For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth (2 Corinthians 13:8).
The Name
"Therefore my people shall know my name" (Is.
52:6; emphasis by author).
Intro:
His Name is Wonderful!! ... Or is it??:
Have you found eternal salvation through the lovely name of our Lord Jesus Christ? Have you found true deliverance from your old sinful past, the world and it's pleasures, in this most precious name? What about the reality of the peace of God, and the assurance nothing can separate us from the love of God? Have you seen lives changed, miracles wrought, families restored, and others responding towards God, at the preaching of this Name above every other name?
What if someone came along and said this Name you have been saved and set free by is not the correct name at all but a misnomer? What if someone came along and said the wonderful name of your Saviour was a corrupt Greek name, derived from a false god called Zeus? How would you react? What would you response be?
Beware!!! This is exactly what is
happening in some spheres of Christendom today, through sources
of the Hebrew Roots / Messianic / Sacred Name Movement, as it
"validates" itself into the Body of Christ.
Why and how?:
Titus 1:14. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Fact: The Old testament was written in Hebrew for the chosen Jewish Nation. The New Testament was written in Greek where the partition between Jew's and Gentiles was broken down so we could all become one new man in Christ.
Back in the early eighties not long after we left the established church, Don Stanton of Maranatha Revival Crusade was a dear brother in Christ we came to respect and receive much encouragement from, even sharing in our home and supplying much of our literature for witnessing and growth. After being such a blessing to my wife and myself, along with our friends, I became very alarmed when his ministry took a turn towards Judaism when he switched to substituting and teaching Hebraic names for many important biblical names, along with a passion for following Jewish feasts and customs as part of our Christian faith. He even re-wrote the Bible replacing our Saviour's name with Hebraic equivalents and today is entrenched in something our Lord Jesus came to set us free from.
This following three part article is written in response to this tragedy, along with the many people who have e-mailed me in recent months, trying to persuade myself over to the Hebrew Roots Camp. Generally I have found these people to be varied in their opinions in regards to doctrine; some moderate (scripturally still believing in the Trinity) and others into complete heresy omitting the name Jesus Christ entirely from their faith.
The sincere majority of these people have used the gentle diplomatic approach in their argument to win us across, whereas a few others have been aggressive, and down-right rude and even abusive, when we wouldn't skip to their tune. On all occasions have I found them very persistent, rabbinic centred, and usually attacking the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ one way or another.
An in-depth study will prove the teachers
who are fanatically entrenched into this movement are deliberately
discrediting, tainting, and replacing the precious name of our
Saviour, and attempting to lead bible believing Christians out
of Christianity.
From another name to occultic leanings:
Part One of this address is a simplified way of exposing their Hebrew Roots Movement and how believers have been seduced away from the New Testament written in Greek (the universal language of the day) and providentially translated into English (the universal language for the closing hours), with the sole purpose of restoring these folk back to the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
This is followed-up by Part Two revealing the authentic root of our faith and dealing with the false roots of the HRM.
Unlike it's Gentile counterpart the Alexandrian School of Thought, which throws doubt on finding the right source of the Greek, giving it's Scholars the final authority in interpretation, the H.R. Movement has been successful in discrediting the Greek New Testament and replacing it with the so-called Hebrew / Aramaic "originals". This places the final authority in regards to interpreting scripture in the hands of it's rabbinic teachers. Once achieved, then the Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ comes under scrutiny.
Part Three by Barb Aho, is more of an in-depth study exposing the sources and occultic connections to this Movement, which is no doubt part of the Great Falling Away delusion in this final hour, even more subtle and dangerous than the false Signs and Wonders Movement, the Word of Faith Movement, and Dominion Theology.
However, we need to make it quite clear
from the start this does not mean we lump into one all advocates
of the HR Movement as deliberately being into, or promoting the
occult. What we are doing is exposing the teaching links
to these sources which are deliberately leading believers away
from our true root ... Christ Jesus
our Lord; replacing His name, and depriving others from the only
name whereby man can be saved.
Part One ... The pure Name
Pure language for a pure name:
During the last hours of these last days (when English would be the universal language of the world) the Lord in His manifold wisdom has chosen this language to represent His Word, to be written as the plain, simple, uncloistered and easily comprehended words of His gospel to the world at all levels of class and culture. God foresaw this language would be the 'world language' in the closing hours, presenting His pure, preserved and inerrant autograph with the message ... whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Zep. 3:9: "For then will I turn to
the people a pure language that they may all call
upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one
consent" (emphasis by author).
Why Elizabethan period English:
The above scripture was prophesying a day after the Dark Ages when the Lord would choose One Book, based on a pure language, so the world's masses would have access to God's word proclaiming there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, where both people (Jew or Gentile) could serve the living God as one.
This revelation was preserved through
the transition of the universal language from Greek to English.
It occurred when the Authorized Bible was written and made public
property, when English as a secular and non-religious language
was established in it's purest form, just before the Great British
Empire was established, when English would be set to become the
universal language of the world, prior to Jesus' second coming:
"Secular and non-religious language" Linguistic expert ... the Kim Hill Show, Radio N.Z, 11:15 am, 2/2/99:
As many languages are dying in the world (a language is dying somewhere every day), English is disseminating into the international common denominator as the world goes global.
It would be hard for God to use some languages as many are religious, and are not compatible with biblical Christianity. Meaning, "to know a particular language you have to be part of the "household", speaking the culture", interwoven with their pagan belief system. This is why it would be necessary for God to set one universal standard in an hour when confusion and apostasy would be prevalent on a worldwide scale:
English as the International Language:
"In this role of global language,
English becomes one of the most important professional qualifications.
English is unquestionably recognized as the most important language
to be learned in the prevailing international community.
This is an unchallenged fact that seems to be irreversible.
English has become
the business and scientific worlds' official language."
The value of English:
"It is a matter of statistical fact that English is the most important world language. It is the language of modernity, of the twenty-first century - the language of the most advanced technologies, of air traffic, computing, telecommunications, the language of world politics, diplomacy and international finance.
English is spoken on every continent. It has the largest number of foreign students, and the second largest number of native speakers (after Chinese). These numbers will probably continue to increase. Globalisation, the creation of one, interdependent world, will increasingly require a common language.
A good command of English will enable you to communicate with an increasing proportion of the world's population, and to participate successfully in the new, globalised world."
Global 2000 Sold out:
"Please note: English is the official language of this conference. For the first time, the major multilateral governmental organizations and multinational business organizations are holding a Summit on the Year 2000 conversion challenge. Several international organizations have taken steps to raise awareness and action on the global implications of the Year 2000 conversion. These organizations believe it is imperative to begin an international forum on the Year 2000 that facilitates the sharing of information, best practices and experiences on a global basis. On October 15 -16, 1998, these leading private and public sector organizations will bring together in London key executives and senior management from national governments, international organizations, industry trade and social service groups, multinational corporations and the media."
EuroEnglish:
"The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phase-in plan that would be known as 'EuroEnglish,'"
The Internet, an English-language network:
English is the lingua franca of the Internet
since the network's very beginning. This factor determined the
path of the technicaland language development of the network.
Recently the Internet has expanded all over the world and has
connected countries with different languages. English plays
a very important role in this multinational system: it enables
the great number of people of various nationalities and therefore
speaking many different national languages to communicate and
make themselves understood. This would never be possible to such
extent, if the lingua franca of the Internet was any other language.
The supremacy of English over other languages, along with the
fact that the network originates in a native English-speaking
country,makes the position of English on the Internet very firm.
This common denominator language presented us with the Great Book,
namely the Holy Bible, and in the Name of Jesus brought freedom
to millions, was responsible for the Reformation (although exploited
for political gain), and the great missionary thrust of Protestant
America and Protestant Great Britain.
Matt. 12:21: "And in his name shall the Gentiles trust" (emphasis by author).
God is not a God of confusion as He makes Himself known by one name through His revealed word, namely the Holy Bible. And as He hast magnified thy word above all thy name ... the one who would be audacious enough to replace or change His word would be the one who would be audacious as to replace or change His name. This is presently occurring in Christendom, as the Great Falling Away (from His word) process intensifies, and mankind is conditioned to receive another name ... the name of the False Christ of the New Age:
John 5:43: "I
[Jesus] am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not:
if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive"
(emphasis by author).
His Name under siege:
Jer. 8:8: "...the pen of the scribes is in vain."
