Truth is Truth

 

In my efforts to follow the Almighty, I searched for the Hebraic roots of my Christian faith.  I started attending a Messianic/Jewish congregation.  I also read articles by various Pastors and Rabbis.  I had discussions with Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and Mormons.  What I discovered in this search is that truth is truth.  When you find it, it rings true in the depths of your heart and soul.  You can find it in many places.  None of us have a lock on all truth.  A person that believes that they completely understand God’s Word (The Bible) and have all truth is arrogant and is putting themselves above the Almighty.  This arrogance gets in the way of discovering real truth.  That is one of the reasons God hates pride and arrogance.  Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was arrogant and proud and refused to hear God’s words.  In contrast, Moses was described in the Bible as the most humble man that ever lived and he was able to hear God’s truth face to face.

Only God has ultimate truth.  Man and man’s systems are filled with delusion and lies.  The question each person needs to address is “Are we depending on God or Man?”  God desires us to search for Him and His truth as we walk through life on our individual spiritual journeys.  God has hidden Himself purposefully waiting for us to find Him.  He wants us to discover His truth and to set us free from the shackles of lies that we have been taught.  Following man’s ways are false and lead to destruction.

God is everywhere and in everything.  He is in his word, the Bible.  He is in the nature all around us.  He is in subtle messages in books and movies.  Absolutely everything in this world is His effort at speaking to us and bringing us to Himself.  Even the evil we encounter in everyday life is a tool God uses to help us return to Him.  We need to only open our eyes to see and our ears to hear God’s message. 

Rabbi Ariel bar Tzadok at www.koshertorah.com is a teacher that I learn lots from.  He often quotes a statement in the sci-fi movie Dune which says “The Sleeper must awaken!”  We have to wake up to God’s messages all around.  We must awaken from the slumber that man’s world of lies has infected us with.  As Rabbi Ariel says, it is only by observing God in everything as we spiritually travel within ourselves that we connect with the Almighty and His truth.

Shabbat Shalom, May your Sabbath be restful and filled with true peace that only God can give!

 

And the Children of Israel were Armed and Dangerous

“And the children of Israel were armed when they went up out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:18).  God was miraculously delivering them from the slavery of Egypt to freedom where they could worship God as He directed.  However, they would need weapons on their journey.  Weapons to fight enemies they encountered and defend themselves and their families.  Weapons were also needed to defeat the enemies of God in the Promised Land prior to taking possession of the land. 

Weapons are a necessary component to maintain freedom.  Without the ability to defend yourself, people are easily threatened, controlled and slaughtered.  World history is full of examples where tyrants disarmed the people because they feared the people and wanted to subjugate them.  You need only to look at Nazi Germany and China as examples.  The countries with the most guns are the most free.

The founding fathers of our country recognized that weapons were essential to maintain freedom.  They knew that governments throughout history that did not fear “We the People” would become tyrannical.  The views of the founding fathers are evident in the quotes below:

“Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” (American President James Madison)

 “The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." (American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton)

"One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms." (Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story 1840)

"Historical examination of the right to bear arms, from English antecedents to the drafting of the Second Amendment, bears proof that the right to bear arms has consistently been, and should still be, construed as an individual right."  (U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings, in U.S. vs. Emerson 1999)

The Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights states:  A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. 

Gun control is the big debate today as the ever growing and dominating federal government becomes tyrannical and seeks to regulate our weapons.  It seems that people pushing for gun control won’t listen to the facts.  They make statements like why do you need an assault weapon to kill a deer.  They totally miss our country’s history and the wording of the second amendment itself.  The right to keep and bear arms is not for hunting.  It is necessary for the security of a Free State.  Furthermore, when someone asks you to give them one good reason why you should have any gun, just say “My right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed!”  It is a God given right necessary for the preservation of freedom and is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.  Rights need not be justified to anybody!

