The Apocrypha and the Hobbit

In watching the last of the Hobbit trilogy last night and reading about a book about the Maccabees story and what Hanukkah was about I was struck by the thought as to why more Christians don't read the Apocrypha and the story behind the Hanukkah.  It is quit an amazing story,  Then in the spirit of thinking about how much C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien has influenced the Christian faith, I am left with the question as to why some Christians will belittle the other stories of the Apocrypha as not needing to be read along with the Bible.  Some will fervently say, "They are not part of the Canon, don't you know!" I am not say that such works as The Song of the Tree Children and The Story of Bel and the Dragon are anywhere on equal terms with the Torah but there is something to be said about good stories and their purposes.  Good stories inspire and reminds its readers definition of right and wrong and to develop solid moral reasoning,  It is the reason as to why I believe Judah, the brother of Jesus uses a quote from Enoch as well in his letter to the assemblies.  It was to underline a point made in the letter. 
If you have never read at least The Maccabees in The Apocrypha please due so...

Rambam's musings on Tithing

The Mishneh Torah is a code of Jewish religious law (Halakha) authored by Maimonides, or otherwise known as Rambam), a notable Rabbi of Judaism in the Middle Ages about the time of Thomas Aquinas.  I wanted to post this section of the Mishneh by Rambam.  Notice what he writes in the Teramot section of the Mishneh about tithing, that is that it is primarily connected to the land of Israel. 

 

Halacha 1

According to Scriptural Law, [the obligation to separate] the terumot1 and the tithes2 applies only in Eretz Yisrael.3[It applies] whether the Temple is standing or not.4 The prophets ordained that these obligations should be observed in Babylon as well, because it is adjacent to Eretz Yisrael and the majority of the Jewish people journey to and from there.5 The Sages of the early generations6 ordained that they also be observed in the lands of Egypt and the lands of Ammon and Moab, because they are on the peripheries of Eretz Yisrael.

 

Yes there is a reason why Hebrew Roots of the faith is important to understand. If someone tries to apply Galatians 1 & 2 to a Christian that is left the true Gospel for another then he does not understand Galatians at all.  Galatians was about a heresy in true conversion of the faith and never does not teach an abrogation of the tutor (the Torah).  Also, when one is strict to the teachings of the Torah they will apply them correct as it relates to the Gentile assemblies.  If a pastor teaching tithing especially THIS YEAR not only is he misapplying passages like Malachi 3, the pastor is misapplying the principles in tithing AS STATED IN THE TORAH.  Not only is there an issue of timing but also there is also by Rambam's instructions a geographic consideration to take into account with instructions on tithing.  By analysis of Rambam's teaching, this teaching on tithing is clearly associated with the land of Israel. 

Would Adolf Really Have Wanted the Ark?

I was thinking earlier this morning that if a Gentile fails to recognizes the types and shadows of the Torah they run the risk of becoming anti-Semitic and become a proud tree branch which Paul warns about in Romans 9.   As I was about to post the video below, I was reminded of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark where the plot line was the Nazi quest for the Ark of the Covenant.   The irony of the movie is most likely when one examines the history of Nazi party and Adolf Hitler there was an actual despising of Jewish things not an admiration, for Hitler gave speeches often in front of a pagan altar of Zeus at the Berlin museum that was transported from Turkey in the late 1800's. 

Kristallnacht

While some Christians may regard November 1^st as one of the greatest events in Christian by Martin Luther, they may forget that November 10^th will go down as the worst day for Martin Luther.  This was the day that he was born and a day regarded highly among Lutherans that is until the Socialist Party in Germany took over.   For it was on the night of Martin Luther’s birthday, November 9-10, 1938,    191 synagogues throughout Germany were set on fire, and 76 were completely destroyed. 815 Jewish-owned shops were demolished, 29 warehouses and 171 homes were set on fire or likewise destroyed.

On that night, which has become infamously known as Kristallnacht (“Night of the Broken Glass”), more than 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps, and 36 Jews were murdered. It was also a Shemitah year. 

