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Post by John on Aug 9, 2018 5:00:21 GMT -5
One of my first realizations of the "easter" (ishtar) deception was in 2006 when my family and I were still members of a cult church (with a "Christian" front). I had missed the easter sunrise service, which was like the unpardonable sin to them. When my children and I showed up for (parochial) school on Monday morning where I taught and my children attended, one of the ladies asked why I missed the easter sunrise service the previous morning. I don't really remember what my reply was, but was something along the lines of not feeling well. She said, "Oh! ... because last year when you didn't attend, I asked you and you became angry and said that you stayed home because easter is a pagan holiday and you had to protect your kids!" I had NO memory of that whatsoever, and it wasn't even something in my conscious knowledge bank. What I learned is that an alter personality (formerly, a cult-used alter) was the one who was making sure we didn't participate in this pagan/occultic practice, and was protecting our children from being subjected to any ritual activity. I don't know how many years we missed these "easter sunrise" services before I became aware of it. It was around that time that I began to get more memories of SRA... precisely, because of brave alters who were going against the cult, causing breaches in the amnesic barriers (dissociation) that kept me from the knowledge of what was going on in secret. You can lead a moose to water, but you can't make him see.. Good people will fight tooth and nail to support their Ishtar times. Sad really that there are so few scholars around. It is all there in black and white to the person that really wishes to know. Sadly, the Roman-Reformed ideas that are riddled with devilish ideas still permeate the assemblies. Paul (Saul) taught from the Tanach on the Sabbath. Any Israeli will instantly recognize the connections and will NOT say the feasts are no longer of use to us Christians. Anything established by the Lord God is to be taken seriously. Even Paul (Saul) wished to spend Passover with friends and family - looks like Passover was still to be observed along with the Sabbath days. Then the Ten Commandments will be turned in to ten suggestions - especially the 4th which was neatly annulled by the Roman-Reformed church. They even bragged about this!! Anyone wishing to know more may ask me or study the wealth of information available. Since it is not my battle, I will leave it up to the Lord High God to enlighten further those that really would rather argue their second-hand position than face the truth. I have stated what I should and will generally now desist from the subject. Just know that if you clam to be 'spirit led' yet hold to erroneous doctrines, your witness might suffer. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, OR OF THE SABBATH DAYS, Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:16,17 Paul was a Jew that became a Christian, and he still would observe things that were never commanded for the church to observe. We can observe them if we want to. I am not to judge those that do so, but I am not required to observe them. Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath in order to witness, but Christian services were on Sunday, the Lord's Day. If you want to convince me that you are right, you have to show me in the KJV Bible where Christians are told to observe the Passover and the Sabbath days. I don't even believe Christians that have a Jewish blood line are commanded to observe these things today, even though many do.
Here is my question to you. Why is it you feel this is such an important issue, that we believe Jesus rose on Saturday? Do you observe the Passover as you say Paul did and do you observe all the Sabbaths?
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Post by justinadams on Aug 9, 2018 5:16:53 GMT -5
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are from the King James Version. Paul warns against Gnostic practices. [NOTE: It is important that Colossians 2:16-17 be examined within its context, which includes not only the surrounding verses of the second chapter, but the entire book as well.]
Colossians 2:16-17 generates far more controversy and misunderstanding than it deserves. In essence, Paul is saying in verse 16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days” (KJV). In fact, the word “judge” is the Greek verb krino, which means to decree, judge, decide, condemn, and criticize. The Revised Standard offers the translation, “Let no one pass judgment on you.” And verse 18 begins, “Let no one disqualify you.”
Before we fully identity the issue and the problem of verses 16 and 17, let’s note verses 20 and 21, for these latter verses help to make it a little clearer. In verses 20 and 21, the Colossians are warned against submitting to religious regulations related to touch, taste and handling. These regulations are based on human precepts which have “an appearance of wisdom” concerning ascetic practices (“self-abasement and severity to the body”), but in actuality “are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh” (verse 23, RSV). These regulations, which Paul advises the Colossians to let no one judge them in, are not referring to God-given commandments as found in Scripture. Rather they represent a human distortion and mixture of Judaism with pre-Gnostic elements. As Edward Loshe in his commentary on Colossians and Philemon says: In the context of Colossians, however, the command to keep festival, new moon and sabbath is not based on the Torah according to which Israel received the sabbath as a sign of her election from among the nations. Rather the sacred days must be kept for the sake of “the elements of the universe (2:8),” who direct the course of the stars and thus also prescribe minutely the order of the calendar. Verse 16 now: Three basic explanations for the phrase in verse 16, “in meat, or in drink,” are usually given. They are: (1) meat and drink offerings; (2) clean and unclean meat laws; (3) ascetic, Gnostic-like practices. It is the latter of these three with which Paul is concerned. Let’s rephrase the issue of verse 16. The brethren should not permit others to dictate to them petty rules regarding dieting and worship. Ascetic practices, such as those of the Essenes, were the focus. These ascetics practiced self-abasement, abstaining from eating and drinking on special days, such as festival sabbaths, new moon sabbaths, and even weekly sabbaths. It isn’t meat and drink offerings that are being targeted. The word offering never appears in the text. In fact, the word for meat in the Greek is a form of brosis. Brosis denotes “eating” and is the same word used in Matthew 6:19-20 as “rust,” referring to “consuming” or “eating up.” So the issue concerns the consuming of food, in contrast to fasting as a form of self-abasement. Some would disagree with this position, contending that the meat and drink are meat and drink offerings as part of the festival days mentioned. The text does not allow that, since literally the words are “in eating and in drinking OR in respect of a feast.” Again, keep in mind that the word “offering” does not appear, which Paul easily could have, and likely would have, included were that his intention. Meat and drink offerings were not a form of eating and drinking, but were forms of sacrificing. “Meat offerings” in actual fact were grain offerings, not animal sacrifices (see Leviticus 2). Neither is “meat or drink” a likely reference to the issue of clean and unclean meats, because of the presence of the word, “drink.” What dietary restriction was there in the clean and unclean laws concerning drink? The obvious answer is none. On the basis that the fullness of Christ has abolished the record of the believers’ sins (“handwriting of ordinances,” verse 14), Paul says the brethren should not allow themselves to come under the condemnation of those who would enjoin ascetic practices on the believers in terms of abstaining from eating and drinking and in relation to the ritualistic observance of festival, new moon and weekly sabbaths. How do we know that this is what Paul is referring to in the latter part of verse 16? How can we be sure of the real issue? First, the problem Paul is concerned with is not what days are being identified here, but rather how or for what purpose they are being observed. Again, the concerns are ascetic practices and ritualistic observances which represent a distortion of true Christian worship. Paul is telling the Colossians that, if they were to practice ritualism and asceticism as essential — which was the doctrine being enjoined on them — the Colossians were missing out on the reality of Jesus Christ, who had already freed them from the necessity of human works as a means of endearing themselves to the Eternal (cf. Colossians 2:8-10). If we take the position that it is not which days are being observed that is the issue, but how or to what end they are being observed, then it does not matter that the weekly sabbath is included here, which it in fact is. [The term “sabbath” does not refer to yearly festival sabbaths, as some propose, because the order of “holyday, new moon, and sabbath days” indicates annual, monthly and weekly observances (cf. Hoses 2:11; Ezekiel 45:17). Furthermore, Paul’s use of the term “holy day” already includes yearly ceremonial sabbaths. To have the word “sabbath” refer to annual festivals would be needless repetition.] But what about verse 17? Is it not a disclaimer to the practice of these days altogether, since it mentions that they “are a shadow of things to [or, “which have”] come?” This is a good point. And, we need to understand what verse 17 is talking about. The “shadow of things to come” is in complete contrast to the “reality” or “substance” which is in Christ himself. The Greek word for “shadow” here is skia, which is the opposite of “substance” (soma in the Greek). The shadow is “a sketch, outline, adumbration, an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object.” Now that we have defined the word shadow, let’s look at what Paul is declaring to be the shadow or outline. Once again, we must focus on the issue, that is, the false practices being enjoined upon the Colossians in regard to festivals, new moons and sabbath days. Those days of themselves are meaningless; without their special appointments, they simply would be another day of the week, month or year. The events and observances on those days are what gave them special significance over other days of the calendar. Thus, the ascetic, self-abasing practices and ritualistic observances that were being enjoined on the Colossians as ways of proving themselves before God never would measure up to the reality which was in Christ himself. Those practices at best could only amount to a shadow or a sketch of the meaning of the life in Christ. So the PRACTICE of these superstitious things (self-abasement, etc.) would not get the Colossians closer to God. Paul maintains that such observances are not salvific or meritorious. The reality is that salvation is through Christ; therefore, the observance of days (or any other rituals) cannot bring us any closer to God. Their meaning can only be found in seeing Christ as the only means to righteousness. Paul countered any practice which focused on works-righteousness, rather than on the principle of faith in Christ alone as taught in the Gospel. How then does this interpretation affect Sabbath keeping today? When one understands that Paul is addressing Gnostic-like perversions of the Gospel in connection with times observed in honor of angels (verse 18), then one can see that the issue of whether or not Christians should observe the seventh-day Sabbath is not even being discussed. At issue is not whether these days should be observed, but the manner and motive in which they were being observed. The validity of Sabbath observance must be determined on the basis of other texts. Colossians 2:16 alone cannot serve as a determining factor. Paul’s condemnation of the heretical views about the Sabbath, no more condemns all Sabbath keeping, any more than his condemnation of the heretical views about eating and drinking condemns all eating and drinking. Only when Sabbath observance is linked with man-made rules about asceticism, angel worship, works-righteousness, or perverted Judaism does it become unacceptable.
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Post by John on Aug 9, 2018 5:42:44 GMT -5
There is no problem with a person choosing to observe the Sabbath, or even the Passover if you wish. We are not required to. There is no way you can prove gnostic beliefs were on the mind of Paul when he wrote this epistle. Nobody would come to your conclusions simply reading the Bible.
