Sodom, and its Lack of Hospitality

In this groundbreaking article, Messianic Jewish Rabbi Dr Les Aron Gosling offers sound biblical teaching on a subject that has polarised (and tormented) believers for centuries. It gives tremendous hope for gay and lesbian believers in the Jewish Messiah, who take their faith (and their Bibles) seriously. Shabbat Shalom!   "And there came two angels to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, and seeing them rose up to meet them. And he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, Behold my lords, turn in, I request of you, into your servant's house, and stay all night, wash yourself, and you shall rise up early and go on your ways. And they said, No, but we will abide in the street all night. And he attempted to persuade them, and they finally agreed to enter his home. And he made them a feast and provided unleavened bread and they did eat. But before they retired, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called out to Lot, Where are the men who came into your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them. Lot went outside to speak to them, and closed the door behind him. And he said, I request earnestly of you, brethren, do not so wickedly. I have two daughters who are virgins, let me, I request of you, bring them both out to you, and do you to them as is pleasing in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they replied, Stand back! And they said, This one resides as an alien, and he will play at being a judge! Now we will deal worse with you, than with them. And they grabbed at Lot, and came near to breaking the door down. But the men inside put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and they slammed the door. And they afflicted the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great so that they wearied themselves to locate the door" (Gen 19.1-11). Specifically from the twelfth century this story has been used to attack homosexuals. The use of the term "to know" in this account refers to sexual awareness. These aggressive rapists were not looking for an opportunity to introduce these strangers to the local library as a centre of knowledge. The same book of Genesis notes that Adam knew his wife and she conceived (see also Lk 1.34). The verb "to know" occurs 943 times in the Hebrew Bible and a full ten of these occasions it refers to sex.   What is astonishing to realise from the above account is that Lot preferred to lose out financially than to allow his foreign guests to be so abused. How do we arrive at such a conclusion? Recall that Lot's culture was so different from our own. His daughters were his property, and daughters were purchased for marriage. No one would want to buy a girl who had her "use-by date" spoiled! Hospitality was a sacred duty in the ancient world. Travellers at night could freeze to death as temperatures plummeted. They could also fare less well if captured in a nomad attack. Now we happen to know some Arab brethren, and they assure us that even today in Arab countries it is expected that even an enemy should be extended shelter in the evening if he so requested it. There can be no doubt that the convention of hospitality demands it. In the first century it was written, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. For some have unknowingly shown hospitality to angels" (Heb 13.2). Forcing sex on men was a tried-and-true method of effectively humiliating them. During war, besides slaughtering children and raping women, the captured defeated enemy would be "sodomised" by the victors, thus insulting the conquered by treating them as women. The sin of Sodom, then, appears to be nothing more than rejecting hospitality toward those in need -- the leveling of abuse, offense and insult to travelling strangers. The point of the Genesis account is certainly not sexual ethics! After all "just" and "righteous" Lot (2 Pet 2.7,8) offered his daughters to be raped by the inhabitants of the city -- men and women! Remember, the account tells us that "all" the city was involved. The entire point of the story is about inhospitality in the form of abusive assault. Ezekiel understood that this was the case. He writes that Sodom was condemned and destroyed "because they did not aid the poor and needy" (Eze 16.48,49). Wisdom agrees with the prophet's assessment. The sin of Sodom was "a bitter hatred toward strangers" and "making slaves of guests who were benefactors" (19.13). "Slaves" were used by those who owned them for sexual purposes and they had no real choice in the way their masters treated them. The angels of God were about to be treated in the same aggressive, brutal, abusive manner. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zephaniah refer to Sodom's sin as injustice, oppression, partiality, lies, encouraging evildoers, and -- surprise, surprise -- adultery (Isa 1.10-17; 3.9; Jer 23.14; Zeph 2.8-11). Note that adultery is the only sex sin in the lengthy list. Homosexuality is not even given scant mention! Please note, too, that sex itself is not the concern. For, strictly speaking, adultery is not a crime or offense against a woman, nor is it an offense against the natural intimacy of a marriage, nor yet again against the inherent requirements of sex. The crime of adultery is ever and always an offense against justice. For, adultery offends the MAN to whom the woman BELONGS as part of his total PROPERTY VALUE. But if you won't be convinced by the prophets, can Our Lord Yeshu persuade you? Yeshu tells us what was the sin of Sodom. "These twelve Yeshua sent forth, and commanded them saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans do not enter. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor a staff (for the workman is worthy of his meat). And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy. And there abide till you go thence." [In other words depend on your host's hospitality.] "And when you come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom...in a day of judgment than for that city" (Mt 10.5-15). Get the point? The helpless, virtually destitute disciples had to depend on the hospitality of others. Those who would not show them hospitality would come under a judgment that will be more fierce than that experienced by Sodom, for the same crime. What then of Paul's statements in his letter to the Romans? As the passage is rather lengthy we will not reproduce it here (Rom 1.18,22-28). But a careful examination of the text shows clearly that Paul has certain, specific men in mind. They are philosophers! Not just any philosophers, but those who have at some time rejected the Creator and all knowledge about him, and who actually know better. They were men who were secret devotees of a mystery religion of idolatrous worship which involved bestiality (sex with animals -- Rom 1.26). Bestiality is still practiced today in parts of India and Africa, and, according to Kinsey, is more widespread on American farms than we would care to admit! Catherine II, Empress of all Russia and a deeply "religious" woman, died attempting to accommodate the penis of a horse on November 6, 1796. (Some modern historians are busily rewriting and revising this period of Mother Russia's past, but truth will "out" eventually.) But these men Paul referred to were, in fact, high-priests and initiates of a religion of idolatry which had its centre in Alexandria in Egypt. Paul is not discussing those males who are naturally inverted, never "surrendering," "leaving," "giving up," or "exchanging" the natural use of a woman for that of another man. Far from it. Paul is here ascribing the exchange of the true God for IDOLS, sexual confusion being the outcome of idolatrous confusion (Rom 1.20-25). Paul bases his view squarely on his understanding of the Purity Code of Leviticus 15.18 which refers to the ceremonial uncleanness of cultic, sacred or temple male prostitution (in the homogenital sense), a passage which is not to be confused with that which constitutes sin. Again, in our society today we hear (as in the Dark Ages) of Satanic rituals that include sexual acts either for fertility or some sort of sacrifice. Now all of us should object vehemently about such sex rites. We would even decry it if the sex acts involved were engaged in by a married couple only. And why is this? Certainly not because sex in itself is wrong but because the sex was used in the worship of the Dark Lord. And so with Paul in Romans 1. Idolatrous religious concerns, not sexual ethical ones, are the reason for the objection. Paul is not making use here of classic Stoic concepts, though ignorant Christians claim this is what he is doing. For, they claim in Romans 1.28, that we do locate a standard Stoic formula ("things that should not be done" -- ta me kathekonta). Nothing could be further from the truth. While the formula is there, Paul was a Jew. Above all else gross ignorance by Christians of Jewish thoughtforms and Jewish Scripture creates more problems than they are worth. Paul is not writing to the Messianic Community at Rome by appealing to pagan Stoic reference works. Romans 1 is entirely based on Jewish Scripture. Proof? The Wisdom of Solomon 12.23-15.13 is the basis of Paul's argument in Romans the first chapter! Get yourself a copy of the Apocrypha (it is Scripture) and read it for yourself! But