So why was that day chosen?  It was in one of the very last publications of Martin Luther that he wrote a book on advice for leaders on how to handle Jews.  One thing of which was to burn their assemblies.  Needless to say was that Luther was not at all nice in how to treat Jews in what he wrote and so much that the Lutheran priests would bury his papers in the archives of the Lutheran church until when “higher criticism” liberalism took over in the late 1800’s.

Luther was so well versed on Paul’s doctrine of justification early in the campaign with Catholics and won so much of the approval of the magistrates of Germany that he left his legal reasoning behind.  Eric Gritsch notes in his book on Luther’s last book that it was against his better judgment. 

It serves to remind all ministers alike, to take heed to the ninth commandment on bearing a false testimony against thy neighbor and also that indeed Jesus earnestly contended not only for the lost sheep in Israel but also sought to provide true light to the handlers of the Torah in hopes that they may too understand the intentions of the Torah for Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees that did come to faith by the persistence of Christ.  What is one thing to learn about Luther’s demise is how his attitude to German comforts began to affect and cloud his better judgment.  The other thing is to be careful what you may write it and make sure it is fruitful in Spirit. 

Torah Readngs in the Early Church

I remember when I was reading the classic Greek myths as a young man and noted how the Greeks as contributed so many great ideas about democracy and through men like Socrates and Plato, that the question arose in my mind, "How is it that such a culture would worship many god and build altars to them?"  I think that often when we have these sincere questions in the back of our mind that God does answer these questions eventually and even under unusual circumstances.  But also the other question of late is, "What did the walk of repentance look like to the Greeks?"  Here is the crucial thing to remember when reading about the ministry of the apostles:  All of them were Jewish. 


One thing to consider in our Darwinist post-modern culture is that most of the Greeks did regard the advent of Creation as an event not a naturalistic process.  In fact most all pagan cultures do have some sort of flood myth. Even the Hopi Indians in Arizona being as far as they are from the Middle East have a flood legend in terms of creation.  What else is amazing is that as cultures are closer to the Ararat Mountain region that the stories are more in line with the story in the Torah.  So here is Paul and the apostles sharing about Christ to the pagan culture around them and they have received the message.  What are the weekend messages that they are hearing after conversion?  Simply the Torah readings are still kept going but know with the emphasis upon how it relates to Christ and their salvation experience.  The Creation story is being told in Genesis, the covenant to Abraham and his children, and then wilderness journey of the Israelites to the promise land is being told on every Sabbath (Acts 15:21).   The audience would connect to the story and also the apostles would relate how it also to that the promise land connects to the Kingdom of Heaven.


Somehow this point is missed when one reads Acts 15:21.  The council of Jerusalem is discussing requirements onto Gentiles coming to faith and what repentance looks like.  They also mentioned that the "the Law of Moses (the Torah) has been proclaimed in every city from the inception of the mission and is being read among the assemblies every Sabbath." Now you may say isn't that Judaizing to do this?  Really and truly the issue of actual Judaizing mentioned in Galatians had nothing to do with being Hebraic, actually it dealt with conversion of believers.  The council of Jerusalem is clearing matters that occurred in Galatians as Galatians was the earliest letter of the apostle Paul.  The Greeks would hear the Creation account and be encouraged in their walk with Christ.   They also would understand how the various cultures went astray.  Now obviously other matters were discussed and taught and the message was not limited to the Torah but the Sabbath readings were indeed preserved and even most likely connected to Christ.  I wonder if todays assemblies were to try a Sabbath services and taught this way how much more the Jews could be reached in a community.  The divide between Jews and Evangelicals is vast in the American landscape as both strongly identify mostly with political parties that are in opposition to each other.  Overwhelmingly over 75% Jews identify with the Democrat party as the majority of Evangelicals identify with the Republican party.  The divide is indeed vast and perhaps there needs to be more of Hebraic nature of Christianity better communicated to the Jewish people. Later tonight will be the beginnings of the advent of Kristallnacht an event that occurred 76 years ago which was the beginnings of the Holocaust in Germany in 1938. More will be posted on this in the next post.