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Post by justinadams on Aug 9, 2018 5:46:41 GMT -5
The 'lord's day' was never instituted by Christians. Sabbath was the only day the early Christians recognized and unfortunately, this is where all the diabolical stuff begins. It is a truly Epic distortion that boggles the mind and has been very, very well accomplished throughout the ages. I see the tendrils of this spreading down thru the ages, carrying with it the underlying anti-Semitic thread that has corrupted so much in its path. It is a difficult thread to unravel, but it is there and bit by bit we see and feel its consequences. The Roman-Reformed early dictates changed the Sabbath to a monday (SUN-day). There is a wealth of early writings to support this, though some have been 're-written' by the early scribes that towed the line. Why did the Roman Catholic Church change the Ten Commandments written in the Bible? They took away the second commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” God prohibited idolatry through the commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below, and you shall not bow down to them or worship them.” However, the Catholic Church set up cross images, and made and worshiped Mary and Saints statues. They have a doctrine that contradicts the commandment, “You shall not make idols.” In the eyes of the Catholic Church, the 2nd commandment was a prickly one. After all, they took away the 2nd commandment. They also changed the 4th commandment from “Keep the Sabbath day” to “Keep the Lord’s Day.” If the Sabbath were the same day with Sunday which is called the “Lord’s Day,” they would not have changed it to “Keep the Lord’s Day.” The Roman Catholic Church introduced the Sunday service into the church. They had no choice but to change the Ten Commandments in order to stick to the day of sun-worship. The 10th commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house,” includes “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” However, the number of the Ten Commandments reduced to 9 because the 2nd commandment was abolished. So the Catholic Church divided by force the 10th commandment into two: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.” The reason the Catholic Church changed the Ten Commandments is because they violated squarely the Ten Commandments, the Word of God. The right faith is that they correct their behaviors if they are against the words of God. For this, we look at the Word of God. But, the Roman Catholic Church changed the Word of God when they found their acts deviated from the Word of God. The Bible says that the one who will speak against God will change the laws of God. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws [GNT: their religious laws and festivals]. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25) According to the prophecy of the prophet Daniel, the Catholic Church changed and abolished the new covenant established by Jesus, and even revised the Ten Commandments. The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), established by Christ Ahnsahnghong, is carrying out the last Religious Reformation by restoring the laws of God such as the Sabbath day and the Passover of the New Covenant. References: The Identity of the Roman Catholic Church revealed through the Prophecy of Daniel — Part 1 The Identity of the Roman Catholic Church revealed through the Prophecy of Daniel — Part 2 The Prophecy of Revelation Chapter 13 and the Identity of the Catholic Church The Identity of the Catholic Church and Protestant Churches Prophesied in Revelation Chapter 17 The Prophecy of Revelation Chapter 18 – Come out of Babylon without hesitation, my people mygodchristahnsahnghong.com/2013/04/the-roman-catholic-church-changed-the-ten-commandments/WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH TO SUNDAY? There can be no doubt that Christ, His disciples, and the first-century Christians kept Saturday, the seventh-day Sabbath. Yet, today, most of the Christian professing world keeps Sunday, the first day of the week, calling it the Sabbath. Who made this change, and how did it occur? No serious student of the Scriptures can deny that God instituted the Sabbath at creation and designated the seventh day to be kept holy. “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3). It was later codified as the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8–11). The Word of God makes it expressly clear that Sabbath observance is a special sign or “mark” between God and His people. There is also no uncertainty that Christ, His disciples, and the first-century Christians kept the seventh-day Sabbath as commanded—the day we now call “Saturday” (Mark 2:28; Luke 4:16). Is There Any Biblical Support for Sunday Observance? There is absolutely no New Testament text stating that God, Jesus, or the apostles changed the Sabbath to Sunday—not a text, not a word, not even a hint or suggestion. If there were, those chapters and verses would be loudly heralded by Sabbath opposers. Had Paul or any other apostle taught a change from Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week, an absolute firestorm of protest would have arisen from conservative Jewish Christians. The Pharisees and scribes would have insisted that Paul or any other person even suggesting such a thing be stoned to death for the sin of Sabbath-breaking. This would have been a much larger issue than the controversy over circumcision! The self-righteous Pharisees had already falsely accused Christ of breaking the Sabbath because He violated the added man-made rules and traditions they placed upon the Sabbath (Mark 2:24). The total absence of any such controversy over a change in the day of worship is one of the best evidences showing the apostles and other New Testament Christians did not change the day. On the contrary, we have a record of many Sabbaths that Paul and his traveling companions kept long after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Read of them in your own Bible in Acts 13:14, 27, 42–44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; and 18:4. Acts 13:42–44 is especially significant in that Paul and Barnabas, when speaking at a Jewish synagogue, were invited to speak again the next Sabbath. This would have been Paul’s golden opportunity to tell the people to meet with him the next day rather than waiting a whole week for the Sabbath. But, “on the next Sabbath almost the whole city [Jews and Gentiles alike] gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” Yet today, most of the Christian professing world keeps Sunday, the first day of the week, calling it the Sabbath. The question arises then, who changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and how did it occur? The answer may amaze you! Biblical Testimony The New Testament plainly shows we are to continue keeping the commandments (Mathew 5:17–18; 19:17; 28:20)—all ten of them. Where, then, do men get the “authority” to change the Fourth Commandment by substituting Sunday for the original Sabbath Christ and the apostles kept? The Bible prophesied many centuries earlier that the time would come when men would think to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25). Many Bible prophecies are “dual” in nature—that is, they have a type and antitype, an earlier and a later fulfillment. Though speaking specifically of the soon-coming antichrist, we can see the forerunner type documented in history. The Watering Down of the Sabbath in the First 300 Years The Christians during the apostolic era, from about 35 to 100 A.D., kept Sabbath on the designated seventh day of the week. For the first 300 years of Christian history, when the Roman emperors regarded themselves as gods, Christianity became an “illegal religion,” and God’s people were scattered abroad (Acts 8:1). Judaism, however, was regarded at that time as “legal,” as long as they obeyed Roman laws. Thus, during the apostolic era, Christians found it convenient to let the Roman authorities think of them as Jews, which gained them legitimacy with the Roman government. However, when the Jews rebelled against Rome, the Romans put down their rebellion by destroying Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and again in A.D. 135. Obviously, the Roman government’s suppression of the Jews made it increasingly uncomfortable for Christians to be thought of as Jewish. At that time, Sunday was the rest day of the Roman Empire, whose religion was Mithraism, a form of sun worship. Since Sabbath observance is visible to others, some Christians in the early second century sought to distance themselves from Judaism by observing a different day, thus “blending in” to the society around them. During the Empire-wide Christian persecutions under Nero, Maximin, Diocletian, and Galerius, Sabbath-keeping Christians were hunted down, tortured, and, for sport, often used for entertainment in the Colisseum. Constantine Made Sunday a Civil Rest Day ThinkstockPhotos-497565994.jpg When Emperor Constantine I—a pagan sun-worshipper—came to power in A.D. 313, he legalized Christianity and made the first Sunday-keeping law. His infamous Sunday enforcement law of March 7, A.D. 321, reads as follows: “On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.” (Codex Justinianus 3.12.3, trans. Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, 5th ed. (New York, 1902), 3:380, note 1.) The Sunday law was officially confirmed by the Roman Papacy. The Council of Laodicea in A.D. 364 decreed, “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday but shall work on that day; but the Lord’s day they shall especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ” (Strand, op. cit., citing Charles J. Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church, 2 [Edinburgh, 1876] 316). Cardinal Gibbons, in Faith of Our Fathers, 92nd ed., p. 89, freely admits, “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we [the Catholic Church] never sanctify.” Again, “The Catholic Church, … by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday” (The Catholic Mirror, official publication of James Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893). “Protestants do not realize that by observing Sunday, they accept the authority of the spokesperson of the Church, the Pope” (Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950). “Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [Saturday Sabbath to Sunday] was her act... And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things” (H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons). “Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact” (Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1, 1923). What a shocking admission! A Prophecy Come to Pass! At this point we need to note an amazing prophecy. Daniel 7:25 foretold, “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws.” Quoting Daniel 7:25, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible says: “He shall speak great words against the Most High] Literally, Sermones quasi Deus loquetur; “He shall speak as if he were God.” So Jerome quotes from Symmachus. To none can this apply so well or so fully as to the popes of Rome. They have assumed infallibility, which belongs only to God. They profess to forgive sins, which belongs only to God. They profess to open and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth, which belongs only to God. And they go beyond God in pretending to loose whole nations from their oath of allegiance to their kings, when such kings do not please them! And they go against God when they give indulgences for sin. This is the worst of all blasphemies! And shall wear out the saints] By wars, crusades, massacres, inquisitions, and persecutions of all kinds. What in this way have they not done against all those who have protested against their innovations, and refused to submit to their idolatrous worship? Witness the exterminating crusades published against the Waldenses and Albigenses. Witness John Huss, and Jerome of Prague. Witness the Smithfield fires in England! Witness God and man against this bloody, persecuting, ruthless, and impure Church! And think to change times and laws] Appointing fasts and feasts; canonizing persons whom he chooses to call saints; granting pardons and indulgences for sins; instituting new modes of worship utterly unknown to the Christian Church; new articles of faith; new rules of practice; and reversing, with pleasure, the laws both of God and man.–Dodd” (Emphasis his; Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, Volume IV, p. 594). Who Changed the Sabbath to Sunday? Your Bible says, “But in vain [uselessness] they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7). Further, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word [the Bible], it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). “Prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the Catholic Church alone. The Catholic Church says, by my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the Holy Catholic Church” (Thomas Enright, CSSR, President, Redemptorist College [Roman Catholic], Kansas City, MO, Feb. 18, 1884). “The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ. The Pope has authority and has often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ” (Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop). It is a matter of Biblical and secular history that God never changed His holy Sabbath or transferred its solemnity to Sunday. Who did? Rome, in concert with the Roman Catholic Church, changed Sabbath to Sunday!
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Post by John on Aug 9, 2018 6:22:05 GMT -5
We are in agreement on one point, God didn't change the Sabbath to Sunday, neither are we required to rest on the first day of the week. Christians aren't required to observe any calendar day of rest. We entered into the Lord's rest when we ceased from our own labors and put our trust in Christ, according to Hebrews. The Jews continued to meet on Saturday, and Christian services took place on Sunday. Many in the early church attended both meetings. John references The Lord's Day in Revelation, and in an early Christian writing called the Didache it is made mention of.
The RCC promotes all kinds of abominations and I do not defend their perverting of the Christian faith.
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PG4Him
Senior Member
Essay Moderator
Posts: 3,570
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Post by PG4Him on Aug 9, 2018 8:09:49 GMT -5
I'm really getting tired of the insinuations spread about this group that we've all been had by those rascally Catholics until this very moment, that we're willing participants in a mob that suppresses the truth, that our Christian experience at this very moment is colored by demonic deceptions, and that our witness shall suffer in this world because we're worshipping a false idea of Jesus. It seems that we must constantly accept the next "red pill" that comes along, never safe from papal clutches, never at the end of the goalpost.
Easter was not commissioned as a holiday in Scripture. Jesus never told us to celebrate the anniversary of His resurrection. He didn't tell us to celebrate His human birthday, either. I believe the exact date of His human birth was kept out of the gospels because we don't need to know it. You won't get any argument from me about a biblical case for Easter. But we need not attack the modern canon to see this. Anyone who reads a modern mainstream Bible with an open mind would realize there's no Easter commission.
Anyone who reads a modern Bible with an open mind would see that Jesus probably died before Friday. I reached that conclusion myself when I first began to study the Bible at 17. No need for ancient relics or Greek linguistics. The KJV itself can lead us to the same conclusion. Attacking the KJV for something it doesn't even say is not helpful.
It would be awesome if we could have a collaborative discussion about these things to dissect the Bible together. But I have to wonder. Is the goal to strive for a better understanding of Scripture, or is it to push us toward another canonical red pill that makes us question everything we know about God?
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Post by John on Aug 9, 2018 9:54:04 GMT -5
Perhaps a good way to start would be to stop arguing over things nobody here believes. It seems we all accept Jesus wasn't crucified on Friday. The Bible never says the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. We are not told to observe Easter or any other holiday in the Bible. Nobody I know of wants to bring back blue laws. We all recognize the RCC promotes the worshipping of idols, and we do not approve. If anyone wishes to disagree with me about any of these things, feel free.
Where I disagree with Justin is I do believe the early church did meet on Sunday and considered it "The Lord's Day." I do not believe anyone changed Sunday to the Sabbath for Christians. Many Christians would go to the Jewish Synagogue on Saturday and to Christian services on Sunday. It was not a command. It was convenient. I hold to the Protestant canon, and trust the KJV Bible as fully reliable. I don't believe we are required to observe any calendar day as the Sabbath and I don't believe we must observe the Passover, but if someone wants to do either or both, that is fine. I don't see a lot of Catholicism here.