The most subtle attack of this process is coming through the Hebrew Roots Movement. The New Age goddess, namely Gaia, is too obvious for the fundamental Christian to be deceived. If (for argument sake) the Holy Bible is only a rehash of the originals (as the "hath God said school" declares), and not an inspired translation from the preserved Greek 'Received Text' (where the Authorized Bible derived from), then whoever is instigating the notion of "getting back to the Hebrew roots", and can impart this notion to others, creates a ready- made audience to present the "originals" in his own light, therefore making himself the Higher Critic ...
"the Greek is a perversion of the originals..." "better and more reliable manuscripts say..." "better knowledge has come to light..." "according to extra biblical commentary..." "the Hebrew root word for this passage is..." "more truth is now attainable..." And thus and so ...
... placing the Higher Critic above your God given English version (thy word is truth), and making him an instrument of "divine revelation" instead of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.
Therefore, more digging is required as things get more complicated, and more credentialed professionals are necessary to unravel the language and cultural barriers, along with the secrets hidden in the past.
It starts off very innocently, as the gospel is presented in it's true context to be of relevance to the Jewish people (as it is for all people) and win them to Christ; the following verse fitting a sincere motive:
1 Cor. 9:20. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law ...
So the Greek title (translated to English) JESUS, translates back to the most common of the Hebrew interpreted titles 'Yeshua' and is presented to relate to the Hebrew speaking people. Christ becomes the Messiah they are hoping for as 'Ha Mashiach'. For this we can rejoice and praise God for, as many Jewish people have found, or are finding Messiah Jesus as Saviour through this revelation, as many other nationalities are finding Him through the Bible being translated into their language.
However, any truth taken to extreme ends in error ... as Hebrew in many circles has been promoted as the favoured language above the language of the complete 1611 inspired translation, and given supreme importance as justified through the Old Testament (as well as the New in their case) being originally written in Hebrew, and the Jewish people being the original chosen people of God. Therefore, everything Jewish is being seen as being of God, and importance is placed on the Torah (the Jewish book of laws), along with the Talmud (the oral law), on a par with the New Testament, as Gentile believers find themselves fallen prey to this type of reasoning as the Galatians were at the beginning of the New Testament era ignoring the warning of their Savour Jesus:
Mark 7:13. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition (putting the Talmud on an equal basis), which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Paul (a Jewish believer from the strictive of the Jewish sects) made it clear ... you can't have one and the other, as the new has cancelled out the old:
Heb. 8:13. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Gal. 1:6-7. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Paul clarified it was the Jewish religion he was saved from, that was responsible for this falling away in his day, and was warning the Gentile Galatian Believers not to be entangled with it:
Gal. 1: 13-14 . For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Read Acts 15: 5-24 and you will see the church made a distinction between the old and the new with this final conclusion:
Acts 15:24. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Although advocates today of the HRM are
not making circumcision a major requirement as in the first century,
other aspects of the Old Covenant along with Jewish traditions
are being imposed on bible believers to embrace as being part
of God restoring the true faith in these end times. A major
shift in embraced theology has been the acceptance of the Jewish
name replacement for Jesus Christ.
Which name:
Mal. 1:11. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense [prayer/worship] shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering [spirit and in truth]: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.
Whose name do we call out to when we want to be saved? In whose name are we sent? In whose name do we pray, preach, teach, and exercise divine authority?
Is it ... Jeshua, Yeshua, Yeshuah, Yehshua, Yehshuah, YESHUA, YESHUAH, YEHSHUA, YEHSHUAH, Yeshouah, Y'shua, Y'shuah, Jeshu, Yeshu, Yehoshua, Yehoshuah, YHVHShua, YHVHShuah, Yhvhshua, Yhwhshua, YHWHShua, YHWHShuah, Yhvhshuah, Yhwhshuah, Yahvehshua, Yahwehshua, Yahvehshuah, Yahwehshuah, Jahshua, Jahshuah, Jashua, Jashuah, Jahoshua, Jahoshuah, Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Yashua, Yashuah, Yahshua, Yahshuah, YAHSHUA, YAHSHUAH, YASHUA, YASHUAH, Yahushua, Yahushuah, Yahoshua, Yahoshuah, Yaohushua, YAOHUSHUA, Yaohushuah, Iahoshua, Iahoshuah, Iahushua, or Iahushuah??
Matt. 28: 18-19. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ...
What name have believers been commanded to teach and baptize in? ... The same Person whom all power in heaven and earth was given to ... a Jewish man named JESUS! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is the name of Jesus which is Christ, God's anointed one who came in the flesh.
Proof? ... Then go to the Book of Acts (where the words of Jesus were being demonstrated by the apostles and early church) and you will see every baptism of the true Way was done in the name of Jesus, as was all the preaching, teaching, deliverances, healings and miracles.
Deut. 28:10. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Still not convinced!? ... Then tell me why the name presented and exalted in the Authorized 1611 English bible is the most attacked name in society? Why is it the most degraded and spat upon name around the world, uttered as a malignant byword by millions, over and over again, every single day? Why don't you hear the name of another god being continually down graded? Why is not the name Yahweh being cursed, consciously or unconsciously, by the worlds masses?
Because Jesus' name is the most precious name in heaven and earth, and should be treasured above all names, as the only name behind the Person who rendered Satan powerless and broke the chains of sin and death. It is the only name where life and death hang in the balances between whether we deny Him or confess Him. It is the only name where freedom or bondage is in the power of praising His Name or cursing it.
Matt. 1:21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Therefore, the Name Jesus (derived from Joshua - Jehovah saves) as Christ (the Anointed One), the English name taken from the Greek (as the New Testament was written in Greek, the universal language of its day) is the hallowed name of God coming in the flesh. The same Name exalted as the Name above every other name; as the only name whereby man can be saved; as the true and relevant name today ... that whosoever shall call upon the name, shall find salvation and favour with his Maker.
His name
is JESUS!
The Cult's pagan connection:
Jer. 23:27: "Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal."
If God's word has been lost (or forgotten) then it can be justified that His Name has been lost (or forgotten) also. And it would take so-called knowledgeable men who could put us right, so the notion goes.
However, because God has given us His Book, with every scripture given by Divine inspiration, we only need to go to His Book to find the Name which is above every other name, the only name by which men can be saved. The cult of Yah have got it wrong because it's roots are not Jewish at all in the scriptural sense, but pagan, and behind the scenes it's Masonic mystics have infiltrated Christendom (as it did with Jewish teachings through the Cabbala) leading people into spiritual captivity.
Following is an excerpt from "Christianity, Masonry not compatible. Definitions of God pose fundamental difference." [03/13/93, The Press-Enterprise Riverside, CA] (emphasis mine):
Regarding the identity of God, in Scottish Rite Masonry, the 13th degree is that of the Royal Arch. In it, the alleged true, previously hidden name of God is revealed as Jabulum. "The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry," page 359, affirms this, under the entry for Jabulum, yet does not give the meaning. But in the same book on page 102, in the definition of Bel, the meaning is given. It says, "Bel is the contracted form of . . . Baal, and was worshipped by the Babylonians as their chief deity . . . It has, with Jah and Oh, been introduced into the Royal Arch system as a representative of the" name of God. Jah represents the name Jehovah, Bel represents Baal, and Oh represents Osiris.
Jude 1:4. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through this Masonic / Cabbala infiltration Jehovah becomes Yahweh. Jesus becomes Yashua. Hence, God is now G-d being referred to as Yah or Jah which broadens the name and isolates God from Jesus Christ who came in the flesh. This suits the mystics, the secret societies, the covens, along with the ecumenicals (who like rallying names) and trendy new agers; making Christianity both contemporary and acceptable.
This Yah/Jah thing has become a trendy word through the 80's and 90's from the "Star Wars" craze, to the Rastifarrians, to off-beat Christian sects. One of these pseudo Christian HRM website (accents mine) states:
We believe that:
Yahweh is God
and the only real one,
Yahshua is His son and that
Yahshua is our Saviour and salvation,
so there is no oneness or trinity.
The real names are Yahweh and Yahshua.
There is no so called "Church"
or one group, but it is a organism in the hearts of people.
We observe the weekly Sabbath from sunset
till sunset and also the
Spring and Fall feast, not the "Worldly"
feasts.
A new year starts with the first visible
new moon, on or after the spring equinox.
By obeying any law we will not be "saved",
but we have to obey the laws.
We do not eat unclean food and
believe in the works of the Holy Spirit.
The mark of the beast is the sunday,
not a barcode on the forehead or a subcutaneous
microchip!
But mainly we try to love and help each
other and like to do that to people, what we also like
to experience.