Last nights post

When a person goes to bed thinking about certain Bible verses, they may find out that the LORD will confirm or clarify things in their sleep.  As I woke up the LORD led me to post this as I was still thinking of the Shemitah.  Here was impression that was laid on my heart.  The churches in America really need to wake up to God's instruction, theTorah, and understand how it applies to them and not misteach them,  No more teaching that it somehow has been abrogated while still firmly holding onto the understanding the foundation of God's grace in the scope of His salvation. Legalism is basically conversion by the flesh but to disregard His Torah is to disregard His instruction.   Here is one thing to remember and it will make all thing clear. When Paul wrote Timothy about "How all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correction" there were no Gospels that had been fully written out and published quit yet to the churches.  So Paul was regarding the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets when he stated that to Timothy. 

Here is something to note and perhaps this can clarify matters.  Under the Orthodox teaching of Jews, they do regard that only about 313 laws apply to Jewish communities outside of the land of Israel because the rest of the Torah can only be applied while living in the land and with a Temple standing. 

So the question I have is how come some preachers are preaching Malachi 3:10 as a way to rebuke the devour?   This did not happen in 2008 did it? But yet I do know of a very prominent Baptist minister that did actually state in a sermon in the year following that such a collapse was due to people not tithing. 

Somehow I still hold out hope and change.  Revival is desperately needed and insight to truly understand your Scriptures, LORD.  This blogger prays for true change.

I end this post from a very popular rock song as it is raining outside today. 

And we both know hearts can change

And it's hard to hold a candle

In the cold November rain......Axl Rose

The Shemitah Mystery May Not Be So Mysterious

I was pondering over Cahn’s book, The Mystery of the Shemitah, recently, and it hit me, “Why are seminary students coming out of seminary preaching tithing and failing to note about how it connects to the Jewish Calendar. Russell Kelly states on his site on a poll taken about 10-12 years ago where about 3 out of 4 Southern Baptist ministers believed in tithing to the church directly (please note this trend may have changed).   Yet these staffed minister didn't follow the Jewish Calendar nor a requirement for Saturday Sabbath.   I had a Messianic friend of mine when I asked about ministers requirement on storehouse tithing and he asked those following questions to me like if the ministers advocates following the Sabbath, Passover, and the Calendar.  Here is the problem with tithing,  to teach it an assembly would have to follow the Calendar as well.  I am not saying a designation of a tenth is bad thing at all during this year.  But it is not at all a biblical command during this year. But I left with some thoughts on this.


Will over the next tenth months churches will have to tighten the budget because no biblical requirement for tithing exists?  I would not think that would be necessary.  Really and truly what concerns God in the time of the Shemitah is the releasing of financial burdens and debt.  Helping your local assembly would be such an act of carrying burdens.  Here is the thing and something to think about if you are Christian banker and still demanding debt this year wouldn't it make sense to release those burdens debtor somehow rather than worrying on tithing.  During the last Shemitah in 2008, banks and financial markets suffered.  That type of judgment during the Shemitah is not really a mystery if you really think about it.  I really don't think it about not tithing this year but rather. "What are you doing this year to help your neighbor to release them from debt and financial problems?" 

Will Continue to Post about Luther

I know from my activity level, that not many are readers of the post yet.  I hope to get more eventually.  I originally to post more about Martin Luther and the Reformers and I did not.  As Martin Luther's birthday is established on November 10th, I will continue to post. That day is significant to another event which I will explain more on a later post.  If you have friends that are interested please forward the link of this blog to your friends.

Dealing with Dietary Laws

 

15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

 

Mark 7:15-19 KJV

 

Jordan Rubin wrote an excellent book on the Maker’s Diet. In the book, he wrote on how in eating a Kosher Diet actually reversed the digestive problems he was having with Crohn’s Disease.  There is a lot to say about the book and would suggest anyone to read it and understand the benefits of a Kosher Diet.  Kosher diets do have their benefits on the reduction of health problems but needless to say the health and wealth movement distorts such teaching as an end to good health. Our Savior Jesus actually is not saying that the Kosher diet is done away with but that in the eliminating of meats the digestive track is making it clean.  With Crohn’s disease, such a diet would have tremendous benefits.  I totally agree that with a Kosher diet one will have better health.  Also, to eat with malice angry heart does indeed deliver trouble like ulcers and other issues to the digestive track.  So the point to Jesus statement is that emotions lead to actually defilement.  