As our country transitions into a modern Egypt with a modern Pharaoh, the tyranny will continue to strengthen.  When the Second Exodus occurs, hopefully we will be able to say as our ancient ancestors of the Bible did: “And the children of Israel were armed when they went up out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:18). 

A Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph

 
My friend OvadYah lives in Karnei Shomron in Israel.  I visited him in 2009 and toured much of what is referred to as the West Bank.  While I was there, OvadYah pointed out numerous times how the weekly Torah reading (Parshah) that Jews read and study often parallel world events.  The Jews have been following a set reading schedule that starts at Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) each year with the very first portion in Genesis.  This schedule is designed so that the entire Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) can be read each year.

In 2009 I heard of one striking example of how the Torah reading paralleled world events from Bill Cloud, a Hebraic Restoration teacher.  He noted that the Torah reading for the week of the Presidential Inauguration for President-elect Obama was Exodus 1:1 – 6:2.  There is an excellent commentary by Rabbi Ariel on this Torah portion at his website http://www.koshertorah.com/PDF/shemot2013.pdf .

As a short summary, this portion of scripture focuses on the arrival of a new Pharaoh over ancient Egypt who knew not Joseph.  This new Pharaoh either didn’t understand Joseph’s role in Egypt’s history or he did respect Joseph’s historical contribution to Egypt.  Pharaoh was concerned about God’s people, the Hebrews, being too powerful in Egypt and taking over ruler ship.  The first thing Pharaoh did was set up task masters to make things harder for them by taxing them.  Eventually he enslaved the Hebrews (which would likely have meant disarming them).  Next he tried to increase their mortality rate by killing babies born to the Hebrew women.

Those with eyes to see will notice that the parallels are striking to what we are seeing happening in our country.  Taxes are increasing.  We are surrendering our freedoms willingly for the sake of peace and security.  We serve our government task masters by paying more taxes to the ever expanding federal government.  Gun control is being aggressively pushed to disarm us since our rulers fear us Bible believing, gun toting folks.  And we are transitioning into Obamacare which will work to increase death rates with death panels and government funded abortions.  Just as King Solomon observed thousands of years ago, there is nothing new under the sun.  When evil grows it uses different personages but with the same old techniques and approaches. 

So what lies ahead for us?  If we continue to follow the Biblical narrative we can see where we as a country are headed.  Our country will be experience plagues (judgments) sent by God.  Our freedoms will continue to erode the more government takes over and we will become more enslaved.  Our country will transition into a place that doesn’t even resemble the place we grew up in.  I already hear my friends and neighbors expressing fear for what is happening and wondering where they can go to maintain their freedoms as the choice is very limited. 

As I stated in my very first blog, we don’t need a George Washington to fix our country.  We need a Moses to lead us out as we follow God in the Second Exodus of His people back to Greater Israel.  I believe that is where this is all headed.  That is the reason that I started this blog.  Everyone seems to be asleep as to what is going on.  Again, the Sleeper must awaken!  I pray that the words of this blog will stir the slumber and help folks see with the eyes and hear with their ears what God is doing.

The prophets of old were clear in the scriptures.  God will establish His people in His land for His Glory!  Are you among God’s people?  Jewish teaching is that only about 20 % of the Hebrews left ancient Egypt with Moses.  The other 80 % chose to stay where they were accustomed to living even under what became harsh circumstances.  The choice is coming soon and the decision is yours.  Choose wisely!  God is watching and waiting for signs that we are awake!

The Evil that is quickly coming upon us

 

Some of God’s people in America are awake and see the Evil that is coming upon our country.  However, most people are still asleep.  Half of people of the US have their faith not in God, but in man.  They demonstrated this lack of faith in God by re-electing our current president and his philosophy of a government big enough to take care of everyone’s needs.  Personal responsibility and freedom are quickly disappearing.  Our citizens are willingly giving up their rights for the promise of Peace and Security. 

