Jungle Bulls
At this time of year, everyone on social media gets froggy. Those who want to celebrate xmas feel the need to make sure everyone knows they’re actually in it for ‘Christ’ and not Santa, while they decorate their homes with Santa, reindeer, etc. ; those who do not want to, if they are not believers, decry any virtue at all in the holiday or its christian celebrants; and then there are those who are the third monkey, “speak no evil”. They just don’t want any trouble.
Over the past few years, I have tried to avoid pointing out the grotesque origins that led to the original christian celebrations of Easter, Xmas, and Halloween. Some people think it was right of our forebears to take these pagan holidays and clean them up, stick Jesus in them and call them by a new name. I am one who does not.
The reason I do not, is that after having read the scriptures with sincerity, I now see that God does not like us to mix His faith and worship with that of pagans. He never has. “I am יהוה , I do not change.” “Yeshua is the same, yesterday, today, and forever“.
Today, most people cannot take a sincere correction or rebuke from scripture. They cannot be changed by the Word of God itself. I did not leave behind xmas and easter and halloween because I hated them. In fact, growing up, those times embodied some of my fondest memories. However, I found myself powerless over sin at times during my younger years, and I do think those observances and misapprehensions contributed to that. But, even then, that is not what moved me to change my behavior during those seasons. Wanting to know the truth of God is what did it. Finding out the horrible origins of Saturnalia and its 12 days did it; finding out the trinity of Mithras and Ba’al did it. Finding out the rites of Samhain, and of ancient European Yule celebrations did it. All of these things are rolled up into many traditions that are now associated with xmas and the other catholic/christian holidays. There is simply no Messiah of Israel in xmas.
I recently posted a vlog about the subject. And I will echo the sentiments expressed in it here momentarily. But first, I want to encourage any reader who has not yet made up his mind to make the switch because of a reluctance to be ‘alone,’ or because of a laissez faire approach, to consider whether or not Yeshua Himself, the Son of God, approves of our behaviors, or overlooks them, when they clearly are not rooted in truth. Yeshua simply was not born at this time of year. Period.
The biggest part of the “New Testament” was written to correct bad behavior. After the books of the gospels and the book of Acts, the rest of the NT Bible was written to correct bad doctrine and bad behavior. I wish I had time to echo all the sentiment in those letters that tell us what not to do. There simply is not time. But, even after all those letters were written, the last of which was written in roughly 67 AD to the Jewish believing community in Jerusalem, whose congregation did not have some of the horrible problems the ‘gentile’ congregations already had, Yeshua Himself had to dictate seven letters to the gentile congregations, because they were ALL going into error, again!
As a summary, the letters all address things that are still going on today in xtianity: Rome was returning to vegan paganism as part of their daily life, and the gentiles there were thinking they were replacing the Jews. In Corinth, adultery was found at the top of the Congregation, and everyone turned a blind eye. Paul had to write four letters to them to try to correct the problem, and only God knows why we have only two of those letters left! [I bet they support Torah very more obviously than his other letters do; and they do] Paul was successful in getting them to correct that behavior, but there were still issues in Corinth, like putting way too much importance on ‘speaking in tongues’, and ‘powers of the spirit’. In Ephesus, Paul was reminding them that their foundation was in Torah, and that without it, wolves would eat them up. Yeshua would also do that in the Revelation, but people today ignore it, because they cannot perceive the simplicity of Yeshua’s message. At Galatia, believers were turning to manmade Judaism and their own self-importance to be ‘saved’, following matters of the flesh. Timothy’s congregation had to be warned of the foul nature of humanity that would prevail in the last days. Thessalonica had to be reminded that Yeshua would indeed come back, and would rescue His people from the horrible events of the last days; and the Hebrew congregation had to be reminded that the Jewish Temple was earthly, and the priesthood had been taken away from the Levites and given to Yeshua as the High Priest of God’s Temple in Heaven, which is juxtaposed over earth by His Spirit, until such time as Yeshua returns. He had to remind them to remain faithful to “love AND good works“.