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Post by tlsitd on Aug 9, 2018 10:38:41 GMT -5
It would be awesome if we could have a collaborative discussion about these things to dissect the Bible together. But I have to wonder. Is the goal to strive for a better understanding of Scripture, or is it to push us toward another canonical red pill that makes us question everything we know about God? Yes, that is a very good question, sister. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. We must all be careful to discern which side information that is being presented to us is coming from, by the light of what the Scriptures say about God's nature and character, His desires, and His will for us. Christians are on a spiritual battlefield, and we should never forget this fact, even in Christian company. As much as possible, we must see with the Lord's eyes and listen with His ears, and not just with our own, and ask Him to help us to do this. I don't believe that everyone who does the devil's work knows that he or she is being used by the enemy; many do not. But the fact remains, even true Christians can unwittingly be used by demons to deceive, divide, and cause confusion, which is what demons do---to the end of leading astray and destroying saints. Good questions to ask ourselves when reading or (hearing) information presented to us are: Is this something that would be coming from the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?Do I have the peace of the Holy Spirit about this in my heart, or is He warning me? What is the fruit, and the spiritual power (if applicable), of the person presenting this information to me? God works with and in those who are doing His will, not those who doing the work of the other side. (1 Corinthians 4:19,20) False knowledge is often accompanied by bad fruit and a lack of spiritual power (unless the power is demonic). Does what I am being presented with contradict the teachings of the Bible (particularly the teachings of the New Testament in this last hour, which are the foundations of the Christian faith) ?Is this something that the Lord would want me to know or study, according to His will for me? Why or why not?P.S. "Question everything" is not a Christian principle, at least not with regard to questioning Scriptural Christian doctrine or the reliability of the Canon. Searching the Scriptures to see whether things we hear are correct or not is. Pursuing wisdom and knowledge, as the Scriptures tell us to do, is always for the purpose of knowing God better and living to please and glorify Him increasingly and more effectively. A Christian with a humble and Christ-centered heart will find everything he or she needs to know for this purpose in the Canon. A Christian with a proud and/or self-centered heart will be confused, deceived, and manipulated by demonic influences. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say..." (Genesis 3:1)
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Post by justinadams on Aug 10, 2018 4:43:08 GMT -5
Is the commandant to worship on the seventh day just an outdated Old Testament teaching? Is Jesus’ practice of keeping the Sabbath not important for Christians today? Is the Sabbath a Jewish tradition rather than a part of God’s moral law? For centuries, Christians around the world have worshiped on Sunday—many saying they do so in honor of Christ’s resurrection. However, a small number of believers maintain that the seventh-day Sabbath remains God’s specified day of worship. According to one Christian, none of this should matter to anyone.
But what does the Bible reveal?
1. Creation. Although the theory of evolution has sought to discredit the biblical view of a seven-day creation, the Bible presents the seventh day, the Sabbath day, as the culminating act in God’s original plan for our world. “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1–3).
Sabbath was the first full day of human existence, and we see clearly in Genesis that God distinguished it from all the other days of the week. His act of sanctifying the seventh day means He made it holy—He set it apart as a day for us to reflect on the work He had done. This means that the sanctification of the seventh day occurred before the days of Moses—who later would not establish a holy day in the fourth commandment (see below), but rather call back to the creation of the holy Sabbath.
We see the evidence of the universal nature of the Sabbath in nearly every language around the globe, where the names for the seventh day are variations of “Sabbath” and often refer to “rest.”
2. Moral Law. When God declared His moral law with His own voice and finger on Mount Sinai, He referenced Creation as the foundation of the Sabbath. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. … For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11). Yet while the moral code of the Ten Commandments is universally recognized by Christians, most deny the specifics of the Sabbath Commandment, saying it no longer matters. But does that make sense?
3. Jesus’ Example. Christ came to demonstrate for us a life of obedience; the record says, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). We know that Jesus wasn’t a keeper of human conventions or traditions and that He denied the specific Sabbath regulations of the Pharisees—but He was certainly concerned about keeping His Father’s law, attending worship on the seventh day.
He also consistently pointed His disciples to the law: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10). (See also Matthew 5:17.) Jesus declared, “I and My Father are one” (John10:30). His life and words upheld the validity of God’s holy law in the believer’s life then, and His example and words uphold them in the Christian life today.
4. New Testament Confirms the Old Testament. Some Christians claim that the New Testament is based on a different law and that now we live by the Spirit. A careful reading of the Old Testament prophets reveals that God’s law and His Spirit have always been interconnected. “Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets” (Zechariah 7:12).
In the New Testament, Paul explains the unity of the Spirit and the law in our lives. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. … that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:2, 4). Some claim Paul is speaking of two different laws, but the context shows that the law is the same—it is the Spirit that makes the difference.
5. Matter of Masters. Keeping God’s eternal law, through the power of His Holy Spirit, including the seventh-day Sabbath, demonstrates to the world who we accept as Lord. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Keeping God’s seventh-day Sabbath demonstrates our loyalty to Him as our Master.
6. An End-Time Issue. Sabbath keeping is about loyalty, and Revelation gives a clear call to God’s people to worship Him on that day, pointing back to Creation as evidence for His authority. “I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’ ” (Revelation 14:6, 7). Today, God is calling His people to be a part of “those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
7. Eternal Sabbath. Throughout Scripture, the Sabbath is linked with Creation. The prophet Isaiah explains that it will be an eternal part of God’s great plan: “ ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘So shall your descendants and your name remain. … And from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD” (Isaiah 66:22, 23). Throughout the history of our world, the seventh-day Sabbath has remained a sign of God’s power as Creator and Redeemer.
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Post by justinadams on Aug 10, 2018 4:48:25 GMT -5
Doesn't Colossians 2:14 wipe out the weekly Sabbath? Doesn't Colossians 2:14 wipe out the weekly Sabbath?
Let’s first take a look at the apostle Paul's words in Colossians 2:14–17: “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. … So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
When some read about the sabbath days that were shadows and that passed away at the cross, they think that Paul was referring to the weekly Sabbath, the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Is this accurate? It’s important to get this right, because our interpretation of the apostle’s actual meaning can lead us into deeper truth or into deeper error.
Two Sabbaths
First, there is nothing in the Ten Commandment law about food, drink, festivals, new moons, or sabbath days (plural). All these were actually separate laws that God gave for the physical and spiritual health of His Old Testament people; these were called ceremonial laws. Second, Paul wrote plainly that he was speaking of “sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come,” and not of the weekly Sabbath, which is a memorial of something that happened in the past, at the creation. The contrast between a shadow and a memorial is quite clear. Indeed, the fourth commandment does not tell us to keep the seventh day as a type of something to come. It says: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8, 11).
Moreover, to show that he had something other than the weekly Sabbath in mind, Paul distinctly mentioned “sabbaths,” plural,” which are a shadow of things to come.” (The word “sabbath” in the Greek can be singular or plural according to Strong’s and Greek lexicons.)
Festivals and Shadows
The King James uses the word “holyday,” and some will contend that it refers to the weekly Sabbath, while the expression “sabbath days” refers to yearly sabbaths. The American Standard Version uses “feast day” instead of “holyday,” and this likely a clearer translation. The word translated “holyday” is from the Greek heorte, and in John 5:1, this same word is used to designate one of the yearly festivals of the Jews: “After this there was a feast [heorte] of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” This is one of the holy days that Paul spoke of as having been nailed to the cross. The “shadows” Paul mentions pointed to Jesus as a Savior from sin and were observed with that in mind. But the weekly Sabbath was made for man before sin entered into the world, before man would need atonement. The shadows pointing forward to His death as an atonement for sin certainly were not instituted until after sin. Therefore, since the weekly Sabbath was instituted before sin, just as was the marriage institution, it was not a shadow of Christ’s death as a Savior from sin; and His death did not end the Sabbath day any more than it brought marriage to an end. Both the Sabbath and marriage came to us in a perfect world.
Paul’s language shows he was referencing the shadowy ceremonies that pointed forward to and ended at the cross. Notice again, carefully, his words in Colossians 2:14: “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Paul mentions that these laws were “against us” and “contrary” to us. Would it be contrary to Christians to refrain from idolatry, using God’s name in vain, dishonoring parents, murder, theft, adultery, lying, and coveting—the sins rebuked by the Ten Commandments? Thus, the apostle must have been talking of another law—a law that enjoined food offerings, drink offerings, the observance of festivals, new moons, and yearly sabbaths.
Why Are These Laws Contrary to Us?
Why would the observance of these ceremonies after the death of Christ be contrary to the Christian faith? The yearly sabbath of the Passover involved killing a lamb that represented Jesus, the Lamb of God. The apostle Paul taught directly, “Indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Thus, to keep offering a sacrificial lamb after His death would be to imply that Jesus had not accomplished atonement. Such an observance would be contrary to the teachings of Christianity. Many other shadowy requirements of the ceremonial law pointed to the death of Jesus on the cross, as well. All these festivals, food and drink offerings, and sabbaths that were nailed to the cross, Paul declared to be “a shadow of things to come.” Then he adds, "But the substance is of Christ." That is, the substance that cast these shadows was Christ’s body on the cross.
Think of it this way—late in the afternoon when a tall tree casts its shadow eastward, one can begin at the farthest end of the shadow and follow it until he or she gets to the tree that casts the shadow, and there the shadow ceases to be. Likewise, we can go back to the time when “through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin,” and there a merciful God promised to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), a Substitute, to die in man’s place. To keep man continually reminded of this fact, and to supply him with a means of expressing his faith in the coming sacrifice, God instituted these ceremonies. All of these were included in the law that was not written on tables of stone.
Follow these shadowy ceremonies all the way from Eden to the time of Moses, and then through the wilderness journey and on for hundreds of years after the settlement in Canaan, and at last to Calvary—and there they cease. So it would be "against us" and "contrary" to our faith to observe these ceremonies after Jesus' death. Not so with the other law. It is just as necessary to refrain from idolatry, using God’s name in vain, dishonoring the Sabbath, murder, adultery, and theft after the cross as before. Indeed, it was the violation of these principles that caused the death of Christ. Could they have been set aside or changed to accommodate the carnal mind, Jesus need not have died.
Now with these truths before us, let us again read Colossians 2:14–17 and see how plainly Paul revealed that he did not mean that the weekly seventh-day Sabbath had been nailed to the cross: "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. … So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."
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Post by justinadams on Aug 10, 2018 4:53:19 GMT -5
How often does God’s Word mention the Sabbath? (I've just read thru the Scriptures again. The Sabbath is mentioned a lot.)
I THINK THE LORD MEANT US TO VENERATE AND HONOR THE 7TH DAY.
