DAY TWO OF THE OMER

“Today is two days of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the week: Chesed – Loving kindness

·       Theme of the day: Gevurah – Strength and Severity

·       Overall Theme: “The strength and severity of His Loving-kindness.”

·       Psalm 119:9-16

ADONAI the Father loves us madly and with a fierce passion, so much so that our hairs on our head are numbered, our tears are collected and precious as if black gold, and our names are engraved on his hands (Matt. 10:30, Psa. 56:8, Isa. 49:16). In fact, he couldn’t bear eternity without is and sent His Son to die in our place (John 3:16) for our crimes against the Torah (I John 3:4). Our God has done everything in His power, He did what He didn’t have to do, all in order to save us and have intimate fellowship with us (Num. 11:23, Isa. 50:2, 59:1).
The Traditional text to read is Psalm 119:9-16:

9     ¶ BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

In other words, what can the Torah do? It has the power to give one a “squeaky clean” reputation. It’s simple, it’s all in black and white in His Torah, all we got to do is read and heed. It can’t be mechanical either; it’s got to be from the heart as you will see. 

10     ¶ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

David knew that to know the Commandments was to know God. David also knew that the Commandments are life (Deut. 32:47), so to wander from the Torah is to wander from the path of Life.

11     ¶ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

I have heard this verse in what is known as the “Pledge to the Bible”. There is a pledge to the American flag, and the Christian flag and to the Bible. David knew that it was important to memorize His Torah if he was to combat and conquer temptation and sin.

12     ¶ Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

David is saying that even though he as a finite human may not understand why an infinite God might have commanded certain things, he nonetheless wants to know them. He wants God Himself to teach them to him because he is so zealous to love and please God.

13     ¶ With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

As king, he is saying he will rule fairly by the Torah as his guide.

14     I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

 David knows the Torah is the true treasure, not money and possessions. He is probably alluding to his personal hand scribed Torah is his greatest possession.

15     I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Even though we may not understand why God commands certain things, David said he would try to wrap his brain around it anyway. And even when he concludes that he still doesn’t get it, he will nonetheless keep these “Chukim”.

16     I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

He’s saying that he will keep the commandments that rule and guide our daily lives with joy, that he will make the Torah apart of him so he won’t forget His Torah.

“Abba ADONAI God, Thank you that because of Your sever love for us that you exerted Your Power and Strength through Your Son in order to save us. In Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

Day One of the Omer

“Today is One Day of the Omer.”

·       Theme of the week: Chesed – Loving kindness

·       Theme of the day: Chesed – Loving kindness

·       Overall Theme: “Yeshua is, and we are to be, totally loving and totally kind.”

·       Psalm 119:1-8

I John 4:7-8 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

In John 17 Yeshua makes clear that He and ADONAI are Echad/One. Yeshua was 100% God to be able to redeem and 100% man to have the right to do so. Yeshua is the perfect model for us to follow after to be conformed and molded into the image of God and His likeness (Rom. 12:1-2). To walk in Yeshua’s footsteps by walking and following in the Torah. The 1^st, foremost and only way we can do such is by doing so in love. Without love it is vain, useless and impure. How do we even begin to do so? First we get to know the Torah. If we don’t know the Torah we truly don’t know or understand the Messiah. Today also commemorates the resurrection day of Yeshua the Messiah. We can do all I mentioned above because the Messiah is alive and well today. You can read about the resurrection in Luke 24:1-49.

The Traditional text to read is Psalm 119:1-8:

1     ¶ ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

God is the same as in David’s day as in ours. God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb.13:8), He changes not (Mal. 3:8). The Torah is not just something you keep to get brownie points with God, or to “earn” your way to Heaven. It is something we walk in like second nature, something we do because we love God so much. We are “Blessed”, or another translation is “Happy” we are when we walk in the Torah undefiled. The Torah makes us happy, it is not sad or a burden to keep as most Christians would have you think.

2     Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

We are happy when we remember the Great things God has done, and to remember that He is Holy, Pure and Righteous. We guard and keep alive the Greatness of God when we retell of His awesome deeds, and when we set our hearts to love and please Him, to trust that “Father knows best.” To love Him and seek His will (Torah) with ones whole heart.

