“The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and our God’s day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning, to give for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.”

Isaiah 61:1-3

Why exactly did Jesus come to Earth as the physical embodiment of Yahweh? Jesus, or in Hebrew, Yeshua, meaning the salvation of Yah, is referred to as the Word in flesh, the aleph and the tav, which is the beginning and end of the Hebrew alephbet.

Isa 44:6 Thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel, and its redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: “I am the first, and I am the last, and there is no god besides me.
Isa 44:7 And who is like me? Let him proclaim it! And let him declare it and set it in order for me since I established an eternal people and things that are to come, and let them tell them the things that are coming.

Yahweh is the first and last and His Word is the aleph tav. There is so much that could be discussed with this subject. I recommend visiting eriktology.net to study some of the correlations of the Word of Yahweh and the Hebrew twenty-two letter alephbet.

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

Alpha and Omega are the beginning and end of the Greek alphabet, and the Aleph and the Tav are the beginning and the end of the Hebrew alphabet. For example, the first letter Aleph, represents everything outside this cosmos, such as eternity and the omniscient Father. The second letter is the Bet, which is a house, or womb. Yahweh coming into our world, the bet, as a human, Yeshua, through the womb of the woman can be told with just these two letters. It is quite a study when looking at the Word as all of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

When Yeshua started His ministry, He quoted Isaiah 61. This is found in the account Luke gives us.

Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.
Luk 4:17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Luk 4:19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Yeshua, or Jesus, is telling us what He came to do. Notice it was His custom to keep the Sabbath? Why do we we say the Sabbath is a different day now because some believers may have assembled together on a Sunday somewhere in history, when we have the custom Jesus followed given to us? Jesus went on to tell the people He was doing more than reading scripture that day; He was actually fulfilling it.

Luk 4:20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luk 4:22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus came to give sight to the blind and free the oppressed. Not only did He give physical sight to the blind, but He revealed the true meaning of prophesies that were hidden, and showed people how to live according to the instructions of Yahweh, much like Moses had done. Jesus was the one whom Moses spoke about.

Deu 18:15 “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen, and to him you shall listen.
Deu 18:16 This is according to all that you asked from Yahweh your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘I do not want again to hear the voice of Yahweh my God, and I do not want to see again this great fire, so that I may not die!’
Deu 18:17 And Yahweh said to me, ‘They are right in what they have said.
Deu 18:18 I will raise up a prophet for them from among their countrymen like you, and I will place my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.
Deu 18:19 And then the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable.

It is a terrible thing to claim Yeshua, taught something different than Yahweh, yet this is a prominent teaching today. When Yeshua said he came to free the oppressed, He not only meant slaves to sin, but those oppressed by demons. These usually go hand in hand.

Luk 4:31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath,
Luk 4:32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.
Luk 4:33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
Luk 4:34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”
Luk 4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
Luk 4:36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

John tells us Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil:

1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1Jn 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Luke chapter four is packed with information when one considers all of these things. Before Jesus went into the temple to read Isaiah and start His ministry, He was tempted for forty days by the adversary.

Luk 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
Luk 4:2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
Luk 4:3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
Luk 4:5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
Luk 4:6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
Luk 4:7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
Luk 4:9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
Luk 4:10 for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’
Luk 4:11 and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Luk 4:12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Luk 4:13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

When the adversary told Jesus he would give up the authority of all of the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would just worship him, Jesus never argued with him about having the authority over all the kingdoms. Jesus knows who runs this world, and He chose to take the world back the hard way. The demons knew this was going to happen, that is why they asked if He had come before the time.

Mat 8:28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
Mat 8:29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Mat 8:30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.
Mat 8:31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

When a person turns away from keeping the commandments of God and turns to things polluted by idols, demons are attracted and start to oppress. This was the condition people were in when He walked the Earth. The demons in the Matthew account asked, “Have you come here to torment us before the time?”. They were confused because they knew it was not the time of the end yet. The wrath of Yahweh is also one of the missions of Messiah. He will purge the Earth of all evil and uncleanness. These demons are unclean spirits because they are a result of a forbidden union of angels and mankind, or angels and animals.

Jud 1:5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
Jud 1:6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

In the proclamation of Isaiah sixty-one, it also mentions the great judgement day.

Isa 61:2 to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and our God’s day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning,

Yeshua will purge the world of evil on the “great day of vengeance”. This is the day the overlords, principalities, demons and all entities who have rebelled will face judgement.

