahshua said that He would be
in the grave three days and three nights, (Mt. 12:40), but the Easter
worshippers have been confused to cut that time down to one day and two nights
(order our article entitled The Three Days and Three
Nights for more details). Once again, Satan’s idolatrous
paganism has fallen short of the intended goal.
Yahshua died in the afternoon
of Passover day, was buried later that evening before sunset because the annual
high day was drawing on (the 15th
of Abib, which was to be observed by rest in similar fashion to the Sabbath).
The day that He died would have been on the fourth day of the week (a Wednesday
to the modern day world). His resurrection would have occurred at the end of the
Sabbath (in the evening, Hebrew days go from about sunset to sunset) not early
in the morning on the first day of the week. This, once again, reveals the
confusion of those who have been deceived to serve Tammuz and Ishtar (Easter),
rather than the true Savior Yahshua.
Yahshua commanded His disciples
to observe His death at the Passover annually as a memorial rather than His
resurrection (Mt. 26:17-29; Mk. 14:13-25; Lk. 22:7-20). Since He became our
Passover sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7), we should follow the example that He
set annually partaking of the unleavened bread and cup which represent His flesh
and blood.
Rabbits and eggs were utilized
by the idolatrous pagans to represent fertility. Easter bunnies and eggs are
simply items to cause our children to partake in these idolatrous things. There
is no place in the Scriptures that encourage, nor justify such practices. Yahweh
told Moses, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Yahweh
your Elohim. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye
not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall
ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances…And ye shall not walk in
the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all
these things, and therefore I abhorred them,” Lev. 18:2-3; 20:23.
Yahweh, through the Prophet
Jeremiah, decreed, “Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at
the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of
the people are vain,” Jer. 10:2-3.
It is stated, “For I am
Yahweh, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed,” Mal. 3:6.
“Yahshua the Messiah the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” Heb. 13:8.
Yahshua came to do the
Father’s will, “Yahshua saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him
that sent me, and to finish his work…For I came down from heaven, not to do
mine own will, but the will of him that sent me…And this is the will of him
that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day,” Jn. 4:34; 6:38;
6:40.
His followers should be
following His example, not the practices of the idolaters.
Are you beginning to see the
confusion that the world has been deceived to follow? For those who continue to
follow the false idolatrous pagan ways, there is only confusion and shame of
face. Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the prince of the power of the
air (Eph. 2:2) has, and is certainly fulfilling the Scriptures written about
him! He began to lie and deceive in the Garden of Eden and He continues to
fulfill those deceptive practices to this day (Rev. 12:9).
Are you following his deceptive, idolatrous, pagan, heathenistic practices? If you are observing Easter then you certainly are deceived by him, and doing so. We know that the great majority of today’s world will deny what is written here and continue to observe his false, deceptive practices because they do not love the truth (2 Thes. 2:1-12, esp. verses 11-12). But this is written for those who will receive the truth and turn and embrace it to everlasting life. For those who continue in those things read the verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 again. Remember what happened to the pre-flood world. Remember what happened to Babel. Remember what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember what happened to Israel, Yahweh’s chosen people. We stand at the end of an age when the kingdom of heaven will soon appear. Prepare yourself by turning away from the prince and god of this world and his deceptive practices. Save yourselves from this untoward generation!
Moody
Press has published a research article concerning the camel’s characteristics
which prove that it was engineered and created, rather than having evolved. We
have taken this article and have embellished upon it to not only prove the same,
but to show more of Yahweh’s characteristics.
By Jerry Healan
If you ever
doubted that God, Elohim, Yahweh exists, meet the very technical, highly
engineered dromedary camel. Yahweh thought so much of me that He fashioned and
named the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet after me. That letter is the gimel, which looks
like this c in the more ancient Pictorial Hebrew, and like this g in the Paleo
Hebrew. Originally, the gimel looked more like a leg and foot symbolizing activity, walking, running,
etc. Later, the alphabet was changed
from the Pictorial Hebrew to the Paleo Hebrew, which made it to look more like
the head of a camel, which is held up high. As a matter of fact, the English
word “camel” comes from the Hebrew word gamal, or gamel, which is their word for me. The Hebrew word
for the third letter is gimel (lmg), and the Hebrew for camel is lmg. Do you see any
difference? It’s all the same isn’t it? That is why the letter is likened to
me, the camel.
When I'm
hungry, I'll eat almost anything- a leather bridle, a piece of rope, my
master's tent, or a pair of shoes. My mouth is so tough a thorny cactus doesn't
bother it. Because of his disobedience, the original man Adam and his
descendants, who were made to till the earth, caused a curse to be brought upon
the earth. Thorns and thistles were to be brought forth, which crowd out the
earth’s productivity. Man has to work hard, sweating profusely in order to
keep those thorns and thistles from taking over his gardens, but I don’t mind.
I can eat those thorns because of the toughness of my mouth. If evolution is
true, I wonder why man hasn’t re-engineered himself to be able to eat those
thorns and thistles!
However, I do also love to chow down grass and other
plants that grow here on the Arabian desert. I'm a dromedary camel,
the one-hump kind That lives on hot deserts in the Middle East .