we shall still get arguments that laws under Moses forbad homogenital contact. It is intriguing that fundamentalist believers, and others, admit that the Levitical purity codes are "all done away in Christ," and all Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant authorities say that this is so. And yet for some reason all that Leviticus or Deuteronomy states about sex is yet still valid! Sex laws and tithing laws are still in current use -- and all other laws, rules, statutes and regulations are definitely out! Unbelievable! The Levitical code is irrelevant in deciding whether gay sex is right or wrong and all arguments concerning sex based on Moses must be discarded. Recall that if Abraham, the father of the faithful, had lived in the days of Moses he would have been stoned to death for having sexual relations with his sister, Sarah! There is also another factor to consider when we read in the Levitical code the words "unclean" and "abomination." And that is, neither of these concepts are to be equated with "sin." What the teaching of Leviticus is stressing is ceremonial wholeness or ceremonial completeness in the worship of God. We can ascertain that this is the case easily enough by referring to a section dealing with leprosy. Now having leprosy is not a sin, as even Blind Freddy will admit. Now consider the following Levitical purity code: "Then the priest shall consider: and behold if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that has the plague. It is all turned white, so it is clean" (Lev 13.13). If a person had leprosy that person was called "unclean." He was not called a sinner. Sin had nothing to do with it. But if the leprosy spread right over his or her body so that it covered it entirely, the person was no longer considered "unclean." Believe it or not! Note the injunction: "since it has all turned white, he is clean." The Hebrew word for uncleanness or "abomination" (in the quaint Old English) is toevah. And it has to do with cultic, ritual or religious situations. The author of Leviticus could easily have used another word, zimah, for injustice or sin -- that which is wrong in itself. But Moses doesn't do this. Nor does Ezra who, after the Babylonian captivity, updated the Torah for his day and age. My stand on this finds confirmation in the LXX (the Septuagint Version of the Hebrew Scriptures). The committee which put the LXX together, 200 or 300 years before Mashiach, could have used any number of Greek words to translate toevah as sin if the issues of Leviticus involved sin. Indeed anomia could have been used for it means the violation of a law. But in no way did the committee use such a word. They knew better! They chose the Greek word bdelygma -- and what does this word mean? Nothing less than ritual impurity, a matter of ceremonial uncleanness. The same principle applies to Leviticus 18.22, "You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Ritual or ceremonial uncleanness is in view. And frankly, if we cannot accept the obvious reading wherein the LXX uses bdelygma for "abomination" then look at the context. Verse 21 right through to verse 23 is discussing nothing less than temple prostitution! Get the point? Some people interpret Paul as indicating that homosexuals are condemned to hell, but a cursory reading of Paul without a knowledge of Jewish thoughtforms (of any writer in the Bible) is a prime danger that can lead us into error (and often has). Certainly Paul based his judgment on the law. When we realise this we can better make sense of his statements. The texts in Leviticus 18.22 and 20.13 are often used by fundamentalists to speak out against homosexuality but they are, in fact, part of a larger ceremonial purity code, or holiness code. The fact is Israel as a nation was separated from the other nations of the world, and they had to do everything differently to the practices of the countries surrounding them. Among other things, [1] they had to eat different foods (but fundamentalists are not against eating these foods) [2] they could not wear any clothing of mixed fabrics (but fundamentalists wear polyester) [3] and a man had to sleep in another bed in another room if his wife was menstruating (this is not an issue to fundamentalists -- as far as I know) [4] and if you happened to sleep in a wet-spot you'd be unclean until the evening (fundamentalists are silent regarding this aspect of their lives. I'm assuming that fundamentalists still do engage in sex). Why are all these points (and there are tonnes more) not a worry to fundamentalists? Simply because they know that the purity code of the Hebrews has been done away, unless you are an Orthodox Jew. Cultic or ceremonial prostitution is being discussed. The term "abomination" is a word always linked with, and meaning, temple sexual idolatry. In Romans 1 Paul condemns the Gentile world by using an illustration of God-rejecting idolatrous homogenital or homosexual philosophers which would immediately have gained the sympathy (along with a willing ear) of the Jewish Christians who were among those he was addressing in Romans. But if you read Romans you will notice how, in the following arguments, he shows that the Jewish Christians were equally guilty as far as the law was concerned. Before God nobody could lift their heads with spiritual pride. But then he goes further and argues that in the Messiah all the Jewish ceremonial law was superseded. Clearly his psychology is to make the Jewish Christians aware of the need that now existed to accept the Gentile believers without looking down their noses at them. And finally, Paul rebukes the Gentile Christians for any smugness or intolerance they might be feeling or exhibiting toward the Jews. In fact, summing up his case for the Gospel of Grace, Paul informs both the Jewish and Gentile Christians "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Yeshua that nothing is unclean of itself" (Rom 14.14). But we can still hear the protests! What about Sodom and Gomorrah going after what Jude called "strange flesh" (Jude 7)? This was not some sin involving homosexuality. These people and the inhabitants of "the cities of the plain" were involved in sex with angels (aliens). There was a great deal of extra-terrestrial visitation of planet Earth at that time and it wasn't just the men of Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the plain that were entangled therein. After all, the women of Sodom were demanding sex with the "angels" in Lot's house (Jubilees 7.20,21; 20.5,6). And quite frankly, I won't lower myself to get involved in a public discussion (let alone a public debate) with representatives of the Moral Majority on the proper translation of the Greek words arsenokoitai and malakoi. These words occur in two lists of sinners but they have no actual context to help suggest an appropriate meaning (1 Cor 6.9,10; 1 Tim 1.9,10). Arsenokoitai in Corinthians appears as oute malakoi oute arsenokoitai and has been translated variously as "sodomites," "homosexuals," "practicing homosexuals," "male prostitutes," "perverts," "sexual perverts," "people of infamous habits," and "child molesters." One authority suggests the word here means a male prostitute who cultivates the elderly as that they might inherit their estates. Malakoi has been translated as "catamites," "the effeminate," "boy prostitutes," "sissies," and, until the Reformation in the 16th century and in Roman Catholicism in the 20th century, "masturbators." Of itself malakos (the plural of malakoi) literally means "soft." It is used of clothing (Mt 11.8). One authority suggests it should be translated as "loose," "wanton," "unrestrained," "undisciplined." And this would seem to be the case. At their core, both Greek words suggest exploitation, inequality, abuse and unbridled lust. Even the contemporary homosexual subculture has derogatory terms that apply to some of the abuses contained in those Greek words. "Chicken hawk" refers to men who prey on attractive young boys. "Slut" and "whore" are both insults aimed at the wildly unrestrained, promiscuous man who will take on all "comers" (so to speak) -- what we would call "toilet hoppers." One thing for certain, there will continue to be an enormous range of interpretation in future versions of the Bible because both words cover an enormous acreage of meanings. And nobody quite knows what Paul was getting at. Paul could have had some practices of S&M in mind. This would satisfy the implication of payment that is inferred in the word arsenokoitai with its accompanied "abuse." And, really, nobody in their right mind (in our opinion) could justify some of the brutal savagery included in the S&M range of torments. The Bible, above all else when referring to human relationships, calls for concern, love and caring, mutual respect and responsible sharing -- not a blood-stained whip, dripping candle wax, and slavery. It is the violation of these principles of love which the Bible condemns, not homosexuality. Again, we are not necessarily implying that the Bible teaches homosexuality. Personally, I am not homo-anything! We are just being honest with the biblical record and stating that it does not teach against it. If people want to hate homosexuals and homosexual behaviour, they have to look elsewhere other than the Bible to find justification for so doing.