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with the one who is seated on the horse and with his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.
Rev 19:21 And the rest were killed by the sword of the one who is seated on the horse—the sword that comes out of his mouth—and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Mortals have a way out of this judgement. All they need to do is turn from their evil ways and have faith in Yeshua unto righteousness. The immortal entities; however, know they are doomed with no chance of salvation.

Psa 82:1 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the divine assembly; he administers judgment in the midst of the gods.
Psa 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show favoritism to the wicked? Selah.
Psa 82:3 Judge on behalf of the helpless and the orphan; provide justice to the afflicted and the poor.
Psa 82:4 Rescue the helpless and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Psa 82:5 They do not know or consider. They go about in the darkness, so that all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Psa 82:6 I have said, “You are gods, and sons of the Most High, all of you.
Psa 82:7 However, you will die like men, and you will fall like one of the princes.”
Psa 82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth, because you shall inherit all the nations.

The Messiah frees people who are obedient and faithful from the evil entities that oppress, as well as death itself.

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds.
Rev 20:14 And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Yeshua revealed this to His apostles in front of “the gates of hades”. This is the account when they were in front of the temple of the underworld god Pan in Caesarea Philippi.

Mat 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it!
Mat 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.”

Often our understanding of the mission of Yeshua is a series of Christian platitudes that no one even understands any more. If one doesn’t understand the spiritual realm, the importance of obedience and know who rules the world, then they are setting themselves up for serious failure. Yeshua is taking the world back by force from the overlords that currently are running it. The penalty of breaking the instructions of Yahweh is death; however, the gates of hades, which is the grave, will not prevail if we align ourselves with Yahweh through faith in Yeshua. Faith in Yeshua is proven by obedience to what He said to do.

Deu 18:19 And then the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable.

The featured image is by Zulmaury Saavedra on Unsplash.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne

Revelation 1:4

I quote Revelation chapters two and three in my blog posts frequently because these letters say some very hard things to the church. As far as I am concerned these sayings are neglected in today’s apostate churches just as it is prophesied. I am hoping to break through the delusion of dispensational theology, where the church thinks it is going to be whisked away, somewhere beyond the sunset, with Santa and the Easter bunny.

The featured image is that of Krampus, Santa’s helper who handles the “naughty” children, a tradition more familiar in Europe than in North America. Krampus helps us understand the origins of the myth. The featured picture is an entry by Alessio Zacarria on Unsplash.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Some of the harshest warnings from Jesus are to church people who continue in the practices of Balaam and Jezebel. Sadly, many people do not try to understand these things and how they still apply today.

Rev 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Rev 2:21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
Rev 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Rev 2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.

What were the great sins of Jezebel and her husband Ahab? They are spelled out for us in scripture. No one needs to look any further than the books of the Kings, even though one could spend a life time reading books about all the ancient religions and their disgusting fertility rites.

1Ki 16:29 Now Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
1Ki 16:30 But Ahab son of Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him.
1Ki 16:31 If it wasn’t enough that he went after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians. He went and served Baal and bowed down to him.
1Ki 16:32 And he built an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria.
1Ki 16:33 Ahab also made the sacred pole, and he continued to provoke Yahweh the God of Israel more than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

“Ahab made the sacred pole”. I will admit that the ancient religions are confusing. These ancient religions melded together over thousands of years by many cultures. Baal is a generic name for the god they worshipped. Usually Baal had a wife, and she went by many names. The sacred pole, along with groves, is a common theme with these religions. As things moved away from the Canaanite and Moabite religions, they went into Persian, Greek and Roman. The Baals were Adonis, Mithras, Jupiter etc.. The associated goddesses were Diana and Venus. There were many different sacred trees, poles and traditions throughout the different cultures.

1Ki 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you who throws Israel into confusion?”
1Ki 18:18 He said, “I did not throw Israel into confusion; rather you and the house of your father have by forsaking the commands of Yahweh when you went after the Baals!
1Ki 18:19 So then, send word and assemble all of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

Committing adultery with Jezebel is playing around with these other gods by using their symbols and special days. Revelation 2:22-23, “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works”. This is Jesus telling church people He is going to throw them into great tribulation and kill their children for doing these things. Shouldn’t we pay attention and figure out what He is talking about here? This sounds important.