Please don't forget: wisdom is from Yahweh,
misunderstanding from men!
Let's look at some proof in regards to "Yah's" roots:
Baal was the false sun-god the Jews stumbled over. Baal, which means lord and substitutes the/our Lord, and transposes to many other names (depending on the language and the nation it represents) such as Horus, Tammuz, Eros, Jupiter, Zeus, Maitreya, and so on.
Masons commonly refer to their deity as the "Great Architect of the Universe" (G.A.O.T.U.) or the Supreme Being. God is further described as Grand Artificer, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Above, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, or Great Geometer. (The "G" in the Masonic ring can refer to God; it can also refer to geometry.) Masons claim that the actual name for God has been lost. [HJB] (emphasis mine)
Isaiah 43:10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."
God's inspired word the AV/KJB presents JEHOVAH as the all great I AM, the stand alone God who saith I AM THAT I AM. In His Book there is no room for any other god/deity where the New testament presents JESUS only as the great I AM:
John 18:6: "As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground."
Confirming and declaring Jesus' invested power and authority as God in the flesh:
2 John 1:7: "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."
The Apostle John (a Jewish believer) warned those who deny Jesus is the only Christ and that He came once and for all in the flesh have embraced the spirit of antichrist. Every true Bible believer, in the strictest Masonic view, is therefore hated and despised as a divisive sectarianist. He who believes Jesus alone is classed a bigot and extremist. Other lukewarm believers who are not adamant in this view will largely escape persecution.
Jim Shaw, a former 33 Mason, says that Masonry is not based on the Bible (referred to as "The Great Light"), but on the Kabala (Cabala), a medieval book of mysticism and magic. Masonic authority Henry Wilson Coil also admits that the Kabala's teachings can be seen in some of the mystical and philosophical degrees of Masonry. Albert Pike, the man responsible for virtually rewriting the Scottish Rite degrees into their present form, said that the Masonic "search after light" leads directly back to the Kabala, the ultimate source of Masonic beliefs (Morals and Dogma ). [HJB]
The Cabbala (scrambled as Cabala, Kabala, Kabbala, Kaballa, Qabbala, Qabala, Qaballa, etc. where God's name is also scrambled) is Jewish mysticism. The Oxford dictionary refers to it as Jewish oral tradition; occult lore.
Just as these mystery schools of Jewish occultism have infiltrated Judaism so have these secret societies infiltrated western fraternities, softening them up for the new pseudo "sacred" name.
Part Three will reveal the links between these mystery schools, Jewish oral tradition, and the Hebrew Roots / Sacred Name Movement. However, this does not mean we are accusing all advocates of the HRM as cabbalists or occultists. Our intention is exposing both the sources of the Root teachings and the promotion of the "sacred" Yah/Jah name cult.
The complex Hebraic source promotes /
purveys the name of God as Yah (Jah/Jehovah) which fits
the hidden Masonic god, whereas the Aramaic source purveys God
as El Shaddai (woman's breast / life nourisher) fitting the New
Age mixed gender god. It is important that all this is made
known to those whose profess to name the Name of Christ, so the
true name is honoured, and Christians are aware of the subtleties
of being lured back under the law, or digressing even further
into occultic deception.
Which God do we serve:
Is it ... YHVH, YHWH, Yahweh, Yah, Yahveh, Yaveh, Yaweh, Jehova, Jehovah, Jahova, Jahovah, Yahova, Yahovah, Jahowa, Jahowah, Yahavah, Jahavah, Yahowe, Yahoweh, Jahaveh, Jahaweh, Jah, Yahaveh, Yahaweh, Jahuweh, Yahuweh, Iahueh, Jahuwah, Yahuwah, Yah, Jah, Yahu, Jahu, Yahvah, Jahvah, Jahve, Jahveh, Yahve, Yahwe???
An open-ended scrambled deity based on esoterical interpretation?
Or the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of Israel, David and the prophets. The God of Paul, Peter, James and the church of God. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1 John 5:20: "... that
we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is
true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God,
and eternal life."
Which rock:
Ps. 11:3: "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
A basic way to discern a cult is to test "what or who" is the foundation to their faith. The Roman Catholic institution claim Peter as their first pope as they believe he is the rock their faith and church is built upon. Just the same way the HRM claim Israel and it's diverse teachings is their foundation.
The Jewish King David said:
Ps. 18:2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God ...
Ps .18:31. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
David, a man after God's own heart, saw the Lord of heaven and earth as his source and foundation, not the nation he served, nor it's traditions or ordinances.
The New Testament presents Christ as LORD and our foundation rock to build upon. Not the teaching of the church, or the clergy, neither Israel or its rabbinic teachers:
1 Cor. 3:11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The HRM (whether unbeknown to individuals) puts Israel above God and its teachings above the Holy Spirit, therefore New Testament revelation is obscured from them ...
2 Cor. 3:14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
When a Jewish person turns to Jesus as Messiah and Lord does the scales fall off his / her spiritual eyes, as it did when Paul met Jesus during his time as a zealous Jewish Rabbi persecuting the church of God. Then Christ is no longer a rock of offence (a stumblingblock) but a rock of defence, as the foundation of God standeth sure.
1 Co 1:23-24. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Christ is our rock, our foundation...to
build our life and faith on.
Summary:
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew for the Hebrew people, the chosen people of God, to declare His wonders to the world. The New Testament was written in Greek bringing the Kingdom of God to the whole Greek speaking Gentile world, as well as the Jews, that we might all become one people under God.
The partition has been taken down dividing the Hebraic Old Testament and the Hellenistic New Testament: Meaning ... the whole bible (both the old and new) has been translated into English for the English speaking world (both Jew and Gentile) at the threshold of Jesus' return, and as a base been re-translated into other ethnic tongues for non-English speaking people.
In the Old Testament the Lord's name was JEHOVAH (as presented in today's written word), the God of the Jews. In the New Testament the Lord's name is JESUS ... God coming in the flesh for both the Jew and the Gentile, that we might all become one people under God.
"And in very deed for this cause
have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that
my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Ex
9:16; emphasis by author).
Part Two ... Which Root
"There shall be a root of Jesse,
and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall
the Gentiles trust" (Rom. 15:12).
Getting to the root of the Roots:
From the mass reaction of e-mails in regards
to our HRM exposure updates, it is obvious we have touched on
something important. Also, because of the many people who
have misunderstood or misconstrued us in regards to these articles,
I feel it is important we clear up a few points, hence ...
Part Two.
Disclaimer:
The Trinity:
Yes, we believe in the Triune Godhead expressed through three Persons of the trinity, of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In that order. Each Person being individual of the other yet the same Person ... hence, the mystery of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit making Jesus real to the believer, with Jesus in turn pointing us to our Father in Heaven.
One of the characteristics of a cult is
the denial of the Trinity (which the core of the HRM does),
along with the denial of the divinity of JESUS (which the HRM
does), which is Christ, who came in the flesh.
The 'Jesus Only' Cult:
Yes, this cult does exist but is nothing
to do with us. We don't legalistically teach or endorse
that unless "the name of Jesus" is specifically mentioned
when you pray, or do a good deed, then it is not of God.
The Lord's Name can be interchanged with other biblical titles
of His Name such as Emmanuel, Wonderful, Son of God, Lamb of God,
Prince of Peace, and so forth! But should be used both scripturally
and intelligently, and not glibly, faddishly, or as mere gimmickry.
Can God use other languages?:
Yes!! The Authorized Version has
been the largest version of the Bible that has been translated
into hundreds of other tongues and dialects over the great missionary
period of England and America, bringing the Gospel to multitudes
across the four corners of the earth.
Have other bibles carried the word of God other than the King James Version?:
"Both Tyndale and Wycliffe translated the bible into English before King James's day from the Received Text (the Textus Receptus, God's preserved New Testament in Greek), before they were both burnt at the stake by the Church for supplying the word of God to the common folk in the street. When James of Scotland became the first king of the new Great Britain, being a God fearing man (contrary of what we have been taught), and like myself, encouraging relationship and accountability to God only, produced the first public bible for the man in the street, the Authorized Bible (also based on God's preserved Received Text). This books title was "The Holy Bible". It was only renamed the King James Version about one hundred years ago to make it look just like another translation which were beginning to appear on the religious market.