This is the path to destruction for all those that follow man’s delusion and lies instead of God’s truth.    We all have a choice:  Do we follow after man or do we follow after God?  In making this choice, the country is becoming more polarized as the sheep and goats are being separated for harvest.  It is all part of the preparation for God’s judgment.  A time when evil will vanish and the righteous sheep will remain.

As Rabbi Ariel at www.kosehertorah.com says “The Sleeper must awaken!”  We must open our eyes from our slumber and “Choose wisely” the path that we take.  Eternity lies in the balance.  Pay attention to God’s voice.  Learn how to recognize it and let it direct your path now so that you will be able to follow God’s directions in the difficulties that lie ahead.  If you live in a blue state that embraces the progressive, liberal agenda, be prepared for God’s judgment all around you.  Flee from the big cities to rural areas when things start going from bad to worse.

Those stricken with judgment will explain it away, but those that see the Hand of God will know the truth.  God is in nature and uses it for His purposes.  Those blind to God and His truth will not recognize judgment when it arrives.  Listen to God’s words and then see with your eyes and hear with your ears what the Almighty is doing!

Unity is the Key to Establishing Greater Israel

 

Our Israelite ancestors of the bible had no idea how God would get them to the Promised Land.  They had a human messiah in Moses who was God’s spokesman and they followed the presence of God as He led them through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.  The presence of God and his spokesman Moses worked in tandem to lead the Israelites since God spoke to Moses face to face (i.e. mind to mind).  They knew that they were leaving slavery and heading for freedom where they could serve the Almighty as He directed.  How they got to their destination was up to God.  All they had to do was obediently follow Him.

All the tribes of Israel along with a mixed multitude of non-Israelites left Egypt.  As with any group of people, there were differences among the families and tribes.  Differences and even arguments over who was God’s anointed leader.  They had to work through those differences.  It was only by connecting with God to seek His truth, could they discern things.  Their focus had to be first and foremost on the Almighty.  If they focused on people and/or the circumstances they faced, they would quickly loose the vision of the promise that God was trying to instill in them.  It was their love for God and the vision He had established in their hearts and minds that kept them going in the correct direction even with all their differences and disagreements.

Today our vision is for God to establish His kingdom on earth again with His Messiah and bring everlasting peace with His presence.  This is the same vision that our ancestors had in Moses’ time.  The key to making this vision a reality is love and unity.  As a father, I see all my children on their own spiritual paths.  They are all learning and are at different stages in their learning.  What I desire is for them to always question and seek truth.  I also desire that they not argue over perceived differences in that truth.  I want them to treat each other with respect and discuss their differences with openness and love.  Only by doing that will the family unity be maintained and the bonds of love strengthened as they continue on their individual paths.  Ultimately, love and truth are the outcomes of this process.  I believe that God desires the same for us as His children.  Our heads are filled with delusions and lies that are fruitless to argue over.  God wants us to love Him and each other as we walk our individual paths together toward Him and truth.  If we love God with all our hearts, there can be no room to hate our brothers.  If we hate our bothers, one can only conclude that we do not love God with all our hearts.  Reconciliation and return of all the tribes of Israel to restore the Kingdom of God depends on our love for God and for our brothers and sisters.  God’s true people are identified by His love.

Greater Israel is the Final Solution

God’s ultimate plan is to establish all the tribes of Israel back into the land that He promised Abraham. The promise went from the Nile in Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River in modern day Iraq. It is what I would call God’s “One State Solution” in contrast to the world’s desire for a “Two State Solution”. God brought the tribe of Judah (the Jews) back into the land to prepare the way for the returning exiles (the lost 10 tribes along with the rest of Judah). According to scripture, the messiah’s role is to gather the lost 10 tribes and bring them back to the land promised to Abraham. The end result will be the Restored and United Kingdom of God that includes all the tribes of Israel. This is taught in both Judaism and Christianity.