Many of these fertility based religions with sacred poles and trees were centred around the spring equinox. Easter is a remnant of these rites from Ishtar and Diana. The May pole is also one of these sacred poles.

Rev 2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.
Rev 2:25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
Rev 2:26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
Rev 2:27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.

Jesus also calls these things the “deep things of Satan”. Most of the remnants of these “deep things of Satan” have been with us and remain with us in 2021. The following is taken from wiccaliving.com.

The significance of the Winter Solstice has been recognized for thousands of years, ever since human beings first observed the ever-changing patterns of sunrise and sunset over the course of the seasons. The ancient Romans, Greeks, and Persians all held festivals at this time, many of which celebrated the birth of one or more gods. Of course, the leaders of the early Christian church decided that this was a good time to celebrate the birth of Jesus as well, since one of their strategies for winning converts was to align their holidays with already-existing pagan festivals. The name “Yule” actually comes from the pre-Christian festivities of Germanic tribes, and is believed to have been handed down to us from the ancient Norse in particular.

In the Wiccan belief system, the God is reborn at Yule, having died at the previous Sabbat (Samhain) [halloween] at the end of October. The weak quality of sunlight during these still-short days is symbolized by the God in his infancy, just born and needing sustenance before he can come back into his full power. The Goddess, who has been in her Crone aspect these past few months, is now once again in her Mother aspect, having just given birth to the God. She represents the Earth, remaining still and silent for awhile yet as she rests from her labor.

This is a celebration of the renewal of life, but compared to other Sabbats it is a relatively quiet, indoor holiday, as people gather within the warm shelters of their homes to be merry and give thanks. As a Yule ritual, many Wiccans decorate their altars with evergreen branches, such as cedar, pine, hemlock and spruce, as well as bright sprigs of holly, pinecones, and other festive winter flora.

Candles are paramount to this Sabbat, of course, with Yule traditions emphasizing the colors red, green, white, and gold. Images of the Sun are also appropriate. Those lucky enough to have a fireplace can burn a sacred Yule log, but you don’t need an actual hearth to brighten up your home with candles galore! Interestingly, many traditions which are generally thought of as belonging to Christmas—including the Yule log, a decorated tree, wreaths, and even caroling—are actually rooted in pre-Christian pagan traditions. So it’s quite likely that you’ve already been celebrating Yule for years, with or without your knowledge!

“So it’s quite likely that you’ve already been celebrating Yule for years, with or without your knowledge!” The Wiccans know what these holy days are about: how is it Christians are so ignorant when it comes to these things? What about the warning? Rev 2:22-23, “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead”.

Who would know the “deep things of Satan” better than the Church of Satan? This is from their website churchofsatan.com:

“The Christians stole this holiday from the pagans—Santa Claus has come to signify indulgence, and he is a combination of Dionysos and Silenus from Roman and Greek myths (the Romans celebrated the orgiastic Saturnalia at this time). The Nazarene has little place in the general public’s celebrations of this season, which were meant by pagans to be celebrations of abundance during a season of cold and emptiness. So for the Yule holiday season we enjoy the richness of life and the company of people whom we cherish, as we will often be the only ones who know where the traditions really came from!”

If you didn’t know where these traditions come from, now you know. The apostles sent a letter to the pagans coming into Christianity to not have anything to do with things polluted with idols.

Act 15:19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
Act 15:20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.

Jesus gave a stern warning about acting like Jezebel with the sacred pole, yet everyone will be putting up their sacred pole, along with all the fertility symbols that go along with it in the coming weeks.

1Ki 21:25 Truly, there was no one like Ahab who had sold himself by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whose wife Jezebel urged him on.
1Ki 21:26 Also, he acted very abominably by going after idols like all the Amorites had done whom Yahweh had driven out from before the Israelites.”

Jesus calls out people in the church for doing these same abominations of Balaam, which are very similar to those of Jezebel.

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
Rev 2:15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Rev 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Balaam couldn’t curse the children of Israel as Balak hired him to do. However, he did show Balak how to get the chosen people of Yahweh to curse themselves.

Num 25:1 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods.
Num 25:3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry with Israel.
Num 25:4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and kill them before the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel.”
Num 25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor.”

Balaam was the one who was accredited with leading the Israelites astray. The Moabite women enticed the Israelites with their form of worship, which was very unpleasant to Yahweh.