3     They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

“Iniquity” is the opposite of Torah, it literally means; “Torah-less-ness”, “No Torah” or “Without Torah”. So if we naturally keep the Torah we will not walk in iniquity. And what will God say to those who “work iniquity”? (Matt. 7:23)

4     ¶ Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

If we love God, and know He loves us and wants what is best for us, we will realize that He is an orderly and specific God. We will be sure to do our best to follow and keep His Torah to the best of our ability. We will not be casual with God and be flippant with, or haphazard in keeping His Instructions, and we will enjoy doing it. Just like when we wrap a present for someone we love, we just don’t wrap it with just any paper; we don’t just hastily crumple paper around the gift and wrap tape around it like a mummy. No, we make sure the present us wrapped just so. The creases of the wrap are sharp and precise, the tape is virtuously invisible, and the bow is curled just right and is balanced atop of the box perfectly. We relish and are giddy about making sure every detail is perfect because we want everything to be just right when we present the gift. For the not only the gift shows our love, but the way it is wrapped shows our care. The way we wrap it is a gift to. And so it is in being scrupulous in keeping the details of the Law.

5     O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

He is saying, “God make me want to keep Your Commandments even when I don’t want too! I want to want to keep your Laws. Give me the desire to keep your Torah!”

6     Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

I John 3:4 tells us that breaking Torah is sin, and sin brings on shame, personally and publicly when exposed, and this will not come when we take joy in keeping God’s Torah.

7     ¶ I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

“Daddy, when I learn how to keep your Torah the way You want me too, I will make you so proud!”

8     I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

“I am not perfect, and I will fail here and there, but you know my heart to keep Your Torah perfectly. So please forgive me and don’t give up on me when I screw up.”

“Abba ADONAI God, help and enable me to walk in the footsteps of Yeshua Ha Moshiach the risen Messiah, by following and keeping the Torah the way Messiah Himself did. In Yeshua’s Name I pray, Ameyn.”

Gender and Sexuality

Gender and Sexuality

                                                    

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Bi-sexuality, Transgenderism… All scream, “I was born this way, this is who I really am.” And yet it is not who or how the God of Israel, the Creator of the universe, created a person to be. It is clear in His Word that He created only two genders and that these two genders were meant to be in union (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:20-24).

Due to the Fall of mankind we have a bent toward rebellion and a piqued inclination to all that which is perverted, twisted and evil and yes even abominable in the sight of God, who is our Creator and thus has the right to dictate to us moral absolutes. But because of our fallen human nature we are susceptible to influences of the Evil One, his cohorts and the way they manipulate our body, soul and spirit as well as our environment, entertainment, pop culture, family and friends, all to funnel us like a rat into the trap he has designed for us.

The latest incarnation of Star Trek is heavily promoting such things as Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Bi-sexuality, Transgenderism, but as I recently watched and episode of Star Trek Voyager, the issue of Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Bi-sexuality, Transgenderism was made clear in light of the Borg and former drone, Seven of Nine, being severed from the Borg Collective and Captain Janeway’s attempt to bring her back to the humanity from which she was taken from.

Allow me to set the scene. Being severed from the consciousness of the Borg collective, Seven of Nine who prior to assimilation was a little human girl named Anikka Hanson; her supressed human immune system reasserts itself an begins to reject the Borg implants. She becomes angry and a danger to others as well as herself is placed in the Brig. She goes ballistic and attempts to penetrate the force field of the holding cell when Captain Janeway is alerted to her outburst and goes to see her.

Star Trek Voyager. Season 4, episode 2, “The Gift”

[Brig]

SEVEN: One. One.
(Janeway enters. Seven is just pacing sadly now.)
SEVEN: My designation is Seven of Nine. But the others are gone. Designations are no longer relevant. I am one.
JANEWAY: Yes, you are.
SEVEN: But I cannot function this way. Alone.
JANEWAY: You're not alone. I'm willing to help you.
SEVEN: If that's true, you won't do this to me. Take me back to my own kind.
JANEWAY: You are with your own kind. Humans.
SEVEN: I don't remember being human. I don't know what it is to be human.
(Janeway picks up a PADD and lowers the forcefield.) <br>
SEVEN: What are you doing?
JANEWAY: I'm coming in.
SEVEN: I'll kill you.
JANEWAY: I don't think you will.
(Janeway enters the cell, staying out of arms reach. She shows Seven the picture from the Personnel File on the PADD.)
JANEWAY:  Do you remember her? Her name was Annika Hansen. She was born on stardate 25479 at the Tendara Colony. There's still a lot we don't know about her. Did she have any siblings? Who were her friends? Where did she go to school? What was her favourite colour?
(Seven looks at the picture for a while, then slaps it out of Janeway's hand.)
SEVEN: Irrelevant! Take me back to the Borg.
JANEWAY: I can't do that.
SEVEN: So quiet. One voice.
JANEWAY: One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices. Your mind is independent now, with its own unique identity.
SEVEN: You are forcing that identity upon me. It's not mine.
JANEWAY: Oh yes, it is. I'm just giving you back what was stolen from you. The existence you were denied, the child who never had a chance. That life is yours to live now.
SEVEN: Don't want that life.
JANEWAY: It's what you are. Don't resist it.
SEVEN: No!
(She collapses into Janeway's arms. Janeway helps her back to the bunk and holds her.)

