The Law of Moses vs the Law of God

 The Law of Moses is another name for the Law of God as it was given through Moses. God tailored the instructions he gave Israel through Moses to fit their specific circumstances, and this leads to some theologians to differentiate between the Law of Moses and the Law of God, but this is a shallow, self-serving doctrine that is completely foreign to the Scriptures.

Every single instruction that God gave to Moses was an expression of his own character and will. He told Israel to behave in a particular way because that behavior pleases him. No commandment is arbitrary. Every commandment is instruction in how to love God and love one another. Every single one.

God didn't give Israel different rules than gentiles just to make them stand out from the other nations. He gave his Law to Israel and not to the nations because he chose Israel to be the conduit through which the rest of the world would learn his standards of behavior. He wasn't establishing special handshakes for his special club. He was teaching right and wrong and expecting Israel to teach the rest of the world.

If God had given Moses his law today, it might mention cars and cell phones instead of donkeys and clay pots, but that doesn't nullify any of the Law of Moses. It only means that it must be understood within the ancient context in which it was given and that modern applications must frequently be extrapolated.

The Law of Moses IS the Law of God as it applies in an ancient, agrarian context. Our job is to study it and figure out how to apply it in a modern, technological context.

All the gods' birthdays?

 

Someone shared this meme with me this morning. (The red X is my own addition.) It claims that all of these ancient pagan deities were born on December 25th:

• Horus (Egypt)
• Osiris (Egypt)
• Attis (Greece)
• Krishna (India)
• Zoroaster (Persia)
• Mithra (Persia)
• Prometheus (Greece)
• Heracles (Greece)
• Dionysius (Greece)
• Tammuz (Babylon)
• Adonis (Greece) 
• Hermes (Greece)

Problem 1: Neither Egypt, Greece, India, Persia, nor Babylon had a month named "December".

December means "10th month", but the Roman calendar had been divorced from lunar cycles some 5 centuries before Christ, and then months were added in the middle to make the 10th month into the 12th month. All of these cultures used multiple calendars simultaneously. There were solar/astrological months, lunar months, seasonal divisions, etc., but none of them had a month that corresponded precisely to the Roman December.

Problem 2: It's just plain wrong.

Horus' birthday was celebrated in late summer, as was Zoroaster's. Krishna's was celebrated in early summer. There is no historical record of a birthday celebration for Mithras among the ancient Iranians. Osiris' birthday (or rebirth day) was celebrated in the spring.

Evidently, whoever made this meme just made the entire thing up. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the images on the depicted coins have no connection at all to the names under them.

The Lesson: Stop believing everything you read or hear on the Internet no matter how true it sounds and no matter how badly you want it to be true.

Think for yourself. Do even a tiny bit of research before repeating things. Don't cause the world to blaspheme God's name by repeating lies and hysteria.

A Chiasm in Luke 22 on Yeshua's Betrayal and Prayer

 

Luke 22:31-62 looks like it could be a chiasm centered on the angel encouraging Yeshua in the Garden and bracketed by Peter's betrayal.

- A - V31-34 – Yeshua predicted Peter's betrayal

--- B - V35-38 – Moneybag, knapsack, sword, and cloak. Scripture must be fulfilled

----- C - V40 – Yeshua told his disciples to pray to avoid temptation.

------- D - V41 – Yeshua went away to pray

--------- E - V42 – Yeshua prayed

----------- F - V43 – An angel appeared to strengthen him

--------- E - V44 – Yeshua prayed

------- D - V45 – Yeshua returned from praying

----- C - V46 – Yeshua told his disciples to rise and pray to avoid temptation

--- B - V47-53 – Yeshua betrayed by Judas (treasurer in a cloak). Sword and the priest's servant's ear.

- A - V54-62 – Yeshua betrayed by Peter

A Very Brief Commentary on Obadiah

photo by Imran Shah (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gilgit2/47985761417)

All scripture quotes are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and the fourth shortest book in the Bible. The prophecy is addressing the nation of Edom, who are the descendants of Esau. There was a long history of conflict between Edom, Israel, and Judah. Obadiah probably wrote shortly after the conquest and exile of Judah by Babylon, in which Edom actively supported the Babylonian army and even killed many Jews who fled the invasion. You can see where it fits in the timeline of Bible books here. 

---------

Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Obadiah 1:2-3

That which you hold most dearly is the very thing you must give up for God. Edom refused to let Israel pass because they feared Israel would once again take away their inheritance (remember Jacob and Esau?), but because they refused to risk their inheritance on behalf of Israel, God took their inheritance away anyway.

Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares YHWH.
Obadiah 1:4

It is impossible to escape God's judgment. No amount of money, influence, or political power can save anyone, any nation, or even all of humanity if God decides to destroy them. You can't hide beneath the sea or among the stars. God spoke it all into existence, and he can command it all right back out again.

If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!
Obadiah 1:5-6

God's judgment is complete and thorough. No deed or thought can be hid from him and no possession can be kept from him.

Obadiah doesn't warn Edom to repent. Just as with Pharaoh, Edom had long since passed the point at which they could have repented in order to turn back God's judgment. God is longsuffering and slow to judgment, but if you ignore the prompting of your conscience and the Holy Spirit long enough, forgiveness will no longer be an option. This is what it means to blaspheme the Holy Spirit: to continually reject his counsel until you can no longer hear it and your condemnation is sealed.

All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you— you have no understanding.
Obadiah 1:7

All nations are ultimately tools of God's will. It's impossible to ally yourself against him because he owns all of your potential allies. He will reward your faithlessness toward him with faithlessness toward you from those you rely on most.

Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.
Obadiah 1:10

He who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword. Edom betrayed Israel time and again for 1000 years even though God commanded Israel to respect their borders all that time. This prophecy was fulfilled in the centuries before Yeshua came, as Judah conquered and eventually scattered or absorbed the remaining people of Edom.

But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress.
Obadiah 1:12

God disciplines those he loves. He destroys those who hate those he loves. Never rejoice or boast over Judah because of their suffering or God will judge you even more harshly than he did them.

For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.
Obadiah 1:16

God has promised severe judgment on those nations that mistreat the descendants of Jacob. The harsher the mistreatment, the harsher will be the judgment. Where is the nation of Edom today? It is "as though they had never been".

But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
Obadiah 1:17

God has promised that he will always preserve a remnant of the physical descendants of Jacob so that he can fulfill his promises to Jacob. They will repent. They will be restored to the land, and all their enemies will submit to the King of Israel or be erased from history.

Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
Obadiah 1:19

This isn't a reference to Arabs or any other non-Israelite people, but to the descendants of Jacob who were once driven to remote places. God will bring them back and eventually restore them to the full extent of the Promised Land.

The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
Obadiah 1:20

From Zarephat in the north to Negev in the south, God will bring Jacob back from all the nations of the world to possess the inheritance he promised thousands of years ago. This promise of restoration was also given in the Torah, but it was predicated on Jacob's repentance. Fortunately, God also promised that they would repent.

The Ancient Rabbis on the Messiah in Isaiah 53

In case anyone ever tries to tell you that Jewish rabbis have never understood Isaiah 53 as referring to the Messiah...

"The Rabbis said: His name is 'the leper scholar,' as it is written, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted."

Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, Folio 98b

"Our righteous Messiah has turned away from us; we have acted foolishly and there is no one to justify us. Our iniquities and the yoke of our transgressions he bears, and he is pierced for our transgressions. He carries our sins on his shoulder, to find forgiveness for our iniquities."

R. Eliezer, Machzor Kol Bo

Maimonides wrote that '[The ancient Jews] believed that leprosy was one of the characteristics of the Messiah, for which they found an allusion to the verse: "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted", that is by leprosy.'

Maimonides' Epistle to Yemen

Philo Did Not Keep a Lunar Sabbath

Lunar sabbatarians like to claim that the ancient Jewish historian Philo kept a lunar sabbath and that it is, in fact, the only kind of weekly sabbath that Philo had ever known.

Here are four quotes from Philo's On the Decalogue that demonstrate he kept the weekly Sabbath on a continuous cycle of seven days, just like we do today. In fact, it appears to me that the lunar sabbath would have been a completely foreign idea to him.

There are in all ten feasts which are recorded in the law. The first, the mention of which may perhaps cause some surprise, is the feast of every day. The second is that held on the seventh day with six days between, called by the Hebrews in their native tongue Sabbath. The third is the new moon which follows the conjunction of the moon with the sun.
The Special Laws, Book II, Chapter XI

Philo wrote that there are six days between each Sabbath. Not sometimes one or two days as required by the lunar sabbath, but six. By listing the new moon after the weekly Sabbath as a separate feast, it also implies that there is no calendrical connection between the new moon and the weekly Sabbath.

After this continuous unbroken feast [of the ordinary day] which has neither beginning nor end, the second to be observed is the sacred seventh day, recurring with six days between.
The Special Laws, Book II, Chapter XV

Philo wrote ordinary days are an unbroken cycle of six days, followed by one day of the Sabbath. Six days and one day. Six days and one day. Six days and one day. Over and over from the beginning of time without break. 

For every seventh day is holy, a Sabbath as the Hebrews call it, and it is in the seventh month in every year that the chief of all the feasts falls, and therefore naturally the seventh year also has been marked out for a share in the dignity which belongs to the number.
The Special Laws, Book II, Chapter XIX

The cycle of months must be interrupted from time to time to keep it in sync with the orbit of the earth around the sun and the agricultural cycles caused by that orbit. The weekly Sabbath, however, is never interrupted, so Philo says "every seventh day" and not "the seventh day from the new moon" or anything like that.

For it is from it that the fiftieth day [Shavuot] is reckoned, by counting seven sevens...
The Special Laws, Book II, Chapter XXX

Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is seven weeks after the early day of Firstfruits during the week of Unleavened Bread. Starting on the day of Firstfruits, Torah says to count seven weeks and then the next day, the fiftieth day, is Shavuot, the latter day of Firstfruits. Following a lunar sabbath, seven weeks would always amount to greater than fifty days if you count the period between the twenty-eighth day of one month and the seventh day of the next as a single week and less than fifty if you count that period as two weeks.

Addendum: I have also seen lunar sabbatarians appeal to the Jewish Encyclopedia (!?) as evidence that God's weekly Sabbath is based on the phases of the moon. Since the editors and authors of the Jewish Encyclopedia believe that the Bible is a work of fiction and that the Sabbath is a relic of a Mesopotamian moon cult that was only later attributed to YHWH who was a minor Canaanite deity, I wouldn't put much stock in what they have to say on the subject.

Black Widow Encounter at Sukkot

I'm not especially excited about sharing this experience, but when I was searching for information at a critical moment, I had a hard time finding anything very useful. I found page after page of corporate-owned, pharmaceutical-sponsored boilerplate that looked like they were all copied from each other. Some real life stories about the effects, treatment, and aftermath of black widow bites would have been helpful. I was aware that being bitten by a black widow is almost never fatal, but I would like to have had more details on what to expect.

According to various reports, between 2000-3000 people are bitten by black widows in the United States each year, so why is it so hard to find first person accounts? Probably due to search engines giving too much weight to "official" websites, but the more accounts that are published, the more they will show up in searches.

Keep in mind--of course--that I'm not a healthcare professional of any kind. This is an account of actual events as clearly as I can remember them, not medical advice.

-------------------------

Chiasm on Healing on the Sabbath in Matthew 12:9-14

 This chiasm in Matthew 12:9-14 is centered on the moral hierarchy implied by the fact that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

• V9 - Yeshua went on and entered the synagogue
• V10 - Man with a withered hand
• They asked “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
• V11 - You will rescue a sheep on the Sabbath.
• V12 - You should rescue a man on the Sabbath.
• V13 - He said, “Stretch out your hand.”
• The man’s hand is healed
• V14 - The Pharisees went out and conspired to destroy him

Since the Sabbath was created to restore mankind, it should never be used to prevent that restoration. The Sabbath command of Exodus 20 also implies that the Sabbath was created to restore man's animals.

I found this chiasm during a demonstration at Common Sense Bible Study, but I later realized that it was a much simpler structure than I had initially thought.

A Timeline of Noah's Flood

The Genesis account of Noah's Flood gives dates for some events and timelines for others. If you take the time to reconcile all of these figures, you can learn some important things about how the Bible is structured and how it treats the passage of time.