And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. - Exodus 16:23
And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. - Exodus 16:25
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. - Exodus 16:26
See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. - Exodus 16:29
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. - Exodus 20:8
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: - Exodus 20:10
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. - Exodus 20:11
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. - Exodus 31:14
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. - Exodus 31:15
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. - Exodus 31:16
Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. - Exodus 35:2
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. - Exodus 35:3
It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. - Leviticus 16:31
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. - Leviticus 23:3
And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. - Leviticus 23:11
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: - Leviticus 23:15
Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. - Leviticus 23:16
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. - Leviticus 23:24
It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. - Leviticus 23:32
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. - Leviticus 23:39
Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. - Leviticus 24:8
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. - Leviticus 25:2
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. - Leviticus 25:4
And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, - Leviticus 25:6
And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. - Numbers 15:32
And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: - Numbers 28:9
This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. - Numbers 28:10
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. - Deuteronomy 5:12
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. - Deuteronomy 5:14
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. - Deuteronomy 5:15
And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. - 2 Kings 4:23
And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house; - 2 Kings 11:5
And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king. - 2 Kings 11:7
And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. - 2 Kings 11:9
And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria. - 2 Kings 16:18
And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath. - 1 Chronicles 9:32
This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors; - 2 Chronicles 23:4
So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses. - 2 Chronicles 23:8
To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. - 2 Chronicles 36:21
And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: - Nehemiah 9:14
And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. - Nehemiah 10:31
In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. - Nehemiah 13:15
There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. - Nehemiah 13:16
Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? - Nehemiah 13:17
Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. - Nehemiah 13:18
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. - Nehemiah 13:19
Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. - Nehemiah 13:21
And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. - Nehemiah 13:22
A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: - Psalms 92:1
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. - Isaiah 56:2
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; - Isaiah 56:6
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: - Isaiah 58:13
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. - Isaiah 66:23
Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; - Jeremiah 17:21
Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. - Jeremiah 17:22
And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; - Jeremiah 17:24
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. - Jeremiah 17:27
Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. - Ezekiel 46:1
And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. - Ezekiel 46:4
Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate. - Ezekiel 46:12
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? - Amos 8:5
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. - Matthew 12:1
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. - Matthew 12:2
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? - Matthew 12:5
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. - Matthew 12:8
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. - Matthew 12:10
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? - Matthew 12:11
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. - Matthew 12:12
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: - Matthew 24:20
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. - Matthew 28:1
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. - Mark 1:21
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. - Mark 2:23
And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? - Mark 2:24
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: - Mark 2:27
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. - Mark 2:28
And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. - Mark 3:2
And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. - Mark 3:4
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? - Mark 6:2
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, - Mark 15:42
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. - Mark 16:1
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. - Luke 4:16
And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. - Luke 4:31
And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. - Luke 6:1
And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? - Luke 6:2
And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. - Luke 6:5
And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. - Luke 6:6
And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. - Luke 6:7
Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? - Luke 6:9
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. - Luke 13:10
And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. - Luke 13:14
The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? - Luke 13:15
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? - Luke 13:16
And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. - Luke 14:1
And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? - Luke 14:3
And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? - Luke 14:5
And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. - Luke 23:54
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. - Luke 23:56
And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. - John 5:9
The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. - John 5:10
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. - John 5:16
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. - John 5:18
Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. - John 7:22
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? - John 7:23
And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. - John 9:14
Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. - John 9:16
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. - John 19:31
Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. - Acts 1:12
But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. - Acts 13:14
For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. - Acts 13:27
And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. - Acts 13:42
And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. - Acts 13:44
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. - Acts 15:21
And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. - Acts 16:13
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, - Acts 17:2
And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. - Acts 18:4
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: - Colossians 2:16
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Post by justinadams on Aug 10, 2018 5:15:17 GMT -5
It would be awesome if we could have a collaborative discussion about these things to dissect the Bible together. But I have to wonder. Is the goal to strive for a better understanding of Scripture, or is it to push us toward another canonical red pill that makes us question everything we know about God? Yes, that is a very good question, sister. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. We must all be careful to discern which side information that is being presented to us is coming from, by the light of what the Scriptures say about God's nature and character, His desires, and His will for us. Christians are on a spiritual battlefield, and we should never forget this fact, even in Christian company. As much as possible, we must see with the Lord's eyes and listen with His ears, and not just with our own, and ask Him to help us to do this. I don't believe that everyone who does the devil's work knows that he or she is being used by the enemy; many do not. But the fact remains, even true Christians can unwittingly be used by demons to deceive, divide, and cause confusion, which is what demons do---to the end of leading astray and destroying saints. Good questions to ask ourselves when reading or (hearing) information presented to us are: Is this something that would be coming from the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?Do I have the peace of the Holy Spirit about this in my heart, or is He warning me? What is the fruit, and the spiritual power (if applicable), of the person presenting this information to me? God works with and in those who are doing His will, not those who doing the work of the other side. (1 Corinthians 4:19,20) False knowledge is often accompanied by bad fruit and a lack of spiritual power (unless the power is demonic). Does what I am being presented with contradict the teachings of the Bible (particularly the teachings of the New Testament in this last hour, which are the foundations of the Christian faith) ?Is this something that the Lord would want me to know or study, according to His will for me? Why or why not?P.S. "Question everything" is not a Christian principle, at least not with regard to questioning Scriptural Christian doctrine or the reliability of the Canon. Searching the Scriptures to see whether things we hear are correct or not is. Pursuing wisdom and knowledge, as the Scriptures tell us to do, is always for the purpose of knowing God better and living to please and glorify Him increasingly and more effectively. A Christian with a humble and Christ-centered heart will find everything he or she needs to know for this purpose in the Canon. A Christian with a proud and/or self-centered heart will be confused, deceived, and manipulated by demonic influences. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say..." (Genesis 3:1) These are all good questions. It behooves us to study and to show ourselves approved. Do you suppose Saul was not of 'the cloth' and never studied? I think you will find he spent many years in contemplative scholarship and did not rely on second-hand information. Today, very few people appear to study for themselves. They seem to want someone else to do this for them. I now bring to your attention the following quotes. If ANY of these people was in any way a part of the doctrines you hold to, I suggest you take another look at the roots of your beliefs. Please read the following quotes very carefully.Things Your Pastor Never Told You About the Early Church Fathers From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert TheWayPrepared.com For almost a century, the early believers in Yeshua the Messiah were culturally and ethnically the same as, and worshipped alongside, mainstream Judaism. The first "Christians", as such, were Jews. The Torah was of great importance to them and they kept its laws, observing the Sabbath and performing circumcision. They did not follow "another religion", but remained within the Torah framework of Judaism. This Messianic movement spread largely among Jews to begin with, and for some time it remained a sect within Judaism, mostly known as the sect of the Nazarenes. Early in the second century, the Nazarene sect, consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers who converted to Judaism, became subjected to a number of religious and political events. In 117 CE, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a temple to Jupiter in Jerusalem and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, turning Jerusalem into a Roman City. Demoralized after such a loss of Jewish national and religious life, which had begun with the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE, the Jewish people looked for a Messiah to save them from the oppression of Rome. In 132 CE, Simon Bar Kochba was endorsed by the leading Jewish intellectual of the time, Rabbi Akiba, to be the promised Messiah, and in 135 CE, Bar Kochba led a revolt against Rome. [1] The Nazarene Jews, however, refused to join in the revolt, as they concluded this would go against their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah. Although they had fought in the initial revolt against Rome, when Bar Kochba was declared the Messiah, they refused to fight under his banner. This resulted in bloodshed between Jews on both sides. By the end of the second century CE, a wedge was driven between the Nazarene movement and mainstream Judaism. However, the Bar Kochba revolt was not the only reason for this separation. As more and more Gentiles joined the new Jewish movement, the actual Jewish presence became progressively less numerically significant. Although Christianity didn't officially take a stance against Judaism until early in the fourth century, divisions and differences of opinion began in the first century CE. As a result of the Apostle Paul's mission to the Gentiles, the ethnic composition of the Nazarean movement began to rapidly change from a Jewish majority to a Gentile majority. For some time, Gentiles remained within the Nazarean movement. However, by the end of the first century, non-Jewish influences affected the structure and beliefs of the now Gentile-dominated movement. In the second century CE, many of the "Early Church Fathers", or "Apostolic Fathers", began to make statements which further separated gentiles from everything Jewish. Non-Jewish doctrines began to be developed which became the foundational beliefs of Christianity. Although Gentile Christians were not particularly opposed to the Jews and many still converted to Judaism, the formal position of the Church was decisively set against the Synagogue. The Church sought to conquer the Synagogue which, in their view, continued to cling stubbornly to its ancestral faith. Frustrated and embittered, the Church Fathers set out to prove that Judaism was a legalistic, dead and superseded religion. [2] By reversing the Biblical image of the Jews, the Church claimed to be the "New Israel", the "Jacob", whereas the Jews were Esau and Cain, the murderers of their brother. Israel was portrayed as blind and divorced by God. This theology of replacement, which evolved into a theology of displacement, stated that the Jews had forfeited what God had given them and now Christianity was the new "heir" to the promises and blessings of God. The Jews, however, could keep the curses. In the Epistle of Barnabas, written around 135 CE, this "replacement theology" is clearly stated. Referring to the Mosaic Covenant, Barnabas writes: "Indeed it is ours; for Moses had hardly received it when they (the Jews) forfeited it forever." [3] The Church, however, did not claim the Biblical commandments in a literal sense, but rather "spiritualized" them. They perceived the literal as being only a shadow of what was to come, being that Jesus completed and abolished law. To continue observing the literal Sabbath, literal circumcision, literal dietary laws etc., was foolishness and nonsense. The Church Father, Tertullian, wrote concerning the Sabbath and circumcision: "It follows, accordingly, that, in so far as the abolition of carnal circumcision and of the old law is demonstrated as having been consummated at its specific times, so also the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary." [4] In a letter to Diognetus, possibly written by Justin Martyr