My hump, all
eighty pounds of it, is filled with fat — my body fuel — not water as
some people believe.
My Mighty Maker (Yahweh Who became Yahshua the Messiah [See John 1:1-18, Heb.
1:3, etc.]) gave it to me because He knew I wouldn't always be able to
find food as I travel across the hot sands. When I don't
find any chow, my body automatically takes fat from the hump, feeds my
system, and keeps me going strong. This is my emergency food
supply.
If I can't
find any plants to munch, my body uses up my hump. When the hump gets
smaller, it starts to tip to one side. But when I get to a nice oasis and
begin to eat again, my hump soon builds back to normal.
I've been
known to drink twenty-seven gallons of water in ten minutes. My Master
Designer made me in such a fantastic way that in a matter of minutes all the
water I've swallowed travels to the billions of microscopic cells that make
up my flesh. This certainly proves that Rebekah was a very hard and diligent
worker because when the servant of Abraham came to Mesopotamia looking for a
bride for his son Isaac, and met her at the well, she gave him water to drink
and then moved with haste to water the ten camels that were with him. Wow! That
would be 270 gallons of water. Of course, we don’t know how long it took her
to satisfy the camel’s thirst, but if her pitcher held five gallons of water,
which would weigh about 40 pounds, or more, that means that she would have made
fifty-four trips back and forth to water the camels. (See Genesis 24:10-22) We
certainly can tell from this account that she wasn’t lazy.
Naturally,
the water I swallow first goes into my stomach. There thirsty blood vessels
absorb and carry it to every part of my body. Scientists have tested my
stomach and found it empty ten minutes after I've drunk twenty gallons.
In an eight hour day I can carry a four hundred
pound load a hundred miles across a hot, dry desert
And not stop once for a drink or something to eat. That is a very heavy burden
to bear, but even though I am strong and can carry so much so far, think about
the burdens that Yahshua can bear when He said, “Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Mt.
11:28-30. In fact, I've been known to go eight days without a
drink, but then I look a wreck. I lose 227 pounds, my ribs
show through my skin, And I look terribly skinny. But I feel
great! I look thin because the billions of cells lose their
water. They're no longer fat, they're flat.
Normally my
blood contains 94 percent water, just like yours. But when I can't find any
water to drink,
the heat of the sun gradually robs a little water out of my
blood. Scientists have found that my blood can lose up to 40 percent
of its water, and I'm still healthy.
Doctors say human blood has to stay very close to
94 percent water. If you lose 5 percent of it, you can't see anymore; 10
percent, you can't hear and you go insane; 12 percent, your blood is as
thick as molasses and your heart can't pump the thick stuff. It stops, and
you're dead. But that's not true with me. Why? Scientists say my blood
is different. My red cells are elongated. Yours are round. Maybe
that's what makes the difference. This proves I'm designed for the
desert, or the desert is designed for me. Did you ever hear of a
design without a Designer?
If evolution
is a fact, and there are humans who live in the desert with me, I wonder why
they haven’t re-engineered themselves with blood cells like mine so they could
face the extremes of the desert like I can. After all, aren’t humans the most
intelligent creatures on this earth? Isn’t it humans who dreamed up this
theory of evolution? You don’t think we camels worry about evolution do you?
No, we just take life as it comes. We don’t build schools, colleges,
universities, etc. If man is so smart and capable, why can’t he adapt his body
to his environment through evolutionary change? That way he wouldn’t have to
have special clothing for the various environments that he lives in.
After I find a water hole, I'll drink for
about ten minutes and my skinny body starts to change almost
immediately. In that short time my body fills out nicely, I don't look
skinny anymore, and I gain back the 227 pounds I lost. (Wouldn’t that
quick weight gain send chills through the hearts of the people associated with
glamour from models, to movie stars, etc.!?)
Even though I
lose a lot of water on the desert, my body conserves it too. Way
in the beginning when my intelligent Engineer made me, He gave me a
specially designed nose that saves water. When I exhale, I don't lose
much. My nose traps that warm, moist air from my lungs and
absorbs it in my nasal membranes.
Tiny blood vessels in those membranes take that back into my blood. How's
that for a recycling system? Pretty cool, isn't it? It works because my
nose is cool. My cool nose changes that warm moisture in
the air from my lungs into water.
But how does my nose get cool? I breathe in hot dry desert
air, and it goes through my wet nasal passages. This produces a
cooling effect, and my nose stays as much as 18 degrees cooler than
the rest of my body. Do you think we figured all of this out for ourselves?
Remember, I didn’t go to schools, colleges, and universities. I don’t know
the first thing about design and engineering, so how is it that all of these
evolutionary dudes think that I am smart enough to have made myself over eons of
time?
I love to
travel the beautiful sand dunes. It's really quite easy, because My
Creator gave me specially engineered sand shoes for feet. My hooves are
wide, and they get even wider when I step on them.
Each foot has two long, bony toes with tough, leathery skin between my
soles, which are a little like webbed feet.
They won't let me sink into the soft, drifting sand. This is good,
because often my master wants me to carry him one hundred miles across the
desert in just one day. (I troop about ten miles per hour.)
