The Truth Be Told

Eyes Wide Shut

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 13:02:00 -0700

For quite some time now our country has faced a very large dilemma. There have been a great number of people who have been crying out for justice for themselves and for their children. Those cries have either gone unheard or have been ignored. These are people who are a minority in the midst of a powerful nation. A story such as this sounds vaguely familiar. In the Gospels, there are a group of people who are subjugated under Roman rule. They are taxed heavily, forced to give obeisance to the Empire and told to submit. This sounds a lot like what is happening to African Americans all across the country. This dies not mean that all African Americans are Hebrews or Israelites. This is just an example of a people who have gone through a systematic subjugation and told to just submit. If was not good enough for the people of the Bible then why is it good for the people in the United States?

Ever since Barack Obama became president of the United States, there have been heated messages from those in ministry who disagree with his policies which is nothing new. There is no president who can appease everyone but since he is the first African American president, there is no shortage of hateful messages that come his way. The media has tried and failed to claim that the United States is now living in a post racial society. The events that have been shown in the news recently show that America has a lot of work to to in order to heal the hurts of the past. Just because laws have changed does not mean mindsets change. African Americans are viewed as thugs and wild men who have no self control. African American men are looked at as deadbeats, who do not want to work and take care of their children. African American women are viewed as sex objects who do nothing but have children by multiple men while living off of the government.

While the news is filled with terrible stories of unarmed Black men and women being killed by police, it is the silence of ministry leaders that is even more troubling. Those who have spoken up have presented their true feelings concerning race and justice in this country. It is disheartening to see the lack of empathy and respect from Church leaders. Even Torah teachers who know what the scriptures say concerning justice and loving your neighbor as yourself. Remembering the stranger for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt. Ideals that the scriptures have commanded His people to do have gone out of the window because there are many who believe that Blacks are the sons (and daughters) of Amalek. Amalek is the grandson of Esau and chose to live a life of bloodshed. He chose to live a life opposite of his grandfather Abraham and his uncle Jacob. Amalek represents pure evil and it is this person that Black people have been associated to by some ministry leaders. These teachers of the scriptures have allowed this type of narrative to persist without condemning or correcting those who perpetrate this ideal.

There are bad and evil people no matter where one travels. It does not matter what color your skin may be or where you live, where there is good, there evil will be also.In Genesis 1, God spoke light into existence while in the midst of darkness. When light came forth, darkness did not just go away, but God separated light from the dark. To make the claim that there are a certain group of people who are a permanent part of that darkness is incredibly misguided. As believers of the Book, it should be known that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. He became the scapegoat for justice just as Joseph's brothers who kidnapped him and sold him, took his coat of many colors and dipped it in the blood of an animal that would take the blame for Joseph's "death".

It is very unfortunate that there has been a lack of response from ministry leaders who teach Torah. The silence is deafening and shows that either they believe that the police killings are all justified, and some of them are but not every single one, or they do not understand the feelings of an entire community. In light of the latest tragedy in South Carolina I ask for these leaders to stand up! Stand up and speak out for the sake of righteousness. Either you believe what the scriptures say or you don't. No longer can you keep silent while standing on the sidelines. It is understood that you do not like the president and his policies but do not allow your dislike to become ignorance to an entire people. I implore you not to cover your eyes and pretend not to see. Please do not stand there with your eyes wide shut.

Distractions

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 5 May 2011 04:59:00 -0700

Shalom Family!

These past couple of weeks have brought a lot of insight and change in the world as we know it. We have gone from birthers to proofers; we have finally finished playing the greatest game of hide and seek ever by the capture and killing of the America's Most Wanted, Osama Bin Laden. The news media gives continual coverage over the how and where the assault in Pakistan took place. What does this have to do with our ever changing world and what does this mean for those of us who believe in bible prophecy? Absolutely nothing! I know there are conspiracy theories on if Bin Laden was truly dead or if he is holed up somewhere. These things do not matter. I will not diminish the military's accomplishment by adding to the suspicion with more theories. These brave men did their job and that is all there is to it. All of these things are distractions! With the constant coverage on every U.S. news channel, our minds are being kept away from other important events that are happening in the world. If you are a believer in the scriptures, then pay attention to what is happening in Israel and her surrounding neighbors! Look for the peace agreements to either take place or not. Look for war to break out in the Middle East. Pay attention to the protests that are happening all over the Middle East. Look at how America has fallen out of favor with the leaders there.

Look at the thousands of people who are worshiping Pope John Paul II's blood. HUH?! Is it me or do these events bother anyone? Or are you being distracted by what others want you to see?

Remember the 10 virgins. 5 were wise, 5 were not but all of them slept. Wake up, Family! Make sure your lamps are trimmed and you have your oil! Psalm 119:105 says your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Proverbs 6:23 says the commandment is a lamp and the law is light. Have the lamp of the word hidden in your hearts and be aware of the distractions that will lead you away from the light!

My 2 Cents

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:06:00 -0700

I am very disappointed in the so called Birther claims that the President of the United States is not an American citizen has taken over the news as of late. I did not have one ounce of desire to speak on this issue but since President Obama has released his birth certificate to the media to put to rest this issue and unfortunately, those claims continue to persist. I do not hold to every single ideals of the president, but since he is in office, I do as the scriptures say and pray for our leaders. With that said, this whole thing reminds me of our country's time of enslaving Blacks and those who were free, had to show their freedom papers. Why do I say this? I say this because never has there ever been a time where the president of this country ever been questioned about his citizenship. Never has a president ever had a request made for the presidents academic credentials into very prestigious colleges. These things make me ill! I have been in times past a victim of racism by the police, neighbors, and teachers. This entire mess brings me back just 30 years ago when I had to defend myself against racism. I am not pleased with this issue. If you do not like the president, that is fine. You do not like his policy, no problem; that is your right. But let us call this for what it is, a Black man in this country's highest office and there are citizens who would rather laugh at and point at the undereducated, sagging pants wearing, ebonics speaking, so called hood rat because these unfortunate people do not want a Black man in power. Yes, I said it! It's just the hard truth.