Copyright © BRI 1996 Revised 2000 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Daniel - What the Rabbis don't tell you...

I am a Jew. I live my life as a Jew. I keep Shabbat and the Jewish Festivals. I keep Kosher. And I love my people. I also love the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). When I "came out" to my Rabbi and told him that I believed that Yeshua was our promised Messiah, I was immediately asked to resign as member of the synagogue. I was also stripped of my duties as warden and forbidden to make an alijah (being called up for Torah reading in synagogue) or do 'haghbah' (carry the Torah scroll through the congregation). It broke my heart and was one of the most traumatic periods of my life. Yet, my experience has not been unique; far from it.

You may not be aware that the Talmud forbids Jews to calculate the coming of Messiah, based on the famous Prophecy in Daniel 9. Why is this so? Perhaps you have been struggling yourself with this issue as to whether Yeshua (Jesus) is our promised Moshiach (Messiah)? On the other hand, if you are a gentile, it may be hard for you to understand why this is such a ‘hot potato’ with us Jews. But if you are also a student of Jewish history, then you will be aware of the massacres in London and York (1189 - 1190), the expulsions from Spain in 1492, the massacres during the crusades, the forced baptisms, the pogroms, culminating in the genocide of the holocaust during WW2. The “church” was, throughout this whole period, the main instigator of these crimes. If you have never heard of the ‘blood libel’ trials, you know nothing of the trauma of my people.

One of the greatest ironies of history is that Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew. He kept Shabbat. He kept Kosher. He debated halacha with the disciples of Shammai and Hillel – in other words, he was a teacher of Torah. All His early followers were Jews. The so-called “New Testament” is a Jewish book. And you might be surprised to learn that the word “church” is nowhere to be found in the Bible. So what about Yeshua (Jesus)? Is He really the Messiah? Is there any way of knowing?

The following article was written by Messianic Jewish Rabbi, Dr Les Aron Gosling and we are publishing it with his kind permission:

Many years ago, I felt the sting of rejection from the synagogue. A close friend of mine had been studying the Scriptures relating to the "end of the world" and had directed some discreet enquiries to the Rabbi. The learned Rabbi had countered with an immediate retaliation from the Talmud: "Cursed are the bones of him who calculates the time of the end." That was the conclusion of the conversation and my friend was ever after held in a measure of suspicion.

When my mate relayed what had occurred in the office of the Rabbi, I saw it as a challenge to find out why Jews were forbidden to make attempted calculations, especially as they related to the prophecies of Daniel. To my mind, it didn't make much sense that God would leave His servant Daniel with all sorts of prophetic indicators that marked the EndTime, including actual numerical factors that could be (presumably) easily enough "worked out," and then not be allowed to access and calculate that same information.

So, putting pen to paper I spent a considerable time studying the prophecy of Daniel as it related to the coming of the Messiah. I was astonished at what I discovered. The Messiah had already come and His name was Yeshua. There was a TIMETABLE. That timetable was irrevocably in place. The Messiah HAD TO ARRIVE WITHIN THE EXACT TIME-FRAME given in Daniel's prophecy. Any other "Pretender" to the office of Mashiach would either need to arrive at that precise MOMENT in history or be proved FALSE -- a complete impostor, an unqualified charlatan, a consummate fraud. It was that simple. It was also just that important.

I made an appointment to speak with the Rabbi. He had been forewarned and forearmed by my "friend" who wanted to remain in favour with his own friends and relatives in the synagogue. I had a speech prepared. After a cordial invite to come in to the office and sit down I got as far as "Dear Rabbi, I have been studying Daniel's prophecies about the coming of the Mashiach and........" when he cut me off in mid-sentence and repeated the Talmudic ediction which he had already delivered to my friend: "Cursed are the bones of him who calculates the time of the end." Then his eyes narrowed and his frown cut deep into his already wrinkled forehead. "Is this about Jesus?"

I took a deep breath and replied with a rabbinic argumentative "edge," "I do not think it reasonable that any of us should hide behind ancient rabbinical utterances which no longer permit us the privilege to think! Thinking is what makes us human beings unique, above the animal kingdom, for we are all made in the Image of HaShem!"

And what did the Rabbi do? Was he impressed by my ability to put forth a formidable case filled with subtle implications? Not at all. He forthrightly forbade me to "play around" with Daniel's prophetic calculations. If I did not respect his wishes in this matter I would be forthrightly "turfed" out. The rest is history. Years later, I discovered the same formula used by my Rabbi utilised to enormous advantage in certain "Christian" ministries. Fear, superstition and ignorance RULES wherever religious men gather together.

Make no mistake! The Jewish Talmud (the collected sayings of mere mortals) is vaunted to be in many ways "above" the revealed will of Almighty God! Its voice of Rabbinic authority takes a major precedence over the Torah of Moses -- the most HOLY DIVISION of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is written, "My son, be more careful in the observance of the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah" (Erubin 21b).

Brazen, but entirely true.

Rav Shmuel ben Nachmani had said in the name of Rav Yonason: "May the spirit of those who calculate the end expire. For, they say, 'Since the predetermined time has arrived, and he [Mashiach] has yet to come, he will never come!'" (Sanhedrin 97b). Again, "Whoever forecasts the date of Mashiach's arrival has no place in the World-to-Come" (Maseches Derech Eretz 11).

What did Daniel write that has caused such fear, trepidation and terror (and other hostile reactions) amongst Rabbis and their Talmudic students? Consider:

"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city until the measure of transgression is filled, and that of sin is complete, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in eternal righteousness, and prophetic vision ratified, and to anoint the most Holy of Holies. You must know and understand, that from the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and sixty two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of distress. And after those sixty two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself [alternative Hebrew rendering: "the Messiah will disappear and vanish"]: and the army of a leader that shall come will destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end will come through a flood, and until the end of the war desolation is decreed. And he shall make [or, confirm] a firm covenant with many during one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the meal offering to cease. At the corner [of the altar] will be an appalling [overspreading] abomination until the decreed destruction will be poured down upon the appalling thing" (Daniel 9.24-27 Tentative BRI Version, Hebrew).

This is the closest possible rendering of the Hebrew text in question.

We shall examine this prophecy in a moment. But first let me state categorically, that many Jews are ignorant of the fact that despite the edict against calculating the Danielic EndTime, some prominent Rabbis actually made some valiant attempts at arriving at a conclusive date for the coming of the Mashiach. How did they justify their actions? Simple. They just interpreted the edict differently. And, who could argue with their ingenuity?

Abarbanel (15th century Spain) said it was quite permissible to calculate the intended arrival date of the Messiah as long as the calculations weren't based on astrology (Maayeni HaYeshuah 1.2).

Nachmanides (RAMBAN; 13th century) claimed the prohibition only applied to generations that lived in centuries past, and that because he considered the redemptive eve of the final generation was fast approaching there was no longer any need of further refusal to make calculations regarding Daniel (Sefer HaGeulah, Ma'amer 4).

Judaism continues to deny that Yeshua the Nazarene fulfilled the 300+ prophecies as identifying signs of the Messiah. Judaism continues to be extremely volatile when it comes to any Jew converting to Yeshua. It seems you can be a devotee of Krishna, or follow the teachings of the Buddha, or even be an outright atheist like the excommunicated Henry Kissinger, and be still listed in volumes written by Jews (and also appear on Internet sites) as being decidedly "Jewish." Indeed, you can even be a murderous gangster of the style of Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and Meyer Lansky and still be awarded as being "Jewish."