in the second century, similar statements are made concerning Jewish practices: "As for their scrupulousness about meats, and their superstitions about the sabbath, and their much vaunted circumcision, and their pretentious festivals and new moon observances - all of them too nonsensical to be worth discussing...." [5] The Apostolic Fathers continued issuing statements clearly divorcing Christianity from anything Jewish. The Mosaic Law, including the Festivals and the Sabbath, circumcision and Israel's election by God, were all brushed away as things of the past. Also, in order to gain the acceptance of Rome, the now Gentile-dominated "Church" made it loud and clear that it had nothing in common with Judaism. In the Epistle of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, to the Magnesians in 115 CE, Christians were warned of the error of looking to Judaism: "To profess Jesus Christ while continuing to follow Jewish customs is an absurdity. The Christian faith does not look to Judaism, but Judaism looks to Christianity...." [6] The teaching of the Church Fathers managed to invalidate Judaism in the eyes of the Gentile world. Although up until now the Jewish/Christian debate was not much more than a debate, the real turning point for the Jews in the Roman Christian world was the Council of Nicea, held in 325 CE. At this Council, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman State and the concepts and claims of the theologians were put into practice and the separation between Christianity and Judaism became official. Constantine, Emperor of Rome and leader of the Church declared: "You should consider not only that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we should have nothing in common with the Jews." [7] As the Church developed into the fourth century and became an international political power, it was confronted with the terrible fact that the Jews, merely by continuing to be Jews threatened the very legitimacy of the Church. They concluded that if Judaism remained valid, Christianity would then be invalid. Christianity's idea of redemption was so manifestly in opposition to that of the Jews, that it rendered their mutual coexistence inconceivable. The Church Fathers had to deal with this Jewish challenge and they did so in a most logical manner. Judaism was declared an apostate and superseded religion and the Jews had now lost their right to exist. However, the Jews did exist and so the Church needed a reason for their continued existence. If their failure to recognize the Christ resulted in their dispersion, and if Christianity had superceded Judaism in being a "light to the gentiles", then why were the Jews around at all? The Church concluded that the reason Jews survived was to prove the truth of Christianity. They were to be around always, to be persecuted, vulnerable, wanderers on the earth without a home, as proof of God's wrath upon them. The condition of the Jews was to be a negative witness to their crime of deicide. This was the purpose of their existence. The Jews, therefore, were forever, everywhere, held collectively responsible for Yeshua’s death because they were "a wicked nation." Furthermore, the calamities that befell Jewry--the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion--were seen as having Christological import, pointing to what Christians saw as just desserts for killing Christ. Augustine declared: "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of Jesus." [8] Concerning the accusation of "deicide", the killing of God, Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, stated that the Jews should "rightly suffer", for they had "slain the Just One." [9] If the Church believed that the Jews had, in fact, killed God, then it would stand to reason that "God is dead". The stereotype of the "deicide people" was transmitted through theological writings, sermons and in following centuries, through Passion plays, folklore and the arts. Christian theologians condemned Jews, accusing them of being idolaters, torturers, spiritually deaf, blasphemers, gluttons, adulterers, cannibals, Christ-killers, and beyond God's forgiveness. John Chrysostom, known as the "golden mouthed" orator due to his eloquence in speech, unleashed a series of "Homilies Against the Jews." In the late fourth century he falsely wrote: "They sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils; they outraged nature and overthrew their foundations of the laws of relationship. They are become worse than the wild beasts, and for no reason at all, with their own hands, they murder their offspring, to worship the avenging devils who are foes of our life. They know only one thing, to satisfy their gullets, get drunk, to kill and maim one another. The Jews are the most worthless of all men. They are lecherous, greedy, rapacious. They are perfidious murderers of Christ. The Jews are the odious assassins of Christ and for killing God there is no expiation possible, no indulgence or pardon. Christians may never cease vengeance, and the Jews must live in servitude forever. God always hated the Jews. It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews." [10] Chrysostom argued that Jews will be crucified throughout history because they crucified Christ: "It is because you shed the precious blood, that there is now no restoration, no mercy anymore, and no defense...." [11] Persecution and violence toward the Jews became common due to heavy restrictive measures imposed by the Church against the Jewish people. In the three centuries from 300 to 600 CE, a host of rules were passed containing discriminatory provisions against the Jews in the Christian Roman Empire. These were summed up in four major rules contained in the Laws of Constantine the Great (315 CE); the Laws of Constaninus (399 CE); the Laws of Theodosius II (439 CE) and the Laws of Justinian (531 CE). "Under Emperor Justinian, Roman Law was systematized and codified as Corpus Iuris Civilis, or "the Justinian Code". Church Law and doctrine now became state policy. The total of these laws declared that Jews were no longer allowed to hold high offices or have military careers. It became a capital offence to convert to Judaism and intermarriage between Christians and Jews was punishable by death. The Torah was forbidden to be read exclusively in Hebrew and Jews were allowed only a prescribed version of Scripture in their synagogues and were also prohibited to use prayers that were seen as anti-Trinitarian. The keeping of the Sabbath, Jewish Festivals and performing circumcision were banned and Jewish property was confiscated. Rabbinical jurisdiction was curtailed; all former religious and governing privileges were removed and Jews were not permitted to testify against Christians. With the Christianization of the Roman Empire in east and west throughout the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries, the increase in anti-Jewish legislation and teaching reduced Judaism to a position of permanent legal inferiority. In all respects, the Jew had to remain subservient to the Christian, and Christianity soon began to enjoy a position of superiority over Judaism, which caused serious consequences for the Jews." [12] In 418 CE, Bishop Severus of Majorca forced Jews to convert. Violent street fighting broke out with a mob incited by the bishop. The synagogue was burnt. Finally the leaders of the Jewish community gave in and 540 Jews were converted. St. Jerome, who had studied with Jewish scholars in Palestine and translated the Bible into Latin wrote about the synagogue: "If you call it a brothel, a den of vice, the Devil's refuge, Satan's fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still saying less than it deserves." [13] In 489 CE, a Christian mob set fire to the synagogues in Antioch and threw the bodies of slain Jews into the fire. Jews could exercise no position of authority and Christianity had to be rigidly protected from "contamination" through living, eating or engaging is sexual relation with them. [14] The status of the Jew was thus no more than that of an animal, as Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, declared to the faithful: "Truly I doubt whether a Jew can be really human... I lead out from its den a monstrous animal and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheatre of the world. I bring thee forward, thou Jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men." [15] Under the stigma of this image, the Jews were gradually excluded from every sphere of political influence and their political and civil rights were increasingly denied them, until eventually such rights were almost entirely a thing of the past. Church teaching, such as that of John Chrysostom, paved the way for the slaughter of countless numbers of Jews throughout history. Statements such as these from Cluny and Chrysostom were constantly reiterated by Church leaders. The image of the Jew progressively evolved from that of "apostate", to the total representation of evil--the very incarnation of the devil himself. The "Church triumphant" saw herself as bearing the task of making the Holy Land (and other lands along the way) Judenrein. The leader of the First Crusade, Godfroi Bouillon, in 1096 CE, swore to avenge the blood of Christ in Israel and to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive. When the Crusaders arrived in Israel, then called Palestina, they rounded up the Jews in Jerusalem, herded them into the synagogue and burned the building to the ground. Marching triumphantly around the inferno, they sang a hymn-- "Christ We Adore Thee". Inside the burning synagogue, no doubt the Jews heard these strains of "Christian worship" as they perished. Shortly before the Church's Fourth Lateran Council, held in 1215 CE, Pope Innocent III condemned the Jews to eternal slavery by decreeing: "The Jews, against whom the blood of Jesus Christ calls out, although they ought not to be killed, lest the Christian people forget the Divine Law, yet as wanderers ought they remain upon the earth, until their countenance be filled with shame." [16] With this statement, the Church settled the destiny of the Jewish people for many centuries. Church doctrine ultimately legitimized the torture and murder of Jews in Christendom for nearly two thousand years. They were to live as wanderers on the earth, having no home, rights or privileges. The Jews were treated as pariahs and became the scapegoats for all the ills of society. People everywhere, in all classes, were eager to exterminate the Jews. These people were not born with an instinctive hatred in their hearts toward the Jewish people, their hatred was the product of clerical propaganda. [17] The doctrines and teachings of the Church from its beginnings to the Fourth Lateran Council, laid the initial layer of "Jew hatred" and took the Jewish people all the way to the Holocaust. This first step began with the attempt to drive Jews either into Christianity or into a place of non-identity, as Judaism was no longer recognized as a valid religion. By doing so, the Church clearly defined anti-Semitism's first characteristic — "You have no right to live among us as Jews." Some Closing Thoughts As we see in the brief and tragic historical account above, It was the 'Church Fathers' quoted above, who introduced the erroneous and shameful "strange fire" into the life of the Believers, through their man-made doctrines. It is the seeds of man-made religious doctrines that, if allowed to germinate, eventually evolve into a false Religious system — whose corrupted fruit is hatred of the Jews, and abandonment of living according to the Scriptures. As a result of this corruption, the Biblical practices and celebrations of the Born-Again Believers began to be outlawed, and then snuffed-out altogether, only to be replaced with man-made religious doctrines, un-Biblical practices, and pagan celebrations. All of the protestant and evangelical religions of today stem from this early, 'evolved' form of religious doctrine and practice seen above, which has yielded the corrupt fruit of "Replacement Theology" and anti-semitism. This inherited corruption defines the current state of evangelical Christianity today, which bears no resemblance to the first-century followers of Messiah. In light of this information, it appears that the Believers of today have been robbed by the 'Church Fathers' of their true, Biblical heritage (Isaiah 42:21-22; Jeremiah 16:19). But Yahuweh has promised a full restoration of all things, before He returns (Mat 17:11; Mark 9:12; Acts 3:21) — and this restoration is now well underway! Both Jewish and Gentile Believers today are coming out from among the long-standing, man-made religious teachings and idolatrous practices found within both Judaism and Christianity. Instead, they are beginning to 'keep' (the Hebrew word means 'to guard;' to 'watch;' to beware, take heed, and observe) the Biblical doctrines, practices and celebrations — just as Yahushua and the early Disciples did. This remnant of Biblical Believers today have a genuine love for the Jewish people, and an inward love for Israel. As the Bride-Company is being led by the Holy Spirit into all Truth, she is being restored, and 'cleaned-up' by the Bridegroom Himself! "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3) Related Articles: Seven Biblical Guidelines for Studying the Bible: Using Scripture to Interpret the Scriptures New! - What is the source of our current understanding of the Bible? The pure Truths of Scripture are of highest importance — how we understand the Scriptures will affect our eternal condition! To avoid being deceived by man-made doctrines, we must not rely on Preachers, Teachers, Bible notes or commentaries. Instead we must study and understand the Bible for ourselves — not looking through the lenses of tradition or man-made Bible study methods — but relying only on what the Bible actually says about how to study and understand the Scriptures! Here are 7 Biblical Guidelines that show us the way! True Grace - by David M Hargis - A Biblically accurate overview of New Covenant Grace as used in the context of the majority of the apostle Paul's writings Grace-Grace - As seen in Zechariah 4, Yahuweh's New Testament Grace is two-fold; both aspects His Grace are required to walk in Righteousness The Doctrine of Balaam Today: A Warning to the Bride - Yahushua warns His people of this error, which has been embraced by most Believers today; causes His people to commit sins, and brings a plague on entire congregations; he will fight against all who do not repent, but continue to hold this error Eating Things Sacrificed to Idols: A Warning to the Bride - The Scriptures warn of a popular Religious Tradition among most Believers today Walking in Eternal Judgment - One of the Foundation Stones of The Faith in Hebrews Chapter 6 is that we are to walk according to Yahuweh's eternal Mishpatim - His Rules of the House Our Greatest Hindrance: The Doctrines and Commandments of Men - Modern-day examples of the Doctrines and Commandments of Men, which turn men away from the truth; Yahushua and His Disciples are for our examples The Way of Salvation - The term Salvation in Scripture speaks of two distinct stages of our walk with Messiah; The Scriptures tell us of a clear and simple message of Salvation, and give many New Testament warnings important for Believers today Footnotes: From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert [1] Dimont, Max, "Jews, God, and History", New York, 1962, pp. 106-108 [2] Wilson, Marvin, "Our Father Abraham", Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Michigan, 1989, p. 92 [3] Epistle of Barnabas [4] Tertullian: An Answer to the Jews [5] Epistle to Diognetus [6] lgnatius to the Magnesians [7] Dixon, M., "The Rebirth and Restoration of Israel", Chichester, Sovereign World, 1988, p. 80 [8] Calendar of Jewish Persecution [9] Wilson, Marvin, op. cit., p. 93 [10] Chrysostom's Sermons, quoted in Dixon, p. 80 [11] Cohn-Sherbok D., "The Crucified Jew", Harper Collins, London, 1992, p. 33 [12] Wistrich, R., "Antisemitism, the Longest Hatred", Pantheon Books, New York, 1991, pp. 19, 25 [13] lbid [14] Wistrich, R., op. cit., p. 45 [15] Hay, M., "Thy Brother's Blood", Hart Publishing Co. 1975, p. 57 [16] Brown, Michael, "Our Hands Are Stained With Blood", Shippensburg, Destiny Image, 1993, p. 13 [17] Hay, M., op. cit., p. 35 "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3)
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Post by tlsitd on Aug 10, 2018 5:37:46 GMT -5