I want to focus on the last bit of the conversation.

SEVEN: You are forcing that identity upon me. It's not mine.
JANEWAY: Oh yes, it is. I'm just giving you back what was stolen from you. The existence you were denied, the child who never had a chance. That life is yours to live now.
SEVEN: Don't want that life.
JANEWAY: It's what you are. Don't resist it.
SEVEN: No!
(She collapses into Janeway's arms. Janeway helps her back to the bunk and holds her.)

Many in the LGBT community claim that those such as the conservative Judeo-Christian population who do not agree with their lifestyle and attempts to prove from various angles that it is an unnatural and unacceptable identity and way of life use this very phraseology, “You are forcing that (straight and or natural born gender) identity upon me. It’s not mine.” And Janeway’s reply is superb and is an applicable and acceptable, truthful response to a LGBT person.  “Oh yes, it is. I'm just giving you back what was stolen from you…” Stolen by the satanically devised manipulation through body, soul and spirit as well as our environment, entertainment, pop culture, family and friends that was bought, accepted and assimilated into; just like a Borg.  

It so simple and straight forward, intellectually, logically and spiritually and doesn’t need to be muddled by wanna-be-pseudo-science and abstract pop culture philosophy. Chromosomes and DNA dictate only one of two genders and thus only one of two identities that goes along with said gender. In the case of a birth defect such as hermaphroditism, a person born with both sets of genitalia, the dominate, functional genitalia dictate the true sex of the individual.

One can undergo a sex change to outwardly appear to be of the opposite sex and supposedly match ones broken psyche, but the chromosomes and muscular-skeletal structure will still decree the true gender of the individual.

The greatest misconception by the LGBT community is that most assume and believe those who are genuinely of the conservative Judeo-Christian persuasion not only disapprove of them, but hate and condemn them.  Despite the popular mainstream way of thinking today, it is possible to disagree and even oppose someone and still love them.

Is the God of Israel a Genocidal God?

Is the God of Israel a Genocidal God?

Yehudah ben Shomeyr

Deut. 7:1-2 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

A question that has plagued believer and non-believer alike for eons. In Deuteronomy chapter seven God tells Israel to utterly wipe out certain people groups. So does this mean God promotes genocide or ethnic cleansing?

Verse one tells Israel to totally destroy the Canaanite culture.

Why!? Doesn't this sound genocidal and a lot like ethnic cleansing? So why?! Because they were the consort of nations of the Babel conspiracy headed up by Nimrod of Cush, which he, being the cousin of Canaan (Gen. 10:6-10a).

Collectively this litany of peoples made up what is referred to as the Canaanite Nations.

It is speculated and believed by most that these people were all related and somehow attached to the linage of Hamm. Therefore they all stuck close together and had much in common between them in regards to language, religion and culture. The dastardly thing that made them so dangerous is their ambition to storm the heavens (Gen. 11:4-6).

In other words they wanted to be as gods, a tempting desire in us even before the fall (Gen. 3:5-6a).

Almost as if satan was trying to live vicariously through fallen man (Isa. 14:12-19).

Also, a clue as to why God wiped out the Canaanite nations is found in the mysterious passages of Genesis chapter six where the sons of God, (aka: fallen angels and heavenly beings) cohabitated with the daughters of men (human women) and spawned the hybridized race of half man-half angel, the “giant’s which in Hebrew is the Nephilim which means, “The Fallen Ones.”

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. - Gen. 6:4

The end game was to pollute the human genome so as to make mankind no longer human and therefore no longer viable for Messianic redemption; all in a plan to thwart the edicts of the prophetic protoevangelim.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. - Gen. 3:15

If mankind was no longer completely and fully human then the coming of the Messianic redemption would be pointless, because The Messiah came to redeem fallen mankind, not fallen human-angelic hybrids.

Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. – Gen. 6:9b

That word “perfect” in this verse means pure, meaning not only spiritually, but genetically pure; untainted by the mingling of human an angelic flesh.

Well, we all know how things turned out for the Canaanite Nations, they too were cast down just as Lucifer, Satan himself was (Gen. 11:7-9).