As the Gentiles were known to not eat the same diet, Paul does appear to relax the dietary laws.  For one thing, the access to Kosher meats may have not been readily throughout Rome.  The second thing is that Paul is mirroring the same emphasis as Christ on issues of the heart over the issues of dietary laws.  Legalism in dietary laws suggest that conversion is by the flesh. I would assume then that the actual sin in eating unclean meats is a complete disregard to biblical wisdom when one does have the option of eating clean meats and by the way look at the blessings that came to Daniel when he opted out of the Babylonian diet.

Not Intended for Publishing

Here it is the eve of All Saint's Day. The day that Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis on the door of the Wittenberg Church.  This may not be widely know but it was posted for the leaders and members of the church.  When read by members of the community, certain ones from the Wittenberg community published the 95 statements and it was circulated throughout Germany.  Luther by no means took it to the German press himself and sought to get the attention of those attending the All Saint's memorial on that day.  

Reformed Sunday and the Idolatrization of the Saints

In Reformed churches tomorrow, Reformed Sunday will be observed, to commemorate the week that Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis on the door of Wittenberg Church. There is a lot to be said about this requested reforms that Luther and the position Martin Luther took but sometimes too often the man of Luther is idolatrized by Reformers and not enough is paid attention to what he was exactly addressing in regard to the corruption of bishops.  Reformed Sunday can be an great observance in respects to listing items of requests for transformation within churches and seminaries and to be honest much can still be reformed in respect to staying to true to the prima authority of the Scriptures within our assemblies .  But something needs to be said of the idolatrization of the saints in which Protestant themselves are not immune to.  It does not matter if a statue has been made to saints or not.  The true issue whether that there has been an idol set up in our hearts.  The apostle Paul did say to the Corinthians to imitate him in practice reflecting on the full lives of saints is important. But he also emphasized even also to not stray from the teachings of the apostles as well.  Luther definitely can be noted in recovering the apostle Paul’s teaching on justification in Romans but in short neglected an important passage concerning Jews and Israel in Romans 9-11.  Overall, Paul is the better person to imitate.

A Quote by John Calvin

The Jews are rotten and unbending, their stiffneckedness deserves that they be oppressed unendingly and without measure or end and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone......John Calvin

Balthasar Hubmaier and the Anabaptists

Balthasar Hubmaier was also a contemporary of Martin Luther and one of the early Protestant Reformers that aligned himself with Anabaptist theology.  He was one of the Reformers that like Zwingli sought for the sole authority of the Scriptures to where he advocated a total revamped orthodoxy apart from Catholicism.   Martin Luther was an advocate for the authority of Scriptures but also believed that the Catholic church had strayed from it's pure beginnings.  As a result, Martin Luther did not call for a full departure of the Catholicism which explains as to why he posted his 95 thesis.  As a result, the Catholic church would excommuinate him and also placed a death warrant for him.


 In the beginning stages of the Reformation,  there were zealots like Karlstad and Thomas Muntzer  that advocated a physical resisting and overthrowing the magistrate authorities in order to set up a more biblical one. But others like Zwingli and Hubmaier instead advocated for a steady persisting unlearning process from Catholicism and convincing others to do so as well.  They sought to replace the traditions they grew up with for the pure undefiled teachings of the Scriptures without the use of physical force to existing authorities.