Other bibles that were translated from
the Received Text prior to the KJ were: Beza's 1604, Bishops
1568, Geneva 1560, Stephen's 1550, The Great Bible 1539, Matthew's
1537, Coverdale 1535, Luther's 1534 (not the corrupt Lutheran
Bible of today), Tyndale's 1525 (as already mentioned), Erasmus
1522, and Wycliffe's 1382 (as already mentioned)."
Copied from "The Infallible Book."
Writing off members of the HRM or Scared Name Movement?:
No way!! We all err from time to
time or make mistakes. Like us all, much of what I have
done in my life has been in ignorance so why not make allowances
for others. Just because someone writes G-d for God, or
uses Yahweh doesn't mean to say we cut them off. We are
exposing the false doctrine (therefore having to name names
at times) not attacking personalities.
Replacement Theology:
Replacement Theology is the teaching which states "because the nation of Israel rejected Jesus, God has rejected Israel and is therefore finished with Israel (written it off), and all His purposes have now switched and are focused on the Church (the bride of Christ) which has replaced Israel".
We certainly don't go along with this teaching which takes Hosea 4:6 to extreme without the balance of other scriptures:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Although God does reject those who reject Him (as He accepts those who accept Him and honours those who honour Him), this still does not rule out God granting another chance and showing mercy on those who are willing to humble themselves before Him with repentant hearts.
Scripture shows the Lord will have mercy on the nation of Israel again, when they turn from their wicked ways and call out to Him, as Israel will be the nation where (Messiah) Jesus will rule from during the true Millennium on earth.
Christians follow Jesus not Israel:
2 Chr. 17:3- 5.
But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments,
and not after the doings of Israel.
Discerning the right Root:
Rom. 11:16-18: "For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee."
One of the main reasons for the HRM to have had so much sway in Christendom has been due to the misconception of Romans chapter eleven. This has been because of a misinterpretation of the olive tree in relation to Abraham's seed, along with a wrong interpretation of the tree's roots.
Abraham is our father according to the faith not the flesh. He is our father according to the promise not circumcision, tithing, sabbath keeping, or any other law observance. The olive tree we are grafted into is not natural Israel of the flesh (the present political / geographical regime) but the spiritual tree.
The Jewish people have been cut off for rejecting their Messiah, and the Gentile believers have been grafted in. However, this is not an excuse for Gentle believers to be cocky as Jews are being grafted in again as they too find Jesus as Messiah. This way we can all enjoy the benefits and nourishment of the tree together, as one new man.
Now for the crunch!! ... The root of the tree is not Jewishness at all, but Jesus:
Rev. 5:5. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda (of the Jews), the Root of David (the line going back to Abraham), hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev. 22:16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
The false teachings of the HRM say we need to get back to the Jewish root/s to literally understand the N.T. scripture. Not so ...
...if the root be holy, so are the branches.
The root/s can't be Jewishness because the root/s are holy and no one is holy save Christ. If we (Jew or Gentile ) be connected to Him (Jesus) then we become holy branches enjoying the benefits of the promise. If interpretation of scripture relies on Jewishness and not God's Holy Spirit, this would put the Jewish teachers in a place of monopolizing scripture, placing them on the same hierarchical plane as the Orthodox Clergy and Roman Catholic Institution who place the Church, not individual revelation, in charge of interpretation.
As the late Keith Green (a Jewish Brother in Jesus) said in his song:
"We are de branches and He is de
vine!"
Private interpretation or individual revelation:
Scripture speaks for itself ... it teaches against claiming private interpretation (no group monopolizing the truth):
2 Peter 1:20-21. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Therefore, no one group, race, organization, or fraternity, can claim authority or the position of being a guide, or interpreter. The New Covenant presents the priesthood of all believers under Jesus our High Priest. It presents revelation to the individual direct from the Throne Room of God:
Rom. 16:25-26. Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Revelation from the risen glorified Christ in Heaven, to our hearts by the Holy Spirit:
Gal. 1:12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The fact that God choose the Jewish nation had nothing to do with them being a superior or better people, but because it was part of God's over all plan. Therefore, the Jewish people were a privileged people. They spoke Hebrew therefore the O.T. books (God's word) where written in Hebrew. The N.T. (God's word) obviously wasn't written in Hebrew because this would give the Jewish people claim over the new faith, lording it over the Gentiles as the Jewish Concision did with the Galatians. The N.T. was written in the common language of the day Koine Greek, breaking down the partition which divided the two peoples (Jews and Gentile) giving them both equal status as heavenly citizens in the new Commonwealth of Israel.
Just as the Lord choose a Gentile (universal)
language for His word at the opening of the church age will He
choose a Gentile (universal) language at the closing of the church
age. This of course would be English (and as I'm not English,
I'm not being biased). This is nothing to do with race superiority
but to do with God being a sovereign God Who calls the shots.
He could not choose the present form of English as a base because
it has lost its purity (virtue) of moral absolutes, unlike when
it was at it's purest in 1611. Again, this was nothing to
do with English being a superior or perfect language, but because
God foreseen it would be the secular (non-religious) language
that would transcend cultural and political barriers in this age
of Globalism, bringing his word as a light to all the nations.
The end result:
Granted, there are different degrees in being ensnared by the Hebraic Roots / Sacred Name Movement, just as there is with any spiritual deception. The HRM at it's best (if we can use this scenario) is luring believers back under the law, whereas at it's worse, is occultism sneaked in through Cabbalistic teaching, as revealed in Part One and more thoroughly in Part Three.
However, in order to deal with this 'falling away' we first need to go beyond nipping it in the bud, before it takes root, and deal with the false root:
Luke 3:9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
We need to deal with it now (as with all deception) by ruthlessly dealing with every root that is not Christ so there would be only one root left ... which root is Christ. The result: Christ being the right tree in our lives bearing the right fruit at the end of the age.
Going back under the law with it's obsolete observances doesn't produce fruit, but brings about striving in the flesh, sowing seeds of discord among the Body of Christ, with division and confusion. It also produces a complex belief system (religion) with a complicated false (dual) gospel.
Heb 9: 9-12. Which was a figure (the Old Covenant) for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Eph. 2:15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (Jew and Gentile) one new man, so making peace ...
Col. .2:14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the law was our teacher pointing us to Christ), which was contrary to us (to our nature), and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross ...
The Old is dead! It is a white elephant! ... Nor can it be resurrected, reformed, taken out of moth balls, or stitched up:
Mark 2:21. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
Why point importance on the old ... our past, our culture, our traditions, when there is so much at stake? A Jewish apostle called Paul saw his Jewish past as loss for Christ ... as dung, that I may win Christ.
When the Old Covenant was brought to an end, it was completely and absolutely once and for all replaced by the New. The New wasn't simply a purification of the Old one. Nor was it a rehash. When scripture says new, it means brand spanking new. Being in Christ means we have a new heart, a new start, a new life, a new hope, as ... all things become new. Even the geography becomes new ... a new house, a new sanctuary, a new city, a new country. This world (with its various races, nations, beliefs, politics and cultures) is not our home ... we're only passing through! Why put importance on the present! Jesus, our root, our rock, is coming back very soon ...
... for those who are rooted
and grounded in Him!!
Jan. 99. Updated last 15/8/99.
Part Three ... A Hebraic Roots Expose
In Part Three we will be taking
a more in-depth look into the sources behind the teaching of the
HRM by a report compiled by Barb Aho.
Dear Tom,
The following is a write-up I have done which proves that the sources used by the Hebrew Roots Movement
(Talmud, Mishnah, Midrash, etc.) evolved into and purvey the same occult teachings as the Kabbalah/Zohar.
The Appendix to this report, provided by Vicky Dillen, adds further documentation showing that these sources
are in total opposition to Scripture. These are facts of which every follower of the Hebrew Roots view of
Christianity should be apprised, but all seem to be totally unaware.I am so glad you are addressing this subject and will be glad to share any information I have in the future. Let
us pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to disciples of the H.R. ministries the truths of Christian liberty
expressed in the book of Galatians and lead them out of this movement, which otherwise will eventually deliver them into the dreadful bondage of the Noahide Laws and the global Kabbalist/Freemasonic New World Order.May God bless you,
Barb AhoWatch Unto Prayer
timbarbaho@msn.com
http://watch.pair.com/pray.html
THE HEBRAIC ROOTS MOVEMENT
Peter Michas' essay "Is The New Testament
Hebrew/Aramaic or Greek?" maintains that the original Gospels
were written in Hebrew and/or Aramaic, translated into Greek and
are therefore not reliable, especially having passed through successive
translations to the English New Testament used by English speaking
Christians
today. The solution to this problem, according to Michas,
is to turn to the O.T. and Jewish traditions to
determine the truth of the New Testament. Peter Michas advocates
reliance upon the Jewish Mishnah,
Haggadah, Halakah, Talmud and Midrash, along with the Torah (first
five books of the Old
Testament), as better commentaries on New Testament doctrine than
the Greek and English New Testaments
themselves, which he claims are inferior translations of the presumed
Hebrew/Aramaic originals:
Is The New Testament Hebrew/Aramaic or Greek?