So their whole cultural disposition was fleshly, hedonistic, selfish and lustful of power and greedy for material things; all on the far end of the spectrum of Divine Holiness. The human race all being one at one time means everyone knew God and His Holy standards and expectations for man to live right before Him and the Canaanite Nations knew better and lived totally contrary, regardless. They knowingly and willingly disobeyed and rebelled against God and became fully and irreparably unrepentant, much like Lucifer, and as a result had the potential to poison and corrupt and infect all mankind with their anti-Theocratic ways. God could not allow this to happen. Just as He lovingly kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden to keep them from eating of the tree of life after they had eaten of the tree of knowledge and therefore risk living in eternal sin, eternally separated from the Creator, so too God allowed unrepentant Canaan to be destroyed by Israel.

There is a spiritual version of the drug L.S.D.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

L.S.D = Lust, Sin, Death

There is absolutely no redeeming cultural quality about the Canaanites that was worth preserving.

You know when you do things you know is wrong or will push your mother buttons and your mother said, "I've had enough!" Then you got a spanking or were sent to your room. Well, with mothers, so with God there is an imaginary container like a rain gauge and it's called, "Wrath" and once it is filled with willfully unrepentant and unremorseful sin, God has had enough and no one can say it's not fair or the people did not know better or were not warned. Just as we know our mother’s expectations and she gives us several warnings before she declares that she has had enough, so too with God, from the beginning people know His expectations (Torah) and through prophets and events ample warning and time to repent before God's Divine Wrath gauge is brimming to the top and about to overflow.

With the flood in Noah’s day, He gave people hundreds of years to repent and so too with many of the prophets, he gave pagan peoples more than enough time to repent and see the error of their ways, generations of time. So no one can say God is hasty and not fair. He is more than generous.

Nineveh of Jonah’s day was an example of a pagan people whom God gave plenty of time to repent and they did! Even through a reluctant prejudice messenger such as the prophet Jonah. 

So this is not divinely sanctioned genocide or ethnic cleansing, it's simply a God who has had enough and a wicked people who crossed the point of no return. Even an Infinite God has His limits and lines drawn in the sand no one should cross.

Though Scripture doesn't specifically say but, because I know what Scripture says about Holy YHWH's character, I can say with confidence certainly that these Canaanite Nations were not blindsided, but were given ample warning and time to repent.

Adonai will set the stage for these Canaanite Nations to fall and be destroyed and if Israel would be obedient from not relating to them in anyway (v.2-3). Adonai will use the scourge of Judgment and destruction upon these nations.

The verse used the word "charam" translated destroy and actually means exterminate. "What about the women and children!?" "How can God allow innocent women and children and even animals be killed!?" God isn't the one and Israel isn't the one doing the exterminating of the innocent. Then who is it!? The Canaanite Nations who knew better and yet continued to rebel without blushing or batting and eyelash and corrupted their children to be and do the same. Similarly to a drug addict who O.D.'s, it's not the heroines fault, it's not the drug pushers fault, it's not the addictions fault. It's the addicts fault. "What!? The addict can't help it!?" HE may be a slave to the addiction, but nothing is stopping him from seeking help for his addiction. And so nothing was stopping the Canaanite Nations from repenting. Continuing with their satanic and hedonistic religion and culture, they may not have wanted to admit their rebellious end. They may have actually have fooled themselves into believing they could overthrow God when in reality, like satan in denial, they knew their eventual end and the end of their women and children with them. The Canaanites themselves were alone are responsible for their own extermination and that of their own women and children.

Deut. 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

II Cor. 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Intermarriage without the Gentile spouse converting leads to Israelite assimilation into the pagan Gentile culture and the spiritual and genetic Israel will face slow extinction. Verse four confirms this.

This is sadly what happened to King Solomon when he married the myriad of gentile and pagan wives.

V.4 Unrepentant, smug and haughty Canaanite Nations were like a highly contagious fatal disease; a cancer that had to be cut out lest it irreparably infects the whole body. It is kill or be killed.

V.5 Like most diseases it can be transmitted through air or by touch and lest exotic remnants of such cultures remain like the forbidden fruit that is pleasing to the eye the temptation to get sucked in is too great and such artifacts and remnants of the culture needs to be destroyed as well. There is a mystic draw and allure to discover learn and try to revive a dead culture and religion. It is a case of curiosity killing the cat. It is a matter of the danger being guilty by association. It is like radioactivity, it corrupts and poisons objects around it and infects anyone who comes in contact with it.

Spiritually speaking, seducing spirits attach themselves to physical and usually ritual objects and can influence the possessor of such items and produce even poltergeist type activity. The spirit realm is nothing to mess with or take lightly.