Event	Reference	Text Date/Time Lapse	Calendar Date
Enters Ark	Genesis 7:1-10	10th of Second	10 Cheshvan or 10 Iyyar
Rains begin	Genesis 7:11	17th of Second	17 Cheshvan or 17 Iyyar
Rains stop	Genesis 7:17	40 days	~29 Kislev or 29 Sivan
Waters began to abate	Genesis 7:24, 8:03	150 days	~17 Nisan or 17 Tishrei
Ark on Ararat	Genesis 8:04	17th of Seventh	17 Nisan or 17 Tishrei
Mountain tops seen	Genesis 8:05	1st of Tenth	1 Tammuz or 1 Tevet
Raven sent	Genesis 8:6-7	40 days	~10 Av or 10 Shevat
Dove sent/returns	Genesis 8:8-9	0 days
Dove sent/leaf	Genesis 8:10-11	7 days	~17 Av or 17 Shevat
Dove sent/no return	Genesis 8:12	7 days	~24 Av or 24 Shevat
Waters dried	Genesis 8:13	1st of First	1 Tishrei or 1 Nisan
Earth dried	Genesis 8:14	27th of Second	27 Cheshvan or 27 Iyyar

Some observations from this data:

A lunar month is 28-29 days, depending on the relative positions of the earth, the moon, and the sun. This means that the only way for the dates in the text to work is if the 40 days of rain in 7:17 are included in the 150 days of the water prevailing in 7:24, ending in the last half of the month of Nisan (or Tishrei if the "first month" is meant to refer to Nisan instead of Tishrei). 

The dates of some events have to be approximated for two reasons.

First, since a lunar month is only 28-29 days, it is impossible to get 150 days between the 17th day of the Second month (Cheshvan) and the 17th day of the Seventh month (Nisan). That would be 145-147 days. Then from the 17th of Nisan to the 1st of Tishrei is actually about 157-160 days. The two periods combined are close to the specified 300 days, but the text actually says that each period was 150 days. Clearly the author was rounding the numbers to a neat 150 and didn't mean for them to be understood as mathematically exact.

Second, counts of days are frequently rounded in Scripture. "Forty days" is rarely meant to be a literal and exact 40 days, but some period of time greater than one month and less than two. In English today we might say "several weeks" or "a month and a half" to mean the same thing, when we almost never have an exact count of days in mind. 

Whether the flood began in the month of Cheshvan or in the month of Iyyar depends on what is meant by the "first month", "seventh month", etc. When Genesis was first written, the Jewish people hadn't yet adopted the Babylonian names for the months, so they were only numbered. The Babylonians and Israelites both had two primary new years days, 1 Nisan and 1 Tishrei, for counting different annual cycles. However, in Exodus 12:2, God told Israel that they must begin counting Nisan as the first month of the year. This implies that they weren't doing so before and 1 Tishrei had been the primary new years day up until the Exodus from Egypt. Therefore, I prefer the traditional reconning of the start and end of the Flood in the Fall rather than the Spring.

The waters drying from the face of the earth on the first day of Tishrei, also known as the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah, is appropriate, because that day announces the coming day of liberation and restoration on Yom Kippur, the tenth day of Tishrei.

Each Moed on Its Proper Day

I believe that every follower of Yeshua (aka Jesus) should be keeping God's appointed times. Passover, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, etc. I believe that doing so honors God and teaches valuable lessons.

I also believe it's important that we try to do it the way God said to as much as possible, including the timing. Of course, very few people can go to Jerusalem, and there's no altar or priesthood, so there's a lot we can't do, but we can keep the spirit of the Feasts.

We have a pretty good idea of the correct timing, though. If you believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, then you must believe that he kept all the commandments correctly. We know that he kept the weekly Sabbath and the other appointed times on the same day that the Pharisees and Sadducees did. They were wrong about some things, but clearly not about everything. With a few minor exceptions, we know when the first century Jews kept the weekly Sabbath and all of the other appointed times and therefore when Yeshua kept them. They counted the months according the new moon and the weeks according to a continuous cycle of 7 days with no connection to the new moon, and so did Yeshua.

Whether you follow the sighting of the new moon or the calculated new moon, you can get the timing of the annual holy days right within a day or two, even if you've chosen the wrong method...whichever that is. Maybe you count the start of the year by the sighting of ripe barley or maybe you count it by the calculated agricultural cycles. Either method is reasonable, and I don't think we have sufficient information about first century practices.

However, if you're trying to keep the appointed times on a day that's radically different than most other people--counting the Sabbath by the new moon or calculating the months without reference to the new moon, for example--I have to wonder what makes you think you know better than Yeshua.

If you don't think keeping the feasts is important to God, this probably seems like a petty disagreement. I'll simply refer you back to the Scriptures, which plainly say that the timing of the feasts is important to him. If the King summoned you to court on Tuesday and you showed up on Wednesday because it was more convenient for you, don't you think he would care?

These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day...

Leviticus 23:37

Leadership Movies

 I recently watched the Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers about America taking the Vietnam War baton from the French. Setting aside the dubious use of death and violence as entertainment, I enjoyed the film and appreciated its portrayal of a culture of which I'm certain Hollywood has very little understanding. I don't mean the culture of Vietnam, but the culture of honor and leadership that has been central to the militaries of the West for centuries. That culture now appears to be suffering a quick and grotesque death, partly caused by the intrepid degeneracy of Hollywood, but that's what actors do: pretend to be something they're not. Every now and then, though, Hollywood gets it right and produces a film that showcases the best of humanity: moral, humble, confident, God-fearing, and self-sacrificing.

(Interestingly aside: in recent decades Mel Gibson has been the writer, directory, producer and/or lead actor in a high percentage of those films.)

Entertainment will always reflect the character of the culture that spawns it, but it can also have a powerful influence on that culture. A positive feedback loop, for good or ill.

Below is a list of movies and TV series that I think showcase great leaders and leadership. It will start small, because I can only think of a couple right now, but I'll add more when I think of them or encounter them. Feel free to make suggestions in the comments. 

It's not an accident that most of them have military themes. Stories about leadership are much easier to come by in very high stress, dangerous environments.

Your mileage may vary, so check reviews and ratings, and possibly screen everything here before letting your children watch them. No movie is perfect and your standards are certain to differ from my own in many important respects. 

• We Were Soldiers: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Barry Pepper, et al
• The Lost Battalion: Ricky Schroder, Phil McKee, Adam James, et al
• 12 Angry Men: Henry Fonda, Lee Cob, Jack Klugman, et al
• Enders Game: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, et al
• Guardians of the Galaxy, vol 3: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, et al
• Glory: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, et al
• Dune Part Two: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, et al
• World War Z: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, et al
• Zulu: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, et al

I started watching Stargate Atlantis, and after 6 episodes, it seems a great counterpoint to the list above. Lots of examples of terrible leadership except for Robert Patrick's character, Colonel Sumner, in episode 1. Maybe. As I continue watching, it's apparent that this is one of those shows in which all the characters take turns being ridiculously stupid. 