In looking at the big picture, these two religious groups only differ on who the Messiah is. Christians believe the Messiah to be the paganized Yashua who is today called Jesus. Most Jews reject that view. However, Jews do teach of 2 messiahs. The Messiah son of Joseph starts the kingdom restoration work and then dies for his people while the Messiah son of David brings the lost 10 tribes back to the Promised Land to complete the restoration of the kingdom.

A look at historical events in conjunction with the modern day phenomenon of Hebraic restoration seems to indicate that Jesus (Yashua) was the Messiah son of Joseph that God used to reach out to the lost tribes and bring them back to Himself and His Torah. A segment of Christians have been awakened to a love for Torah and the Jewish people. Many even have an intense desire to return to Israel and be accepted by Judah. However, they are many obstacles in the way of God’s two great houses (Israel and Judah) reconciling. Returning 10 tribers are lame to walking the path of Torah while Judah is blinded to the role of the Christian messiah in bringing the lost sheep of Israel back to God and Torah. The only thing that will bridge these differences is the love of God and the love of brothers one for another. All the brothers need to love God and love one another enough to put their theological differences aside. Love is the key that will establish Greater Israel (God’s Kingdom) and implement the final solution for peace! If God’s people don’t make progress towards reconciliation, then the evil in the world will continue to grow and eventually force His people to come together.

The Lost 10 Tribes of Israel

I was searching for commentary on Ezekiel Chapter 37 about the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph being brought together as one stick by the hand of the Almighty and came upon some interesting websites related to the Two Houses of God’s people the Israelites.  In the Bible God refers to His two families.  He calls one the House of Israel and the other the House of Judah.  After King Solomon’s reign the United Kingdom of Israel was split into two kingdoms.  The northern kingdom was called Israel and consisted of the northern 10 tribes of which Ephraim and Manasseh were the most numerous.  The southern kingdom was called Judah and consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  Both kingdoms rebelled against God and were exiled.  However, the Northern Kingdom (House of Israel) was conquered and exiled by the Assyrians in 721 BCE to the Caucus Mountains, lost their identity, and never returned.  The southern kingdom (House of Judah) was exiled in 587 BCE to Babylon and was able to return after 70 years to the Promised Land.  The House of Judah is the Jews of today.  Ezekiel 37 is talking about bringing the lost 10 tribes back to the Promised Land to reconcile and reunite with the House of Judah during the end times in order to establish the promised Kingdom of God.

 

In order for that to happen, the Lost 10 Tribes will need to be awakened to who they are and return to God and the Promised Land.  I came across 2 websites that have traced the Lost 10 Tribes migrations and identified who they are at present.  One website is by Steve Collins, a Christian researcher in the USA and the other by Yair Davidiy, an Orthodox Jewish researcher in Israel.  What is interesting is that they didn’t even know each other and their research and conclusions are almost identical.  Steve’s website is http://stevencollins.com while Yair’s is http://britam.org .  There is lots of great information on each website and each has authored multiple books on the subject.  What got me really excited is that they trace the Lost 10 Tribes to be predominately in the West.  They identify Ephraim as being located in Great Britain and Manasseh as being located in the USA.  They don’t claim everyone in those areas is descendants of the Lost 10 Tribes, but that there are elements of them concentrated in those countries.  They use Biblical proofs, history, and archeology to back up their claims.

 

One of the reasons this got me so excited is that it matches what one of my ancestors believed.  His name was George Duffield and I am an eighth generation direct descendant of his.  George was a Presbyterian minister to the first Continental Congress and was instrumental in the founding of the USA.  In his one published sermon which was delivered on December 11, 1783, he stated that America was Israel re-gathered and had a divine purpose from God.  He also believed that eventually the Jews (Judah) would return to the Promised Land and would have their own country.  He based this on his understanding of Bible prophecy.

The Hebraic restoration movement among evangelical Christians is the modern phenomenon of the lost 10 tribes waking up to who they are.  They have an intense desire to return to God and his Word, the Torah.  They realize that they have been taught lies in their Chirstian religions which orignially were based in Judaism and then became paganized over time.