Above all else, bottom line God said destroy it. Why? Because He said so and Father knows best. This verse should bring to mind the consequence of disobedience with the story of Akin and the lost campaign against Ai.

If verses 1-5 of Deuteronomy 7 is summed up by the question "Why?!" The verses 6-16 of that same chapter is the answer because....

V.6 We are holy, chosen and special:

- Holy; meaning selected and set apart for a specific purpose and use and meaning.
- Chosen; meaning to be selected to be tried and made distinguished.
- Special; meaning to be God's own private and prized possession.

This does not mean we are supreme or better than. This has absolutely nothing to do with racial supremacy. Because to be chosen, we (Israel), had to choose and so we did at Mount Sinai.

To say the Torah is only for the Jews is ridiculous. When the Torah was given, yes, it was given to B'ney Yisrael (The Children of Israel), but remember, there was the mixed multitude that went out with them during the Exodus. (Exodus 12:38) The mixed multitude was there when the Torah was given. And they, like Israel, agreed to obey and live by the Torah.

It is in my opinion (and some Sages will agree with me) that in the mixed multitude there was a representative from all the seventy nations of the world at that time. For everyone present, even the mixed multitude, said "Yes, we will obey!" (Ex. 19:8), Even BEFORE they heard all that was expected of them! Levi, who wasn't born yet, gave tithe to Melchizedek through Abraham (Heb. 7:1-5), so in like manner mankind agreed to obey the Torah through those ancestors who were at Sinai when the Torah was given. God does not have one rule book and or expectations for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. That is not what the Torah says (Exo. 12:49, Lev. 24:22, Num. 15:16. Acts 15:19-21).

We are Holy, Chosen and Special because we ourselves chose YHWH and Torah. We are Holy, Chosen and Special and used of God for His Honor and Glory.

V.7 God is on the side of the underdog, so HE and not man would get the glory and credit.


1 Cor. 1:27-29 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.


V.8 God chose (Israel) also because HE keeps all His promises and His end of the bargain, even when we don't. HE is faithful even when we are not. Before the Mosaic covenant there was the Adamic, Noahtic and Abrahamic Covenant and He has kept them all even when we drop the ball.

V.9-16 Just as because He keeps His covenant even when the party He engages in such a covenant doesn't, does not mean we don't have to reap the repercussions of our breech of Covenantal contract. Deut. 27-28 is all about Covenantal stipulations.

Obedience = Blessing and Life

Disobedience = Curses and Death

Simple as that.

Bottom line is that God is Holy, Good and Just and if He condemns a people group to extinction, you know that there is a Holy, Good and Just reason and purpose behind it. Divine Genocide doesn't sit right with us because again you have the Infinite and Omniscient Holy God trying to be understood and comprehended by finite, fallen man.

www.abrahamsdescendants.com

The Enochian Rapture

The Enochian Rapture

Kristopher Shoemaker – Yehudah ben Shomeyr

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. – Gen. 5:24

This is perhaps one of the most baffling and mysterious passages in the Bible. The obvious question on everyone’s mind is, “What does that verse really mean!?”

Well, let’s take a look at some more bizarre passages in the Bible, as well as some extra-biblical literature and see if we can possibly piece together the meaning of Genesis 5:24.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. – Gen. 6:1-4

The “sons of God” in this verse refer to heavenly beings, some call angels, others call “Watchers,” and or former members of God’s Divine Counsel. They rebelled against God, came to earth and had hybrid children with these human women, specifically the descendants of Ham; the Canaanites. Hence the reason God wanted all the Canaanites wiped out when Israel came in to conquer the land. Their DNA was corrupted and they were no longer fully human and therefore could not be redeemed by the coming of the future Messiah, for He was born of a human virgin women and not an angelic-human hybrid.  He came to redeem mankind, not fallen angels or their offspring.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day– Jude 1:6

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; - 2 Peter 2:4

Jude and Peter were quoting from the Book of Enoch (passages which I have quoted below). Enoch was read by and held in high esteem among the Jewish Believers of the first century.

The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven.  And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times.  And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated (even) for ten thousand years.'  And Uriel said to me: 'Here shall stand the angels who have connected themselves with women, and their spirits assuming many different forms are defiling mankind and shall lead them astray into sacrificing to demons as gods, (here shall they stand,) till the day of the great judgement in which they shall be judged till they are made an end of. And the women also of the angels who went astray shall become sirens.'  And I, Enoch, alone saw the vision, the ends of all things: and no man shall see as I have seen. – Enoch 18:14-19:3

“Stars of the Host of Heaven” is an idiom for these fallen heaven beings we are speaking of.