Yet, even after all those corrections and warnings, the gentile congregations still went into more error. It amazes me that people today do not think it possible that they could be involved in any error, when we are nearly 2,000 years removed from Messiah’s presence on earth and His personal teaching. We do not adhere, by and large, to what Yeshua and His apostles taught, but most adhere to manmade changes to the gospel itself, just like they did at Galatia, and other seriously erroneous doctrines, all of which were already in the gentile ‘churches’ in the book of Revelation. And Yeshua sends personal warnings to these congregations, and situates these warnings just before He begins to show Yokhanan what will happen just before He returns to earth.
To these congregations, Yeshua writes these beautiful letters of affection, but they also contain strong rebukes, and these rebukes are for things that still go on in churches today. But, just like the seven cities where these congregations were, today’s congregations ignore the warnings. Yeshua promised these seven congregations that if they did not fix the error, they would lose their Menorah. The Menorah is the presence of the very Breath of God, the extended Presence of Messiah, what most call the “Holy Spirit”. It says that very thing in chapter 5, that the seven lamps are the ‘sevenfold spirit’ of God. Yet today, people worship the Spirit as a separate ‘person’. Those seven congregations did not correct their error, and now they no longer exist. It makes me feel better about the possibility of our congregation not going into the future generations, as Paul himself founded these congregations, and they failed very soon after he left the Earth. Would that all Yeshua’s people would listen to the warnings HE gives:
Rev 2:
“…you have tried those who say they are Apostles [Shlikhim] and are not, and you have found them liars; 3and you have patience, and have borne burdens for My Name’s sake, and have not wearied. 4Nevertheless I have something against you, because you have left your first love. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I will come to you very soon, and I will remove your Menorah from its place, unless you repent. 6But this you have in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
No one knows a great deal about the “Nicolaitans”. However, it is pretty common understanding that this is a ‘clergy’ system of ‘we/they’. Elite, ‘educated’ clergymen holding ‘offices’ and ‘titles’ in the congregations. The word ‘nicolaitan’ says as much: ‘nico’= controlling, ‘laity’ the commoners. Most congregations today have either a very strong or a not so strong version of this, but 99% of them have this issue. At that time, Ephesus did not. But, we find that they later capitulated to it, when Constantine forced Nicolaitanism on all congregations.
Ephesus also ‘tried’ and proved that people who were going around calling themselves apostles were in fact liars. An apostle is an eye witness to the resurrection, and was appointed by Yeshua Himself, and ‘sent out’. There were only twelve, and then ‘one born out of season’, which was Paul. Acts 1 makes it clear what an apostle’s qualifications were. And the Ephesians still understood this at the time. Today, however, there are denominations called ‘apostolic’, and they call their leaders ‘apostles’. They are liars.
Ephesus’ first love was The Word of God. Paul taught them for two years in the hall of Tyrannus, teaching the SCRIPTURES of the Torah and “Old Testament”, daily. They left that behind. They got into other doctrines. They got to thinking they were above reproach, and did not need to ‘repent’ and guard their behavior according to His Word. What most people ignore is that REPENT means to turn back to God’s commandments. Period. Ephesus began to get lax in their faith, thinking God did not much care about their worship and practice. He is showing them here that He cares very much about what they do to worship Him.
Smyrna was the next congregation, and Yeshua reproves them only once:
“I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews [Yehudim] and are not, but are of the Synagogue [Beit K’nesset] of HaSatan.”