But if you are a Jew and you believe that Yeshua the Nazarene IS the Messiah you will no longer exist as a Jew. It will be as though you never existed at all. Small wonder there are a number of closet believers among Rabbis. They have seen with their own eyes what happens to their colleagues who accept the claims of Yeshua! They lose everything -- including their very identity.

The great Jewish scholar and philosopher, Moses Maimonides -- RAMBAM, not to be confused with another Rabbi, Ramban -- recognised that the major reason Jews were rejecting Yeshua was because he taught that the Torah is now abolished. There was no way in the mind of this great Middle Ages Jewish sage and codifier that "Jesus" could be the Messiah.

Writing in 12th-century Egypt, Maimonides summed up his teaching about "Jesus":

"Jesus of Nazareth," he proclaims, in his Letter to Yemen, "...impelled people to believe that he was a prophet sent by God to clarify perplexities in the Torah, and that he was the Messiah that was predicted by each and every seer. He interpreted the Torah and its precepts in such a fashion as to lead to their total ANNULMENT, to the ABOLITION of all its commandments and to the VIOLATION of its prohibitions. The sages, of blessed memory, having become aware of his plans before his reputation spread among our people, meted out fitting punishment to him."

He also wrote, "As for Jeshua of Nazareth, who claimed to be the anointed one and was killed by the [Jewish] court, Daniel had already prophesied about him, thus: 'And the children of your people's rebels shall raise themselves to set up prophecy and will stumble.' Can there be a bigger stumbling block than this? All the Prophets said that the Anointed One saves Israel and rescues them, gathers their strayed ones and strengthens their mitzvot whereas this one caused the loss of Israel by sword, and to scatter their remnant and humiliate them, and to change the Torah and to cause most of the world to erroneously worship a god besides the Lord. But the human mind has no power to reach the thoughts of the Creator, for His thoughts and ways are unlike ours. All these matters of Jeshua of Nazareth and of the Ishmaelite who stood up after him [Mohammed] are only intended to pave the way for the Anointed King, and to mend the entire world to worship God together, thus: 'For then I shall turn a clear tongue to the nations to call all in the Name of the Lord and to worship him with one shoulder.' How is this? The entire world has become filled with the issues of the Anointed One and of the Torah and the Laws, and these issues had spread out unto faraway islands and among many nations uncircumcised in the heart, and they discuss these issues and the Torah's laws. These say: 'These Laws were true but are already defunct in these days, and do not rule for the following generations'; whereas the other ones say: 'There are secret layers in them and they are not to be treated literally, and the Messiah had come and revealed their secret meanings.' But when the Anointed King will truly rise and succeed and will be raised and uplifted, they all immediately turn about and know that their fathers inherited falsehood, and their prophets and ancestors led them astray."

Maimonides, Judaism's most esteemed halachic (legal) authority, made a monumental error. That error had to do with the fact that he took one look at the religion supposedly founded by "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" and said, "Well, if THAT is the religion of the Messiah, he and his church can drop dead!" The religion of "Jesus," he thought, was the Roman Catholic Church, replete with Mary worship, and other degrading pagan beliefs and practices and anti-Torah views of life. Then of course there were the Crusades (and I don't mean Billy Graham-style "crusades" either).

But we know Yeshua did NOT "do away" with his Father's Torah, nor did he change the "customs of the fathers." The Messiah WAS expected to make the Torah MORE BINDING, and he did so. The Messiah WAS expected to modify certain regulations, and usher in NEW regulations, and he did so. The Messiah WAS expected to bring the Gentiles into Covenant relationship with Israel's God, and he did so. But this was a Yeshua Maimonides knew nothing about! Holding the memory of the blessed sage in paramount importance, and revering everything he wrote as if it were from (and by) the finger of God Himself, all forms of Judaism treasure the opinions of Maimonides and thus reject Yeshua, even those sectarians who recognise that Yeshua possessed immense power.

Admits an Orthodox Jew in the classic work of Mintz, "We believe that Jesus was taken away from the Jews. HE WAS A GREAT POWER, he could have been a Talmudic scholar or a Tzaddik [a righteous Jewish saint] but he was drawn to the other side of the fence" (Jerome Mintz, Legends of the Hasidim, 1968, 140).

Since the pagan cross-bearing Roman Catholic Church had rejected God's Torah, "graced" the sacred Hebrew Scriptures as nothing more than an "Old" Testament replacing it with a "New" streamlined salvific edition of Scripture, and claimed in its exalted, bejewelled, tiara-wearing Papacy to represent "Christ," Maimonides repudiated Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah to come.

The miracle is, however, that Rabbis are still coming to Yeshua -- are still being drawn to the Messiah. AND, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THE MODERN RABBIS CAN DO TO PREVENT IT.

Daniel stated unequivocally -- with such clarity as to preclude any misunderstanding -- that Messiah would APPEAR HERE ON EARTH after a period of "69 weeks." When we grasp that there is a prophetic factor to be incorporated into these equations, of a "day standing for a year" in Ezekielian terms (Ezekiel 4.6; this also seems to have Torah approval in Numbers 14.34), we are left with a period of 483 years (69x7). This 483 year period was to be counted as commencing with a decree to "restore and rebuild Jerusalem." When that period would end, Messiah would appear!

Clear enough. Apparently. But really, to be entirely honest, this text is the beginning of troubles -- literally! In what year was this command or decree given? How is this to be interpreted? After all,

There was a command by Jeremiah in 596 BCE (some say in 598 BCE) in which he prophesied that Judah would return to Jerusalem (See Jeremiah 29.10).

There was the command by Cyrus in his 1st year as king over Babylon in 538 BCE (some say in 536 BCE and others, 539 BCE) in which specific reference is made to Jerusalem being rebuilt (See 2 Chronicles 36.22-23; Isaiah 44.28).

There was the command given to Nehemiah in the 20th year of the Persian king Artaxerxes, 445/44 BCE, when the king ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem (See Nehemiah 2.1-8).

There was the command to rebuild the Temple given in the second year of Darius, 519/18 BCE, to confirm the original decree of Cyrus (See Haggai 1; Zechariah 1.1-6).

There was the command to beautify the Temple in the seventh year of Artaxerxes in 457 BCE which can also be construed as having some relevance (See Ezra 7.1-11).

Jeremiah also made a second prophecy involving a command to restore the city in 605 BCE. Was it this one? (See Jeremiah 25.11).

Some scholars have even found commands in the first year of Darius the Mede in 539 BCE, in the second year of Darius Nothus in 423 BCE, the second year of Artaxerxes Longimanus in 462 BCE, the tenth year of the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus or the earlier date of his second edict on the ground of his co-regency with his father Xerxes in 454 BCE, and, the second year of the reign of Xerxes in 483 BCE.

These commands span some 150 years! Which command is intended? Daniel did not say!

There is even the possibility that Daniel is referring to a command still future to rebuild Jerusalem to God's specifications at the end of the age. In fact, the Ottoman emperor Suleimon the Magnificent uttered a decree to do just such a thing in 1537 CE. Not only was Jerusalem to be rebuilt, but also its walls were to be restored. It takes little acumen to appreciate that the full scope of the 70 weeks or 490 years added to this date brings us to 2027/2028 CE which is a most significant date as far as all BRI students should be (by now) well aware. But again, Daniel has not made it clear!