"In summation, since existing New Testament manuscripts are
Greek, written to express
Hebraic concepts, why be limited to the
Greek or English translations when we have Hebrew, now
a living language not very different
than it was 2000 years ago. The New Testament is in the
pattern of the Jewish traditional work
of Torah, Mishnah, Haggadah, Halakah, Talmud
and Midrash, but inspired by God Himself
for the common people. These Hebraic works as well
as the Inspired Scriptures were quoted
from by Jesus and all the writers of the New Testament.
But even now, to have full comprehension,
we must read the scriptures in the proper Hebraic
context.
"Most all of the Judaic writings have been preserved for
us and now translated into proper
English directly from the Hebrew, as
well as explained in true Hebraic manner. Therefore, why not
go to this material and study ourselves
approved before God with full context and understanding?"
JEWISH OR OCCULT SOURCES?
Is the New Testament in the pattern of
the Mishnah, Haggadah, Halakah, Talmud and Midrash?
"Jewish traditional work" refers to the oral traditions
that were passed through generations as opposed to the
written Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The
University of Calgary website of Hebrew scholar, Eliezer Segal,
Ph.D., indicates that these oral traditions originated in ancient
Babylon and were handed
through successive generations until they were compiled in the
Kabbalah during the third to twelfth centuries
A.D. or C.E., the Common Era. Some information about the
Mishnah, Haggadah, Halakah, Talmud and
Midrash, may be obtained from Dr. Segal's website, which is cited
in this report along with other authoritative
sources, to give the reader an overview of the origins, history
and nature of these sources.
[NOTE: Dr. Segal
received his M.A. and Ph.D. in the Talmud Dept. at Hebrew University.
He is the
recipient of several scholarships and grants in Talmud and Babylonian
Midrash studies, has taught the
Talmud, Mishnah, Midrash and Rabbinics, published books and articles
on the Babylonian Talmud, Midrash,
and Haggadah. Dr. Segal is a lecturer on "Jewish Mysticism,"
"Halakha, Holidays and History", "On
Completing the Babylonian Talmud," "Ecology and the
Environment: Halacha and Reality," "Burned, Banned and
Best Seller: The Talmud," "Joseph and Osiris,"
and other subjects. He has participated in a number of
interfaith dialogues. On his site is also found the full
explanation of The Ten Sefirot of the Kabbalah.]
THE MISHNAH
The Mishnah is the early Talmud or the
forerunner of the Talmud. To the Mishnah the rabbis later added
the
Gemara (rabbinical commentaries). Together these comprise the
Talmud. Scholars will claim that the Talmud
is partly a collection of oral traditions given by Moses which
had not yet been written down in Jesus' time.
However, Christ condemned the traditions of the Mishnah (early
Talmud) and the Scribes and Pharisees who
taught it, because their oral traditions contradicted the teachings
of Scripture. The dire warning of Jesus Christ regarding the traditions
of men which make null and void the Word of God (Mark 7:1-13)
seems to be a
reference to the Mishnah, which was later compiled (c. 200 A.D.)
by Rabbi Judah ben Simeon, who presided
over Judaism's supreme judiciary and legislative body, the Sanhedrin.
"Mishnah can refer in a general way to the full tradition
of the Oral Torah, as formulated by
the Rabbis in the first centuries of
the Common Era. These traditions could not be written down,
but had to be transmitted and learned
by word of mouth. This restriction was observed quite
scrupulously throughout the eras of the
Mishnah and Talmud.
"The Jewish sages whose statements are quoted in the Mishnah
are known as Tanna'im*
(singular: 'Tanna'), derived from the
Aramaic root related to the Hebrew 'ShNH.' The era in which
the Mishnah was developed is therefore
referred to as the 'Tanna'itic' era."
Who are the Tanna'im?
The Jewish sages
referred to as Tanna'im are, in fact, the high initiates of Kabbalah.
THE
THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY of Mme. H.P. Blavatsky shows the correlation
between Tanaim and
Kabbalah:
"TANAIM (Heb.). Jewish Initiates, very learned Kabbalists
in ancient times. The Talmud
contains sundry legends about them and
gives the chief names of them."
"KABALIST. From Q B L H, Kabalah, an unwritten or oral
tradition. The kabalist is a
student of 'secret science,' one who
interprets hidden meaning of the Scriptures with the help of
the symbolical Kabala, and explains the
real one by these means. The TANAIM were the first
kabalists among the Jews; they appeared
at Jerusalem about the beginning of the third century
before the Christian Era... This secret
doctrine is identical with that of the Chaldeans, and
includes at the same time much of the
Persian wisdom, or 'magic'." (caps added)
"KABALAH (Heb.) The hidden wisdom of the Hebrew Rabbis of
the middle ages derived
from the secret doctrines concerning
divine things and cosmogony, which were combined into a
theology after the time of the captivity
of the Jews in Babylon. All the works that fall under the
esoteric category are termed Kabbalistic..."
There appears to be disagreement as to
when the oral traditions took on a written form. However, Dr.
Segal
confirms that the Mishnah was developed and disseminated from
a fixed body of teaching that originated in
ancient Babylon (Chaldea):
"Although there are traditions in the Mishnah that claim
to go back to the fifth century
B.C.E. (the 'Great Assembly'; cf. Nehemiah
8-10), as well as a few additions from as late as the
mid-third century, the main body of the
Mishnah consists of teachings attributed to authorites from
about the middle of the first century,
through to the second decade of the third century C.E. This
time period witnessed some major historical
turning-points for the Jewish nation, such as the
destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple
in 70, and the catastrophic failure of the revolt
against Rome under the leadership of
Simeon bar Kokhba (or: bar Kuziba) in 135. Because the
Mishnah is a technical work of religious
law, these momentous historical events find almost no
explicit mention in the Mishnah, even
though the very composition of the Mishnah is often viewed
as a response to those very events...
"All ancient sources are in agreement that the Mishnah was
compiled by Rabbi Judah the
'Prince,' before his death around 217
C.E. On the author see below. It should be emphasized
that--contrary to a view that appears
in many histories and introductions, and which is based on the
writings of medieval Spanish Jewish authorities
[ed: see Sephardic Jews below] --this redaction did
not involve writing down the traditions,
but merely the determining and organizing of a fixed text
that was subsequently disseminated by
memory. It is clear from the internal evidence of the
Talmud that the teachings of the Rabbis
continued to be studied orally throughout the Talmudic
era, and this continued to be the practice
in the Babylonian academies well into the middle ages...
"Rabbi Judah ben Simeon bore the Hebrew title of 'Nasi,'
signifying the position of Patriarch,
the official political representative
of the Jewish people. From an internal Jewish perspective, the
Nasi presided over Judaism's supreme
judiciary and legislative body, the Sanhedrin. The title had
become a hereditary one, almost without
interruption, since the days of the revered Hillel the
Elder in the first century B.C.E."
THE MISHNAH TORAH
The Jews of Spain who followed Babylonian
rather than Palestinian Jewish traditions were exiled to Sepharad,
from whence they have been credited with disseminating Cabalism
throughout Europe. [See Encarta and
Grolier's Encyclopedia entries on the Sephardim below] Amongst
the most important Jewish thinkers from the
Sephardic tradition was Moses Maimonides:
Eliezer Segal commentary on Moses Maimonides:
"[Moses Maimonides] lived from 1138 to 1204. He spent ten
full years compiling the
Mishneh Torah, which he continued to
revise throughout his lifetime. Moses Maimonides (Rabbi
Moshe ben Maimon, usually referred to
in Hebrew by the acronym "RaMBa"M) was one of the
towering figures in medieval intellectual
and religious life. In addition to his law code, he excelled
in the fields of philosophy, science,
medicine, exegesis and communal leadership. Though born in
Spain, in his youth his family fled religious
persecution, settling in Egypt...
"Maimonides' Mishneh Torah was intended to be a summary of
the entire body of Jewish
religious law... It opens with a section
on systematic philosophical theology, derived largely from
Aristotelian science and metaphysics,
which it regards as the most important component of Jewish
law. Most other Jewish codes avoided
mixing creed and religious law; and Maimonides'
interpretation of Jewish religion in
terms of Greek ideas aroused much opposition."