This is the Galatian error all over again! There are many doctrines today that put people to relying on their own FLESH to save them. They think that there is something special in them because they have found a supposed genetic or spiritual link to natural Israel. They put their trust not in the Blood of Yeshua the Messiah alone to save them, but in their either being or becoming Jewish, in some way. This includes: Replacement Theology, Rabbinic Judaism, Sephardi Judaism, Two-House, Hebrew-Roots, Black Israel, Brit Am, and a host of other doctrines of the flesh, where people ‘wake up’ to their ‘inheritance’/heritage and think that they can improve their relationship with God by becoming more “Jewish”/”Israeli”. There are many variations of it, but it is all the same thing, “The Synagogue of Satan“. That was a name for the House of Shammai in the 1st century, which said “You must be or become Jewish to be saved.” This was the error in Galatia, and is a rampant error today. These people today will follow “Mashi’akh HaSheker” and help put true believers in prisons, and kill them. They have throughout history!
To Pergamos, Yeshua wrote:
“you have there those who hold the teaching of Bilam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before B’nei Yisra’el, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit adultery. 15And also you have those among you who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
Most congregations today follow the error of Bilam, and it is tied to Nicolaitanism: pay the piper! Hire the clergy. Bilam convinced Balak that he should get Israel to worship Ba’al by sending their women in to weaken them, and the women of Balak’s people convinced Israel to worship “Ba’al.” Ba’al is tied to the origins of xmas. There was a trinity with Ishtar, the origin of ‘Easter’. Mithras is the Egyptian version of the same trinity, and he was born on 12/25. Constantine forced this into the congregations in 325 AD and after. But, it was already mixed in at Pergamos. Any wonder we still have it today? Pergamos did not listen either. Do you think Yeshua is more tolerant of the error of Bilam today, because we’ve been at it for so long? “Yeshua is the same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever.”
Thyatira takes a bludgeoning from sweet Yeshua:
“…you allowed that woman of yours, Jezebel [Yizevel], who calls herself a Prophetess [Nevi’ah], to teach and to seduce my servants to commit harlotry and to eat things sacrificed to idols. 21And I gave her time to repent, but she did not repent from her harlotry. 22Behold I will cast her into a coffin, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23And I will smite her children with death; and all the congregations shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to every one of you according to your works.
This is probably the most sobering. Lest there be any doubt, Jezebel talked the king of Israel into worshipping יהוה by calling Him “Ba’al”: “Lord“. She incorporated all the same concepts of trinity, fertility, bunnies, eggs, trees, and winter infant sacrifice into the worship of God in Israel. All the ‘prophets’ of Israel decided to follow her. Only ONE man had any courage to stand up to her in truth, and fifty-one other true prophets hid from her. Look how severe the punishment for this Christian Church is, from Yeshua’s own lips! Do you really think He ‘knows your heart’ and so ignores your ‘works‘? Don’t you think the people of Thyatira felt the same way, that Yeshua was sweet, and would never harm them? Would forgive their every error? “He knoweth my heart”, saith Thyatira. He acknowledged them as HIS! “I know your works, [Your WORKS BETRAY YOUR HEART, and Yeshua warns all the congregations to fix their WORKS! NOT their faith!] and love, and faith, and service, and also your patience; and your last works are to be more abundant than the first.” He predicted their repentance! But, NOT without first warning them not only of taking their Menorah, but of harming them Himself! Why do people today think that Yeshua is more ‘tolerant’ of a generation that has mixed as much if not more of Jezebel’s worship into their faith?
To Sardis, Yeshua has a little less to say, but it is important:
“…you are dead. 2Awake, and hold fast to the things which remain but are ready to die; for I have not found your works perfect before my Elohim. 3Remember, therefore, just as you have received and heard, so hold fast and repent. And if, therefore, you do not awake, I will come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know at what hour I will come upon you.”
Yeshua is warning this congregation that they barely have any works left that are acceptable before Him, and as such, they may be surprised by the Tribulation! If that is not so of people today, then Yeshua is a liar. People who do no work whatsoever in their faith are all but dead. That’s exactly what Yeshua’s own brother tried to tell us all: “faith without works is DEATH.” If you are relying on faith alone such that you do nothing to grow it, nourish it, and protect it, you are all but dead. Yeshua Himself said WAKE UP!