Now, some of these dates bring us to 27 CE -- the date of the mikveh (baptism) of Yeshua. Another date will bring us to 30 CE -- the date of the crucifixion of Yeshua. And other dates will bring us into the era of the Fifth Procuratorship of Judaea -- the age in which Yeshua walked the Earth.

Whatever the case, the dating is fixed and focused by Daniel on the time of Yeshua the Nazarene, no matter how we may wish to "hedge" and "oh" and "ah" about the issue.

THE ISSUE IS YESHUA, make NO mistake.

The Rabbis KNOW this and MAKE Yeshua an "issue" indeed!

Daniel went on to tell us that certain events would correspond to the coming of the Messiah.

[1] The "measure of transgression" would be "filled" and the issue of "sin is completed." In other words Messiah would DO something to ERADICATE the record of transgression, or sin -- the time would come when God would no longer hold sins against men. Transgressions and sins would have reached the place where they would be considered by God as "filled" -- full to the top to be dealt with. There was no doubt in the minds of the original Messianic Jewish (and Gentile) believers that the time had come when God was no longer counting men's transgressions against them. The record exists from the days of Shaul the personal emissary of Messiah. Read it in your own first century record:

"God was IN Messiah, conciliating the world to Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM, and has committed to us the word of conciliation. Now then, we are Ambassadors for Mashiach, as though God did beseech by us; we pray in Messiah's place, Be you conciliated to God" (2 Corinthians 5.19,20).

Daniel stated that the issue of sin was completed. The idea in Hebrew intends a "sealing" -- a removal from the sight and view of God. The expression is derived from the practice of sealing up of those things one puts aside for concealment. When Messiah hung lifeless, his nailed body torn to shreds on the bloodied tree of Golgoleth, Yeshua had become the antitype of the sacrificial offerings of the Jerusalem Sanctuary. It was no longer necessary for the sinner to bring to God a sin offering (John 1.29).

Daniel confesses to God that the sins of Israel were opened and known by everyone. After all, the Jews were in captivity in Babylon because of those same sins. The pagans knew that God had rejected His people for transgressions. "O Lord, according to all your righteousness, I beseech you, let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all that are about us" (Daniel 9.16).

Its not a matter of how WE may interpret such passages from the first century documents. Its entirely a matter of HOW the FIRST CENTURY MESSIANIC BELIEVERS interpreted such passages. And THEY had no doubt at all that Yeshua was the Messiah. He came precisely when he was expected to come. Tens of thousands of Jews at the time acknowledged him and accepted him. And, further, more Jews over the past 19 years have converted to Mashiach than all the Jews in the past 1900 years.

Daniel is telling us that God dealt with sin at the crucifixion of Yeshua.

[2] "to make reconciliation for iniquity." The Hebrew defines this as a "covering" (kapparah), or a "hiding." To COVER carries the idea of pardon or forgiveness. In other words, the sins of Israel were to be atoned for -- COVERED -- by God. The Messiah would accomplish this intent. The essential idea of divine security is locked within the concept of kapparah (atonement; expiation; propitiation).

For clarification, consider for a moment Noah's Ark which gave divine security to all who were found therein. In fact, that divine security was absolute! And this is what is implied by Moses in the statement that the pitch, or asphalt, "was within and without" (Genesis 6.14). Asphalt is "a spreading covering" that seals. Of course, this is a type of our deliverance (salvation) in Mashiach. We are SAVED to the utmost, and SECURE to the utmost, both "within and without." Salvation is always COMPLETE. Rav Shaul was drawing on the typology of Noah's Ark when he noted that the lives of the Gentile believers at Colossae "[were] HID [as Noah and his family were hid, in the Ark] with Messiah in God" (Colossians 3.3). Our being hidden in the Messianic "Ark" is entirely God's responsibility, hence Moses noted that "God [Himself] shut him [Noah] in" (Genesis 7.16) which Kefa (Peter) recognised in his mention that we "are KEPT by the power of God through faith unto deliverance [salvation] ready to be revealed in the last time [ "the days of Noah" - Yeshua]" (1 Peter 1.5).

In brief, Ka'far is derived from an Arabic root meaning to cover (sin); a similar word was used in the ancient Assyrian tongue.... "kupparu" which meant "to purge away sin." The Hebrew word Kippurim, or the English "atonements," stems from this language use.

Moses' failure in Genesis 6.14 to use the normal and common word for pitch -- ze'tet -- speaks volumes. Ko'fer is the noun form of ka'far. (It is really a mistranslation to use the Latinism, "atonement." When we do this we bow to Rome's "superior interpretive powers of intellect" to inform us of what was really intended by Moses in Jewish thoughtform!) Nowhere else in Hebrew Scripture is ko'fer rendered "pitch." Moses renders the word pitch as ko'fer here for the first time to reveal that we have SHELTER from the storm which results from sin. The entire globe was deluged because of man's hostility to Torah and while the storm fell upon the Ark those who were in that vessel were absolutely SAFE. The fact is Yeshua -- God in flesh -- took the storm of heaven upon Himself so we can have an appropriate shelter in that same God. He directed His anger toward Himself. This is why the Psalmist wrote of Mashiach's predicted sufferings in terms related to the Noachian Deluge: "All Thy waves and Thy billows [as in Noah's Deluge] are gone over Me" (Psalm 42.7).

Originally, the word ko'fer in Hebrew meant the price of a life. Significantly, ko'fer is used in Jewish Scriptures in association with the idea of ransom (Exodus 21.30; Numbers 35.31,32 Hebrew); pitch or asphalt, as a covering; also, the henna plant (which us utilised for its dye: here in Australia, and presumably elsewhere in the civilised world "Henna" remains the Jewish brand-name of a hair dye). Ka'fer means to cover, purge, cover over (as with pitch). In strict Hebrew, ko'fer means to COVER or to MAKE COVERING in a concrete judicial sense AND to EXPIATE or MAKE EXPIATION in a figurative judicial sense. Moses uses it in Genesis 6.14 in a concrete, non-judicial sense. However, we can draw appropriate illustrations from it (hence his inspired use of a term other than ze'tet). He's in fact making a point as we can all see quite plainly. As a covering, ko'fer protects from the eyes.

But whose eyes? Obviously the eyes of God (Proverbs 20.8): the covering formed a merciful shield from God's glare (His searching justice which is always rooted in His loving Grace). Hence the motif of "finding Grace in the eyes of God." And Daniel tells us that we are now SAFE from the glare of the righteous eyes of HaShem! We are SAFE because we are COVERED from any evidence of SIN. Our transgressions, sins, and iniquities are COVERED, SEALED up. God no longer looks at them. They don't exist. "Reconciliation for iniquity" occurred in the crucified body of flesh of the Messiah 2000 years ago.
There is a third blessing contained in the Danielic prophecy.

[3] "to bring in eternal righteousness." God's JUSTICE prevailed in the Work of Yeshua the Messiah. That "righteousness" or "justice" would be ETERNAL as to its implications and considerations. It was not to be in any way temporary. When Yeshua came to Earth he did so not just in order to deal with sin as such, that is to blot it out, but to implement a larger, greater, broader, more superb and GRAND plan -- nothing less than to reconcile man to God. To achieve this, Yeshua had to provide a SEVERE RIGHTEOUSNESS that would be acceptable to God the Father, and he had to do this on humankind's behalf. He had to thus represent Man to God. The Messianic Teaching located in the Messianic Scriptures is plain about our irrevocable STANDING in the sight of God. We are righteous because of what Messiah has accomplished on our behalf. We are NOT righteous because of anything we can do on our own behalf, or on someone else's behalf. We are righteous, and just, only and always because of the integral character of the Messiah and that character as openly evidenced, exposed and communicated IN THE CRUCIFIXION.