Welcome to the Real World

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 3 Apr 2011 13:56:00 -0700

If anyone truly knows me, they know that I am a news junkie. I watch various stations for their perspective on local news, politics, religion, etc. I do this mostly because of my profession and my beliefs. This past week has been all about what is going on in the Middle East, more specifically, the battle that is taking place in Libya.

Right now it does not matter if you believe that our U.S. troops should be there or not, the fact is, they are there for the time being and will be there for how ever long the president and Congress decides. That is not the important issue at work here. At least not important for this blog. The truth is, Libya is only a small part of what seems to be a changing policy in how the U.S. deals with Islamic nations. We have become a nation that tolerates (IE. accept EVERYTHING) all who come across our path unless they are not willing to bend to what ever the majority deems to be right.

Case in point, the pastor in Florida who just recently burned a bunch of quarans. Whether I think it was right or wrong is another story. The story is this pastor is being blamed for the deaths of Americans in Afghanistan. Is this right? Should he take the entire blame for a mob that had it in their heart to kill Americans? I do not think so. It has been said that these people, who are Muslims, would have and have killed Americans and that the pastor just threw a match into an already lit fire.

MSNBC, which carries the show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, gave this report and the commentators and reporters want this pastor to pay for those deaths. What is wrong with this picture? What about the people who took American lives? Are they exempt because they felt justified? According to MSNBC they are. Or at least that is what they allowed it to sound like. A senior editor for Time magazine stated that burning quaran's is likened to, "burning God!" That it is ultimately more serious than burning a bible because the bible was written by men where the quaran was written by god. REALLY!?

Welcome to the new world my brothers and sisters. Welcome to the world where if you disagree with a Muslim you are an intolerant bigot. Welcome to the new world where you will either choose to serve God or choose to serve the Islamic god. Yes, there is a difference. Do not allow anyone to tell you that the two are the same. They are not. Soon we will awaken to a government that we do not recognize, a day where the Islamic flag will fly tandem to the U.S. flag. Then people will wake up and all I can say as Morpheus said so eloquently, "Welcome to the Real World!"

Israeli Politics

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 1 Apr 2011 06:42:00 -0700

I read this on someone's blog and I just had to re-post this.

I wish you all SHABBAT SHALOM with this little "joke": ENJOY... An Israeli Sense of Humor at UN set the record straight. An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly and made the world community smile. A representative from Israel began: 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell You something about Moses: When he struck the rock and it brought forth Water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath!' Moses removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian Had stolen them! The Palestinian representative at the UN jumped up furiously and shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then.' ♥ ;))

Look OUT

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:51:00 -0700

It has been a long while since I have written on my blog but with the events happening around the globe, I figured I would put my 2 cents in.

I would first like to ask my brothers and sisters who read this blog to please pray for those who are affected by the many killings, protests, earthquake and tsumami victims all around the world. I believe we are witnessing prophecies coming to pass before our very eyes. I would suggest that if you are not well versed with your bible, study. Learn the scriptures! For far too long, we have done nothing but repeat what we have heard. I say it is past time for all of us to wake up and learn the scriptures for ourselves! Many of my brothers and sisters are awaiting the rapture to come and sweep them away from all the mess the world has but not knowing the scriptures that say that judgement starts in the House of God.

I dare you to be the watchman and Look Out! Be on the look out for false messiahs! Be on the look out for those promising the sweet by and by before the Lord returns! Watch as well as pray!

My prayer is for someone to be reached and touched by these words. I will be writing more on this blog in the days to come as well as hosting a web radio show that is soon to come. Until next time, Look Out!

Know the End From the Beginning pt 1

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:33:00 -0700

Tis the Season 2

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 08:23:00 -0800

Shalom family.

In my last post, I spoke of celebrating the Feast of Dedication. It is a true Jewish feast but one that I believe should not be ignored on the basis that it is recorded in the Scriptures. Let me make one thing very clear: the Hanukkah celebration is not a replacement for the extremely popular holiday, Christmas. I count my self fortunate for being allowed to teach on this pagan celebration to our congregation a few weeks before the 25Th. Many people who now attend our congregation every Sabbath never heard anyone talk against this holiday and truly had no idea what it truly stood for. It was an honor to stand before family and friends to discuss this and it has been more honorable that the teaching has become one of the most requested teachings that people want just so they can pass it to their friends, family, co workers, etc. I did not go into everything I could have because what information was given was a lot to take in, especially for those who just did not know. I'm going to share some of the information that I learned while researching Christmas and I will share some of the testimonies that I have heard afterward.

Jeremiah Chapter 10

Idols are compared with God

1 Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Let's begin with this scripture in Jeremiah 10. The very first scripture let's us know that number one, shema - hear, do, and obey the voice of the Lord and do not learn the way of the heathen! Not just hear as in listen with one's ear, but diligently discern but perceive it, publish it, and then proclaim it! I was in a meeting some years back and the teacher told us that this scripture was not a Christmas tree because Christ had not been born yet. I found that argument to be ignorant. The truth was the young gentleman did not have the desire to stop this celebration no matter what the scriptures say. Historicaly, this celebration was called the winter solstace. The celebration of the invincible sun, mithra. The people were afraid that the sun would not return so they held a celebration filled with rape and violence in order to grab the attention of the "gods".
Warning: the information being posted is rated True!!