In Chapter 10 of the English Translation, Maimonides' Mishnah Torah curses Jesus Christ:
"It is a mitzvah [religious duty; ARC], however, to eradicate
Jewish traitors, minnim, and
apikorsim, and to cause them to descend
to the pit of destruction, since they cause difficulty to the
Jews and sway the people away from God,
as did Jesus of Nazareth and his students, and Tzadok,
Baithos, and their students. May the
name of the wicked rot" (p. 184).
THE TALMUD
The Babylonian Talmud is a commentary
on the Mishnah composed by Babylonian Jewish sages (Ravs) from
the early third to the sixth century. A Jewish sage who
was from Babylonia would have been addressed by the
title, 'Rav,' while one who lived in Israel would have been called
'Rabbi.' One portion of the Talmud dealt with
folklore, especially magical and medical recipes. The following
statement, from TORAH TO KABBALAH by
R.C. Musaph-Andriesse, on the primacy of the Babylonian Talmud
(T.B.) is representative of Jewish
scholarship:
There are two editions of the Talmud, the Jerusalem Talmud and
the Babylonian Talmud.
Of these two, the Babylonian Talmud is
authoritative for Orthodox Judaism, which regards it as
divinely inspired... The superiority
of the Babylonian Talmud is so great, that when people now
talk about the Talmud, they always mean
the Babylonian Talmud. The authority of the Babylonian
Talmud is also greater than that of the
Jerusalem Talmud. In cases of doubt the former is
decisive" (pg. 40, New York, Oxford
University, Press, 1982).
Quoting Joseph Barclay in SECRET SOCITIES
& SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS, Nesta Webster has
exposed the virulent anti-Christ teachings of the Talmud:
So also it was the Rabbis who, after hiding from the people the
meaning of the sacred
tradition at the moment of its fulfillment,
afterwards poisoned that same stream for future
generations. Abominable calumnies on
Christ and Christianity are found not only in the Cabala but
in the earlier editions of the Talmud.
In these, says Barclay -- "Our Lord and Saviour is 'that's
one', 'such an one', 'a fool', 'the leper,'
'The deceiver of Israel,' etc. Efforts are made to prove that
he is the son of Joseph Pandira before
his marriage with Mary. His miracles are attributed to
sorcery, the secret of which He brought
in a slit in His flesh out of Egypt. He is said to have been
first stoned and then hanged on the eve
of the Passover. His disciples are called heretics and
opprobrious names. They are accused of
immoral practices, and the New Testament is called a
sinful book. The references to these
subjects manifest the most bitter aversion and hatred"
[Joseph Barclay, The Talmud, pp.38, 39;
cf Drach, op. cit I.167] (Omni Publications, 1964, p.18-19).
THE MIDRASH
The Tanna'im, the high initiates of Kabbalah, also compiled The Midrash:
"In some contexts 'Mishnah' is contrasted with 'Midrash.'
The latter term denotes Rabbinic
teachings that are attached to the text
of the Bible, whereas the former term refers to teachings
that are organized or formulated independently
of Scripture...
"The Mishnah was clearly not designed to encompass the whole
of the Oral Torah tradition.
The same Rabbis who contributed to it
also figured prominently in the Tannai'itic Midrashic
collections."
Rabbi Scheinerman's Magical Midrash page
also identifies the Midrash as the product of the Tannaitic
period:
"In its classical sense, Midrash, which has as its root the
Hebrew word darash, meaning 'to
seek out,' refers to a body of rabbinic
literature made up of anthologies of biblical exegesis and
homilies dating from the tannaitic period
(70_200 c.e.) through to the Middle Ages. The most well
known anthology of midrashim is Midrash
Rabbah, which provides a running midrashic
commentary to the five books of the Torah,
as well as to the 'five scrolls' (Esther, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Song
of Songs)."
The Encyclopedia Judaica defines this
method: "Midrash (midrashim:plural) -- 'The method of interpreting
scripture to elucidate legal points (midrash Halakkah) or to bring
out lessons by stories or homiletics (midrash
Aggadah). Also, the name for a collection of such rabbinic interpretations.'"
Nesta Webster's SECRET SOCIETIES adds:
"... the Jewish Encyclopedia admits that Jewish legends concerning
Jesus are found in the
Talmud and Midrash and in the life of
Jesus (Toledot Yeshu) that originated in the Middle Ages. It
is the tendency of all these sources
to belittle the person of Jesus by ascribing to Him illegitimate
birth, magic, and a shameful death. "
[Jewish Encyclopedia, article on Jesus]
The Midrash and midrashic interpretation
tend to devalue the literal, historical interpretation of Scripture
in
favor of private, hidden and even mystical interpretations.
For example, Rabbi Scheinerman's Magical
Midrash page states:
"Midrash is subversive as it winds its way between and around
stern, stark, seemingly stagnant
texts. As Judith Plaskow has stated,
'Jews have traditionally used midrash to broaden or alter the
meaning of texts' (in Davidman/Tenenbaum,
80). Midrash assumes that the black letters of
scripture as well as the white spaces
between them are holy; that the explicitly stated as well as
that which can be inferred from the Bible
can be manifestations of God's word.
Midrash
is a kind of scriptural archaeology, bidding us not to stop at
surface appearances but
to dig down deeply into the text to uncover
hidden riches..."
Midrashic interpretations permit students
of Scripture to explore far beyond the safe boundaries of the
sacred
canon. Apostates such as Unity minister, Rev. J. Ronald Jones,
are permitted nearly unlimited license using
midrashim to support their false teachings:
"Midrash requires that anything to be venerated in the present
must be connected with sacred
moments of Jewish history. It is the
accepted way of incorporating timelessness, continuity, and
authority into a sacred narrative. Jesus'
life was thus connected to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,
David, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, '2 Isaiah,'
and others. The virgin birth story was made to mirror
earlier stories of Zoroaster and Romulus
and Remus; and the ascension story was made to mirror
earlier stories of the Buddha and Osiris...
"How does a text lose its historical focus? The closing of
the canon removes a collection of
sacred writings from the temporal process.
No subsequent event, world view, conventional wisdom,
or cultural value has the power to change
the canon. No new writings can be added. Quite the
opposite, new events must be interpreted
with the aid of the canon. The canon stands beyond Time
as a judge of temporal events.
"Both Jewish and liberal Christian communities agree that
the Bible as canon still permits
perpetual interpretation. They accept
it as normal that there can be an infinite variety of
interpretations all 'inspired' by the
text. The goal is to 'search out' the fullness of what was spoken
by God. It is only through a process
of dialogue within a community of faith that knowledge of
God's revelation grows and becomes the
Word of God for the present generation. Visotzky notes:
'There
is no one common reading of Scripture that everyone can agree
with--and there never
has been.'6 When a community of faith
insists on a single, normative reading that everyone must
'swear to,' it is on the verge of death
as a vital community.
"As a methodology, Midrash tends to minimize the authority
of the wording of the text. It
places the focus on the reader, and on
the personal struggle of the reader to reach an acceptable
moral application of the text. While
it is always governed to some degree by the wording of the
text, it allows the reader to project
his or her inner struggle into the text. This allows for some
very
powerful and moving interpretations which,
to the ordinary user of language, can seem to have
very little connection with the text.
The great weakness of this method is that it always threatens
to replace the text with an outpouring
of personal reflection. At its best it requires the presence of
mystical insight not given to all readers."
THE HAGGADAH
Technically, "the Haggada(h)"
is a liturgical manual used in the Jewish Passover Seder. The
information on
this web site indicates that it was also developed by the Ravs
in Babylonia in the Middle ages. These are not
ancient documents, but were developed during the same period as
the Kabbalah.
The History of the Haggadah
"The word Haggadah comes from the Torah command - 'And you
shall tell (v'Higadeta)
your children on that day...' Although
the minimal fulfillment of this mitzvah is a simple recounting
of the going out of Egypt and explaining
a few of the Pesach symbols, proper fulfillment requires
much more.
"Over the centuries additions have been made to the Haggadah
to enhance this mitzvah.
Many of these additions gained such wide
acceptance that they became part of the Haggadah. One
of those additions is the Chad Gadya.
Another is 'Dayeinu.' Rav Saadia Gaon (882 CE - 942 CE)
included neither in his Haggadah, although
he did recognize the existence of Dayeinu. Neither
Rashi (1040-1105) nor Maimonides (1135-1204)
included Chad Gadya in their versions of the
Haggadah, although Rashi did include
Dayeinu...