I'm also going to add books to this list, as I come across them.

• The Spiral Wars (9 book series, so far. The whole series). Joel Shepherd

Note: All links are Amazon Affiliate. I earn a very small commission for purchases made through these links.

A Chiasm on Unjust Judges in Psalm 82

This chiasm is brought to you, in part, by one of my Chiasm Course students at Common Sense Bible Study.

• V1 – God rises to judge the judges (elohim)
• V2 – God accuses the unjust judges
• v3-4 - A righteous judge ensures justice for the oppressed
• V5a – They have no [divine] knowledge or understanding
• V5b – They walk in darkness
• V5c – The foundations of the earth are shaken (unstable)
• V6 - Judge righteously because you are a child of God
• V7 – God sentences the unjust judges
• V8 – God rises to judge the world

Knowing that this Psalm is all about God correcting the abuses of an oppressive leadership, how does that effect your understanding of Yeshua's conversation with the Jewish leadership at Hanukkah in John 10:22-42?

Short Video Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish of four canonical Gospels, clearly presenting Yeshua's teachings as commentary on how to live according to Torah (God's Law), and his life and mission as the Messiah, the physical son of David and the spiritual son of Yosef, come to give his life for the sake of his people.

Beginning in 2018, I recorded forty (and counting!) short video teachings on the Gospel of Matthew, explaining the parables and commonly misused teachings of Yeshua. I have also connected most (all?) of these videos to one or more of the annual Torah portions, which you can find on each of the parsha pages at American Torah or by checking the American Torah playlists at YouTube and the topical tags at American Torah's Rumble channel. (Don't forget to subscribe while you're there!)

Short Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew:

• The Book of the Genesis of Jesus, Matthew 1:1
• Joseph and Mary Divorced Before They're Even Married!?, Matthew 1:18-19
• Is Hosea 11:1 about Jesus or Israel?, Matthew 2:13-16
• Matthew 3:1-2. What is the Gospel?, Matthew 3:1-3
• The Righteousness of Jesus' Baptism in Matthew 3:13-15, Matthew 3:13-15
• Father, Son, and Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 3:16-17
• Matthew 4:1-4 and Bread from Stones, Matthew 4:1-4
• Matthew 4:23-25 and Jesus' Syrian Fan Base, Matthew 4:23-25
• Who Are the Poor in Spirit in Matthew 5:3?, Matthew 5:3
• How Does Salt Lose Its Saltiness? Matthew 5:13, Matthew 5:13
• Is Matthew 5:19 Only for the Jews?, Matthew 5:19
• Matthew 5:21-24 and Yeshua on Harboring Anger against a Brother, Matthew 5:21-24
• Matthew 6:24 - Everyone Serves Multiple Masters, Matthew 6:24
• Matthew 7:1 - When Is It OK to Judge?, Matthew 7:1
• Matthew 7:12 - Is the Golden Rule Really Universal?, Matthew 7:12
• Who Are the Workers of Lawlessness in Matthew 7:23?, Matthew 7:21-23
• Lead Like the Centurion - Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 8:5-13
• Strange Tidings from the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 8:28-34
• Did Jesus Blaspheme in Matthew 9:1-8?, Matthew 9:1-8
• Matthew 9:14-17 and the Three Fasting Parables, Matthew 9:14-17
• Matthew 9:32-33 and the Demon-Possessed Mute, Mathew 9:32-33
• Who Are the Lost Sheep of Israel in Matthew 10:6?, Matthew 10:5-7
• The Wisdom and Kindness of Serpents (Matthew 10:16-20), Matthew 10:16-20
• Matthew 10:40-42 and the Risks of Rewarding Righteousness, Matthew 10:40-42
• The Greatest, the Least, and the Violent in Matthew 11:7-14, Matthew 11:7-14
• Choose Your Yoke, Matthew 11:29-30, Matthew 11:29-30
• The Rules of Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-14, Matthew 12:1-14
• What Is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?, Matthew 12:31-32
• Tares in the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:24-30
• Parable of the Householder's Treasure in Matthew 13:51-52, Matthew 13:51-52
• Four Lessons from Herod and Herodias in Matthew 14:1-12, Matthew 14:1-12
• The Gospel in the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), Matthew 14:13-21
• Matthew 15:1-20 and What Defiles a Person?, Matthew 15:1-20
• Prophetic Significance of Feeding the Four Thousand in Matthew 15:32-39, Matthew 15:32-39
• Signs Pointing to God, Matthew 16:1-12, Matthew 16:1-12
• What are the Keys to the Kingdom in Matthew 16?, Matthew 16:13-20
• Thematic Connections of Jesus Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9, Matthew 17:1-9
• Jesus and the Temple Tax in Matthew 17:24-27, Matthew 17:24-27
• Matthew 18:15-20 - If a Brother Sins Against You, Matthew 18:15-20
• Yeshua on Marriage and Divorce, Matthew 19:3-9
• The Wealth and Poverty of Self-Sufficiency, Matthew 19:16-26
• Authority Relationships in the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 20:25-28
• Jesus Will Open Your Eyes if You Let Him, Matthew 20:29-34
• The Two Donkeys of the Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11
• Religious Leadership and Withered Fig Trees, Matthew 21:17-22
• Bad Tenants and Bad Vines, Matthew 21:33-46
• Who Is the Guest without Wedding Garments? Matthew 22:1-14
• Marriage and Resurrection, Matthew 22:23-32
• Did Jesus say to obey everything the Pharisees said? Matthew 23:1-12
• The Revelation of the Wicked, Matthew 23:13-39
• Apostacy, False Prophets, and the Gospel, Mathew 24:3-14
• Has the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24 Already Happened?, Matthew 24:15-22
• Don't Be Deceived, Matthew 24:23-28
• Sun, Moon, Stars, and the Sign of the Son of Man, Matthew 24:29-31
• No One Knows the Day and Hour, Matthew 24:32-51
• Matthew 25:31-46, Who's in and who's out?, Matthew 25:31-46

Lucifer vs Hel-El

Someone on Facebook asked me about this interesting post:

Ooh, sounds scary. I don't want to come across any "dangerous names". 

Although I know it's sometimes hard to tell, most people aren't complete idiots. If you tell them an obvious lie, they can usually tell, and they'll just ignore or mock you. If you want them to believe it, you have to spend a lot of time conditioning them to believe nonsense (see the current trans-mania) or you have to disguise your nonsense with a veneer of truth. That's what this person is doing. It's total nonsense, but it's couched in just enough truth and true-sounding gobbledygook to seem believable.