The tree that is decorated and garnished is a representation of mithra's uncircumcised penis. The garland that is strewn about the tree represents his sperm. The lights put arond the tree stands for the sun which was also used to ward away evil spirits. When a woman stood under the miseltoe, she was a candidate to be raped, for the fertility gods chose her as a vessel. During this celebration, the government was no longer in control. All manner of violence and incest was considered the norm for 8 days. The wreath with the red berries stood for the vagina of Astheroth and the berries stood for her menstrual blood which was considered to be the fountain of youth.
In one book, the encyclopedia of witchcraft, it was said that "the new sun god was born to the mother goddess and the gifts were also his sperm comming out of the phallus". When the people would bow down to the tree to recieve the gifts, they are paying homage to the tree (mithra).

In Exodus 32, while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, meeting face to face with the Lord, the people grew impatient and had Aaron make a golden calf, not to replace the Father, but as Aaron declared, "tomorrow will be a feast unto the LORD (YHVH)." This is the same thing that we have done with Christmas. We have said that we are not doing this for Mithra, but we are doing this for the Lord. We have taken this pagan practice that we have learned from the heathen and have tried to give it to YHVH when He told us not to. I'm sure there are many that mean well, like my own mother who cried when I first told her this same information 5 years ago, but the God of our bible said don't do this. Period! I am very fortunate to have been able to teach this information (there is a lot more that goes along with it but for the sake of time I only gave some critical parts) and this last time I taught this, I was sure that someone was going to throw a shoe at me. LOL Some got out of their seats and left, but the majority stayed and listened. Those who stayed and had heard this for the very first time went home, packed up there decorations, and threw them out. And then began to spread the Word to others and one dear sister who took the information to her job, withnessed to a coworker and they followed suit.

Of course there have been plenty of persecution this year. People accused of splitting up the family, we have become heritics, foolish Galations, the list goes on and on. I am thankfull that the people who sat during this teaching actually heard it and acted upon it. I am truly thankfull for an elder in our congregation who is still attending his Sunday congregation (because of his ministerial duties which he is in the process of relinquishing) and took the information to that congregation and the pastor actually heard it and wants the elder to teach it. And he said so accross the pulpit. And for the first time this year, that church has not put up any decorations. As small a victory a as it was, it is still a victory. I also have to note that in my city of Cleveland, Ohio, there is a Luthern church that happily boasts how it was their pastor who was the first pastor who set up a the first Christmas tree in a church in America. No wonder my city is going through many issues. (Not saying that it is the only reason but that didn't help)
I thank all of those who are standing up for the gospel of truth. You are vitally important and appreciated, and loved.

May you be blessed in Hashem Moshiach Yeshua.

Tis the Season

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:22:00 -0800

Shabbat Shalom friends and family!

It has been a long time since I last posted so please forgive me for waiting so long to write a new post. I bless Yahweh because as we are coming toward the end of this civil year, I reflect on all the changes that have happened in the life of my family (natural and spiritual). Our congregation, Sar Shalom Ministries began nearly 5 years ago now, meeting in our pastor's basement, then meeting in an office building, and 5 months ago, we began renting a church building. Our congregation has grown and we are seeing more and more of HIS Word. I do not view success by the size of our congregation or by the size of the offerings. Our success comes by the testimonies of the people who have the testimony of Yeshua and the commandments.

We have been doing a teaching series called the 2 trees; one is a mixed tree filled with the fruit of today's holiday celebrations such as Christmas, Halloween, New Years Day, and Valentine's Day. I have been amazed at the testimonies that have come out these teachings. People who have celebrated Christmas for years have thrown away their trees and lights, disgusted by the pagan roots and have been sharing the information with others. The hurtful thing is that our brothers and sisters in church are the one's persecuting us. Even that is a testimony. Despite the persecution, we still stand strong. And thankfully, there has always been one person who hears the "voice crying in the desert...".

We have also been observing the Feast of Dedication also known in Hebrew as Hanukkah. I do realize and understand that this is a Jewish feast, meaning it is not a feast that Yahweh commanded us to observe. However, I cannot ignore the fact that Yeshua in John 10:22 went into the temple during this time. I also cannot ignore the fact that Yah did a great miracle during this time when the feast was instituted by the Maccabees. The story goes as follows:

In the 2Nd century BCE, the land of Israel lay between Egypt and the Seleucid empire. Both Egypt and the Seleucid empire were states descended from the break up of Alexander the Great’s Greek empire. Since the rule of Alexander in 336–323 BCE, a process of Hellenization had spread through the near East. When Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ca. 215–164 BCE), became ruler of the Seleucid Empire in 175 BCE, Hellenizing Jews had been long-established in Israel. They had built a gymnasium, competed internationally in Greek games, "removed their marks of circumcision and repudiated the holy covenant" (1 Maccabees, i, 15.)

Conflict over the appointment of the High Priest and corruption contributed to the causes of the Maccabean Revolt. The High Priest in Jerusalem was Onias III. His brother Jason, who favoured the Seleucids, bribed Antiochus to make him High Priest instead. Antiochus was insensitive to the views of religious Jews and treated the High Priest as a political appointee and one from whom money could be made.

Menelaus (who was not even a member of the Levite priestly family) then bribed Antiochus and was appointed High Priest in place of Jason. Menelaus had Onias assassinated. His brother Lysimachus took holy vessels from the Temple, causing riots and the thief's death at the hands of the rioters. Menelaus was arrested and arraigned before Antiochus, but he bribed his way out of trouble. Jason subsequently drove out Menelaus and became High Priest again. Antiochus sacked the Temple and re-installed Menelaus.