Yes, that is a very good question, sister. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. We must all be careful to discern which side information that is being presented to us is coming from, by the light of what the Scriptures say about God's nature and character, His desires, and His will for us. Christians are on a spiritual battlefield, and we should never forget this fact, even in Christian company. As much as possible, we must see with the Lord's eyes and listen with His ears, and not just with our own, and ask Him to help us to do this. I don't believe that everyone who does the devil's work knows that he or she is being used by the enemy; many do not. But the fact remains, even true Christians can unwittingly be used by demons to deceive, divide, and cause confusion, which is what demons do---to the end of leading astray and destroying saints. Good questions to ask ourselves when reading or (hearing) information presented to us are: Is this something that would be coming from the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?Do I have the peace of the Holy Spirit about this in my heart, or is He warning me? What is the fruit, and the spiritual power (if applicable), of the person presenting this information to me? God works with and in those who are doing His will, not those who doing the work of the other side. (1 Corinthians 4:19,20) False knowledge is often accompanied by bad fruit and a lack of spiritual power (unless the power is demonic). Does what I am being presented with contradict the teachings of the Bible (particularly the teachings of the New Testament in this last hour, which are the foundations of the Christian faith) ?Is this something that the Lord would want me to know or study, according to His will for me? Why or why not?P.S. "Question everything" is not a Christian principle, at least not with regard to questioning Scriptural Christian doctrine or the reliability of the Canon. Searching the Scriptures to see whether things we hear are correct or not is. Pursuing wisdom and knowledge, as the Scriptures tell us to do, is always for the purpose of knowing God better and living to please and glorify Him increasingly and more effectively. A Christian with a humble and Christ-centered heart will find everything he or she needs to know for this purpose in the Canon. A Christian with a proud and/or self-centered heart will be confused, deceived, and manipulated by demonic influences. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say..." (Genesis 3:1) These are all good questions. It behooves us to study and to show ourselves approved. Do you suppose Saul was not of 'the cloth' and never studied? I think you will find he spent many years in contemplative scholarship and did not rely on second-hand information. Today, very few people appear to study for themselves. They seem to want someone else to do this for them. I now bring to your attention the following quotes. If ANY of these people was in any way a part of the doctrines you hold to, I suggest you take another look at the roots of your beliefs. Please read the following quotes very carefully.Things Your Pastor Never Told You About the Early Church Fathers From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert TheWayPrepared.com For almost a century, the early believers in Yeshua the Messiah were culturally and ethnically the same as, and worshipped alongside, mainstream Judaism. The first "Christians", as such, were Jews. The Torah was of great importance to them and they kept its laws, observing the Sabbath and performing circumcision. They did not follow "another religion", but remained within the Torah framework of Judaism. This Messianic movement spread largely among Jews to begin with, and for some time it remained a sect within Judaism, mostly known as the sect of the Nazarenes. Early in the second century, the Nazarene sect, consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers who converted to Judaism, became subjected to a number of religious and political events. In 117 CE, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a temple to Jupiter in Jerusalem and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, turning Jerusalem into a Roman City. Demoralized after such a loss of Jewish national and religious life, which had begun with the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE, the Jewish people looked for a Messiah to save them from the oppression of Rome. In 132 CE, Simon Bar Kochba was endorsed by the leading Jewish intellectual of the time, Rabbi Akiba, to be the promised Messiah, and in 135 CE, Bar Kochba led a revolt against Rome. [1] The Nazarene Jews, however, refused to join in the revolt, as they concluded this would go against their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah. Although they had fought in the initial revolt against Rome, when Bar Kochba was declared the Messiah, they refused to fight under his banner. This resulted in bloodshed between Jews on both sides. By the end of the second century CE, a wedge was driven between the Nazarene movement and mainstream Judaism. However, the Bar Kochba revolt was not the only reason for this separation. As more and more Gentiles joined the new Jewish movement, the actual Jewish presence became progressively less numerically significant. Although Christianity didn't officially take a stance against Judaism until early in the fourth century, divisions and differences of opinion began in the first century CE. As a result of the Apostle Paul's mission to the Gentiles, the ethnic composition of the Nazarean movement began to rapidly change from a Jewish majority to a Gentile majority. For some time, Gentiles remained within the Nazarean movement. However, by the end of the first century, non-Jewish influences affected the structure and beliefs of the now Gentile-dominated movement. In the second century CE, many of the "Early Church Fathers", or "Apostolic Fathers", began to make statements which further separated gentiles from everything Jewish. Non-Jewish doctrines began to be developed which became the foundational beliefs of Christianity. Although Gentile Christians were not particularly opposed to the Jews and many still converted to Judaism, the formal position of the Church was decisively set against the Synagogue. The Church sought to conquer the Synagogue which, in their view, continued to cling stubbornly to its ancestral faith. Frustrated and embittered, the Church Fathers set out to prove that Judaism was a legalistic, dead and superseded religion. [2] By reversing the Biblical image of the Jews, the Church claimed to be the "New Israel", the "Jacob", whereas the Jews were Esau and Cain, the murderers of their brother. Israel was portrayed as blind and divorced by God. This theology of replacement, which evolved into a theology of displacement, stated that the Jews had forfeited what God had given them and now Christianity was the new "heir" to the promises and blessings of God. The Jews, however, could keep the curses. In the Epistle of Barnabas, written around 135 CE, this "replacement theology" is clearly stated. Referring to the Mosaic Covenant, Barnabas writes: "Indeed it is ours; for Moses had hardly received it when they (the Jews) forfeited it forever." [3] The Church, however, did not claim the Biblical commandments in a literal sense, but rather "spiritualized" them. They perceived the literal as being only a shadow of what was to come, being that Jesus completed and abolished law. To continue observing the literal Sabbath, literal circumcision, literal dietary laws etc., was foolishness and nonsense. The Church Father, Tertullian, wrote concerning the Sabbath and circumcision: "It follows, accordingly, that, in so far as the abolition of carnal circumcision and of the old law is demonstrated as having been consummated at its specific times, so also the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary." [4] In a letter to Diognetus, possibly written by Justin Martyr in the second century, similar statements are made concerning Jewish practices: "As for their scrupulousness about meats, and their superstitions about the sabbath, and their much vaunted circumcision, and their pretentious festivals and new moon observances - all of them too nonsensical to be worth discussing...." [5] The Apostolic Fathers continued issuing statements clearly divorcing Christianity from anything Jewish. The Mosaic Law, including the Festivals and the Sabbath, circumcision and Israel's election by God, were all brushed away as things of the past. Also, in order to gain the acceptance of Rome, the now Gentile-dominated "Church" made it loud and clear that it had nothing in common with Judaism. In the Epistle of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, to the Magnesians in 115 CE, Christians were warned of the error of looking to Judaism: "To profess Jesus Christ while continuing to follow Jewish customs is an absurdity. The Christian faith does not look to Judaism, but Judaism looks to Christianity...." [6] The teaching of the Church Fathers managed to invalidate Judaism in the eyes of the Gentile world. Although up until now the Jewish/Christian debate was not much more than a debate, the real turning point for the Jews in the Roman Christian world was the Council of Nicea, held in 325 CE. At this Council, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman State and the concepts and claims of the theologians were put into practice and the separation between Christianity and Judaism became official. Constantine, Emperor of Rome and leader of the Church declared: "You should consider not only that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we should have nothing in common with the Jews." [7] As the Church developed into the fourth century and became an international political power, it was confronted with the terrible fact that the Jews, merely by continuing to be Jews threatened the very legitimacy of the Church. They concluded that if Judaism remained valid, Christianity would then be invalid. Christianity's idea of redemption was so manifestly in opposition to that of the Jews, that it rendered their mutual coexistence inconceivable. The Church Fathers had to deal with this Jewish challenge and they did so in a most logical manner. Judaism was declared an apostate and superseded religion and the Jews had now lost their right to exist. However, the Jews did exist and so the Church needed a reason for their continued existence. If their failure to recognize the Christ resulted in their dispersion, and if Christianity had superceded Judaism in being a "light to the gentiles", then why were the Jews around at all? The Church concluded that the reason Jews survived was to prove the truth of Christianity. They were to be around always, to be persecuted, vulnerable, wanderers on the earth without a home, as proof of God's wrath upon them. The condition of the Jews was to be a negative witness to their crime of deicide. This was the purpose of their existence. The Jews, therefore, were forever, everywhere, held collectively responsible for Yeshua’s death because they were "a wicked nation." Furthermore, the calamities that befell Jewry--the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion--were seen as having Christological import, pointing to what Christians saw as just desserts for killing Christ. Augustine declared: "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of Jesus." [8] Concerning the accusation of "deicide", the killing of God, Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, stated that the Jews should "rightly suffer", for they had "slain the Just One." [9] If the Church believed that the Jews had, in fact, killed God, then it would stand to reason that "God is dead". The stereotype of the "deicide people" was transmitted through theological writings, sermons and in following centuries, through Passion plays, folklore and the arts. Christian theologians condemned Jews, accusing them of being idolaters, torturers, spiritually deaf, blasphemers, gluttons, adulterers, cannibals, Christ-killers, and beyond God's forgiveness. John Chrysostom, known as the "golden mouthed" orator due to his eloquence in speech, unleashed a series of "Homilies Against the Jews." In the late fourth century he falsely wrote: "They sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils; they outraged nature and overthrew their foundations of the laws of relationship. They are become worse than the wild beasts, and for no reason at all, with their own hands, they murder their offspring, to worship the avenging devils who are foes of our life. They know only one thing, to satisfy their gullets, get drunk, to kill and maim one another. The Jews are the most worthless of all men. They are lecherous, greedy, rapacious. They are perfidious murderers of Christ. The Jews are the odious assassins of Christ and for killing God there is no expiation possible, no indulgence or pardon. Christians may never cease vengeance, and the Jews must live in servitude forever. God always hated the Jews. It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews." [10] Chrysostom argued that Jews will be crucified throughout history because they crucified Christ: "It is because you shed the precious blood, that there is now no restoration, no mercy anymore, and no defense...." [11] Persecution and violence toward the Jews became common due to heavy restrictive measures imposed by the Church against the Jewish people. In the three centuries from 300 to 600 CE, a host of rules were passed containing discriminatory provisions against the Jews in the Christian Roman Empire. These were summed up in four major rules contained in the Laws of Constantine the Great (315 CE); the Laws of Constaninus (399 CE); the Laws of Theodosius II (439 CE) and the Laws of Justinian (531 CE). "Under Emperor Justinian, Roman Law was systematized and codified as Corpus Iuris Civilis, or "the Justinian Code". Church Law and doctrine now became state policy. The total of these laws declared that Jews were no longer allowed to hold high offices or have military careers. It became a capital offence to convert to Judaism and intermarriage between Christians and Jews was punishable by death. The Torah was forbidden to be read exclusively in Hebrew and Jews were allowed only a prescribed version of Scripture in their synagogues and were also prohibited to use prayers that were seen as anti-Trinitarian. The keeping of the Sabbath, Jewish Festivals and performing circumcision were banned and Jewish property was confiscated. Rabbinical jurisdiction was curtailed; all former religious and governing privileges were removed and Jews were not permitted to testify against Christians. With the Christianization of the Roman Empire in east and west throughout the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries, the increase in anti-Jewish legislation and teaching reduced Judaism to a position of permanent legal inferiority. In all respects, the Jew had to remain subservient to the Christian, and Christianity soon began to enjoy a position of superiority over Judaism, which caused serious consequences for the Jews." [12] In 418 CE, Bishop Severus of Majorca forced Jews to convert. Violent street fighting broke out with a mob incited by the bishop. The synagogue was burnt. Finally the leaders of the Jewish community gave in and 540 Jews were converted. St. Jerome, who had studied with Jewish scholars in Palestine and translated the Bible into Latin wrote about the synagogue: "If you call it a brothel, a den of vice, the Devil's refuge, Satan's fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still saying less than it deserves." [13] In 489 CE, a Christian mob set fire to the synagogues in Antioch and threw the bodies of slain Jews into the fire. Jews could exercise no position of authority and Christianity had to be rigidly protected from "contamination" through living, eating or engaging is sexual relation with them. [14] The status of the Jew was thus no more than that of an animal, as Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, declared to the faithful: "Truly I doubt whether a Jew can be really human... I lead out from its den a monstrous animal and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheatre of the world. I bring thee forward, thou Jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men." [15] Under the stigma of this image, the Jews were gradually excluded from every sphere of political influence and their political and civil rights were increasingly denied them, until eventually such rights were almost entirely a thing of the past. Church