Num 31:15 And Moses said to them, “You have kept alive every female?
Num 31:16 Behold, these women caused the Israelites, by the word of Balaam, to be in apostasy against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was among the community of Yahweh.

The prophet Micah brings up Balaam and the terrible events surrounding the people’s apostasy.

Mic 6:5 O my people, remember what Balak the king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”

Baal of Peor was the god of the Moabites which the Israelites joined themselves with by celebrating the feasts with the Moabites. They were actually drawn in by the women of the Moabites. “The people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods”. These are the same fertility rituals that are practiced today where Christians openly take part in “eating food sacrificed to idols”. It was also going on in Corinth during Paul’s day. He brings up the Baal of Peor incident.

1Co 10:7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”
1Co 10:8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

Paul also warns us again not to partake in these feasts of other gods.

1Co 10:19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
1Co 10:20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
1Co 10:22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

All the symbolism of Christmas comes from these foreign gods. The witches know this, the Satanist know this, yet church people are ignorant and still partake. Jesus is very clear about not engaging in these stumbling blocks.

Rev 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

This sword Jesus speaks of is not something to take lightly.

Rev 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Rev 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,
Rev 19:18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

I suggest the words of Jesus be taken very seriously. These feast days of foreign gods have not vanished, they have simply been assimilated into Christianity. It is no different than what happened at Shittim, bringing a curse on the people.

Eze 3:20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.
Eze 3:21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Luke 1:5

Did you ever wonder when Jesus was really born? Most people know Jesus was not born in December, but the Gospel of Luke gives us all the information we need to calculate the month that the Messiah was actually born. This is a great video by Rico Cortes explaining the process by understanding the workings of the temple.

The featured image is by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2nd Timothy 3:14-17

Many people who casually read the Bible do not realize how much of the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament. For example, to understand Paul, one has to read what Paul was reading and quoting. Take for example the verses in the second letter to the Corinthians. Paul is not quoting verses out of context to support some new concept. He is reminding his readers where to look in scripture to find the deeper understanding. We do this today by quoting a famous line in a book or movie to bring the whole theme of the movie into the thought we are trying to emphasize.

2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
2Co 6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Here is the first quote in these verses:

Lev 26:11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

If we look at the preceding verses in Leviticus, it is in line with what Paul is saying about idols.

Lev 26:1 “‘You shall not make for yourselves idols and divine images, and you shall not raise up stone pillars for yourselves, and you shall not put a sculptured stone in your land in order to worship before it, because I am Yahweh your God.
Lev 26:2 “‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
Lev 26:3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and you keep my commands and you do them,
Lev 26:4 then I will give you rains in their time, and the land shall give its produce, and the trees of the field shall give their fruit.

It always amazes me to drive by cemeteries with large obelisks for head stones. These are the stone pillars Yahweh is speaking about, yet church people erect them on graves in church yards either out of ignorance or defiance.

Would Paul quote part of Leviticus 26 and not believe the whole chapter still applied? The same God that said have nothing to do with idols also said to keep His Sabbaths, walk in His statutes and keep His commandments in the same context.

Paul also quotes from Isaiah 52, telling his readers to get away from the pagan idolatry and touch no unclean thing. This is similar to Acts 15, “things polluted by idols”.

Isa 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.

Read the whole chapter or the whole book of Isaiah to better understand what Paul is trying to convey.

Isa 52:10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm to the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Isa 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! You must not touch any unclean thing. Go out from the midst of it, keep clean, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
Isa 52:12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for Yahweh is going before you, and your rear guard is the God of Israel.
Isa 52:13 Look, my servant shall achieve success; he shall be exalted, and he shall be lifted up, and he shall be very high.
Isa 52:14 Just as many were appalled at you—such was his appearance beyond human disfigurement, and his form beyond the sons of mankind—
Isa 52:15 so he shall sprinkle many nations; because of him, kings shall shut their mouths. For they shall see what has not been told them, and they shall consider with full attention what they have not heard.

In chapter 43 of Isaiah, it tells us about the relationship of sons and daughters, or children, as Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians.

Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
Isa 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Paul is using bits and pieces of the Old Testament to remind people of the larger narrative. Putting on the “whole armour of God” is usually attributed to Paul in at least one sermon per year by every preacher. I have never heard anyone ever relate this to the passages in Isaiah that Paul is quoting.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Eph 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Eph 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Eph 6:19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah 11:5 speaks of the girded waist with truth. We know that truth is the righteousness of Yah found in His Torah.