"The metamorphosis of the Haggadah concluded in the late
middle ages, aided by the
invention of the Printing Press, which
enabled the basic Ashkenazic version which had been
endorsed by the Ari z'l to be accepted
even in Sephardic communities. The text is based upon the
Haggadah of Rav Amram Gaon, who headed
the Babylonian Yeshiva of Sura between 856-876 CE.
This text was endorsed by Rashi. Rav
Amram's Haggadah concluded with the after blessing on the
fourth cup of wine. It did not include
'Chasal Siddur Pesach'."
The Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities
represent two mystical traditions that have developed within
Judaism. This explains why an Haggadah is found on the New
Age Sirius Community web site which displays
the Sephiroth - Tree of Life (path of occult initiation) and a
link to The Way of the Kabbalah.
Essential to a study of the Kabbalist
traditions is some historical background on the origins and theology
of
both communities.
Ashkenazic Jews originated in France, Germany, and Eastern Europe.
Sephardic Jews lived in Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East.
The ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION describes
Ashkenazik Hasidism, which emerged from Germany in the
late 12th C., as a form of Jewish mysticism.
ASHKENAZIK HASIDIM
"The German-Jewish pietists built their
own understanding of hasid, or 'pietist,' upon the
cumulative foundation of earlier meanings
but moved in new directions as well. Their worldview
was grounded in the idea that God's will
is only partial revealed in the words of the Pentateuch, or
the Torah, given to the prophet Moses
at Mount Sinai. God's will requires of the truly faithful and
punctilious Jew, that is, of the hasid,
a search for a hidden and infinitely demanding additional
torah, which God encoded in the words
of scripture...
"Along with Maimonidean religious philosophy, theosophical
mysticism, or Qabbalah, and
the scholastic legal achievement of the
glossators of the Talmud, German-Jewish pietism
permanently reshaped classical Judaism
into traditional Judaism, which lasted down to the modern
period...Their writings about manipulating
the divine name in the form of permutations of the
Hebrew alphabet to achieve mystical and
magical goal, decidedly influenced later Jewish
mysticism in Spain." (Vol. I, p.
458)
SEPHARDIC JEWS
The Sephardic Jews are descendants of
the large Jewish community living in Spain and Portugal in the
Middle
Ages. In 1391, under the Papal Inquisition, there was a massacre
of thousands of Jews in the Iberian
Peninsula. The Sephardic Jews have been credited with disseminating
Cabalism throughout Europe, after they
were forcibly expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in
1492. The Urantia Book Fellowship notes:
"The greatest figure in Spanish Judaism was the philosopher,
talmudist, and physician, Maimonides
(1135-1204). He attempted to harmonize Judaism with the philosophy
of Aristotle."
The Encarta Concise Encyclopedia entry "Cabala" identifies its origins in Spain and France:
"Cabala, generically, Jewish mysticism in all its forms;
specifically, the esoteric theosophy
that crystallized in 13th-century Spain
and Provence, France, around Sefer Ha-Zohar (The Book of
Splendor), referred to as the Zohar.
Cabala's roots are in Hellenistic astral mysticism, in which the
adept, through meditation and the use
of magic formulas, journeys ecstatically through and beyond
the seven astral spheres. Medieval Spanish
Cabala, the most important form of Jewish mysticism,
is more concerned with esoteric knowledge
about the nature of the divine world and its hidden
connections with the world of creation.
"According to the Zohar, above and beyond all human contemplation
is God as he is in
himself, the unknowable, immutable En
Sof (Infinite). Zoharic theosophy concentrates on ten
sefirot (realms or planes) as symbols
of the inner life and processes of the Godhead. Because they
are also archetypes for everything in
the world of creation, understanding their workings can
illuminate the inner workings of the
cosmos and of history. This cosmic aspect was dramatically
developed in 16th-century Lurianic Cabala,
which arose in response to the cataclysmic experience
of Jewish exiles expelled from Iberia
in the 1490s, and which projected that experience onto the
divine world."
The extent of the dispersion is documented
by Groliers' Encyclopedia, which also confirms the Sephardim as
followers of the occult traditions of ancient Babylon:
"The Sephardim are those Jews who follow the liturgy and
customs developed by the Jews of
medieval Spain and Portugal. The name
comes from Sepharad, a place of exile mentioned in
Obadiah 20 and early identified with
Iberia. Unlike the Ashkenazim, those Jews who settled in
German lands, the Sephardim followed
Babylonian rather than Palestinian Jewish traditions. They
also developed their own language, Ladino,
or Judeo-Spanish, a blend of medieval Castilian,
Hebrew, Arabic, and other elements. There
is a considerable body of Ladino literature.
"After
the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492) and Portugal (1497)
many Sephardim
formed communities in the lands of the
Ottoman Empire--the Balkans, North Africa, and the
Middle East.
"Others
remained in Iberia, nominally converting to Christianity. Vilified
as Marranos ('pigs'),
they were subject to continuing persecution,
and most eventually left to form communities in
northwestern Europe--Amsterdam became
a particularly important center. Sephardic traditions
were largely adopted by local Jewish
groups in the Middle East and North Africa; hence, today the
term Sephardim is loosely applied to
all Jews native to those areas. Among important Jewish
thinkers from the Sephardic tradition
are Solomon ibn Gabirol, Moses Maimonides, and Baruch
Spinoza."
THE NOAHIDE LAWS
Presently, there is a vast movement afoot
with many points of entry (Lubavitcher Movement, Nazarene
Movement, Hebraic Roots/Messianic Movement, Latter Rain/Roman
Catholic Year of Jubilee) to bring all of
mankind under the Law. These trendy movements to adopt the
customs and feasts of the Mosaic Covenant
are effectively laying the groundwork to mobilize the Church for
Jay Gary's call to "experience the Jubilee"
Year in AD 2000 and be "reconciled to our spiritual roots."
Jay Gary wrote in THE STAR OF 2000:
"The annual calendar of Israel was built around three major
festivals: Passover, Pentecost
and Tabernacles... The Year of Jubilee
encompassed these three festivals, only raised to a higher
power ...Then, as well as today, Jesus
calls us to experience His jubilee... It's time to blow the
ancient trumpet. It's time to be reconciled
to our spiritual roots." (pp. 84, 85)
This massive movement also seems to be
leading toward the global establishment of the Noahide Laws
(already U.S. law), for which disobedience the penalty is beheading
(Rev. 20:4) THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
JUDIASM lists these seven universal laws and indicates their binding
nature on all Gentiles:
"Full-page ads in the New York Times and other newspapers
have proclaimed: ‘All
nations of the world: Fulfill the 7 universal
Noahide Laws given to you in the Torah of
Moses.’... One additional element
of greater severity is that violation of any one of the
seven laws subjects the Noahide to capital
punishment by decapitation. (Sanh. 57A)"
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JUDAISM identifies
the Babylonian Talmud (T.B.) as the source of "The
Noachide Laws."
"According to Maimonides, acceptance -- on the basis of the
Bible -- of the seven universal
precepts means that any such righteous
Gentile is numbered with 'the pious ones among the
nations of the world...deserving a share
in the world to come' (Tosef. Sanh 13.2)
(1) Civil justice [the duty to establish a legal system];
(2)
Prohibition of blasphemy [which includes the bearing of false
witness];
(3)
The abandonment of idolatry;
(4)
The prohibition of incest [including adultery and other sexual
offenses];
(5)
The prohibition of murder;
(6)
Also that of theft;
(7)
The law against eating flesh [a limb] cut from a living animal
[ie., cruelty in any shape or
form] (T.B. Sanh. 56A)
Hebrew scholar, Eliezer Segal, documents
that the Babylonian Talmud (T.B.) is a commentary on the Mishnah
composed by Babylonian Jewish sages (Ravs) from the early third
to the sixth century. Although it is claimed
by the Lubavitch, Nazarene and Hebraic Roots Movements that the
source of the 7 Noahide Laws is the
Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy), it is apparent that Talmud and Mishnah
are derived from occult traditions that
contradicted and nullifed the teaching of Scripture.
The following appendix cites ample material
from Nesta Webster's SECRET SOCIETIES and other resources
which demonstrate the occult character of the Jewish sources relied
upon by the Lubavitch and Nazarene
Movements and, their pseudo-Christian counterpart, the Hebraic
Roots Movement.