From this point onwards, Antiochus pursued a Hellenizing policy with zeal. This effectively meant banning traditional Jewish religious practice. In 167 BCE Jewish sacrifice was forbidden, Sabbaths and feasts were banned and circumcision was outlawed. Altars to Greek gods were set up and animals prohibited to Jews were sacrificed on them. The Olympian Zeus was placed on the altar of the Temple. Possession of Jewish scriptures was made a capital offence. The king's motives are unclear. He may have been incensed at the overthrow of his appointee, Menelaus, he may have been responding to a Jewish revolt that had drawn on the Temple and the Torah for its strength, or he may have been encouraged by a group of radical Hellenizers among the Jews.

After Antiochus issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods. Mattathias killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias' place. He and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judah. After Mattathias' death about one year later in 166 BCE, his son Judah Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against Jewish collaborators, of whom there were many. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised children and forced Jews into outlawry. The term Maccabees as used to describe the Jewish army is taken from its actual use as Judah's surname.

The revolt itself involved many individual battles, in which the Maccabean forces gained infamy among the Syrian army for their use of guerrilla tactics. After the victory, the Maccabees entered Jerusalem in triumph and ritually cleansed the Temple, reestablishing traditional Jewish worship there and installing Jonathan Maccabee as high priest. A large Syrian army was sent to quash the revolt, but returned to Syria on the death of Antiochus IV. Its commander Lysias, preoccupied with internal Syrian affairs, agreed to a political compromise that restored religious freedom.

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple following Judah Maccabees's victory over the Seleucids.

One of the awesome things that our Father did during this time was during the re dedication of the temple, there was only one cruz of oil that was considered kosher. It was enough for 1 day. That one cruz of oil was enough to keep the lamps burning for 8 days. This may seem small and insignificant to some but this was a mighty deed. These people who fought not to become like the Greeks, who upheld Torah even in the face of death, received a miracle that only Yah could do. Just as He did in 1Kings 17 when the widow had just enough oil and meal for herself and her son, the vial of oil did not run out.

If our Jewish brothers had not stood up for Torah during that time, many of the things we read in our bibles would not have taken place. So I urge you to remember that this feast of dedication is not about presents (although some of our "westernized" brothers have been exchanging gifts), it is about us re-dedicating the temple of our bodies to our Father who live within us. We are supposed to be the light of the world. People should see the light of Yeshua in us. So on this final day of Dedication, take time out to dedicate your all to the Lord. Indeed, tis the season, not for the pagan observance of the winter solstice, but tis the season of re-dedication.

Be blessed in the mighty name of Yeshua.

Since When. . . .?!

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:35:00 -0700

I received a very disturbing phone call from a very good friend of mine who posted a question on Facebook asking about truth. A friend of his that he used to go to church with sent them a message attacking him and his wife for leaving the church they attended and became full time members of the congregation that all of us attend every Sabbath.

The well meaning friend scolded them for leaving the church and their, "spiritual parents", aka, the pastors. I do not yet know what their response was to this misguided attack but one thing that bothered me was something that I have heard from the pastor's of this particular church before which is you do not leave this church unless the pastors, "release", you. Another statement made during this attack was how can you just uproot yourself from the place where the Holy Spirit dwells? (in so many words)

Now I have a problem with that. Since when has anyone NEEDED the pastors permission to do anything? How long have we as Christians put just about all of our trust and faith in a person whom we believe to be the spokes man for Yahweh? To be honest with you, this is not uncommon at all. I'm sure many of us can look at our congregations and ask this same question. How many people wait until they get to church to crack open their bibles? How long have we repeated what was said across the pulpit without the benefit of studying for our selves?

Since when did we have the right to NOT speak up when we hear the preacher, teacher, etc make a mistake or misquote a scripture, or anything else that we know is wrong but yet not say anything because if we do, then we would be made to feel inferior or be accused of being rebellious? We have all given our leaders much more power over our lives than we would like to admit. I remember once at my former church, some of us had begun wearing prayer shawls. We had some ordered for ourselves and one of our friends ordered the particular ones we wanted and had them shipped to us. My wife's prayer shawl resembled the one the pastor's wife had and the pastor's wife had a problem with it. She made it know that my wife should return it and get a different one. I had a problem with it since we had to put in a special order for the prayer shawl.

That night, all of us who ordered the prayer shawls discussed how we could resolve the issue with now harm and we came to a conclusion, case was closed. . .or so we thought. That Sunday, we were pulled to the side for a meeting with the pastor's wife and she figured that she had been the topic of conversation during the week (which she was not), and told us that we were wrong for having these prayer shawls and that we should have gotten her permission to order them for ourselves.

Do you see the problem with that statement? I certainly did. And in my own colorful way, I made it known that I had a problem with it. But this just serves as an example of what type of power church leaders have had over their respective congregations. I think we need to remember that when Peter, James, Paul, Silas, etc taught, they were questioned at every turn. And when the teachers in the various synagogues taught something that was incorrect, the apostles were quick to speak up.

Since when did we become passive and allow wrong teachings to come across our ears without a challenge? And what are we going to do about it now? Or are we afraid of being branded? I am asking everyone who will stand up for the truth to speak up. I am not asking anyone to disrespect anyone. I am asking everyone to be like the Berean's and study for themselves and tell the truth. What is truth? Just what the scriptures say it is; Thy word is truth.

Shalom in Messiah, Yeshua

Lord, We Have A Problem

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:43:00 -0700

I have been struggling with an issue for little while now within the Messianic movement. I praise God for showing not only myself His word and His ways but my family and so many others. The past 4 years have been mindblowng to me as I see scripture in a way that I have never seen before. It has been nothing short of miraculous.