Isa 11:1 And a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit.
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest on him—a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.
Isa 11:3 And his breath is in the fear of Yahweh. And he shall judge not by his eyesight, and he shall rebuke not by what he hears with his ears.
Isa 11:4 But he shall judge the poor with righteousness, and he shall decide for the needy of the earth with rectitude. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The breastplate of righteousness is not man’s righteousness, but the righteousness of Yahweh.

Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes, so his arm came to assist him, and his righteousness was what sustained him.
Isa 59:17 And he put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head, and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a robe.
Isa 59:18 According to deeds, so he will repay; wrath to his enemies, requital to those who are his enemies. He will repay requital to the coastlands.
Isa 59:19 So they shall fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the sunrise, for he will come like a narrow stream; the wind of Yahweh drives it on.
Isa 59:20 “And a redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,” declares Yahweh.

“The shoes of your feet, bringing the good news announcing peace” is another reference to Isaiah. This is all about imitating the Messiah. Paul is not plagiarizing Isaiah. He is pointing his readers back to what he assumes they already know. It’s like saying “go ahead, make my day”, wanting to bring to mind Clint Eastwood movies to an audience.

Isa 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore in that day, that I am the one who speaks. Here am I.”
Isa 52:7 How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns as a king.”
Isa 52:8 The voices of your watchmen! They lift up their voices; together they sing for joy; for they clearly see Yahweh’s return to Zion.

Another reference, Ephesians 6:15, “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”, is found in Isaiah.

Isa 49:1 Listen to me, coastlands, and listen attentively, peoples from far away! Yahweh called me from the womb; from the body of my mother he made my name known.
Isa 49:2 And he made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hid me in the shadow of his hand, and he made me like an sharpened arrow; he hid me in his quiver.
Isa 49:3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will show my glory.”
Isa 49:4 But I myself said, “I have labored in vain; I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity! Nevertheless, my justice is with Yahweh, and my reward is with my God.”
Isa 49:5 And now Yahweh says, who formed me from the womb as a servant for him, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might not be gathered, for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength.
Isa 49:6 And he says, “It is trivial for you to be a servant for me, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will give you as a light to the nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth.”
Isa 49:7 Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one, to the one who despises life, to the one who abhors the nation, to the slave of rulers: “Kings shall see and stand up; princes, and they shall bow down, for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful, the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you.”

Jesus is the one with the sword in his mouth. He is going to use it against the wicked.

2Es 13:10 But only I saw that he sent out of his mouth as it had been a blast of fire, and out of his lips a flaming breath, and out of his tongue he cast out sparks and tempests.
2Es 13:11 And they were all mixed together; the blast of fire, the flaming breath, and the great tempest; and fell with violence upon the multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them up every one, so that upon a sudden of an innumerable multitude nothing was to be perceived, but only dust and smell of smoke: when I saw this I was afraid.

Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

During my forty-seven years in the Christian church, I never realized the disdain Christians have for the Old Testament until I started reading and understanding it. Things are said such as, “but that’s the Old Testament”, or “Isn’t that from the Old Testament?”, as if the Old Testament is an irrelevant document. It is the whole basis for the New Testament! As much as Christianity wants to distance itself from the Hebrew scriptures and develop a new world religion with a lawless gospel, the writers of the New Testament have all brought it forward. Speaking of the Old Testament, this is what Paul told Timothy in his letter, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”.

The featured image is by Mick Haupt on Unsplash.

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:8

I recently subscribed to a daily Bible verse account on Instagram. The site posts an encouraging verse, then 500 people comment “Amen”. This is similar to devotionals and other daily scripture tools that will take a verse completely out of context to give everyone reading false hope. In this example, Isaiah 58:9 was the verse. Only the text of the verse is shown in the Instagram picture with no chapter or book.

Let’s read the verse in context now.

Isa 58:6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isa 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Isa 58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Isa 58:10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
Isa 58:11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isa 58:12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
Isa 58:13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
Isa 58:14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

At first I thought that perhaps the person posting this was encouraging people to read the verse in context, but then I realized there was not any reference provided for this scripture. Most people were commenting “amen” to the “then” statement seemingly having no care of the “if” statement in the preceding verses. My question is, does anyone who typed amen also agree with the rest of the chapter, or for that matter, the entire book of Isaiah? Does the person posting these types of out of context verses know what is being spoken about? I am only using this as an example because I see this repeatedly.