The word “hell” in 2 Peter 2:4 is the Greek word, “Tartarus” which is the Abyss that separates the two compartments of Sheol (hell/hades/grave/the underworld), one for the righteous dead and the other for the unrighteous dead which we see pictured in Yeshua’s story about Lazarus and the Rich Man. Abraham’s Bosom for the righteous and “hell” or in Hebrew “Gehenna” for the unrighteous. This Tartarus, this Abyss is where the rebellious fallen angels are imprisoned.  

It is believed that Enoch was sent by God to pronounce judgement upon these unrepentant, fallen heavenly beings who pawned themselves off as gods to the masses. After which it is believed that he was transfigured (like in I Cor. 15:51-54) and taken up alive by God into heaven before these fallen beings could retaliate against him and because his mission on earth was finished and God did not want to leave him behind for other fallen heavenly beings that had not been imprisoned and were still on the loose to get their revenge for their comrades by killing Enoch.

We see in the Apostolic Scriptures that Enoch returned to the very place he was supposedly was sent to pronounce judgement upon these fallen “sons of God.” For the place where these rebellious heavenly agents descended to earth when they fell was Mount Hermon, the same as the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17, Mark 9). By Yeshua and Enoch being on this mountain at that time sent a message to the fallen angels that were not imprisoned that their days were numbered and that He, Yeshua, had come to reclaim mankind from them and their influence and He was going to achieve this through obedience to the Law of God, which is why I believe Moses was present too.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. – Jude 1:14-15

And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. – Enoch 1:9

Here Jude cites Enoch in reference to Messiah’s final return and judgement upon fallen angels and mankind, ultimately fulfilling what He set out to do when He was transfigured upon Mount Hermon. Notice too, Jude quotes Enoch and equates the LORD with Yeshua!

www.abrahamsdescendants.com

The Naughty Nicolaitans

The Naughty Nicolaitans

Who were the Nicolaitans, why are they hated by Moshiach (Messiah) and do they exist today?

 

Revelation 2

 ¹Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
 ²I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
 ³And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
 ⁴Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
 ⁵Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
 ⁶But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
 ⁷He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

 ¹²And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
 ¹³I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
 ¹⁴But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
 ¹⁵So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
 ¹⁶Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
 ¹⁷He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

What I wish to focus on is vv. 6 and 15 regarding Yeshua’s words to the K’hilot (Congregation) of Ephesus and Pergamos regarding the historically shrouded and mysterious sect of the divinely despised Nicolaitans. Again I ask, who were the Nicolaitans, why are they hated by Moshiach and do they exist today?

In short, the Nicolatitans was a gentile movement to set false, oppressive and manipulative religious authority over the people to incorporate former pagan rites and practices especially those dealing with idolatry and sex into the religious life of Torah Observant gentile believer in Messiah Yeshua and to draw them away. The breakdown of the word, Nicolaitan means, Victory over the people or Conquering of the laity. It was a move of syncretism to blend the former religions of these gentiles into their new life as Torah Observant believers and as time passed till the modern day, lo and behold it worked, for modern day Christianity is full of paganistic practices that can be traced back to Rome and Babylon, such as the abandonment of the commanded High Holy Days of Leviticus 23 for pagan laden holidays such as Christmas and Easter. We see this blatantly in the papal church and covertly in the protestant version of the papacy.
Here is what some had to say regarding the Nicolaitans:

“Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned this group. Irenaeus discusses them but adds nothing to the Apocalypse except that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence." Tertullian refers to them, but apparently knows only what is found in St. John. Hippolytus of Rome based his narrative on Irenaeus, though he states that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect (Philosph., VII, xxvi). Clement of Alexandria exonerates Nicolas, and attributes the doctrine of promiscuity, which the sect claimed to have derived from him, to a malicious distortion of words harmless in themselves. Eusebius (H. E., III, xxix) said that the sect was short-lived.
The common statement, that the Nicolaitanes held the antinomian heresy of Corinth, seems not to have been proved.