This warning(?) sounds plausible if you don't know any Hebrew, nor how languages interact and evolve, nor how to use the tools to verify its claims.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Lucifer is a Latin word that means "light bearer" or "morning star". 

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew dictionary, helel means "shining one" or "morning star". It appears only once in the entire Bible in Isaiah 14:12.

When Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century, he translated this word literally from the Hebrew to the Latin. That's pretty reasonable, since there is nothing in the context to indicate that it is the name of a person. The Jewish Publication Society and the English Standard Version both translate it as "day star", although the ESV capitalizes it as a proper title. Jerome wasn't trying to hide the original Hebrew, he was just translating it.

The Hebrew word isn't "Hel-El" and did not refer to a "Hel god". The Hebrew is helel (הילל), related to another Hebrew word halal (הלל), which is a verb that means "to shine". It is not a compound word made from hel and el, a generic Hebrew word for a god. It is a deverbal noun derived from a single verb. As far as I can tell, there was no deity named "Hel" in the Ancient Near East, so rendering helel as "Hel god" is doubly nonsensical.

Since almost all early churches in England exclusively used Jerome's Latin Bible, the word "lucifer" was eventually adopted into the Old English language as a pseudonym of Satan. The King James Version translated Hebrew helel as Lucifer, because that was a reasonable translation for the English of that day. Nobody was hiding any "dangerous names".

Lucifer and helel both mean "light bearer". They are synonyms. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says so also: "Satan disguises himself as an angel (messenger/bearer) of light."

The only conspiracy here is by someone trying to make Bible believers look foolish. Beware of peddlers of sensationalism. They are almost always trying to trick you into something.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to claim that drinking Shiner beers is pagan.

A Chiasm in Matthew 5 on the Spiritual Nature of the Law

 

A - v2-12 - Spiritual application of Torah
-- B - v13-16 - Righteousness that glorifies God
---- C - v17a - Don't think that Yeshua will abolish the Law or Prophets
------ D - v17b - Yeshua didn't come to abolish them
-------- E - v18a - Until Heaven and Earth pass away
---------- F - v18b - Not an iota or dot will pass from the Law
-------- E - v18c - Until all is accomplished
------ D - v19a - Relaxes the least commandment and teaches others so
---- C - v19b - Does and teaches the commandments
-- B - v20 - Righteousness that glorifies man
A - v21-48 - Spiritual application of Torah

A few things that can be learned from this chiastic arrangement:

1. "Until Heaven and Earth pass away" and "Until all is accomplished" are not two possibilities for when the Law will pass away, but two descriptions of the same event. In other words "all" will not be accomplished until heaven and earth pass away.
2. Verses 13-16 are meant to exemplify a kind of righteous behavior that glorifies God. This righteousness is juxtaposed with that of the scribes and Pharisees in verse 20, which serves only to glorify men.
3. The Beatitudes in verses 2-12 concern the inner character of the perfectly righteous man, while the "You have heard it said" statements in verses 21-48 are specific instructions on how to become that righteous man. Both sets of statements are examples of literary anaphora, a form of parallelism in which the first word or phrase is repeated in each statement in order to connect them together.
4. Verses 17-20 are usually treated as a discrete passage with a complete message in itself, but this misunderstands Yeshua's real message. The Beatitudes are Torah. Letting the light of your righteous deeds shine before men in order to glorify your Heavenly Father is Torah. So long as there is a need for peacekeepers, for mercy, for endurance of persecution, there is a need for the Law. Only when the need for those qualities has vanished--when wickedness, covetousness, and hatred have been abolished--will the Torah, also known as the Law of Moses, no longer be necessary to teach and convict mankind.

Extra-Biblical Works Named in the Bible

This list includes anything written by God's people that is mentioned in the Bible, but not included in the Biblical canon. It might not be complete. Many other extra-biblical works are quoted in the Bible, but not named, and I have not attempted to include those here. Inclusion doesn't imply anything at all about the inspiration or authority of any works on the list.

 

Wars of YHWH (Numbers 21:14)

Jasher (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18)

Joshua's Census (Joshua 18:9)

Rights and Duties of Kingship (1 Samuel 10:25)

Further Proverbs and Songs of Solomon* (1 Kings 4:32)

Natural History of Solomon* (1 Kings 4:33)

Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)

Chronicles of the Kings of Israel (1 Kings 14:19, etc.)

Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (2 Kings 15:6, etc.)

Chronicles of King David (1 Chronicles 27:24)

Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet (1 Chronicles 29:29, etc.)

Chronicles of Gad the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29, 2 Chronicles 9:29)

Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (2 Chronicles 9:29)

Visions of Iddo the Seer (2 Chronicles 9:29, 2 Chronicles 12:15, 2 Chronicles 13:22)

Chronicles of Shemaiah (2 Chronicles 12:15)

Chronicles of Jehu, son of Hanani (2 Chronicles 20:34)

Isaiah, son of Amoz (2 Chronicles 26:22)

Chronicles of the Seers (2 Chronicles 33:19)

Jeremiah's Lament for Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:25)

Genealogy of the Aliyah (Nehemiah 7:5)

Council of Jerusalem to the Diaspora (Acts 15:23, etc.)

Introduction of Apollos from Ephesus (Acts 18:27)

Zeroth Letter of Paul to Corinth (1 Corinthians 5:9)

First Letter of Corinth to Paul (1 Corinthians 5:9, 1 Corinthians 7:1)

Second Letter of Corinth to Paul* (1 Corinthians 16:3)

Zeroth Letter of Paul to Ephesus (Ephesians 3:3)

Letter of Paul to Laodicea (Colossians 4:16)

Letter of Introduction from John (3 John 1:9)

Enoch (Jude 1:14)

* Presumed to have been written in some form.

Objections to Keeping Torah

Torah

Torah is a Hebrew word that means "instruction" or "law", depending on the context. It refers to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also commonly known as the Pentateuch. When Yeshua (aka Jesus) spoke of "the Law and the Prophets", he was referring to the Torah and the rest of the Old Testament. 

