Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Two Covenants of the Torah, by James Trimm

The Two Covenants of the Torah
by James Trimm

Many of us have missed an important truth. The New Covenant has been in the Torah all along! And this amazing truth is a major key in understanding the writings of Paul. There are in fact two covenants in the Torah and two Mosaic Covenants. The first Mosaic Covenant was made at Mt. Sinai at Horev.

The Second Mosaic Covenant was made at Mt. Nebo at Mo’av. This was a second covenant which YHWH made with the people of Israel through Moses which was made shortly before the death of Moses and the entry of Israel into the Land. This covenant was made near the end of the Torah:

These are the words of the covenant which YHWH commanded Moshe to make with the children of Yisra’el in the land of Mo’av, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horev. (Deut. 28:69 (29:1)) Note that this Covenant at Mo’av was made besides the Covenant made at Sinai.

Rashi makes an important comment about the significance of this word “besides”: besides the covenant [Namely,] the curses [which appear] in Lev. (26: 14-39), which were proclaimed at [Mount] Sinai. (Rashi on Deut. 28:69)

Rashi sees that these are two different covenants and that the word besides is intended to distinguish the Covenant at Sinai, characterized by “the curses” with this new Covenant made at Mo’av which is characterized not just by curses (Deut.29:16-29) but by blessings as well. This covenant was centered around repentance (30:2, 8) and its rewards included a promise of a regathering of Israel from among the nations (30:3-4), a circumcised heart (30:2, 6), Israel would be his people and He would be their Elohim (29:13); a promise of land (30:5) and life (30:6, 15, 19).

This Covenant also includes Torah observance: if you shall hearken to the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Torah; if you turn unto YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul. (Deut. 30:10)

Continued...
NOTE: Not to be confused with Dual Covenant Theology

Friday, December 28, 2007

The Peaceful Majority, by William Haynes/Yoel.Ben-Avraham

The Peaceful Majority- - - - by Yoel.Ben-Avraham

I used to know a man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War Two. They owned a number of large industries and estates. I asked him how many German people were true Nazis, and the answer he gave has stuck with me and guided my attitude toward fanaticism ever since.

"Very few people were true Nazis "he said," but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.

"We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.

Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority" is the "silent majority" and it is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia comprised Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War 2 was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And, who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"? History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:
- Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.
- Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
- Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, I wish to add: I sincerely think that anyone who rejects this as just another political rant, or doubts the seriousness of this issue or just deletes it without paying heed to it, or sending it on, is part of the problem. Lets quit laughing at and forwarding the jokes and cartoons which denigrate and ridicule our leaders in this war against terror. They are trying to protect the interests and well being of the world and it's citizens. Best we support them.

William Haynes
ENGAGE - For a Secure Israel (ESFI)

Friday, December 21, 2007

The Bread Basket... "His Presence" Among Men

"The Bread Basket"
The sweet, unleavened bread, holy and without sin,
made an offering unto the LORD for the life of the world.

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven,
That a man may eat thereof, and not die.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:
And the bread that I will give is my flesh,
Which I will give for the life of the world.
-Yeshua HaMashiach, John 6:50-51
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"It is said that bread is the staff of life, and represents man's physical sustenance. This is certainly so, and it is important that G-d's blessing for goodness and bounty be found in the bread which we partake of... for without His munificent blessing, all of man's efforts would neither satisfy nor satiate. Thus we endeavor to fulfill His will throughout every aspect of our endeavors, and in so doing, we earn His favor and blessing... for each area wherein man fulfills the Holy One's will becomes a channel receiving Heavenly blessing.
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This was especially so in the case of the Showbread, and one aspect of its function was indeed to elicit Divine guidance and providence. The sages teach that since these loaves were in essence the vehicle for fulfilling G-d's commandment, and they were used to accomplish His will, special blessing could be found in it, and indeed, the Divine blessing was seen and felt particularly in the context of the Showbread. The Talmud describes that a miracle took place every week: When the priests came to replace the breads with new loaves every Sabbath, they found that those of the previous week remained fresh and hot upon the table, like the moment they were baked. This miracle was seen as a clear confirmation that the Divine Presence indeed rested in this holy place."
an excerpt from the article: The Table of Showbread )
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Although Yeshua's birthday was not December 25, according to the Roman Catholic Church's solar calendar, His birth did take place at some point in time. I, and many others, think He was born during Sukkot since He is "Immanuel" and the literal fulfillment of the sign King Ahaz requested of God in Isaiah 7:10-14. Immanuel, the formless God tabernacling among His covenant people with a covering, a veil of flesh.
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Bless the LORD, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy Name!
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A special thanks to Babs for sharing the idea of "The Bread Basket".

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Preach It, Brother! A Shocking Message...