[4] "to ratify the prophetic vision." To "ratify" means to make valid and binding by a formal legal act. If this was not accomplished by the legal crucifixion, pray tell what was? God the Father ratified -- approved and confirmed -- the awesome act of SACRIFICE concerning which all the prophets looked. In that ONE ACT of crucifixion -- that legal document and ALL that went with it -- Messiah legally CONCILIATED GOD TO THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND THE UNIVERSE TO GOD. And BRI's representatives -- our talmidim -- are eagerly spreading the WORD (Gospel) of the "prophetic vision" of the crucified God-Man, Yeshua -- the Architect [Logos/Mem'ra] of the Universe "IN whom dwells all things."

Finally, [5] "to anoint the most Holy of Holies." It is unquestioned that the phrase here refers to the Sanctuary and specifically to the Chamber where God dwelt between the arched overspreading wings of the Cherubim upon the Mercy Seat, the Ark of the Covenant. After all, this vision under discussion is the vision Daniel received from Gabriel recorded in Daniel 8 and especially to verses 13,14,26.

Still, I'd like my talmidim to appreciate something else about this prophetic scenario -- another point of view which very few believers have ever understood. You see, few realise what was meant by the record that when Yeshua came to Earth, as a little baby, Miriam (whom the Gospel writer explicitly states had Temple connections) wrapped him up "in swaddling clothes." All children who have been to Sunday School and participated in Xmas plays are aware of the story about the "swaddling clothes." But WHAT WERE the "swaddling clothes"?

The angelic powers that openly displayed their armed might (Greek) at the birth of the Messiah in Beit Lechem, told terrified shepherds that they would find the Son of God lying in a manger, as a baby wrapped in "swaddling clothes." We find the account in Luke 2.12. It was to be a "SIGN" to them of the troubling authenticity of the awesome event. But today most of us have lost the significance of it.

Listen -- and let the TRUTH OF GOD really sink in at this juncture. It is most exciting. We should all rejoice about this fact.

"Swaddling cloth" is that remnant of cloth which clothed the High Priest and which he wore ONCE A YEAR when he entered into the most sacred portion of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, the HOLY OF HOLIES.

He entered the Holy of Holies only once annually and that was on Yom Kippurim, the Great Fast Day of the Jewish people, the Day of Atonements. Because he was exposed to the Sh'kinah of the LORD God in that tight compartment, and was EXPOSED to God's radiant light, the linen clothing was considered far too SACRED for reuse in common, ordinary, day-to-day usage. So, the priests tore this linen clothing into strips of cloth and then used those same bands to light the magnificent Menorah on Shemini Atzeret, the Last Festival Day of the Jewish calendar as revealed in Leviticus 23. That Last Great Day of the Jewish festival and agricultural cycle pictured the entire salvation plan of God in its consummate conclusion -- a FULL, COMPLETE and TOTAL salvation of ALL living creatures (Sparks of Light) back into the Source of their Origin, the true Living God.

But there was yet another usage for this cloth. And, this is wonderful teaching indeed. The strips of HOLY cloth -- cloth that had been exposed to the GLORY and PRESENCE of Almighty God was used to wrap together the SCROLL OF THE TORAH OF GOD. When a new copy of the Torah had been painstakingly prepared, the older copy of the scroll was wrapped in these strips of HOLY cloth before it was "buried." Here was Yeshua, the Living Torah from Eternity, who shared the very GLORY of God, being wrapped tightly as a baby in bands with the STRIPS OF EXPOSED LINEN CLOTH worn previously as holy garments by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on the most holy day of the year. The "Living Torah" was found by the shepherds wrapped in highly appropriate swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.
But the incredible story does not end there. No, not at all. Rather, the word "manger" in the Greek language is from a root word which has its equivalent in Hebrew meaning Sukkah (Tabernacle).

Yeshua the Messiah came and "tabernacled" with us according to the emissary John, the priest (John 1.14 Greek). "And the Logos was made flesh and tabernacled among us...." The seventh month, Tishri, in which Yeshua was born, is the month which celebrates the festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Once again, the sacred record of the life of Yeshua is revealed to be a tightly woven tapestry showing the intricate supertechnological Creative handiwork of God, the Father.

God signs all His Work.

Yeshua (the anointed One), was destined to die in blood and mucous as he was anointed at his birth with the blood and mucous of Miriam his Mother. Yeshua began his life as he ended it. That he was the expected "anointed One" is the way the Gospels continue to portray him. Even in death, Yeshua is anointed by women with ointments. All of this has immense significance.

There is NO WAY any of us can read Daniel 9.24-27 and NOT SEE YESHUA highlighted throughout the text!

Understand this! Daniel states that after the "69 weeks" the "anointed one [Mashiach] will DISAPPEAR and VANISH." The Jewish teachers (the term "Rabbi" was yet to become an official appellation for the teacher), those who were supposed to be "in the know" about such things, plainly taught that when the Messiah would come he would conquer the world on a white charger, subjugating the hated Romans, humiliating them and driving them back to Italy and out of the Holy Land. He would then proceed to usher in his kingdom and exalt the Jews as the Theocratic Nation under God. All of this would occur at the time the Messiah was expected -- 69 weeks from the going forth of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem!
God said the opposite.

The Messiah ("anointed one") would simply "disappear and vanish" (Jewish Publication Society).

Did Yeshua "disappear and vanish"? According to the record, he did just that! After a period of ministry that was launched at age 30, Yeshua was crucified by Rome for treason. The disciples claimed he rose from the dead and taught his talmidim for a period of 40 days. But then a strange, unexpected thing happened:

"He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud HID him from their sight. They were gazing intently into the sky as he was leaving when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of the Galil,' they said, 'why do you stand here gazing up into the sky? This same Yeshua, who has been taken from you into the heavens, WILL RETURN IN THE SAME WAY as you have seen him go into the heavens" (Acts 1.9-11).

Daniel was informed well in advance of this spectacular event -- almost 600 years prior to its occurrence. Yeshua the Messiah literally DISAPPEARED and VANISHED before their very eyes.

The Greek version (LXX) translates the text: "And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem UNTIL CHRIST THE PRINCE there shall be seven weeks, and sixty two weeks...and after the sixty two weeks, the ANOINTED ONE shall be destroyed . . ." (Daniel 9.25,26).

The Messiah would be "destroyed" (or, "cut off") according to the Greek text -- and MILLIONS of Jews for two millennia have ignored this plain statement of Scripture. The Hebrew version says he will "disappear and vanish." The Jewish rabbis and the Jewish people are in a classic "Catch-22" and God Almighty has put them there. What a wonderful God! The Rabbis forbid the Jewish people to calculate the "70 weeks" prophecy! Small wonder.

Daniel had prophesied: "There shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks [483 years to 27 CE]...And AFTER the sixty two weeks Messiah shall be CUT OFF but not for Himself" (Daniel 9.26).

Yeshua submitted to a mikveh (his baptism) in 27 CE. "AFTER" that event, Messiah was to be "cut off" or "destroyed." One must confront the question: How long "AFTER" Messiah was to "come," was He to be "cut off" or "destroyed"? The book of Daniel is ominously silent on the issue.