Nicolaism (after Rev.2.6,14- 15) also commonly refers to the practice of clerical marriage, especially in rural areas of England, where it was generally accepted by the 11th century.” – Wikipedia, “Nicolaism”

“The doctrine of the Nicolaitans was mentioned in the Apocalypse of John to the churches of Pergamos and Ephesus of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2. It is a symbolic name of a party that represents the hierarchy of a ruling class over the rest of the people, developing a pecking order of fleshly leadership… The Early church father Iranaeus, identified the Nicolaitans in his treatise "Against Heresies" in the second century as they who are an "offshoot of the knowledge which is falsely so-called," mentioning that they "lead lives of unrestrained indulgence." There is no absolute proof that the heretic Nicolas was the Deacon of the same name from Antioch of the seven deacons in the book of Acts, but Iranaeus supposed him to be so. Ignatius mentions the Nicolaitans also, so there was in fact a heretical group existing at that time. Nicolas the deacon was perhaps confused with another Nicolas, the bishop Nicolas of Samaria who was a heretic in the company of Simon Magus.” “Nicolaitans” Jay Atkinson

 

“The Nicolaitans, therefore, were the early Christian-pagan syncretists, the false teachers that crept into the church, who disguised themselves as followers of Christ – who professed to be His ministers and servants – but who led the people astray. 

Peter wrote of them, saying, “But there were also false prophets among the people [such as Balaam], even as there will be FALSE TEACHERS among you, who will secretly bring in DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” – by the world around, which will paint all true Christians with the same brush-stroke, as being corrupt, immoral, and evil, because of the shenanigans and wicked works of these “Nicolaitans” or false Christians, false teachers who claim to represent Messiah and His truth (II Pet.2:1-2).

Peter goes on, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words” (v.2).  He says of them, that they “despise authority.  They are presumptuous, self-willed,” and like brutish beasts “speak evil of the things they do not understand” (verse10, 12).  “They are spots and blemishes [in the churches], carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you . . . They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.  They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, FOLLOWING THE WAY OF BALAAM the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (verses 13-15).

These are the ‘Nicolaitans.”  Halley’s Bible Handbook tells us of them, “Sexual vice was actually a part of heathen worship, and recognized as a proper thing in heathen festivals.  Priestesses of Diana and kindred deities were public prostitutes.  The thing had been a troublesome question for Gentile churches from the start. . . Meantime great multitudes of heathen had become Christians, and had carried some of their old ideas into their new religion. . . Naturally there were all sorts of attempts to harmonize these heathen practices with the Christian religion.  Many professing Christian teachers, claiming inspiration from God, were advocating the right to free participation in heathen immoralities.  In Ephesus, the Christian pastors, as a body, excluded such teachers.  But in Pergamum and Thyatira, while we are not to think that the main body of pastors held such teachings, yet they tolerated within their ranks those who did” (p.694).

Ancient Pergamos was a city where the worship of Zeus and Asclepios were endemic, whose symbol was a serpent entwined around a rod or staff.  It was a city where paganism and politics were closely entwined and allied.  Nicolaitan pressures were very strong in this city where pressures to “compromise” would have been very heavy.  – “Who are the “Nicolaitans”’ William F. Dankenbring

Interestingly enough in the book “The Golden Tradition” by Lucy S. Dawidowicz pgs. 29-30; it speaks about how in the 1800’s of Tsarist Russia there was what was called the Nicolaitan government who were followers of Nicolas I of Russia who tried to assimilate Jews and convert them to Christianity through forced education through state schools.

Besides fear and ignorance assimilation is the greatest enemy of the Torah Observant believer in Messiah in which we have to be on constant guard for.

Kris Shoemaker - Yehuah ben Shomeyr 

www.abrahamsdescendants.com 

The Circumcision of Moses’ Son

The Circumcision of Moses’ Son

The following is one of the most baffling passages in the Tanak. In it we question what really went on, what was it really all about and what could have it been to make God want to “kill” Moses over?!

Let us explore this text and see if we can’t get to the bottom of it.

Exodus 4:19-26 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Before one makes guesses and conjectures we should first seek out Extra-Biblical text upon the matter to see if that can clarify matters some.  

Jasher 78:9 And Zipporah conceived and bare a son and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I was a stranger in a foreign land; but he circumcised not his foreskin, at the command of Reuel his father-in-law.

The implications of Jasher hint that Moses would rather obey Jethro/Reuel his Father-in-Law and Priest of Midian on a religious matter rather than a domestic type matter. In other words Jethro/Reuel was listening to the Priest part of Jethro/Reuel and not the Father-in-Law part, and in doing so may have by default silently backed up the concept that some pagans had of their priests and leaders, that they were somehow part deity. We can reason by the use of the name Reuel in the text that Moses was listen to the priest and not the father. Jethro means “excellence” implying a Father’s advice is to be heeded, trusted and obeyed. Reuel on the other hand means Friend of El; El can be a generic name for any deity, it simply means god. Please note that this was before Jethro’s/Reuel’s conversion (Exodus 18:7-12). So By this passage it seems Moses’ faux pa in which God was angry enough to kill Moses was two fold:

1.    He obeyed man rather than G-d on a matter

2.    By doing so he silently affirmed the possible quasi-divine status Jethro/Reuel as a Midian Priest had.

By Moses deferring to Reuel, Priest of Midians advice, he was butting another deity before YHWH.