Phildelphia‘s name means “City of Brotherly Love”; but their issue was the same as nearby Smyrna:
9“Behold, I turn over those of the Beit K’nesset of HaSatan, who say that they are Jews [Yehudim] and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of testing which shall come upon the whole world to try those who dwell upon earth.
They apparently were still dealing with the Galatian issue: so are we today. Refer back to the Smyrna section to see how many streams of doctrine today are playing into the Synagogue of Satan. The promise that He will keep us from the ‘hour of testing’, the Tribulation, is not unnoticed.
And last, we have Laodicea:
15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; it is better to be either cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich, and my wealth has increased, and I need nothing;’ and you do not know that you are miserable, and helpless, and poor, and blind, and naked. 18I advise you to buy of me gold refined in the fire, that you may become rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, so that the shame of your nakedness may not be seen; and anoint your eyes with salve, that you may see. 19I rebuke and chasten all those whom I love; be zealous, therefore, and repent.
Once again, ‘repent’ means to TURN BACK to GOD’s COMMANDMENTS! The last congregation listed had no specific sin, except that of being “comfortable” and feeling “safe” in Messiah, when in fact they were NOT! To be safe in Messiah, and confident in that safety, is to know that one is DOING the best he can to DO the will of God in his own life. The comfort of that should be founded on the truth of His Word.
Clearly, Yeshua DOES take issue with mixing faith in Him with RELIGIONS of this world! He mentions those who had turned away from the love of SCRIPTURE for a pretentious, ‘apostolic’ experience. He mentioned Nicolaitanism, which was blending the pagan temple system of clergy/laity with the worship of Messiah. We are all one in Messiah: brothers; equals. There are no ‘titles’ in His Kingdom but His! He mentioned the error of Bilam, where Israel was enticed into mixing Ba’alism with worshipping the Creator. He mentioned Rabbinic Judaism in saving of self through the merit of the flesh. He mentioned Jezebel, who brought Ba’alism back into Israel and made it the most prevalent form of worship of God. Mixture of paganism and truth was most prevalent in that day, and it got the northern tribes scattered and forgotten. They actually created a golden calf in the north and in the south of Israel and built two mock temples just like God’s temple, and put the calf in the “Holy of Holies” in place of where the Ark, the Word of God, would have been. This was a repeat of the error of Ancient Israel at Mount Sinai, returning to Egyptian [Mithraic] worship. This is the same thing people do today. That Ark room is symbolic of the heart: “God knows my heart”. Yes, He does. He knows whether you choose Him over sinful mixture religion. He knows your WORKS, that they are rooted in evil, and that you do not care. Yeshua mentions ‘comfortable faith’, ‘successful’, untried faith, and it comes with a warning of REJECTION on His part, as did all of them. He also warned us to AWAKE from being dead.
Yes, Yeshua LOVES you! Yes, He has forgiven you ALL your sins! But, He STILL requires a pure life before Him, and a desire to PROVE your love for Him, so that you PROVE HIS TRUTH to this world. Those oustide the Body of Messiah see most believers living the very same way the world does. There is no ‘distinction’, which the Bible calls ‘holiness’. Holiness is not arrogant self-righteousness. It is humble submission to Yeshua and His Word, choosing Him over all error.
So, yes, the believing community should repent of mixing faith with Ba’alism and its various forms, which have clearly been woven in over the centuries, in spite of Yeshua’s own warnings. Further, the modern Santa is a clear invention of paganism, a mixture of catholicism and paganism. That’s what cracks me up and saddens me at the same time: Protestants say they don’t worship the Saints the way Catholics do, but they don’t mind borrowing the Catholic Saint Nicholas and combining Him with Krampus, and preaching him to their children.
“Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and MESSIAH shall give you light.” Ephesus 5:14
There is no Messiah in xmas.