teaching, such as that of John Chrysostom, paved the way for the slaughter of countless numbers of Jews throughout history. Statements such as these from Cluny and Chrysostom were constantly reiterated by Church leaders. The image of the Jew progressively evolved from that of "apostate", to the total representation of evil--the very incarnation of the devil himself. The "Church triumphant" saw herself as bearing the task of making the Holy Land (and other lands along the way) Judenrein. The leader of the First Crusade, Godfroi Bouillon, in 1096 CE, swore to avenge the blood of Christ in Israel and to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive. When the Crusaders arrived in Israel, then called Palestina, they rounded up the Jews in Jerusalem, herded them into the synagogue and burned the building to the ground. Marching triumphantly around the inferno, they sang a hymn-- "Christ We Adore Thee". Inside the burning synagogue, no doubt the Jews heard these strains of "Christian worship" as they perished. Shortly before the Church's Fourth Lateran Council, held in 1215 CE, Pope Innocent III condemned the Jews to eternal slavery by decreeing: "The Jews, against whom the blood of Jesus Christ calls out, although they ought not to be killed, lest the Christian people forget the Divine Law, yet as wanderers ought they remain upon the earth, until their countenance be filled with shame." [16] With this statement, the Church settled the destiny of the Jewish people for many centuries. Church doctrine ultimately legitimized the torture and murder of Jews in Christendom for nearly two thousand years. They were to live as wanderers on the earth, having no home, rights or privileges. The Jews were treated as pariahs and became the scapegoats for all the ills of society. People everywhere, in all classes, were eager to exterminate the Jews. These people were not born with an instinctive hatred in their hearts toward the Jewish people, their hatred was the product of clerical propaganda. [17] The doctrines and teachings of the Church from its beginnings to the Fourth Lateran Council, laid the initial layer of "Jew hatred" and took the Jewish people all the way to the Holocaust. This first step began with the attempt to drive Jews either into Christianity or into a place of non-identity, as Judaism was no longer recognized as a valid religion. By doing so, the Church clearly defined anti-Semitism's first characteristic — "You have no right to live among us as Jews." Some Closing Thoughts As we see in the brief and tragic historical account above, It was the 'Church Fathers' quoted above, who introduced the erroneous and shameful "strange fire" into the life of the Believers, through their man-made doctrines. It is the seeds of man-made religious doctrines that, if allowed to germinate, eventually evolve into a false Religious system — whose corrupted fruit is hatred of the Jews, and abandonment of living according to the Scriptures. As a result of this corruption, the Biblical practices and celebrations of the Born-Again Believers began to be outlawed, and then snuffed-out altogether, only to be replaced with man-made religious doctrines, un-Biblical practices, and pagan celebrations. All of the protestant and evangelical religions of today stem from this early, 'evolved' form of religious doctrine and practice seen above, which has yielded the corrupt fruit of "Replacement Theology" and anti-semitism. This inherited corruption defines the current state of evangelical Christianity today, which bears no resemblance to the first-century followers of Messiah. In light of this information, it appears that the Believers of today have been robbed by the 'Church Fathers' of their true, Biblical heritage (Isaiah 42:21-22; Jeremiah 16:19). But Yahuweh has promised a full restoration of all things, before He returns (Mat 17:11; Mark 9:12; Acts 3:21) — and this restoration is now well underway! Both Jewish and Gentile Believers today are coming out from among the long-standing, man-made religious teachings and idolatrous practices found within both Judaism and Christianity. Instead, they are beginning to 'keep' (the Hebrew word means 'to guard;' to 'watch;' to beware, take heed, and observe) the Biblical doctrines, practices and celebrations — just as Yahushua and the early Disciples did. This remnant of Biblical Believers today have a genuine love for the Jewish people, and an inward love for Israel. As the Bride-Company is being led by the Holy Spirit into all Truth, she is being restored, and 'cleaned-up' by the Bridegroom Himself! "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3) Related Articles: Seven Biblical Guidelines for Studying the Bible: Using Scripture to Interpret the Scriptures New! - What is the source of our current understanding of the Bible? The pure Truths of Scripture are of highest importance — how we understand the Scriptures will affect our eternal condition! To avoid being deceived by man-made doctrines, we must not rely on Preachers, Teachers, Bible notes or commentaries. Instead we must study and understand the Bible for ourselves — not looking through the lenses of tradition or man-made Bible study methods — but relying only on what the Bible actually says about how to study and understand the Scriptures! Here are 7 Biblical Guidelines that show us the way! True Grace - by David M Hargis - A Biblically accurate overview of New Covenant Grace as used in the context of the majority of the apostle Paul's writings Grace-Grace - As seen in Zechariah 4, Yahuweh's New Testament Grace is two-fold; both aspects His Grace are required to walk in Righteousness The Doctrine of Balaam Today: A Warning to the Bride - Yahushua warns His people of this error, which has been embraced by most Believers today; causes His people to commit sins, and brings a plague on entire congregations; he will fight against all who do not repent, but continue to hold this error Eating Things Sacrificed to Idols: A Warning to the Bride - The Scriptures warn of a popular Religious Tradition among most Believers today Walking in Eternal Judgment - One of the Foundation Stones of The Faith in Hebrews Chapter 6 is that we are to walk according to Yahuweh's eternal Mishpatim - His Rules of the House Our Greatest Hindrance: The Doctrines and Commandments of Men - Modern-day examples of the Doctrines and Commandments of Men, which turn men away from the truth; Yahushua and His Disciples are for our examples The Way of Salvation - The term Salvation in Scripture speaks of two distinct stages of our walk with Messiah; The Scriptures tell us of a clear and simple message of Salvation, and give many New Testament warnings important for Believers today Footnotes: From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert [1] Dimont, Max, "Jews, God, and History", New York, 1962, pp. 106-108 [2] Wilson, Marvin, "Our Father Abraham", Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Michigan, 1989, p. 92 [3] Epistle of Barnabas [4] Tertullian: An Answer to the Jews [5] Epistle to Diognetus [6] lgnatius to the Magnesians [7] Dixon, M., "The Rebirth and Restoration of Israel", Chichester, Sovereign World, 1988, p. 80 [8] Calendar of Jewish Persecution [9] Wilson, Marvin, op. cit., p. 93 [10] Chrysostom's Sermons, quoted in Dixon, p. 80 [11] Cohn-Sherbok D., "The Crucified Jew", Harper Collins, London, 1992, p. 33 [12] Wistrich, R., "Antisemitism, the Longest Hatred", Pantheon Books, New York, 1991, pp. 19, 25 [13] lbid [14] Wistrich, R., op. cit., p. 45 [15] Hay, M., "Thy Brother's Blood", Hart Publishing Co. 1975, p. 57 [16] Brown, Michael, "Our Hands Are Stained With Blood", Shippensburg, Destiny Image, 1993, p. 13 [17] Hay, M., op. cit., p. 35 "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3) I do not know anything about any early church fathers, nor have I read their writings. The 7 questions which I posed to you regarding Judaism and Christianity and the apostle Paul, which you have not answered, have nothing to do with any early church fathers but with what is written in the Bible, which is what my beliefs are based upon. Will you answer the questions? (From the Bible, please.)
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Post by justinadams on Aug 11, 2018 5:51:09 GMT -5
These are all good questions. It behooves us to study and to show ourselves approved. Do you suppose Saul was not of 'the cloth' and never studied? I think you will find he spent many years in contemplative scholarship and did not rely on second-hand information. Today, very few people appear to study for themselves. They seem to want someone else to do this for them. I now bring to your attention the following quotes. If ANY of these people was in any way a part of the doctrines you hold to, I suggest you take another look at the roots of your beliefs. Please read the following quotes very carefully.Things Your Pastor Never Told You About the Early Church Fathers From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert TheWayPrepared.com For almost a century, the early believers in Yeshua the Messiah were culturally and ethnically the same as, and worshipped alongside, mainstream Judaism. The first "Christians", as such, were Jews. The Torah was of great importance to them and they kept its laws, observing the Sabbath and performing circumcision. They did not follow "another religion", but remained within the Torah framework of Judaism. This Messianic movement spread largely among Jews to begin with, and for some time it remained a sect within Judaism, mostly known as the sect of the Nazarenes. Early in the second century, the Nazarene sect, consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers who converted to Judaism, became subjected to a number of religious and political events. In 117 CE, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a temple to Jupiter in Jerusalem and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, turning Jerusalem into a Roman City. Demoralized after such a loss of Jewish national and religious life, which had begun with the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE, the Jewish people looked for a Messiah to save them from the oppression of Rome. In 132 CE, Simon Bar Kochba was endorsed by the leading Jewish intellectual of the time, Rabbi Akiba, to be the promised Messiah, and in 135 CE, Bar Kochba led a revolt against Rome. [1] The Nazarene Jews, however, refused to join in the revolt, as they concluded this would go against their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah. Although they had fought in the initial revolt against Rome, when Bar Kochba was declared the Messiah, they refused to fight under his banner. This resulted in bloodshed between Jews on both sides. By the end of the second century CE, a wedge was driven between the Nazarene movement and mainstream Judaism. However, the Bar Kochba revolt was not the only reason for this separation. As more and more Gentiles joined the new Jewish movement, the actual Jewish presence became progressively less numerically significant. Although Christianity didn't officially take a stance against Judaism until early in the fourth century, divisions and differences of opinion began in the first century CE. As a result of the Apostle Paul's mission to the Gentiles, the ethnic composition of the Nazarean movement began to rapidly change from a Jewish majority to a Gentile majority. For some time, Gentiles remained within the Nazarean movement. However, by the end of the first century, non-Jewish influences affected the structure and beliefs of the now Gentile-dominated movement. In the second century CE, many of the "Early Church Fathers", or "Apostolic Fathers", began to make statements which further separated gentiles from everything Jewish. Non-Jewish doctrines began to be developed which became the foundational beliefs of Christianity. Although Gentile Christians were not particularly opposed to the Jews and many still converted to Judaism, the formal position of the Church was decisively set against the Synagogue. The Church sought to conquer the Synagogue which, in their view, continued to cling stubbornly to its ancestral faith. Frustrated and embittered, the Church Fathers set out to prove that Judaism was a legalistic, dead and superseded religion. [2] By reversing the Biblical image of the Jews, the Church claimed to be the "New Israel", the "Jacob", whereas the Jews were Esau and Cain, the murderers of their brother. Israel was portrayed as blind and divorced by God. This theology of replacement, which evolved into a theology of displacement, stated that the Jews had forfeited what God had given them and now Christianity was the new "heir" to the promises and blessings of God. The Jews, however, could keep the curses. In the Epistle of Barnabas, written around 135 CE, this "replacement theology" is clearly stated. Referring to the Mosaic Covenant, Barnabas writes: "Indeed it is ours; for Moses had hardly received it when they (the Jews) forfeited it forever." [3] The Church, however, did not claim the Biblical commandments in a literal sense, but rather "spiritualized" them. They perceived the literal as being only a shadow of what was to come, being that Jesus completed and abolished law. To continue observing the literal Sabbath, literal circumcision, literal dietary laws etc., was foolishness and nonsense. The Church Father, Tertullian, wrote concerning the Sabbath and circumcision: "It follows, accordingly, that, in so far as the abolition of carnal circumcision and of the old law is demonstrated as having been consummated at its specific times, so also the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary." [4] In a letter to Diognetus, possibly written by Justin Martyr in the second century, similar statements are made concerning Jewish practices: "As for their scrupulousness about meats, and their superstitions about the sabbath, and their much vaunted circumcision, and their pretentious festivals and new moon observances - all of them too nonsensical to be worth discussing...." [5] The Apostolic Fathers continued issuing statements clearly divorcing Christianity from anything Jewish. The Mosaic Law, including the Festivals and the Sabbath, circumcision and Israel's election by God, were all brushed away as things of the past. Also, in order to gain the acceptance of Rome, the now Gentile-dominated "Church" made it loud and clear that it had nothing in common with Judaism. In the Epistle of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, to the Magnesians in 115 CE, Christians were warned of the error of looking to Judaism: "To profess Jesus Christ while continuing to follow Jewish customs is an absurdity. The Christian faith does not look to Judaism, but Judaism looks to Christianity...." [6] The teaching of the Church Fathers managed to invalidate Judaism in the eyes of the Gentile world. Although up until now the Jewish/Christian debate was not much more than a debate, the real turning point for the Jews in the Roman Christian world was the Council of Nicea, held in 325 CE. At this Council, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman State and the concepts and claims of the theologians were put into practice and the separation between Christianity and Judaism became official. Constantine, Emperor of Rome and leader of the Church declared: "You should consider not only that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we should have nothing in common with the Jews." [7] As the Church developed into the fourth century and became an international political power, it was confronted with the terrible fact that the Jews, merely by continuing to be Jews threatened the very legitimacy of the Church. They concluded that if Judaism remained valid, Christianity would then be invalid. Christianity's idea of redemption was so manifestly in opposition to that of the Jews, that it rendered their mutual coexistence inconceivable. The Church Fathers had to deal with this Jewish challenge and they did so in a most logical manner. Judaism was declared an apostate and superseded religion and the Jews had now lost their right to exist. However, the Jews did exist and so the Church needed a reason for their continued existence. If their failure to recognize the Christ resulted in their dispersion, and if Christianity had superceded Judaism in being a "light to the gentiles", then why were the Jews around at all? The Church concluded that the reason Jews survived was to prove the truth of Christianity. They were to be around always, to be persecuted, vulnerable, wanderers on the earth