Next let us explore Rabbinical texts to see if we can come up with an answer. The Stone’s Tanak, quoting the Rabbinical commentators Rashi and Ran says this:

“As Moses set out for Egypt with his family, he faced a dilemma. Should he perform the circumcision and then take the child with him? – but the infant would be in danger for the first three days after the circumcision! Should he perform the circumcision and delay the trip for three days? – but God had commanded him to go! He decided to travel immediately [since the baby was already born when God commanded him to go]. Nevertheless, he was held culpable because, when they arrived at a inn, he began making arrangements for his lodging instead of performing the circumcision without delay (Rashi from Nedarim 31b-32a). Even though he would have resume his trip to Egypt after the circumcision, the inn was close enough to Egypt that the short trip would not endanger the child’s health (Ran, ibid).”

So by this we could argue that Moses compounded the problem in the eyes of YHWH by failing to put priorities in proper perspective. The command of circumcision preceded the command to go to Egypt.

Also only one of Moses' sons is mentioned here – not having been circumcised, we can assume the other was! Perhaps after Moses’ first son was born (Gershom: Soujourner) he, according to Hebraic tradition circumcised him and Reuel and Zipporah showed their disapproval and decided if another son was born that he would not be circumcised (Eliezer: God is helper). This would fit nicely with the Jasher passage and Zipporah’s reaction when she had to take a flint knife and circumcise her son on the fly because he husband was dying before her eyes.

Exodus 18:3-4 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

The names of Moses’ sons reveals the peace of obedience to God while finding a home in a new land and the second name reveals God’s help after obedience if followed through.

I believe that Moses did circumcise his firstborn according to the command of God, and Zipporah (not being an Israelite/Hebrew) – was appalled at the “bloody” act? As a result Zipporah gave Moses such a hard time over it that he didn't want to go through it again with his second son? If this is the way it went down God knew about the situation and was long suffering in waiting on Moses' to repent. Moses on the other hand may have hoped God would shut His eyes and turn the other way to the situation and not even bring the matter up.

The question still remains, was this worth killing Moses over?

" And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. " (Genesis 17:11-14)

Moses was head of his household, but God had also picked him to be head of the whole nation of Israel. Such a leader must do as God commands and not give into pressure of other religious leaders or family members. Moses was now going to make a decision; circumcise the boy or die! The question of how God manifested Himself to kill Moses? Was it in the form of a plague or in the form of the Angel of the LORD as had been done so many times before in Scripture? We do not know, but it is clear that the tangibles of someone or something compelled Zipporah to act fast, as if she could see Moses slipping away or was in immediate danger. Something made her quick to circumcise the boy before she loses her husband and then possibly next her son!

"So he [God] let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision." (Exodus 4:26)

I do not think she was angry by this, but in awe of it all by the power of Moses’ God and how He manifested Himself.

Why was circumcision worth killing Moses over? Because Moses would have been in breach of contract between his people and the Divine and by willingly and knowingly not circumcising his son he was in essence rejecting the covenant made between YHWH and the Hebrew people and the covenant specifically says such a person is to be cut off from his people.

" And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. " (Genesis 17:11-14)

Also, how could Moses rightly go to his people in Egypt and preach to them to obey the covenant between them and God when he himself neglected the ritual of how the pact was sealed; circumcision!?

Exodus 4:25-26 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Most believe that Zipporah took the foreskin of the circumcised boy and threw it at, and made it touch the feet of Moses along with mouthing her disgust while doing it. But I believe the Hebrew wording says otherwise.

It should be noted that according to the Hebrew text Zipporah referred to Moses as being to her, not a bloody husband but as a bridegroom of blood; this implies a new beginning in their relationship based upon the realization that Moses' God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was the one true God. The LORD 'let him alone' as a direct result of Zipporah's actions and she gives glory to God by declaring [to Moses] "You are a bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision." The Hebrew Bible ascribes the whole quote to Zipporah thus showing that she understood the significance of circumcision as the token of the Abrahamic covenant and its promises in Genesis 17:7-14. In other words, she converts and accepts the God of Abraham as Moses and his people understood Him rather than the Midian version of God along with the other sub-deities they worshiped.