Now to the problem that I am having. Lately, I have been running across more and more believers who are reminding me more and more of the Pharisees who believed on Yeshua but still adhered to traditions of men. Matthew 24:24 says "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect:"

Now, there have been people around the world who claim to be the Messiah come in the flesh and have many followers which is unfortunate. There are also many signs and wonders going about and many of the brothers and sisters who truly love the Lord are being led astray. And now for the false prophets:

The job of the prophet is to lead God's people back to His Torah. And there are many who are doing just that. When I first came into this truth, I felt like a wide eyed child looking at the world in a brand new light. I found various groups across the internet who were like myself and we loved and shared all the information concerning scripture that we could find. This past year, however, a lot of people who have started out in love are now becoming haughty and arrogant. If you are not a part of their inner circle or if you disagree with something that is said, you are booted out of the camp.

One group that I had joined on the internet has had a change in thinking. It seems now that it is no longer about studying the scriptures but it is increasingly becoming about the way you keep them. No longer are all welcome. The love we felt in the beginning is all but gone. Now we're caught up in saying the sacred names correctly and did we keep the Passover like it was done in the bible. It is becoming a disturbing trend.

I would ask that all of us who believe in Yeshua Messiah and keeping His Torah check our selves, meaning our motives and attitudes. Let us continue to compel people to come to the gospel truth. I know that when there is a large movement of the Spirit, the enemy will always find a way to pervert it and right now, he is doing the job by decieving the brethern. Let's stop it right now. I urge all of my brothers and sisters in the Lord to come back to our first love and stop the mess or we will continue to have the same problems.

Shalom in Messiah Yeshua

He Is Risen

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:34:00 -0700

Shalom to everyone that is reading this blog. It has been a long while since my last post and I do apologize for my long absence. But I have returned and I hope my thoughts will bless everyone who reads this.

Today there are a lot of people who are celebrating what has been called the Easter resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have celebrated this, "holiday", for many years also. I did until I as challenged by something during my study time. I was reading in the World Encyclopedia a few years ago concerning the death, burial, and resurrection and found an interesting comment in one article. It stated that the Christianity of today closely resembles what was known as Mithraism in Greek and Roman times. Needless to say, this piqued my curiosity and made me look into this claim.

The article pointed out that some time during the 4th century, Mithraism mysteriously vanished. The explanation that is given was this: Christianity replaced Mithraism. "How can this be?", I asked my self. Researching further, I found out that the church fathers combined the practices of Sun worship with Christianity, taking out a few of the rituals of Mithra worship and totally eradicating the Feasts of the Lord, sighting them too "Jewish".

I say all these things because we have, as one article stated, been too long in the sun. We have adopted sun worship in place of the Lord's sabbath. We have adopted Christmas, saying that no one knows when Jesus was truly born but when you do a little biblical research, it's not that hard to find. And we have taken Yeshua's time of redemption and replaced it with an Easter celebration saying that God does not mind since He knows my heart.

It is with great sadness that I tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. God does care! God spoke about what we should and should not do when it comes to mixing our worship. As we are about to find out, our ways are truly not His ways and our thoughts have most definitely not been His thoughts. But I pray for all who read this. I pray that your heart will be pricked and that you will study for yourself and truly see what thus saith the Lord.

This past week my family and friends observed the Passover celebration which is found in Exodus 12. This time was so important to the Lord that He tells Moses and Aaron in Exodus

12:1 Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 " This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.

In our society, we celebrate January 1 as the new year. But according to what we just read in Exodus 12, God already established what the new year would be for those who believe on Him. As a matter of fact, God knew that it would be said that this was for the "Jews" only. But several times in Exodus God says that one law shall be to him who is home born and to the stranger that sojourns with you. God makes this point very plain in Exodus 12:38, "And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks and herds very much cattle".

God also makes it clear that He wants His people to keep His passover. But what about Easter? In the King James bible, Easter is found in Acts 12:4 "And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaterions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. . . ".

Notice the word, "Easter", has been inserted there. Looking up this word in the Strong's concordance, it is the #3957 which is Passover. Why would the translaters substitute this? The reason is simple; it was deemed too Jewish. This was a deliberate attempt to hide what God calls, "My Feast"! If that is wrong, then what else is incorrect? And why do I think it is important that we celebrate His death, burial, and resurrection at the appropriate time?

My birthday is January 14. That date never changes. Every year I know that my birthday is the same. But the day that my birthday falls on is always different. It is the same for Passover. Passover is the same date every year; Abib (now called Nisan on the Hebrew calendar) 14, at evening. That date never changes but it does come up on different days according to our Gregorian (or Greek) calender. Does that mean we should ignore the date and celebrate what God has done on our time? Or should we pay attention to the time He set? I would think the answer is obvious.

It breaks my heart to see my brothers and sisters, year after year, dress up in their Easter outfits and eating colorful eggs that have supposedly lain by a rabbit. And say that somehow I am off because I choose to follow scripture. I have heard it said that many people know that Easter has it's roots in pagan ways but t church has turned it around and now uses it to give God the glory. What happened to just obeying what God said to do in the first place? Jesus met with His disciples before He died and told them of His great desire to have this Passover with them. (Luke 22:15) But we have had no desire to do as He commanded by doing this (Passover) in remembrance of Him. Instead we have taken on Easter, which is the pagan fertility goddess, Ishtar, who according to legend came down from heaven in an egg. When she landed and the egg opened, out she came, the bare-breasted goddess of fertility who in a show of her power, turned a bird into an egg laying rabbit.

God commanded us in Jeremiah 10 not to learn the ways of the heathen and use them for His glory. But that is exactly what we have done. We shun the Lord's feast days and times because people have told us those things are for the Jews. we have been in errror not knowing the scriptures. Instead of taking on the practices that are rooted in the Word of God, we would much rather have fun in the pagan practices.