(click on picture to watch YouTube video -
wait a minute or two to view)
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Paul David Washer, a man after God's own heart!
2002 Youth Conference

American Christianity may steal your soul!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Via "For Zion's Sake"...

A Declaration of the Jewish People to the World... (click on picture)

Thank you, BK!

Genesis 17:7-8 and Deuteronomy 34:1-4

God is a covenant keeping God! Woe to them who compromise the Land!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

...You Meant Evil Against Me, but God Meant It for Good...

by Chabad.Org Parshah

Joseph, and his story, is perhaps my favorite in the Bible. I love his story because it demonstrates the working of God's will in our lives... to our good (Genesis 50:20, Jeremiah 29:11-12). His story teaches us to rest in the comfort of knowing what is sometimes meant for evil against us, God means for our good and the good of others. Joseph was unable to understand why he suffered, but in the end, God revealed to Joseph the crucial role his sufferings played in God's plan to exalt him as Pharaoh's right-hand man. In the end, all - Joseph and his brothers - understood God's goodness and His plan to preserve Israel through drought and famine.

So many times, circumstances set us back and are seemingly insurmountable. However, for those of us who fear and love God, He never fails to engineer a good outcome. The 'good' may not be apparent for many, many years, but in His loving-kindness, God finally reveals the 'good' to His glory and our comfort. And when we trust Him during the difficult times, remembering His Word and His character, it provides us a tremendous sense of joy and comfort. When we don't trust Him, we are in anguish. May we always remember that God is faithful, kind, loving, and merciful. In the worst case scenario, a righteous man may fall seven times, but he never fails to get up. Many times, however, God rescues us from circumstances before the seventh fall. Praise His Holy Name!

My mother and I recently went hiking and while sitting atop the mountain looking over the valley below, we could see a road that stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. I looked to my right, where the road lied closest to the mountain. As my eyes followed the road to the north, into the disappearing horizon, I could see the zigs and zags. But where the road lied closest in my field of vision, I couldn't see it in certain places because of the tree line or protruding rock. And how much less of the road would I have seen if I had been standing on that road?
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My mom and I had been discussing Joseph and his story earlier in the hike and relating to one another the awesome hand of God that led Joseph through the darkest moments, when Joseph had no idea that God's hand was so steadily upon him. So, now, as I observed the road below, I suddenly understood what God did for Joseph, his brothers, and the entire nation of Israel, He does for all his children. Like the road stretched out below me, my path is seen by God while I can only see the portion of the road within my field of vision. I thought, "LORD, if you can see the beginning to the end, why do I fret during difficult times in life when the road is uphill, rocky, steep, narrow, or dark? You, LORD, can see the path of my life to the horizon and beyond, and in seeing the difficult passages, places, zigs and zags, you also see the easy, smooth, broad, light places on the path that stretches out before me. Why do I worry? Why should I ever fail to trust you, again, when I know you set my feet firmly on rock and in high-places and have a good plan for me along the way and at the end? You will reveal your goodness to me and open my eyes to understand why the road was so difficult at times and I will leap for joy! Truly, LORD, I need to understand and embrace the knowledge that your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path... and that's all I need to know!"
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For the nation of Israel, God has a plan for good, and not for harm - Israel has hope and a good future! And since we know God is the same, that He never changes, we can be assured that as His character has been manifested to Israel, it is manifested to each of His [individual] children.
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22 And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
23 "For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!
25 "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?
26 "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
28 "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!
29 "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.
30 "For all these things the nations (pagans) of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.
31 "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-Yeshua, Luke 12:22-34
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1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD. 4 How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
-David, Psalm 40:1-4

Friday, December 14, 2007

Behold, Thy Salvation Cometh...


Hamas Children Make a Proclamation Against All Zionist
December 3, 2007
by MEMRI TV
(click on picture to view)
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A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth much more. Here, Hamas presents their children, who are already well steeped in hatered for all Zionist, Jew and Christian alike, for Israel and America. At the end, a pretty little girl says, "We will wipe out all the people of Zion. Not one of them will be left." I would like to call her a "beautiful" little girl, but for me, beauty exudes from within... her parents and her community have already stolen her beauty through her Islamic, Jihadist indoctrination... and their belief in a moon god may steal her life one day along with the precious lives of some Israeli people. O LORD, forbid this!!!!