However, Yeshua confronted the Jewish religious leaders with this little gem: "Destroy [or, "Cut off"] THIS temple, and in three days I will raise it up...But He was speaking of the temple of his body" (John 2.19-21). John recorded this incident faithfully BECAUSE he KNEW upon what prophecy Yeshua was basing this premise: Daniel 9.26. Yeshua was in the grave for a period of three days. There are those who say that this prophecy is to be understood as referring to "three prophetic days" � that is, a period of three years (a day for a year -- Numbers 14.34; Ezekiel 4.4-6) and they may be right. Certainly, 30 CE can be ascertained from one of the "decrees" involving Jerusalem. It again would point to the correctness of Daniel's forecast. After all, Yeshua uttered these words recorded by his cousin, the priestly John, at the very start of his ministry. Three years later was 30 CE.

Some Rabbis today are coming "out of the closet" regarding the person of Yeshua.

One Rabbi who wishes to remain nameless said recently, after a number of arguments against the church (and concerning all of which I am in complete agreement with him), "but I cannot discount 2000 years of history and how the world has literally been centred on this man from Galilee. So if I had to make a choice I would say that he was to be the intended Messiah of Israel but at that time Israel did not warrant the [Messianic] Kingdom and thus her King. But I don't know for sure....But we need to know these events that shaped and withheld the Kingdom of God being materialised on this planet. Time will tell for sure, but an honest evaluation of the facts dictate that dogmatism is not warranted in such a consideration. The jury is still out but we are all entitled to our faith. For me, I personally pray for the coming of the Messiah and will not be surprised at all that when he arrives it will be Yeshua of Nazareth" (emphasis mine).

Maimonides emphasized in his classic Thirteen Principles of Faith: "I believe with perfect faith in the coming of Mashiach, and even though he may tarry, nevertheless, I will wait for him everyday, that he will come" (Principle 12).

None of us have much longer to wait. The BRI is in the forefront of restoring the lost Jewish thoughtform to the biblical revelation, an understanding of which is paramount for the Jewish people to properly recognise and "behold the LORD their God." There are those who have claimed Yeshua as their Lord and Saviour at this time. There are those who still have to "make up" their mind. Time is fast running out. We can adopt a "wait and see" policy if we wish, but a parable given by Yeshua himself in Matthew 25 cautions against such procrastination.

The Lord Yeshua remains the ONLY Messiah ever to come to the Jewish nation at the exact and precise time Daniel had predicted. To think otherwise is fallacious. The proof that Yeshua is the Messiah is established by the Rabbis themselves who forbid the calculation of Daniel's "70 weeks" prophecy.

Baruch HaShem!

Worldwide Copyright Dr Les Aron Gosling

The Days of Awe

We are currently in the Yomim Nora’im - the 10 days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur – known as the Days of Awe. During these 10 days, we are to focus on Teshuva (Repentance) and preparation for Yom Kippur. Special insertions are added to our daily prayers, emphasizing the themes of G-d as King, G-d’s judgement, and G-d’s holiness. We also recall prayers referring to the Book of Life.

Remember us for life, O King Who desires life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life – for Your sake, O Living G-d … Who is like You, Merciful Father, Who recalls His creatures mercifully for life … Blessed are You, our G-d, the Holy King. (From additions to the Amidah during the Days of Awe).

These 10 Days of Awe (and the whole High Holiday period) are meant to particularly recall G-d’s mercy. As Rabbi Wayne Dosick notes, although our “prayers are solemn and serious, they are also filled with joy and with hope. For Judaism teaches that G-d is ready and very willing to forgive the transgressions of those who come in sincere repentance.”
HaShem’s desire is for relationship with us and the High Holidays are opportunities to meet with G-d in the most intimate of times. The 10 days help us to more intently focus on, and deal with, those things which hold us back in life, and from the presence of HaShem.
Although we should be focusing on repentance, forgiveness, and overcoming life’s obstacles every day – G-d, also knowing the procrastinate nature of humanity, has built into the calendar specific times in which we are obligated to deal with those shortcomings. Otherwise we might just continue to sweep them under the rug. For most of us, the last thing we want to do is go to someone we may have hurt in the last year to seek forgiveness. Or confront a person for the hurt they have caused us. But by doing so, and allowing forgiveness to take place, we remove more of those spiritual stumbling blocks. We are able to break free of the weight of guilt, shame, anger, and inadequacy.
The Days of Awe are awesome days because they are what you make of them. My deepest prayer is that they would be for you a time of blessing and restoration.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah – May you be sealed for a wonderful New Year!

Copyright Yinon - by Rabbi Joshua

Plans for the New Year

Dear Chaverim (friends). Rosh HaShanah has always been an important spiritual reference point for me and this year was no exception. It is a time for reflection, rededication and sharing my hopes and dreams with Hashem. It is my heart's desire that we will eventually have a network of Gay-friendly Messianic Communities and Synagogues around the world. And over the past year I have had a number of enquiries from around the world as to whether there are any GLBT Messianic Groups which meet up regularly on Shabbat.

Yesterday, I received an email from a brother in Florida. He and his partner are gay Messianic believers and they too would like to set up a Messianic Synagogue for Jewish and Gentile believers in Messiah (isn't that fantastic?). I have also received similar messages from New York and Atlanta (Georgia). But it's not going to happen by itself - we are endowed by HaShem with unbelievable creative abilities and we can make it happen!

We would dearly like to start a group in London, UK. Perhaps we could meet once a quarter to begin with for a Shabbat Worship Service and communal meal? If this is something you are interested in, please write to me at avigdor.kuhn@gmail.com

Oh and one final, but very important point: You don't have to be gay, lesbian, bi-or trans-sexual to fellowship with us! We have no desire whatsoever to create an exclusive LGBT Messianic Fellowship. All we desire is to worship our King and Saviour Yeshua in peace and harmony with each other.

May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life

L'Shanah Tova - the Jewish High Holy Days are upon us, begining with Rosh Shanah (the 'head' of the year). The "Ten days of Awe", starting with Rosh HaShanah and ending with Yom Kippur ten days later, are known as the days of repentance. According to Jewish tradition, our conduct during these ten days decrees what our spiritual life will look like in the coming year. These ten days are of vital importance to reconnect with HaShem, to return to Him, to cry out for forgiveness and determine once again, to live a life of holiness. Each year I get weighed down by my own inadequacy, the cares of this world, my lack of spiritual progress, my poor record of Bible study and prayer. But each Rosh HaShanah I am encouraged that I can start again. That I can use these ten days to get closer to HaShem, to determine once again to make each Shabbat a time of holiness and to draw closer to my heavenly Father and elder brother, Yeshua. Like Passover, Rosh HaShanah is a time of renewal and rededication. According to Jewish Tradition, it is not only the birthday of the world, but also the birthday of Messiah - yes, Yeshua was born on Rosh HaShanah (and most decidedly not on Christmas Day).

In Jewish homes throughout the world, Rosh HaShanah is celebrated with apples and honey. It is an ancient tradition whereby Jews dip apple slices into honey, symbolising the wish for a sweet new year. On many Rosh HaShanah greeting cards, you will see comments like "may you have a sweet new year", with apples and honey usually somewhere to be found on the card.