For years I have been a part of the same thing. God in His mercy and kindness saw fit to have mercy on me and many of you who are reading this article. There are no accidents. You are not reading this by mistake. God desires for His people to repent and come back to His ways. When Jesus took the Passover and later on that night was tried and in the morning executed on the cross, He took all of our sins upon Him. It is interesting to note that during that time, the priests in the temple would have 2 loaves of bread set on 2 high pillars. The idea was that every family was supposed to remove the leaven out of their homes and it is to be transferred to a place where everyone brought their leaven. Leaven is of course a representation of sin. The temple priest at a certain time (around the 5th hour which is about 11am) would take one of the loaves down which signified that time was running out to get rid of your leaven. Then, at the 6th hour (12pm our time), the priest took down the final loaf and it is interesting that the scriptures record that at that time, darkness fell upon the whole earth.

It was at that time that the leaven was fully transferred out of each families house; just as the leaven of our sin was transferred onto our Lord and Savior. Not just the sin that was there at that time, but also the sins of the past and future. He saw us and took it upon himself. Is it a small thing for God to ask that we remember the atonement of His only begotten Son during l. the time that He appointed? Let's get rid of the paganism in our hearts and let us do as Paul said and keep the feast. Why? Because He is Risen. He died during Passover by becoming our passover sacrifice. Right after Passover, it became time for the feast of Unleavened bread. It was after that high holy sabbath (the first day of unleavened bread) that Jesus rose. It is time to put aside the pagan practices that have infected our beliefs. It is time to admit that the feasts of the Lord are not Jewish but for all who belong to God. It is time to admit that He is risen on the 3rd day. That Jesus' death came at 3 pm and so He rose around 3 pm 3 days later.

I know it may be hard to let go but I pray that the Lord opens your heart to His word. It does not matter how long we have been saved or how many degrees we have. All that matters is what the bible says. Shalom in Messiah Yeshua, Amen.

SO. . . . . Who's Next?

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:11:00 -0800

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Tomorrow Barak Obama will be sworn in as our county's next president. It is a historical day just for the fact that America has elected her first African American president. Beyond that, my excitement has faded. I am not against Obama, neither am I for him. My stance is I will wait and see what he does in office. It's a shame that he is coming into a mess of a situation. The economy is bad, our nations moral standing has taken another turn, and if you are against anything that the populace says, then you are branded an outsider and you are not living up to the American way of life.

On the other side, I have found many believers in the Messiah who number one want Obama to step down from the presidency because it is their belief that he is ineligible to sit in the oval office. I read an article on worldnetdaily.com that states the writer is praying for Obama to fail as president. It is his belief that Obama is evil and his policies are agaisnt what the bible says. Therefore he is praying for Obama to fail. I am in agreement that Obama's policies very well may be against biblical standards. But I do not agree with praying for him to fail. I believe that all of us no matter what have an opportunity to repent. Obama is no different. none of us were born with a bible in our blankets and we do not have the right to condemn anyone which I believe the writer of the story on WND is doing.

I have said many times before, I do not trust most politicians. The higher you get in politics, the more compromises you have to make. I have seen good people become politicians with very good intentions, who want to change the status quo for their neighborhoods. I am all for those things. It is unfortunate that these rookie politicians become intorduced to the real world of politics by those who have been in it for awhile. they are forced to make decisians that they never would have made before. And it is the same with Obama. I have no doubt that he started off with very good intentions. And he probably still has very good intentions. But he is and has been in the position where he has had to compromise, lie, cheat, and what ever else to make it to the oval office.

Obama has already stated that he cannot make decisions based off of the bible. His reasoning is the same as a lot of people who say they know G-d and Know the bible but do not have a clear understanding of a lot of things in the, "Old Testament". Obama has said said we do not stone people do we? That is the answer most people would give. But that is because we do not understand that G-d just didn't have people going around stoning people for every little reason. Our thoughts are truly not His thoughts and our ways are truly not His ways.

Israel knew that in order to try a crime, there must be 2 or 3 unbiased witnesses to the crime. When I say unbiased, it is not unlike our justice system where we have a jury of people who are supposed to be unbiased and unopinionated of the person who is on trial. This was borrowed from the Torah (the first 5 books of the bible). This is why I am so very against condemning Obama's presidency before it has had a chance to begin. When we cast judgement, no matter how many facts we think we may have, we are acting in G-d's place. We have formed an opinion and have executed judgement long before we do our research to see if the so called facts that we do have are true or false.

It is my prayer that Obama is introduced to the true G-d of Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob. The G-d that sent His only Son to pay the price for us. When we are the ones who are guilty. None of us are righteous. Not one! We gave President Bush chance after chance after we the people elected him twice on the premise that he is a G-d fearing man. It was very disturbing to hear him say that he believes that the god of the Muslims is the same G-d we believe in.

If Obama's presidency is overturned somehow, I would like to know who would be next as our nations presient and how different would that person be? Would it be Sen. McCain by default? Does anyone truly believe that the policies for America would be that different to what they are going to be starting on Tuesday? Have those who are filing lawsuit and lawsuit thought of this yet? Or is everyone just hell bent on removing Obama from office and didn't think of these answers just yet?

I am not suggesting that we just do as we are told no matter what. We need to continue to fight for our beliefs. Our nation is steadily moving away from the biblical beliefs and no matter who is the president that would be so. Every candidate has promised to compromise in the name of a unified United States. So that is why I ask who's next. Who would be the next person to say they are, "Christian", but then say that we are all believing the same god? Can someone please tell me? Because so far, all I have seen is more of the same.

Shalom in Messiah, Yeshua.