Hubmaier was different from the other Reformers in that he thought that the Scriptures could be use to challenge the existing authorities in how they went about their managed the cities and sought for a more biblical approach.  The primary dispute in this with him and others in the Anabaptist camp was their reluctance to take up the "civil" sword.  As Martin Luther was being protected and accepted by the Germany elites like Frederick the Wise and Phillip of Hess, he began to advise based on Romans 13, that the German authorities have the right to have the sword and to use it to deal with rebel uprisings.  As a result, the Anabaptist leadership began to distrust the leadership like Martin and a rift was developing between the Reformers. Luther would an inability to even remain unified with Zwingli concerning the Lord Supper.  This left the Swiss Reformers to work out issues of like that of infant baptism and the use of the "sword" with the Anabaptist leaders like Conrad Graebel and Balthazar Hubmaier.  The Anabaptist would continue to hold their perspective on believer's baptism over the acceptance of infant baptism the process toward unity was breaking down.  It  also did not help that the process of unity was being disrupted by the unruly zealots that associated with some in the Anabaptist camp.  With pressure by the magistrates to conform to civic expectations, teachings like that of Martin Luther, and the acts of the zealots, the Anabaptists would be generalized with the zealots as troublemakers. Even the great Baptist historian William Estep concludes that Anabaptists were being confused as rebel rousers along with those who followed men like Karlstad and Muntzer.


With their reluctance to the "civil" sword and convictions to their beliefs, Anabaptists pretty much wanted to be left alone to themselves and would settle in various places in Northern Europe.  The  connected their faith identity to those in Hebrews 11 as "those longing for a better country - a heavenly one."  As the issue of how to deal with heretics arose,  the magistrates in Northern Europe were accepting to ideas made in Geneva concerning how to how deal with the teaching of heretics that could damn citizen.   The issue was that the death penalty could be applied because that if such teachings would lead to souls being damned then the death penalty could be justified physically.  As a result, the magistrates in various provinces would apply such tactics on the Anabaptists.

Columbus and His Influences

 25 years prior to Martin Luther's post on the door of Wittenberg, Columbus would discover the new world.  What is interesting in reading about the Inquisition in Spain is that Jews in Spain would find the that new world made it possible for them to leave the oppression in Spain and settle in the New World away from the persecution.  This originally was how the Jews migrate to the New World and eventually settle in places like Argentina.  From some of Columbus's writings, there is evident that his own crew even comprised of some Jews. 

The Influence of the Printing Press and Johann Gutenberg.

If one to consider one of the biggest influences in the Reformation, it was the printing press.  Johann Gutenberg developed the printing press by the end of the 1400's and in its development the printing press began to developed and refined over the decades to come.  By the time of Martin Luther's 95 thesis was nailed to the door of the Whittenberg church, the printing press was able to print out pamphlets quite nicely.  By mid 1500's books were also able to be made to be smaller and more portable.  With the advent of translating the Bible into other languages at the same time, the printing press may be one most overlooked influences in contribution of the Reformation.

Let the Lion Roar!

In hearing about this movie and understanding the about how the Hebraic influence of the faith has been challenged over the centuries, even within churches, this movie aims to recover the Hebraic influences of the faith and how anti-Semitism has developed over the ages. A must see!

Luther's Prayer to St. Ann

Not too many know this but during the thunderstorm in which he swore to God about becoming a monk, that Luther also prays a prayer to St. Ann, mother of Mary to deliver him from the thunderstorm.  Luther does change his approach about the prayers to saints later and it is addressed in his 95 thesis. He states that the saints do not intercede before Jesus but rather we can go directly to him in prayer. 