without a home, as proof of God's wrath upon them. The condition of the Jews was to be a negative witness to their crime of deicide. This was the purpose of their existence. The Jews, therefore, were forever, everywhere, held collectively responsible for Yeshua’s death because they were "a wicked nation." Furthermore, the calamities that befell Jewry--the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion--were seen as having Christological import, pointing to what Christians saw as just desserts for killing Christ. Augustine declared: "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of Jesus." [8] Concerning the accusation of "deicide", the killing of God, Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew, stated that the Jews should "rightly suffer", for they had "slain the Just One." [9] If the Church believed that the Jews had, in fact, killed God, then it would stand to reason that "God is dead". The stereotype of the "deicide people" was transmitted through theological writings, sermons and in following centuries, through Passion plays, folklore and the arts. Christian theologians condemned Jews, accusing them of being idolaters, torturers, spiritually deaf, blasphemers, gluttons, adulterers, cannibals, Christ-killers, and beyond God's forgiveness. John Chrysostom, known as the "golden mouthed" orator due to his eloquence in speech, unleashed a series of "Homilies Against the Jews." In the late fourth century he falsely wrote: "They sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils; they outraged nature and overthrew their foundations of the laws of relationship. They are become worse than the wild beasts, and for no reason at all, with their own hands, they murder their offspring, to worship the avenging devils who are foes of our life. They know only one thing, to satisfy their gullets, get drunk, to kill and maim one another. The Jews are the most worthless of all men. They are lecherous, greedy, rapacious. They are perfidious murderers of Christ. The Jews are the odious assassins of Christ and for killing God there is no expiation possible, no indulgence or pardon. Christians may never cease vengeance, and the Jews must live in servitude forever. God always hated the Jews. It is incumbent upon all Christians to hate the Jews." [10] Chrysostom argued that Jews will be crucified throughout history because they crucified Christ: "It is because you shed the precious blood, that there is now no restoration, no mercy anymore, and no defense...." [11] Persecution and violence toward the Jews became common due to heavy restrictive measures imposed by the Church against the Jewish people. In the three centuries from 300 to 600 CE, a host of rules were passed containing discriminatory provisions against the Jews in the Christian Roman Empire. These were summed up in four major rules contained in the Laws of Constantine the Great (315 CE); the Laws of Constaninus (399 CE); the Laws of Theodosius II (439 CE) and the Laws of Justinian (531 CE). "Under Emperor Justinian, Roman Law was systematized and codified as Corpus Iuris Civilis, or "the Justinian Code". Church Law and doctrine now became state policy. The total of these laws declared that Jews were no longer allowed to hold high offices or have military careers. It became a capital offence to convert to Judaism and intermarriage between Christians and Jews was punishable by death. The Torah was forbidden to be read exclusively in Hebrew and Jews were allowed only a prescribed version of Scripture in their synagogues and were also prohibited to use prayers that were seen as anti-Trinitarian. The keeping of the Sabbath, Jewish Festivals and performing circumcision were banned and Jewish property was confiscated. Rabbinical jurisdiction was curtailed; all former religious and governing privileges were removed and Jews were not permitted to testify against Christians. With the Christianization of the Roman Empire in east and west throughout the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries, the increase in anti-Jewish legislation and teaching reduced Judaism to a position of permanent legal inferiority. In all respects, the Jew had to remain subservient to the Christian, and Christianity soon began to enjoy a position of superiority over Judaism, which caused serious consequences for the Jews." [12] In 418 CE, Bishop Severus of Majorca forced Jews to convert. Violent street fighting broke out with a mob incited by the bishop. The synagogue was burnt. Finally the leaders of the Jewish community gave in and 540 Jews were converted. St. Jerome, who had studied with Jewish scholars in Palestine and translated the Bible into Latin wrote about the synagogue: "If you call it a brothel, a den of vice, the Devil's refuge, Satan's fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still saying less than it deserves." [13] In 489 CE, a Christian mob set fire to the synagogues in Antioch and threw the bodies of slain Jews into the fire. Jews could exercise no position of authority and Christianity had to be rigidly protected from "contamination" through living, eating or engaging is sexual relation with them. [14] The status of the Jew was thus no more than that of an animal, as Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, declared to the faithful: "Truly I doubt whether a Jew can be really human... I lead out from its den a monstrous animal and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheatre of the world. I bring thee forward, thou Jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men." [15] Under the stigma of this image, the Jews were gradually excluded from every sphere of political influence and their political and civil rights were increasingly denied them, until eventually such rights were almost entirely a thing of the past. Church teaching, such as that of John Chrysostom, paved the way for the slaughter of countless numbers of Jews throughout history. Statements such as these from Cluny and Chrysostom were constantly reiterated by Church leaders. The image of the Jew progressively evolved from that of "apostate", to the total representation of evil--the very incarnation of the devil himself. The "Church triumphant" saw herself as bearing the task of making the Holy Land (and other lands along the way) Judenrein. The leader of the First Crusade, Godfroi Bouillon, in 1096 CE, swore to avenge the blood of Christ in Israel and to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive. When the Crusaders arrived in Israel, then called Palestina, they rounded up the Jews in Jerusalem, herded them into the synagogue and burned the building to the ground. Marching triumphantly around the inferno, they sang a hymn-- "Christ We Adore Thee". Inside the burning synagogue, no doubt the Jews heard these strains of "Christian worship" as they perished. Shortly before the Church's Fourth Lateran Council, held in 1215 CE, Pope Innocent III condemned the Jews to eternal slavery by decreeing: "The Jews, against whom the blood of Jesus Christ calls out, although they ought not to be killed, lest the Christian people forget the Divine Law, yet as wanderers ought they remain upon the earth, until their countenance be filled with shame." [16] With this statement, the Church settled the destiny of the Jewish people for many centuries. Church doctrine ultimately legitimized the torture and murder of Jews in Christendom for nearly two thousand years. They were to live as wanderers on the earth, having no home, rights or privileges. The Jews were treated as pariahs and became the scapegoats for all the ills of society. People everywhere, in all classes, were eager to exterminate the Jews. These people were not born with an instinctive hatred in their hearts toward the Jewish people, their hatred was the product of clerical propaganda. [17] The doctrines and teachings of the Church from its beginnings to the Fourth Lateran Council, laid the initial layer of "Jew hatred" and took the Jewish people all the way to the Holocaust. This first step began with the attempt to drive Jews either into Christianity or into a place of non-identity, as Judaism was no longer recognized as a valid religion. By doing so, the Church clearly defined anti-Semitism's first characteristic — "You have no right to live among us as Jews." Some Closing Thoughts As we see in the brief and tragic historical account above, It was the 'Church Fathers' quoted above, who introduced the erroneous and shameful "strange fire" into the life of the Believers, through their man-made doctrines. It is the seeds of man-made religious doctrines that, if allowed to germinate, eventually evolve into a false Religious system — whose corrupted fruit is hatred of the Jews, and abandonment of living according to the Scriptures. As a result of this corruption, the Biblical practices and celebrations of the Born-Again Believers began to be outlawed, and then snuffed-out altogether, only to be replaced with man-made religious doctrines, un-Biblical practices, and pagan celebrations. All of the protestant and evangelical religions of today stem from this early, 'evolved' form of religious doctrine and practice seen above, which has yielded the corrupt fruit of "Replacement Theology" and anti-semitism. This inherited corruption defines the current state of evangelical Christianity today, which bears no resemblance to the first-century followers of Messiah. In light of this information, it appears that the Believers of today have been robbed by the 'Church Fathers' of their true, Biblical heritage (Isaiah 42:21-22; Jeremiah 16:19). But Yahuweh has promised a full restoration of all things, before He returns (Mat 17:11; Mark 9:12; Acts 3:21) — and this restoration is now well underway! Both Jewish and Gentile Believers today are coming out from among the long-standing, man-made religious teachings and idolatrous practices found within both Judaism and Christianity. Instead, they are beginning to 'keep' (the Hebrew word means 'to guard;' to 'watch;' to beware, take heed, and observe) the Biblical doctrines, practices and celebrations — just as Yahushua and the early Disciples did. This remnant of Biblical Believers today have a genuine love for the Jewish people, and an inward love for Israel. As the Bride-Company is being led by the Holy Spirit into all Truth, she is being restored, and 'cleaned-up' by the Bridegroom Himself! "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3) Related Articles: Seven Biblical Guidelines for Studying the Bible: Using Scripture to Interpret the Scriptures New! - What is the source of our current understanding of the Bible? The pure Truths of Scripture are of highest importance — how we understand the Scriptures will affect our eternal condition! To avoid being deceived by man-made doctrines, we must not rely on Preachers, Teachers, Bible notes or commentaries. Instead we must study and understand the Bible for ourselves — not looking through the lenses of tradition or man-made Bible study methods — but relying only on what the Bible actually says about how to study and understand the Scriptures! Here are 7 Biblical Guidelines that show us the way! True Grace - by David M Hargis - A Biblically accurate overview of New Covenant Grace as used in the context of the majority of the apostle Paul's writings Grace-Grace - As seen in Zechariah 4, Yahuweh's New Testament Grace is two-fold; both aspects His Grace are required to walk in Righteousness The Doctrine of Balaam Today: A Warning to the Bride - Yahushua warns His people of this error, which has been embraced by most Believers today; causes His people to commit sins, and brings a plague on entire congregations; he will fight against all who do not repent, but continue to hold this error Eating Things Sacrificed to Idols: A Warning to the Bride - The Scriptures warn of a popular Religious Tradition among most Believers today Walking in Eternal Judgment - One of the Foundation Stones of The Faith in Hebrews Chapter 6 is that we are to walk according to Yahuweh's eternal Mishpatim - His Rules of the House Our Greatest Hindrance: The Doctrines and Commandments of Men - Modern-day examples of the Doctrines and Commandments of Men, which turn men away from the truth; Yahushua and His Disciples are for our examples The Way of Salvation - The term Salvation in Scripture speaks of two distinct stages of our walk with Messiah; The Scriptures tell us of a clear and simple message of Salvation, and give many New Testament warnings important for Believers today Footnotes: From bibleheadquarters.org, from the book: "Things Your Pastor never told you," by Ben Alpert [1] Dimont, Max, "Jews, God, and History", New York, 1962, pp. 106-108 [2] Wilson, Marvin, "Our Father Abraham", Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Michigan, 1989, p. 92 [3] Epistle of Barnabas [4] Tertullian: An Answer to the Jews [5] Epistle to Diognetus [6] lgnatius to the Magnesians [7] Dixon, M., "The Rebirth and Restoration of Israel", Chichester, Sovereign World, 1988, p. 80 [8] Calendar of Jewish Persecution [9] Wilson, Marvin, op. cit., p. 93 [10] Chrysostom's Sermons, quoted in Dixon, p. 80 [11] Cohn-Sherbok D., "The Crucified Jew", Harper Collins, London, 1992, p. 33 [12] Wistrich, R., "Antisemitism, the Longest Hatred", Pantheon Books, New York, 1991, pp. 19, 25 [13] lbid [14] Wistrich, R., op. cit., p. 45 [15] Hay, M., "Thy Brother's Blood", Hart Publishing Co. 1975, p. 57 [16] Brown, Michael, "Our Hands Are Stained With Blood", Shippensburg, Destiny Image, 1993, p. 13 [17] Hay, M., op. cit., p. 35 "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." (Rev 3:3) I do not know anything about any early church fathers, nor have I read their writings. The 7 questions which I posed to you regarding Judaism and Christianity and the apostle Paul, which you have not answered, have nothing to do with any early church fathers but with what is written in the Bible, which is what my beliefs are based upon. Will you answer the questions? (From the Bible, please.) If you did not read about the church fathers, then you do not know the roots of the doctrines and translations you have learned from. That is why I answer you with much information so that you might see (before you judge me) what your understanding is based on and WHY most Christians think to go to their assemblies on SUN-day rather than God's Sabbath. We appear to be worlds apart, so my 'language' might not be readily understood by you. Too many use scripture like a blunt instrument and I do not want to do this. I have presented what I see as relevant so that to the world (the internet) we might appear to be thoughtful and considerate scholars and not of the ilk of the 'get rich quick' televangelists with all noise and no substance. Also, we need to be kind and considerate of each other - lest in pointing the finger, the three pointing back condemn us. We do have a very great cloud of witnesses. We must all give account of the hope that lies within us, but if you were to ACTUALLY READ what I post without a summary dismissal, it might give you pause to consider WHY I encourage study and scholarship. Test all things.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Aug 11, 2018 6:48:46 GMT -5
...WHY most Christians think to go to their assemblies on SUN-day rather than God's Sabbath. Will going to church in the Sabbath day make any Christian more acceptable to God?!
Will it add something to their behavior apart from changing the day?!
"At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat." - Matthew 12:1
"...Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." - Matthew 12:12
The Sabbath was meant for people to do what is pleasing in God's sight and not seek their own selfish interests.
Which I believe is a figure of the liberty we now have in Christ.
"For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." - Matthew 12:8
"I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings." - Jeremiah 17:10
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." - John 7:24
You say SUN-day, as if people were worshiping a sun god or something. The reference to SUN applies only for the English language.
As Sunday have different names in other languages. Then this statement would appear no sense to them:
Sunday is:
Domingo in Portuguese and Spanish.
And to me it is just a name this world gave it to the day... Not that I agree or worship the name, it is just how they call it in this world and I am powerless to change it anyway.
"One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind." - Romans 14:5-6
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