Obama nation

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:04:00 -0800

Praise Yahweh for all who are reading this blog! I wanted to discuss the rumors concerning our nations next president, Barack Obama. I was listening to a Torah teacher last night (who will remain nameless) and he brought out a few very serious accusations concerning Obama's nationality. These things are not new. Ever since the presidential election, there had been a movement to have that election overturned due to questions concerning the president-elect's birth. One of my favorite websites, worldnetdaily.com, has been leading the charge in trying to have a petition signed by all believers to have the Supreme Court over turn the election. There are many pastors and bishops who have gotten on the bandwagon preaching to their congregations,"If you voted for Obama, you are not a Christian!". There is talk among pastors that i know who are now asking if Barack Obama is the anti Christ. Fear, due to the failing economy, is at the forefront of peoples mind. And everyone is looking for whom to blame. Unfortunately, the next president is inheiriting a mess. But it's a mess that has been in the works for a very long time.

We who are believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, and search the scriptures, know that these things have been prophesied by G-d years ago. So far most teachers are in agreement with this. What we don't know is when are these things that have been prophesied going to take place? And who is the person that will be the anti christ? With so many people looking for answers, we are also looking for some one to place blame. Which brings me to our soon-to-take-office president elect, Barack Obama.

One of the accusations concerning Mr. Obama is the absence of a birth certificate. According to Hawaii laws, only a family member can access his certificate of birth. Politifact.com did extensive research into Mr. Obama's history and found that he truly was born in Hawaii. Now pictures of the birth certificate have circulated across the internet and the next accusation was the document is false because there is no state seal on the front of it. An investigation was again done and it was found out that Hawaii places their seals on the BACK of birth certificates. One of the investigators is also from Hawaii and produced her birth certificate and it is identical to Mr. Obama's.

The next accusation is because his father was born in Kenya then Obama is Kenyan, not American. Well, since Mr. Obama was proven thus far to have been born in America, and his mother is an American, that gives Mr. Obama duel citizenship. Kenya in 1961 (the year Barack Obama was born) was under the United Kingdom. If Barack Obama wanted to claim that citizenship, he very well could have. He cannot do that now because that claim is now expired. It expired in August of 1982.

The torah teacher went on to say that his grandmother said he was born in Kenya, yet she lived and died in Hawaii. Politicact.com went into great detail concerning their investigation and came to this conclusion:

• • •

"At PolitiFact.com, we’re all about original sources. We don’t take anyone at their word or take the reporting of other media organizations as proof. We go to the heart of the story, the source of the truth — original, corroborating documents.

When the official documents were questioned, we went looking for more answers. We circled back to the Department of Health, had a newsroom colleague bring in her own Hawaii birth certificate to see if it looks the same (it’s identical). But every answer triggered more questions.

And soon enough, after going to every length possible to confirm the birth certificate’s authenticity, you start asking, what is reasonable here?

Because if this document is forged, then they all are.

If this document is forged, a U.S. senator and his presidential campaign have perpetrated a vast, long-term fraud. They have done it with conspiring officials at the Hawaii Department of Health, the Cook County (Ill.) Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois and many other government agencies.

Sounds like a Vince Flynn novel."

Now I am not an Obama nation supporter, I am a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. With that being said, I believe that anyone who believes the bible being the Word of God, should therefore do as the scriptures say. Which in this case should be pray for our leaders. Not bash or make remarks to tear anyone down. I consider myself to be a reasonable person. And I have followed the arguments and have listened to both sides and after doing a little research, the above is the conclusion that I have come to agree with. I do realize that there are many who will not agree. They have their own reasons for believing the way they do but I stress to all that we do as the scriptures say and pray, not just for our own selves but all of us. Which includes of leadership. The one thing that I will continue to believe is this: Yahweh is in control no matter who is president of the U. S.

I have not mentioned this teacher by name because I have not presented this case to him as of yet. I will give him the same links that I have found and just as I tell everyone in our congregation, allow him to study for himself. Joseph was put into leadership to ensure Israel survived the famine. The famine was coming whether Joseph was 2nd in command or not. I do not know if our next president will do good or bad. Only time will tell. What I refuse to do is cast judgment upon him before he has even taken office.

I ask everyone who is reading this post to lay aside your every weight and fear, and remember that even though Israel went thru slavery long after Joseph, Yahweh brought our fathers out of the land of slavery with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand. If He did it for them, Yahweh will do the same for us.

Be blessed in Yeshua's name, amein.

Why Should We Observe Hannukah?

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:11:00 -0800

I know a lot of people who have been asking me this question lately, especialy my close family members. The answer that I have been giving, and it has been a good response is located in John 10:22

: And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

As I have begun to take a closer look at this wonderful miracle that YHVH did during a time that many theologians have written off as a time that the Lord did not speak thru His prophets for 400 years. Allow me to explain;
The Greco-Syrian army had taken over Jerusalem. The wicked emperor Antichius began to pass anti Jewish laws forbidding any practice of Torah. Imagine, no Sabbath, no circumcision, no longer able to eat healthy according to the Word of God. If you were caught doing any of these things or any thing that was considered "jewish", you would be put to death. There were many Jews who adopted these Greek practices whole heartedly. But there was a remnant who decided to take a stand against tyranny and flat out refused to bow down to Greek gods or eat unclean meats. There is one particular testimony that truly catches my interest. There was a woman named Hannah who had 7 sons. She watched as one by one the Greek soldiers murdered her children as she watched, all of them refusing to bow down to a statue of zues or eat the swine that was sacrificed on the altar in the temple. Hanna's last son was offered a chance to live, all he had to do was retrieve the general's ring from the base of the statute of zues. The boy refused deciding he would abstain from the very appearance of evil. That young boy sacrificed his life for truth. That he would not even comprimise. Afterward, Hannah was killed because she too flat out refused to worship a false god.