You might also hear of the "oral Torah", which refers to a semi-mythical tradition that was passed down to the ancient rabbis from Moses by word of mouth, as opposed to the written Torah referenced above. Those rabbis debated and discussed them, and the records of those discussions are recorded in the various Talmuds. I don't think there can be any doubt that Moses gave oral instructions that were never written down, because there is much in the written Torah that can't be fully understood otherwise. However, I don't think those instructions survived intact for the rabbis to discuss them. Clearly the religious leaders of Yeshua's day had a very confused understanding of the Torah, so it seems very unlikely that they had straightened it all out a few hundred years later. It's much more likely that they had gone even further astray.

That's not to say that the Talmud and rabbinic traditions are worthless. If you understand that it contains a record of debates, not just a straightforward recounting of oral tradition, then you can look past some of the more offensive and blasphemous contents to find some really profound and insightful bits. It's not divinely inspired Scripture, but it is useful for historical context and perspective.

The written Torah, however, most certainly is divinely inspired, parts of it originally written directly by the hand of God himself. It is the foundation for all later revelation. None of the books of history, poetry, and prophecy, the Gospels, and the Epistles can be understood without a solid foundation in the Torah.

The Torah Movement

At this very moment, there is a spontaneous, global movement of people who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to study the Torah and apply its instructions to their real lives. There is no leader, no central committee, no parent organization, and no headquarters of this movement. There isn't even a commonly accepted name. People in this movement call themselves Christians, Messianic Jews, Messianic Believers, Torah-Keepers, Hebrew Roots, Pronomians, Nazarene Israelites, and numerous other labels.

I don't particularly care for any of those labels, but I've used several of them for myself at times.

Regardless of the labels, they all have two things in common:

1. Yeshua is the Son of God, Messiah, and King of Israel.
2. The Torah still applies today to followers of Yeshua.

Beyond that, there is an almost infinite variation in their interpretations of Scripture. 

There is also a lot of controversy within the rest of the Body of Christ as to what to do with these upstart Obeyers of God's Commandments. Some even deny that we are a part of the Body of Christ at all, claiming that we have rejected God's grace in favor of earning our salvation. (I'm sure they're right about a very small minority.) Some radicals say that any willful attempt to obey any of God's commandments is a rejection of grace. Fortunately, most Christians reject those people in turn.

The Controversy

Of course, all of this means I've put together quite a few words on the subject of whether a follower of Yeshua--or Jesus, if you prefer...it's the same man--ought to obey the full Law of God or not.

A point of clarification on "the Law of God"... Some people make a distinction between the Law of God and the Law of Moses. The distinction is mostly artificial. The instructions that God gave through Moses at Sinai are a written expression of the Law of God. The Law of Moses is the Law of God as it was conveyed in a specific time and space, to a specific people as part of a specific covenant.

Below, I have attempted to catalog all of my online teachings on Torah-keeping, organized by sub-topic, but not in any other kind of order. There's a lot of overlap, and I'm sure to forget some articles or videos, so please search American Torah, Soil from Stone, Rumble, YouTube, and other sites for more from myself and many other fine teachers.

A caveat if you do search for other defenses or refutations of Torah-keeping, though: There is a vast spectrum of quality in the content you will find. Unless you are very thoroughly versed in the Scriptures and confident in your beliefs, I recommend that you set aside the teachings of anyone who denies the divinity of Yeshua or who denies that God has any objective standards of morality for his people.

Salvation by Faith

• Under the Law of Christ
• Be Ye Perfect Right Now or Else!
• Law & Grace in Circumcision and Passover
• May It Please Our Lord, We Will Be Servants of God
• What Is the Difference between Grace and Following the Law?
• The One Thing that Really Matters
• What Purpose the Crucifixion?
• Why Do We Need Yeshua?
• God's Loving Graciousness
• Shadows of Jesus in Joshua
• The Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life
• Out of Faith, Obedience
• Dead Works and Living Faith
• What Is Circumcision of the Heart
• Circumcision and Blood

New Covenant vs Old Covenant

• God Never Forgets or Annuls a Covenant
• God Hates His People
• Different Priesthoods for Different Covenants
• The End of the Law
• The Curse and Curses of the Law
• Jeremiah on the New Covenant
• What about Colossians 2:16?
• Priests, Laws, and Covenants in Hebrews 7-8
• Did the New Covenant Make the Old Covenant Obsolete?
• Does God's Law Ever Change?
• Is Christ Useless to the Circumcised?
• Is the New Covenant in Force?
• A Dialogue on the Continuity of the Law
• Why I Keep Torah
• The Law Ended with the Temple

Does the Law Apply to Christians?

• Because He Said So
• If Anyone Teaches Contrary to the Words of Jesus...
• Galatians and Torah, the short version
• The Law of Sin & Death: sin separates us from God
• The Freedom of Knowing One's Limitations
• Have No Enemies: being made perfect by love
• Love Torah, Love God. Hate Torah, Hate God.
• Nobody's Perfect, So Don't Even Try
• Whose Law Is It and Why Should You Care?
• Does Acts 15 Say We Can Ignore God's Law?
• Questioning Traditions
• Enemies Within and Without
• One Law or Two?
• Is Matthew 5:19 Only for the Jews?
• Humility before a Great, Incomprehensible God
• In Yeshua's Instructions there Is Neither Jew nor Greek
• Acts 15, revisited
• How Do the Ten Commandments Relate to the Christian?
• Paul's Epistle to the Romans (the short version)
• Gentiles and the Law in Romans 2
• Galatians and the Abuse of Paul
• The Contempt of God
• Torah vs Yeshua
• Who Are the Workers of Lawlessness in Matthew 7:23?
• Are we supposed to keep Jewish tradition?
• The Law of God vs the Law of Moses
• What Did Jesus Mean by "Fulfill"?

Under the Law

• Are you under law or under grace? Romans 6:14
• Under a Husband and Under the Law in Romans 7:1-3
• One Law or Two?
• Acts 15, revisited

The Weekly Sabbath

• A Sabbath to YHWH
• Sabbath Honoring Labor
• Did Paul Say the Sabbath and Kosher Laws Don't Matter?
• Seventh Day or First?
• The Weak and Worthless Elementary Principles of Pagan Rome
• Every Journey Begins with a Single...Day?
• There's No Rest Without Submission
• Will the Real Sabbath Please Stand Up?
• How to Keep the Sabbath
• The Rules of Sabbath in Matthew 12:1-14
• Does Hosea 2:11 Say God Would Cancel the Sabbath?