The start of chapter 58 is likely referring to the fast usually done on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.

Isa 58:1 “Call with the throat; you must not keep back! lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their rebellion, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
Isa 58:2 Yet they seek me day by day, and they desire the knowledge of my ways like a nation that practiced righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of its God; they ask me for righteous judgments, they desire the closeness of God.
Isa 58:3 ‘Why do we fast, and you do not see it? We humiliate our soul, and you do not notice it?’ Look! You find delight on the day of your fast, and you oppress all your workers!
Isa 58:4 Look! You fast to quarrel and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist. You shall not fast as you do today, to make your voice heard on the height.

Yahweh’s complaint against His people is basically they do what is right in their own eyes and wonder why He doesn’t listen. The sum of the instructions of God is to love Him with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself. The proper way to “afflict” yourselves on the Day of Atonement is the following:

Isa 58:6 Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice, to untie the ropes of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and tear every yoke to pieces?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring home the poor, the homeless. When you see the naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your relatives.

Jesus, whose name is Yeshua in Hebrew, said something similar.

Mat 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest,
Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

We could argue that this is not just talking about physical food, drink, clothing and hospitality, but also sharing these things spiritually.

Joh 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Joh 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
Joh 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The first part of Isaiah 58 is addressing the tradition of fasting on the Day of Atonement. The command for that day doesn’t necessarily involve a fast, albeit a fast is a good thing one can do.

Lev 23:26 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27 “Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
Lev 23:28 And you must not do any regular work on this very same day, because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God.
Lev 23:29 If there is any person who does not deny himself on this very same day, then he shall be cut off from his people.
Lev 23:30 As for any person who does any work on this very same day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people.
Lev 23:31 You must not do any work; it is a lasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary Sabbath.”

Are we able to assume the person who posted the daily Bible verse quoting Isaiah 58:8 believes in keeping the Day of Atonement properly? How about the 500 people who typed “amen” in the comments? The rest of Isaiah 58 speaks of the Sabbath. The Day of Atonement is a Sabbath, which is specifically kept from the ninth day evening until the tenth day evening. That really leads us to believe that the Israelites were not starting their days in the evening as tradition wants us to believe. If the day started in the evening, then why would it be said to start this sabbath the day before, on the ninth? Let’s look at the rest of Isaiah 58 concerning keeping Sabbaths.

Isa 58:13 If you hold your foot back from the Sabbath, from doing your affairs on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy day of Yahweh honorable, if you honor him more than doing your ways, than finding your affairs and speaking a word,
Isa 58:14 then you shall take your pleasure in Yahweh, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth, and I will feed you the heritage of Jacob your ancestor, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

This is another “if -then” statement concerning keeping the Sabbath. Christians do not typically concern themselves with the fourth commandment which is about Sabbath keeping. Would the 500 people who typed “amen” in the comments of this daily Bible verse posted on Instagram agree with Sabbath keeping? I certainly do as a follower of Yeshua.

Out of context Bible verses in daily scripture readings and devotionals are a major source of deception. They twist scripture making people think they will receive the “then” without doing the “if”. What they are really in for is the “else” statement.

Mal 4:1 “For look! The day is about to come, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says Yahweh of hosts. “It will not leave behind for them root or branch.
Mal 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like fattened calves.
Mal 4:3 You will trample down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am going to act,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Mal 4:4 “Remember the instruction of my servant Moses, which I commanded him at Horeb to all Israel, the rules and regulations.

The prophets wrote about the deception that we are witnessing in full force today, which is if you ignore Yahweh’s instructions, you will still reap His blessings. This message cannot be found in scripture. Only the warning that this will be latter day doctrine is found.

Jer 23:16 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “You must not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you with visions of their mind, They do not speak from the mouth of Yahweh.
Jer 23:17 They are continually saying to those who disregard the word of Yahweh, ‘Peace it will be to you,’ and to each one who walks in the stubbornness of his heart they say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’

Jer 23:20 The anger of Yahweh will not turn back until his doing and until his keeping the plans of his mind. In latter days you will look closely at it with understanding.

Read the entirety of scripture and learn what it means. Repent and learn to be obedient to Yahweh as our Saviour Yeshua showed us.

The featured image is by Sarah Noltner on Unsplash.