APPENDIX
SECRET SOCIETIES & SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS,
Nesta H. Webster, Omni Publications,
1964.
P.6. Re: Oral Tradition:Talmud:Cabala
"According
to Fabre d'Olivet, Moses, who 'was learned all the wisdom of the
Egyptians' drew from
the Egyptian mysteries a part of the
oral tradition which was handed down through the leaders of
the Israelites.
"That such
an oral tradition, distinct from the written word embodied in
the Pentateuch, did
descend from Moses and that it was later
committed to writing in the Talmud and the Cabala is the
opinion of many Jewish writers."
[According to the Jewish view God had given Moses on Mt. Sinai
alike the oral and the written Law, that
is, the Law with all its interpretations and applications"
--Alfred Edersheim]
P.9... Re: Zohar:Talmud:Cabala
"The fact
is that the main ideas of the Zohar find confirmation in the Talmud.
As the Jewish
Encyclopedia observes, 'the Cabala, is
not really in opposition to the Talmud,' and "many
Talmudic Jews have supported and contributed
to it." Adolphe Franch does not hesitate to
describe it as "the heart and life
of Judaism."
"The greater
number of the most eminent rabbis of the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries
believed firmly in the sacredness of
the Zohar and of the infallibility of it's teaching" ( Jewish
Encyclopedia, article on Cabala)
P. 8. Re: Cabala--book 1--Sepher Yetzirah
. . . "says
that its date has been placed as early as the sixth century before
Christ and as late as
the tenth century A.D., but that it is
at any rate older than the Talmud is shown by the fact that in
the Talmud the Rabbis are described as
studying it for magical purposes. Sepher Yetzirah is also
said to be the work referred to in the
Koran under the name of the "Book of Abraham".
P.8. Re: Cabala--book 2--Sepher-Ha-Zohar (Zohar)
. . . "Of
the immense compilation known as the Sepher-Ha- Zohar, Book of
Light, is ... of greater
importance of Cabalistic philosophy.
According to the Zohar itself, the 'Mysteries of Wisdom' were
imparted to Adam by God whilst he was
still in the Garden of Eden, in the form of a book delivered
by the angel Razael. From Adam the book
passed to Seth ... Enoch... Noah ... Abraham, and later
to Moses, one of its principal exponents.
Other Jewish writers declare... that Moses received it ...
first time on Mt. Sinai. . . to the Seventy
Elders. . . to David and Solomon...Ezra...Nehemiah and
finally to the Rabbis of the early Christian
era"
P.18-19 Re: Christ:Talmud:Cabala
"So also it was the Rabbis who, after hiding from the people
the meaning of the sacred tradition
at the moment of its fulfillment, afterwards
poisoned that same stream for future generations.
Abominable calumnies on Christ and Christianity
found not only in the Cabala but in the earlier
editions of the Talmud. In these, says
Barclay -
"Our Lord
and Saviour is 'that's one', 'such an one', 'a fool', 'the leper,'
'The deceiver of Israel,'
etc. Efforts are made to prove that he
is the son of Joseph Pandira before his marriage with Mary.
His miracles are attributed to sorcery,
the secret of which He brought in a slit in His flesh out of
Egypt. He is said to have been first
stoned and then hanged on the eve of the Passover. His
disciples are called heretics and opprobrius
names. They are accused of immoral practices, and the
New Testament is called a sinful book.
The references to these subjects manifest the most bitter
aversion and hatred. " [Joseph Barclay,
The Talmud, pp.38, 39; cf Drach, op. cit I.167]
P. 20 Re: Cabala: Talmud: Christ:
"... the
Jewish Encyclopedia admits that Jewish legends concerning Jesus
are found in the Talmud
and Midrash and in " the life of
Jesus (Toledot Yeshu) that originated in the Middle Ages. It is
the
tendency of all these sources to belittle
the person of Jesus by ascribing to Him illegitimate birth,
magic, and a shameful death. " [Jewish
Encyclopedia, article on Jesus]
P. 8 Re: Cabal sources/origins
"...Until
this date the Zohar had remained a purely oral tradition ... written
down by the disciples of
Simon ben Jochai. The Talmud relates
that for 12 years the Rabbi Simon and his son Eliezer
concealed themselves in a cavern, where
sitting in the sand up to their necks, they meditated on
the sacred law and were frequently visited
by the prophet Elias. In this way, Jewish legend adds,
the great book of the Zohar was composed
and committed to writing by the Rabbis' son Eliezer and
his secretary Rabbi Abba."
P. 23 re: Cabala: Talmud: Christ: Essenes
"... A subtler
device for discrediting Christianity and undermining belief in
the divine character of
our Lord has been adopted ... who set
out to prove that He belonged to the sect of the Essenes, ...
Thus Jewish historian Graetz declares
that Jesus simply appropriated to himself the essential
features of Essenism... So after representing
Christ as a magician in the Toledot Yeshu and the
Talmud, Jewish traditions seeks to explain
His miraculous works as those of a mere healer - an idea
that we shall find descending right throughthe
secrets of societies to this day ... if of the miracles of
Christ were simply due to a knowledge
of natural laws and His doctrines were the outcome of a sect,
the
whole theory of His divine power and
mission falls to the ground ..."
P. 299 re: Blavatsky: Talmud: Christ
"... Madam Blavatsky's writings, on the person of Christ,
... 'For me, Jesus Christ, that is to say
the Man-God of the Christians, copy of
the Avatars of all countries, of the Hindu Chrishna as of
the Egyptian Horus, was never a historical
personage.' Hence the story of His life was merely an
allegory founded on the existence of
the "a personage named Jehoshua born at Lud." But
elsewhere she asserted that Jesus may
have lived during the Christian era or a century earlier 'as
the Sepher Toldoth Jehoshua indicates.'
And Madame Blavatsky went on to say of the savants
who deny the historical value of this
legend, that they --
"...either
lie or talk nonsense. Is our Masters who affirms it. If the history
of Jehoshua or Jesus
Ben Pandera is false, then the whole
of the Talmud, the whole of the Jewish canon law, is false. It
was the disciple of Jehoshua ben Parachai,
the fifth President of the Sanhedrin since Ezra, who
re-wrote the Bible. ...This story is
much truer than that of the New Testament, of which history
does not say a word."
P. 21 Re: Cabala: Talmud: and the Toledot Yeshu--referring to Christ
NOTE: Another name for Toledot Yeshu is Sepher Toldoth Jehoshua(Zohar)
"...the
Toledot Yeshu relates with the most indecent details that Miriam,
a hairdresser of
Bethlehem,(4)affianced to a young man
named Jochanan, was seduced by a libertine, Joseph
Panther or Pandira, and gave birth to
a son whom she named Johosuah or Jeschu. According to the
Talmudic authors of the Sota and the
Sanhedrim, Jeschu was taken during his boyhood to Egypt,
where he was initiated into the secrets
doctrines of the priests, and on his return to Palestine gave
himself up to the practice of magic.(5)
The Toledot Yeshu, however, goes on to say that on
reaching manhood, Jeschu learnt the secret
of his illegitimacy, on account of which he was driven
out of the Synagogue and took refuge
for a time in Galilee. Now, there was in the Temple a stone
on which was engraved the Tetragrammaton
or Schem Hamphorasch, that is to say, the Ineffable
Name of God; this stone had been found
by King David when the foundations of the Temple were
being prepared and was deposited by him
in the Holy of Holies. Jeschu, knowing this, came from
Galilee and, penetrating into the Holy
of Holies, read the Ineffable name, which he transcribed on
to a piece of whom parchment and concealed
in an incision under his skin. By this means he was
able to work miracles and to persuade
the people that he was the son of God foretold by Isaiah.
With the aid of Judas, the Sages of the
Synagogue, succeeding in capturing Jeschu, who was then
lead before the Great and Little Sanhedrin,
by whom he was condemned to be stoned to death and
finally hanged" Such is the story
of Christ according to the Jewish Kabbalists ..."
Is. 9:16. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Christians or
converted Jews who affect a Jewish demeanour or compromise Christian
doctrine to
appeal to the Jewish mindset are surrendering
the precious pearl of Jesus Christ who alone leads
to salvation. The ecumenical approach
does not lead Jews to Jesus Christ, but patronizes their
religion of dead works, and results in
the Christian's acceptance of religion on Jewish terms.
Barb Aho/ To Embrace Hebrew
Roots
The name Jesus
Christ is known world wide and synonymous with Christianity.
That is a historical fact.
Vicky Dillen