How many of us would have done the same? Would we be able to watch as our children die one by one because of our service to YHVH? There are many stories like this one but the crux of the story comes from the Macabee brothers whos father led the revolt against the mighty Greek army. Town by town, this family led a revolt with little to no weapons and fought with a band of farmers and sheep herders. The amazing thing is this small band of people continued to win. It wasn't what they had done, it was the Lord who had His hand upon them. When the father of the Macabees died, he charged them with continuing the fight. And they did, all the way to Jerusalem and freed the temple.

The temple of the Lord had been ransacked and decicrated. The altar had been trashed with the the sacrifices of pigs and humans. The people had the daunting task of cleaning up and replacing all of the elements of the temple that had been destroyed. A new menora (the temple candles) had been made but there was only one small vial of kosher oil left in the temple and it would be 8 days until more could be made available. The brothers decided to light the menora any way and trust G-d because that one vial of oil was only supposed to last for 24 hours. Here is the other miracle: that one vial lasted for 8 days. To comemorate the lamp staying lit for the 8 days, the Macabees declared a time of rememberace for 8 days to remember the rededication of the temple of the Lord.

I know it may not mean a lot to our brothers in church but had this small band of people had not stood up for the Lord, we would not have had a line of Judah and therefore no Messiah. No Messiah, no salvation. No salvation, no reason for the church. (good or bad) No church, no reason for anyone to come over to the New World for the freedom of religion. When you think about this little known "jewish" holiday, there is so much to be thankful for. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says:

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Our bodies are supposed to be the temple of the Lord. We as a people have compromised our faith for years. Whether we realize it or not, we have inheirited lies just as Jeremiah 16:12 says. These 8 days that we light our candles in memory of the awesome miracle that G-d has done in a time when it is believed that G-d was not even speaking should be more than enough of a reason to at least look at it. If not, then remember that John 10:22 records that Jesus went into the temple preaching and healing people during the feast of dedication (Hannukah).

A Brief Look Back

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:45:00 -0800

I'm am always grateful for my mother raising me in church. My earliest memories are of various services we had to attend because my mother sang in may community choirs. Therefore I was always in a church setting. I cannot tell you when my mother became a Christian, I just tagged along with her whether I wanted to or not. It was not until I was 12 years old that I made a choice that has forever changed my life. One Sunday afternoon, my mother and I were at a particular church and I cannot tell you what the minister taught that day, what the Sunday school lesson was, or what the choir may have sang. I was not even in a seat that particular day. (of course my mother did not know that at the time or I would have been in serious trouble) What I do remember is standing in the back and waiting for the altar call. I just wanted to say that I knew God for myself. I went down the isle and handed my coat to my aunt and sat in the awaiting chair that was set in front of the entire congregation. The pastor was obviously shocked and made it a point of asking me if I understood what I was doing which I answered yes. I do not remember if anyone else came down that isle that day but I do remember that particular Sunday that changed my life. From then on, all I wanted was to read the stories from the bible. I had three or four bible story books and I think I read them so much I had memorized them. Years would pass by before I was introduced to the Strong's Concordance of the bible. But thanks to the Holy Spirit guiding my mother I began to walk the Christian walk the best I knew how. I taught Sunday school, led praise and worship services, worked tape ministries, ran camera, board oped, you name it, I have done it in church. (except pastor) It is amazing now that I have gone 25+ years in church and it's been the past 4 years walking in Torah that I feel the way I did when I took that "leap of faith" so many years ago. I look back thankful for everything that I have gone thru. I can see how the Lord was slowly bringing me closer to Him. I am grateful because now I can teach my children at an early age to walk in His ways. I am grateful that they will not have the same struggles that I had growing up. They will struggle in certain areas I'm sure but they won't have to worry about fighting years of false traditions that have been handed down from past generations. They will know that they are a part of YHVH's plan. My children will be better than me in every area.I thank Him for where He brought me from and I thank Him for where He is leading my entire family. Please no matter what may happen in our nation, let's not forget that God is in control and He always takes care of His own.
"Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give unto you; not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Watch As Well As Pray

bjay0801@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 06:23:00 -0800

1 Thessalonians 5 tells us

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

Many people are asking questions concerning the book by Joe Kovacs, "Shocked By The Bible". I was on a blog found by my wife of a person asking if the Jehovah Witnesses had the ban against all holidays right. I answered and said that there are some things that are correct because America has adopted practices and holidays that were birthed in paganism and we have taken them and put them under a "Christian" banner and say there is nothing wrong with it as long as we are showing love and cheerfully giving to our neighbors. I am of course referring to christmas and easter as well as halloween. There are many who have written background information on all of these holidays so I will not go into them but what I would like to speak on the very "times and seasons" that are in 1 Thessalonians 5. From the very beginning, God has set appointed times and seasons for us to follow. Genesis 1:14

1:14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

That word seasons is the Hebrew word mow' ed: appointed place, appointed time, meeting

appointed time
1. appointed time (general)
2. sacred season, set feast, appointed season
appointed meeting
appointed place
appointed sign or signal
tent of meeting

We see this again in Leviticus 23 concerning the feasts of the Lord and it is this that Paul is referring to when writing the epistle to the Thessalonians. I realize that many are going their way saying ,"tis the season", and despite our economy being in the toilet, many are going their way shopping for gifts to give their loved ones but when God has told us to pay attention to HIS feasts, we do the very opposite. God has reasons for us to keep His appointed times and it's not just for holidays, but also for the days that are coming soon which are the end times aka the day of the Lord. With all the things that are happening in this time of life, we cannot afford to fall asleep at the wheel. It is unfortunate that when tribulation comes and we are on the edge of it, many of our Christian brothers and sisters will be caught sleeping on the job. Why? Because the majority of us have proclaimed that these seasons are no longer in effect for today or we have just completely ignored them. It is my prayer that God opens our eyes, wake us up to see the lies we have inherited and let us return to Him and His ways that are biblical. Not the ways that we think are right and pleasing to our own selves.