Other Appointed Times

• Galatians and the Abuse of Paul
• Yom Kippur - The Most Christian of God's Moedim
• Each Moed on Its Proper Day
• Colossians 2 and God's Moedim

Food and Not Food

• 1 Timothy 4 and Every Creature of God Is Good
• Have the Dietary Laws Outlived Their Purpose? a dialogue
• Are All Things Truly Lawful?
• Detestable Abominations and the Like
• Edible, but Not Food
• All Foods are Clean in Mark 7:19
• Did God's Food Laws Change After the Flood?
• 6 Rules and 6 Excuses
• White Sheets, Creepy Crawlies, and Unclean People
• Antinomianism Is Biblical Nonsense

Does Joshua's Long Day Disprove the Heliocentric Model of the Solar System?

At that time Joshua spoke to YHWH in the day when YHWH gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when YHWH heeded the voice of a man, for YHWH fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:12-14

A few years ago, I recorded this video addressing the idea that NASA or a computer could prove the historicity of Joshua's long day through mathematics and astronomical observations.

It's a short video, but if you really don't have time, let me summarize: No. That's ridiculous. 

Someone (we'll call him Perry) commented on the video today, letting me know that Joshua's long day and Hezekiah's solar reverse disprove the heliocentric model of the solar system. How could the sun stand still or--even more amazing--go backwards if the earth revolves around the sun!?

I didn't reply to his comment. In fact, I removed it. I have no problem being friends with flat-earthers in the real world, as long as they're not evangelistic about it, but I have very little patience for it from strangers on the Internet.

I can see how someone who doesn't know anything at all about astronomy might believe that someone could calculate the exact date of an unusual event, like the earth pausing in its rotation, by observing the current positions, vectors, and velocities of hundreds of astronomical bodies and...doing some computer and math magic. It's a complicated problem. Since very few people have anything like a working knowledge of orbital mechanics, it's reasonable for most people to just shrug and say, "Sure, sounds like it could happen."

Perry, on the other hand, has made a pretty basic logical error, and you don't need any knowledge of astronomy, physics, or math to prove him wrong.

According to the flat earth model, the sun is somehow fastened to or suspended from the inner surface of a dome. It moves in a continuous circle at some relatively small distance above the earth. How would the sun stand still or move backwards in that case? Easy: God makes it happen.

According to the geocentric model, the sun and all the rest of the universe revolve around the earth (instead of the earth revolving around the sun) in a complicated system of cycles and epicycles. How would the sun stand still or move backwards in that case? Easy: God makes it happen.

According to the heliocentric model, the earth and the other planets in the solar system revolve around the sun. How would the sun stand still or move backwards in that case? Easy: God makes it happen.

Here's the thing about miracles: None of the usual rules apply. Although God usually works through the natural processes of the universe, a miracle is, by definition, an exception to the natural processes.

How did God separate light from darkness? By commanding it.

How did Yeshua raise Lazarus from the dead? By commanding it.

How did God make the sun stand still? By commanding it.

How did God make the sun move backwards? By commanding it.

In each case, trillions of trillions of separate events had to occur in concert and contrary to the natural order of things for the miracle to happen. That's God for you. He knows every star in the sky, every hair on your head, and every subatomic particle in the universe by name and commands them all to do his bidding whenever it suits his purposes. Gravity, entropy, inertia...all obey the word of YHWH.

Joshua 10 shows God's power over his own creation. It does not support flatearth notions in any way.

Is the Sabbath just for Israel and not Gentile Christians?

 

Someone on Facebook asked me, "How do you answer when someone says that the Sabbath is just a sign for Israel and not Gentiles?"

Good question! There are two approaches to this:

First, "we who were once far off have been brought near" and made one with Israel. The Greek word translated as "church" in most Bibles really just refers to "the congregation of the people"....in other words, it refers to the collective of God's people. God only has one people, Israel. If we have become God's people, then we have become part of Israel.

Second, the Sabbath is a sign of the relationship between God and Israel, but being used as a sign in one context doesn't preclude it being used as a moral imperative in another context. If God had said, "Wearing shoes will be a sign between me and Israel," would that mean that other people shouldn't wear shoes? The Sabbath is a good thing. It honors the Creator, promotes community cohesiveness, and shows kindness to one's servants, animals, and employees. 

The commandment is very clear that one of the primary purposes of Sabbath is to show kindness to other people, and it doesn't work if everyone isn't doing it on the same day. If gentile Christians are supposed to love their neighbors, then they should be keeping the Sabbath for that reason. If they are supposed to love God, then they should be keeping the Sabbath for that reason also.

Chiasm on the Morning and Evening Sacrifices in Numbers 28

 

Some chiasms are amazing, revealing relationships between people, assumptions that might have been hidden even from the author, and profound spiritual truths. Others seem a little more mundane.

This chiasm in Numbers 28:2-8 doesn't offer any deep revelations, but it's still interesting for practical reasons...at least if you're a priest at the Temple.

• v1-2 - Preamble
• v3 - Food offering to YHWH
• v4a - Morning lamb offering
• v4b - Twilight lamb offering
• v5 - Grain offering
• v6 - Burnt offering to YHWH ordained at Sinai
• v7 - Drink offering
• v8a - Twilight lamb offering
• v8b-c - Morning grain and drink offering
• v8d-e - Food offering to YHWH

This passage describes the daily morning and evening offerings, but it does so in a peculiar manner. It sandwiches a detailed description of the grain and drink offerings that accompany the evening sacrifice between two very brief mentions of the evening lamb and two very brief mentions of different aspects of the morning offerings. At first glance, it sounds like the evening sacrifices are supposed to be a bigger production than the morning ones, but the second mention of the morning offering indicates that the evening grain and wine are supposed to mirror the morning grain and wine. Just as the sunset mirrors the sunrise, the sunset offerings mirror the sunrise offerings.

The axis of the chiasm says that these offerings were established by God at Sinai. If you take it as straight narrative, it reads as if only the grain offering was instituted at Sinai, but it's position at the center of the chiastic structure indicates that the whole set of offerings--lambs, grain, and wine--both morning and evening--are intended.

Fortunately, we don't have to depend on a chiasm for that conclusion. The same thing is said explicitly in Exodus 29:38-42.

Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly...
Exodus 29:38

Although I say that there doesn't appear to be anything especially profound in this chiasm, I should clarify that I don't perceive anything especially profound. However, I suspect that every verse, every literary structure in the Bible holds deeper truths than we will ever know in this lifetime. 

Is Revelation 20-22 a Later Addition?