Luther's Struggle with Rebellion

If you study Martin Luther's writings long enough, you will understand his distaste for rebellion.  In fact the reason why he flips on supporting the Peasant's  revolt is that he begins to see it as an act of rebellion toward the state of Germany.  That act begins to shape Luther's theology toward a more Augustine approach. Luther saw himself as a reformer not a rebel and noted that rebellion was not to be condoned.  Most of the flips and flops in Luther's theology and ideas do show a resistance to actions of rebellion, but it led to him accepting the German state as having God granted authority, a Constantine/Augustinian idea.  It may have been a reason why later he writes to noblemen on how to deal with Jews in his frustration in failing to convert the ones living in Germany.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Another contemporary of Martin Luther was Niccolo Machiavelli  who lived during the same period.  I bring up Niccolo because much of his writings affected the politics of the kings of Europe much like Martin Luther's writings did. In fact I do believe that part of the Reformation owes some credit to the pragmatism of Niccolo.  One thing that is interesting that some may not know about Machiavelli was familiarity of the Scripture and that he comments a section of The Prince on the leadership of Moses and the strategies he used.  He actually has an admiration for Moses.  Too often the wisdom of  Niccolo is seen as wicked with his “the ends justifies the means” perspective but in observation the writing is structured to give kings advice on maintaining sensible rule while dealing with political adversaries.  As Kings would break off from the ruling influence of the papacy, such advice was more considered and would shape the politics of Europe and the Western World from that point on.

31 things you may not have known about Reformation Period and Martin Luther

It is the first of October and thought I would post 31 days about things that possibly was not known about the Reformation and Martin Luther.


The first that may have simple been not known was that Ulrich Zwingli was a Reformer and a contemporary of Luther.  In one sermon, he actually connected the Eucharist to the Passover. Phillip of Hesse, a prince in Germany, hoped that Zwingli and Luther could work together to unite the direction of the Reformation.  The one area that Luther and Zwingli could not get pass was in dealing with the doctrine over the Lord Supper. Luther wanted to keep it literal and Zwingli wanted to treated as a symbolic representation of Christ's Body. This was an impasse that was never resolved by them. 

The Mission of Jewish Disciples

Upon being appointed to go into "all the world and make disciples," the disciples of Christ did not revoke the fact that they were Jewish.  The distinction that made them different from other Jews in Israel was that, the others did not recognize Yeshua as Messiah.  Did they deny their Jewishness, no they did not?  Basically the difference between the two were on how things were being fulfilled in Jesus Christ? Abrogation of the Torah was far from their mind rather demonstrating how Christ fulfilled so many passages in the Scriptures was their priority. Simply, as those in Israel would be dispersed again by the middle of the second century, the landscaped changed and effected how matters of Scriptures would be interpreted.  The Body of the Messiah would primarily deal with the heresies that would spring up over the next two centuries and began to define the theology of the Body in defense of specific biblical truths.  When Constantine decriminalized Christianity, the faith centered on a declaration of those biblical truths and assemblies in began to formed upon these teachings but the Jewishness disappeared due to the diaspora and the fact the Jewish synagogues would ban those who did make a confession of faith.  As a result, the councils would move away from Jewish expression as well and consider such expression of days and festivals as heresy and anathema to the faith (Council of Laodicea).  And yet in this, the Roman days and months in name would still be dedicated to the gods of the empire.  As a result, assemblies that were dedicated to Hebraic expression, like the Nazarenes, still faced persecution.

What Paul meant by "All Scripture is inspired"

What is often missed is that when Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy is that since that no other letters of the apostles were published nor even the Gospels but that the OLD TESTAMENT Scriptures were still RELEVANT for Gentiles. Protestants sometimes miss this and assume that the Law was only to bring us to Christ as Paul states in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians, Paul uses the term "nomos" or law to make a point. The term Torah actually means "instruction" and is used differently in respect to his letter to Timothy. More comments on Galatians will be made on later posts but in general Paul was dealing with the conversion heresies in his letter to the Galatians rather than dealing with specific terms of Torah based actions that represent faith. He is even more descriptive in illustrating the attitude or "fruits" in obedience. The Torah is relevant for ALL believers in Christ and is not limited to the Ten Commandments. Also, the annual Torah readings that Jews read comprise of lessons in the wilderness BEFORE entering the promise land. Here is a picture of the Gentile believer completely as they wonder the wilderness of life anticipating the inheritance of the coming kingdom. The believer can identify himself in these wonderings upon of what is expected of him entering the kingdom of heaven. If you are lost in the thoughts of the puffy clouds and pearly gates of heavens focusing the rewards you might miss something in the hear and now about how the instructions of the Torah can apply to you and also to how the ability of the fullness of that obedience will be made complete in the coming age.