Sometimes a
big windstorm comes out of nowhere, bringing flying sand with it. My
Master Designer put special muscles in my nostrils that close the openings,
keeping sand out of my nose but still allowing me enough air to breathe.
My eyelashes
arch down over my eyes like screens, keeping the sand and sun out but still
letting me see clearly. If a grain of sand slips through and gets in my
eye, the Creator took care of that too. He gave me an inner eyelid
that automatically wipes the sand off my eyeball just like a windshield
wiper. That reminds me; the Creator didn’t give man that same characteristic
even though many of them do live out here on the sand. But the Savior did say
that man needs to take care where, and upon what he builds his house. If that
house is built upon the rock (Yahweh), then it will stand the test of time. But
if he builds it upon the sand, then when the storms or wind and rain come, then
that house will fall. That is the difference between those who build their house
of faith on Yahweh and Yahshua, Who are rocks, and upon the theory of evolution,
which is sand. I think that the sand has gotten in the eyes of those people and
they don’t have the special windshield wiper like I do to remove it. Sand in
the eye of a man causes many problems and keeps them from seeing clearly.
Some people
think I'm conceited because I always walk around with my head held high and
my nose in the air. But that's just because of the way I'm made. My
eyebrows are so thick and bushy I have to hold my head high to peek
out from underneath them. I'm glad I have them though. They shade my
eyes from the bright sun. That is also why the letter gimel is associated
with me. That letter pictures something that is held up, or lifted up.
The Hebrew
word for Redeemer is ga’al. It is spelled thusly; lag. Remember that the Hebrew reads from right to left. The first letter is the
now famous gimel (g). The last two Hebrew letters are aleph (a) and lamed (l). Without the gimel they spell the
primitive Hebrew word for El (God to most of the world), e.g. la. Thus, the Hebrew
word for Redeemer has to do with lifting up (g) El (la)!
El (la), itself, has to do
with the Chief Shepherd because the aleph (a) in Pictorial
Hebrew, since it is the first letter of that alphabet, just as “A” is the
first letter of the English alphabet, represents that which is first in time,
rank, authority, a head, leader, that which is CHIEF, etc. The lamed (l) is the picture of a
rod, primarily a shepherd’s rod. It has to do with authority, etc. Therefore,
the Hebrew word El (la) has to do with the Mighty One, Chief Leader, the Head of Authority, or even
the CHIEF SHEPHERD.
Didn’t the
Apostle Peter identify Yahshua as the Chief Shepherd? “The elders which are
among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of the
Messiah, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the
flock of Yahweh which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither
as being sovereigns over Yawheh's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away,” 1
Pet. 5:1-4.
Didn’t
Yahshua say that He is the Shepherd of the sheep? “I am the good shepherd: the
good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,” Jn. 10:11. Didn’t He say that
He had to be lifted up? “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me,” Jn.
12:32. “Then said Yahshua unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye
know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things,” Jn. 8:28. Didn’t He come to redeem us? “But
when the fulness of the time was come, Yahweh sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons,” Gal. 4:4-5. “For the grace of Yahweh that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying impiety and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present
world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
Elohim and our Saviour Yahshua the Messiah; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” Tit.
2:11-14.
Desert people
depend on me for many things. Not only am I their best form of
transportation, but I'm also their grocery store. Mrs. Camel gives very
rich milk that people make into butter and cheese. I shed
my thick fur coat once a year, and that can be woven into
cloth. A few young camels are used for beef, but I don't like to
talk about that. If they would only study a little deeper into the Scriptures
they would discover that they shouldn’t be eating us.
For a long
time we camels have been called the "ships of the desert" because
of the way we sway from side to side when we trot. Some of our riders
get seasick. I sway from side to side because of the way my legs work. Both
legs on one side move forward at the same time, elevating that
side. My "left, right left, right" motion makes my rider
feel like he is in a rocking chair going sideways.
When I was
six months old, special knee pads started to grow on my
front legs. The intelligent Creator knew I had to have them. They
help me lower my 1000 pounds to the ground. If I didn't have them, my
knees would soon become sore and infected, and I could never lie down. I'd
die of exhaustion.
By the
way, I don't get thick knee pads because I fall on my knees. I fall on
my knees because I already have these tough pads. Someone very great
thought of me and knew I needed them. He designed them into my genes.
It's real
difficult for me to understand how some people say I evolved into what I
now am. I'm a very technical, highly engineered dromedary
camel. Things like me don't just happen. They're planned on a
drawing board by Someone very brilliant, Someone very logical.
That someone, of course, is Yahshua the Messiah. His, and the Father’s
intelligence are found in the whole creation of heaven and the earth.
John
1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with Elohim, and
the Word was Elohim." All things were made by him; and without him was
not anything made that was made. The Word means "logical, intelligent
One." It is too bad that the evolutionist unbelievers continue
to strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Hey, I don’t like that saying
either! They can’t swallow me, but if they really looked into me closely they
might discover the wonders of their Creator. Otherwise, they are choking
themselves to death with their ridiculous belief.
.