Someone recently told me that he believes that the last three chapters of Revelation are in direct contradiction to the last eleven chapters of Ezekiel because of the timing of the resurrection of the dead (Ezekiel 37 and Revelation 20) and other details about the New Jerusalem. He couldn't see any way to reconcile these two passages, so he concluded that Revelation 20-22 must have been added after the early church had been heavily corrupted by Greek influence.

After reading the relevant chapter of his book twice, here was my response:

After reading chapter 9 of your book, Ezekiel 37-48, and Revelation 20-22 once again, here are my final thoughts on the matter:

Ezekiel 37 isn't a literal resurrection of the dead, but a restoration of the nation of Israel that happens immediately before or after the onset of the Millennial Era. Ezekiel 40-48 are mostly metaphor about an idealized people of Israel, their repentance and restoration, a righteous remnant of the priesthood, and the adoption of righteous Torah-keepers from the nations. The temple and city described in much detail aren't a literal temple and city, but a pattern to which God desires Israel to conform. I believe for at least two reasons that even the later description of the division of the land is almost certainly a metaphor: 1) The apportioned land is only a fraction of what God promised to Israel, 2) the tribal allocations are parallel strips of land with no regard to terrain, natural boundaries, or sizes of the tribes.

In Revelation 20, only vs 1-10 are about the Millennial Era, what you refer to as the Kingdom age. V11 begins the final resurrection and judgment and chapter 21 represents the onset of a recreated universe populated only by the resurrected righteous. It's possible that the new earth is metaphor, but since this follows the 1000 year reign, resurrection of all the dead, and the final judgment, it is clearly a different kind of world than what existed during the Millennial Era. During the Millennium, the nations still exist, sin and death are still present. Yeshua's rule will be absolute within the fully realized land of Israel, but the nations will be mostly autonomous. After the final judgment, all of those things have been abolished.

At first, Isaiah 65 seems to support the idea that the new heaven and earth of Revelation 21 is metaphor, but the new heaven and earth of Isaiah 65 still has death and sin, so I don't think they are talking about the same thing.

As for the validity of Revelation 20-22, the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers quoted from all three chapters.

• Ireneaus (130-202 AD) quoted numerous passages from Revelation 20-21 in Against Heresies.
• Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) made a direct reference to Revelation 20:4-5 in Dialogue with Trypho.
• Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) quoted from Rev 21:6 in an address on plagiarisms. 
• Tertullian (155-220 AD) quoted and referenced numerous passages from Revelation 20-22 in Against Marcion. 
• Hypolytus (170-235 AD) quoted from Rev 20:6 and 22:15 in his Treatise on Christ and Antichrist. 
• Cyprian (210-258 AD) quoted Rev 22:10-12 in his Treatise on the Advantage of Patience and Rev 22:4-5 in his Exhortation to Martyrdom. 

There are more. If it were only a couple of quotes from one or two authors, it would at least be possible that Revelation 20-22 were added in a later century and then a few quotes inserted into those extrabiblical writers to add support. However, there are dozens of quotes from numerous authors throughout the second and third centuries. This shows that the final 3 chapters of Revelation were present by 165 AD at the latest and so it seems very unlikely that they were not original with John.

I should add that I do not believe any of those church fathers are reliable theologians and some of them were heretics of the worst kind, but that's beside the point. They all quoted from the last three chapters of Revelation. Whatever one might think of the men and their theologies, the textual witness is very strong evidence that Revelation 20-22 is legitimate.

Whenever anyone asserts that some part of the Bible should be removed because he doesn't agree with the content, you need to be immediately on your guard. Don't take anything at face value. Test everything. Verify every claim. Look for alternative explanations.

What Is Hebrew Roots?

"Hebrew Roots" is a term that some people apply to anyone who uses Hebrew-ish terminology and believes (or entertains) a set of ideas they don't like. They use it as an insult in the same way that some antisemites use the term "Jew" to apply only to those Jews who act or believe a certain way. Personally, I find the term to have only two useful definitions:

1) A pronomian of non-Jewish heritage who accepts Yeshua (Jesus, Yahusha, etc.) as the Messiah and believes he has been grafted (adopted, joined, etc.) into the chosen nation of Israel.
2) All of definition #1 with the addition of the adoption of Jewish-like traditions, such as tallit-wearing and using Hebrew terms for religious concepts, like Shabbat instead of Sabbath, mashiach instead of messiah, etc.

In either of these definitions, the only difference between "Messianic Judaism" and "Hebrew Roots" is ethnic heritage, although a Messianic Jew is not necessarily pronomian.

Ironically, most of the people who use "Hebrew Roots" as an insult *ARE* Hebrew Roots themselves. Of course, nobody else is obligated to accept my definitions of anything.

I have waffled over the years about whether or not I am "Hebrew Roots", but clearly by this definition I am. Labels are of limited value, though. Being "Hebrew Roots" is a little like being "Christian". It covers a lot of territory.

The Hebrew Roots Movement is a spontaneous, worldwide movement of Christians drawn to the Hebrew Bible, to keep God's commandments as he intended, and to live as Yeshua lived.

Because this movement is spontaneous and counter-cultural, it can be a little chaotic and attracts a lot of people who have an affinity for the fringes. There is no organization or central leadership, so there is a lot of opportunity for charismatic and just plain loud people to claim the stage. 

When some people realize they have been taught some lies about the Scriptures, they react very badly, suspecting everything and everyone of trying to deceive them. Ironically, because they are emotionally driven, these people are easy targets for other deceivers. They can become bitter, angry, and even paranoid, making them easily sucked into the absurdities of Sacred Name and Flat Earth. They need true leadership, but they're too afraid to trust anyone. I don't know what to do to help them other than to keep trying to be a calm voice of sanity.

Fortunately, the vast majority of people in the HRM are not bitter and angry. They aren't Sacred Namers or Flat Earthers. They haven't rejected Jesus. They haven't rejected salvation by faith. They haven't rejected Paul. They don't demand that everyone spell God's name exactly like they do. They're good people who are just trying to do the right thing.

Unfortunately, the angry and bitter voices, the prideful and hateful voices are so much louder that they're the only ones that most people remember, and so the entire movement gets painted with that craziness.

Don't be the one holding that brush. Don't be a slanderer of God's people. Don't assume that every disciple of Jesus who has decided to take God's Law (aka Torah) seriously is a lunatic Torah terrorist. Don't violate the two greatest commandments as well as the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of the Ten just because you had a bad experience with a few people who do NOT represent the hundreds of thousands that didn't stick in your memory.

[Apparently, I didn't realize that I had written another article on the same topic with the same title just a month earlier. The question comes up a lot. lol]