There's not much time left before Messiah comes - we see the signs everywhere on a global scale. Many, many Scriptures come to mind as I watched this video: 2 Chronicles 20, Isaiah 62, Ezekiel 37, Joel... to name a few. But we know this: the battle is the LORD's. He, Himself, takes up Israel's cause. Let us humble ourselves before Adonai and pray in the advent of Messiah's coming... and wait... be still and wait for and trust in the LORD!
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In the eyes of all the world, I am proud to be named a Zionist and be counted among God's chosen people. I, for one, am standing in the gap and praying for Israel and God's chosen, covenant people, the Jews. I, for one, will advocate for Israel and the Jewish people unto my last breath! We need to continue to educate ourselves regarding these issues and the era in which we are living... this is it... Messiah is coming, He's right around the corner! Pray and wait, wait and pray!
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10 Go out through the gates!
Prepare the highway for my people to return!
Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
raise a flag for all the nations to see.
11 The Lord has sent this message to every land:
“Tell the people of Israel,[e]
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
12 They will be called “The Holy People”
and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”
And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”
(Isaiah 62:10-12)
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As you know, I recently heard Avi Lipkin speak and he repeated something that Golda Meir said when asked, "When do you think the violence will come to an end?" To which she replied, "When Palestinian mothers start loving their children more than they hate the Jews."
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Palestinians serve a false god named "allah", and like Molech, apparently allah requires that they sacrifice their children to him. Like Avi said, Islam suffers from a psychosis just like the Nazis did. They think they can defeat the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and wipe away His chosen people from the face of the earth... sorry, Charlie, it ain't gonna happen! Truly, Islam is possessed by Satan... Satan has always sought to destroy God's people via peoples outside the covenant with God. Our comfort lies in knowing our God is the One, True God, who keeps His promises!
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Praise God, He is so good! Aren't you exceedingly glad we serve a good and loving God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who loves LIFE? Yes! Bless His Holy Name forever and ever!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Ransom Captive Israel


Lyrics:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

***

Baruch HaShem! Oh, yes... ransom Your people, Israel! Bless Your people, Israel!

10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.[b] (Isaiah 7:10-14)

6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You
. (Psalm 2:6-7)

19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,[b]
And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

21 With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23 I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.

24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.

25 Also I will set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.

26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27 Also I will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him. (Psalm 89:19-28)

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

Amen v' Amen!

And my favorite song since childhood... The Little Drummer Boy, by Josh Groban

God bless you, Josh... you play your drum well for your King and Messiah!
Another beautiful song by Josh, O Holy Night...

My Jewish and Christian Zionist Friends...

Avi Lipkin

Recently, I had the privilege of hearing a conservative Jewish man, Avi Lipkin, speak on the realities of Islam, not once, but twice in one week. Avi is a family friend who is known by my brother and mother, but I heard Avi speak for the first time last year and was absolutely riveted by the depth of his knowledge about Islam. His message is powerful and his information current since his Jewish wife of 37 years, Rachel, is from Egypt and listens to the Arabic Islamic broadcasts all day long as required by her career as a journalist in Israel... so Avi is in the "know". (Avi, a native New Yorker, made Aliyah 40 years ago.)

If you have the opportunity to catch Avi Lipkin during his tour of the U.S. and Canada and invite him to your synagogue or church, I guarantee he is worth the effort!

God has blessed me in placing me in Houston, Texas, where there is a group of dedicated Christian Zionist, Hineni Ministries, whose hearts are turned toward God, Israel, and the Jewish people. This group typically meets once a month to hear and support Jewish guest speakers, Israeli and non-Israeli alike. I have had the privilege of sitting in meetings and listening to Ari Abramowitz, International Center for Biblical Zionism, and Avi Lipkin... just to name a couple of the excellent guests our group has hosted.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Warm Wishes for a Happy Chanukah!

by Wikipedia
(click on above)
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(Thank you, BK!)

Happy, happy Chanukah!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Happy 18th Birthday, My Precious Michaela!


Sweet baby girl,
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I want so much for you to know
how much I love you.
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You are so beautiful inside and out!
You have grown into a lovely young woman,
and you are blessed by God in so many ways...
from your uncanny ability to make friends
who stick by you and you by them
through the thick and the thin,
to your musical abilities,
to your tenacious, never-say-quit,
fearless, overcoming attitude,
to your rock-steadiness and ability to
commit without wavering,
to being an awesomely obedient child
and honoring your father and your mother(s)
(as I've always told you, God is going to bless you
with long life on the earth for doing so),
to the trust you place in the LORD...
My sweet baby girl, you are an awesome
young lady and blessed, blessed, blessed!
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I know I am critical of you sometimes,
but it's only because I have experienced
so much more of life, and I can often
see that the path you are taking
today may not take you where
you want to be tomorrow.
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I know, too, that you are still young,
and you have to experience life for
yourself. But if I can, I just want to
spare you some of the pain I had to
go through on my own path in life.
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When the right words don't come with all I
want to say, I can still say this:
I love you tremendously! I would do
anything for you. And I promise I will
try to be more patient and understanding
without always interjecting my words of wisdom
as I let go and allow you to fly on your own.
I pray that you will be patient with me, too,
and understand my concern when I'm just not
able to hold my tongue.
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I ask only two things of you:
that you continue to love and
fear the LORD,
and that you continue to tell me
that you love me, too,
because that's all I need from you!
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I love you!
Love, Mom