However, we should not forget that the main theme of Rosh HaShanah is repentance and the blowing of the shofar (with its penetrating sound) is designed to stir us into action, to leave behind the cares of this world and return once again to the source of all life, goodness and hope. If you have ever visited a synagogue service on this day, you will no doubt remember the terrifying sound of the shofar (rams horn). It should therefore not surprise us that according to the book of the Apocalypse (Revelation), Yeshua will be crowned King Messiah and Sovereign Lord over ALL on this day (Rev. 11:15): "the 7th angel sounded his shofar and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah and He will rule for ever and ever.

May this be soon and within our lifetime. Chag Sameach to each and everyone of you. May you experience the excitement and renewal of a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua HaMashiach - the King of Israel and Saviour of ALL. And may you have a sweet New Year :-)

Blessings and Curses

Each week, the Jewish people study a portion of the Torah, called the Parshat. The Pentateuch (five books of Moses) is divided into 54 portions or 'Parshiyot', thus making it possible to read the whole Torah over the course of a year. It is customary to read the Parshat on Shabbat morning in the synagogue and typically, seven members of the congregation are 'called up' (this is called an 'Alijah') to read a section of the Parshat of the week in Hebrew in sequence. It is a great honour to receive an Alijah, although often the Rabbi will read in Hebrew while the member of the congregation holds the Torah scroll for him.

In this week's Parshat (Ki Tavo) we read about the famous "blessings and curses" which Mosche pronounced on Mount Gerizim and Ebal. The curses were spoken from Mt. Ebal, while the blessings were spoken from Mt. Gerizim. I am listing below part of the Parshat, which you can follow in Deut. 27.9-26 (translation from David Stern "The Complete Jewish Bible"):

9 Next Moshe and the cohanim, who are L'vi'im, spoke to all Isra'el. They said, "Be quiet; and listen, Isra'el! Today you have become the people of ADONAI your God. 10 Therefore you are to listen to what ADONAI your God says and obey his mitzvot and laws, which I am giving you today." 11 That same day Moshe commissioned the people as follows: 12 "These are the ones who are to stand on Mount G'rizim and bless the people after you have crossed the Yarden: Shim'on, Levi, Y'hudah, Yissakhar, Yosef and Binyamin; 13 while these are to stand on Mount 'Eival for the curse: Re'uven, Gad, Asher, Z'vulun, Dan and Naftali. 14 The L'vi'im, speaking loudly, will proclaim to every man of Isra'el: 15 "'A curse on anyone who makes a carved or metal image, something ADONAI detests, the handiwork of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret!'All the people are to respond by saying, 'Amen!' 16 "'A curse on anyone who dishonors his father or mother.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 17 "'A curse on anyone who moves his neighbor's boundary marker.' All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 18 "'A curse on anyone who causes a blind person to lose his way on the road.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 19 "'A curse on anyone who interferes with justice for the foreigner, orphan or widow.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 20 "'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his father's wife, because he has violated his father's rights.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 21 "'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with any kind of animal.' All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 22 "'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his sister, no matter whether she is the daughter of his father or of his mother.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 23 "'A curse on anyone who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.' All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 24 "'A curse on anyone who secretly attacks a fellow member of the community.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 25 "'A curse on anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.' All the people are to say, 'Amen!' 26 "'A curse on anyone who does not confirm the words of this Torah by putting them into practice.'All the people are to say, 'Amen!'

 

Did you notice something? Did you read the text carefully? There is no condemnation of homosexuality. Neither in the 10 Commandments nor in this important Parshat on forbidden sexual relations, is there even a hint of condemnation against same-sex love. The sacred texts of the Tanakh and the Brit Hadasha ("Old" and "New" Testament) contain the very words of HaShem, the words of life and hope. Homosexual believers need not be afraid to take the Bible seriously. We have nothing to fear from the G-d of ALL grace, who passionately cares for this gay and lesbian children.

Some thoughts on Adam and Steve

The following is another article by Messianic Rebbe, Dr Les Aron Gosling; this concludes the series for now. Soon the High Holy Days will be here again, starting with Rosh HaShanah, then Yom Kippur, Sukkot and finally Shemini Atzeret. May HaShem fill us with His love and joy as we prepare for this special festival season! I will be writing more on the Festivals shortly. 

 

How often have we heard the old swan song from the ministers of bigotry and prejudice representing the Moral Majority: "In the beginning," they bellow, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!"

Among the P'rushim (the Pharisees) it seems to have been the ideal that when arguing Scripture against Scripture the further back one could go to the very beginning of creation the more powerful and effective and thus the more original the case (of whatever was being argued). Such a stand also assured that bystanders could see who was more skilled in debating the point at hand. Yeshua was virtually forced to respond to the P'rushim (and others) in similar manner. We can see this approach expressed in a number of situations when Yeshua responded to arguments which were being presented to the Lord by his opponents. "In the beginning it was not so..." etc. (See Mk 10.3-9 which illustrates this clearly.)

True, in the beginning God did not create Adam and Steve. He created Adam and Eve. God then proceeded to let human beings run their course in a measure of freedom. If we accept the notion that the children of Adam and Eve were the only human beings present on earth at that period of history, then we are pressured to acknowledge the obvious truth that they had sexual relations with each other...in other words incest was the norm. And, indeed it was until that "norm" changed in a social context. By the time of the immediate post-Flood period it was only the kings and queens of the earth (as an example, the Pharaonic  Dynasties) that maintained close blood ties in their family-successions. Indeed, even Abraham the "father of the faithful" -- who was most certainly a "Prince" (and is called such in Scripture) -- was married to his half-sister (Gen 20.11,12; Gen 17.16). Had he lived in the days of Moses he would have been stoned to death for such a transgression against Torah (Deut 27.22; Lev 20.17).

While Adam and Eve were one man and one woman in relationship (i.e. in "marriage") at the beginning, it did not take too long before one of their descendants -- Lamech -- decided one woman was not enough for him so he took two women, named in the Scripture as Adar and Zillah (Gen 4.19). And, while he is recorded as the first polygamist in the history of the world, there is not one word of negative comment about such a decision by God (or anyone else for that matter) on his lifestyle. Not a single word.

Another question here naturally presents itself: Why then is it paramount for man to legislate where God has maintained His silence?

The patriarchs had more than one wife (and they maintained concubines as well). The record is there in Genesis for all to read for themselves. Again, it is there without a shred of negative comment. Let's not forget too, that had Jacob especially not had children by a variety of women (wives and concubines) there would be NO ISRAEL IN EXISTENCE TODAY (Gen 29). (Most of the Christian fundamentalists are against homosexuality or a plurality of wives but are staunch supporters and defenders of Israel as a State and the Jewish people in Israel can do no wrong as far as they are concerned! They tend to "overlook" Israel's origins.)

Moreover, we are assured by a prophet of God under inspiration of the holy Spirit that it was the Lord God of Israel who gave David Saul's thirteen wives (2 Sam 12.7,8). David is already on record for possessing wives and concubines, with God's allowance and permission. There was no word of retraction or condemnation by God concerning it. When God condemned David's son Solomon for collecting wives and concubines aplenty it was not because of his sexual tastes and proclivities but because they turned his head to worshiping alien gods.

By the time of the prophets God was describing His activities with the Chosen People in terms that relate to marriage. "I am married to you," says God to Israel (Jer 3.14). In fact the Sinai Covenant was a marriage agreement. But, FIRSTLY, what people fail to understand about this marriage of God to Israel is the fact that Israel constituted two nations: The Kingdom of Israel in the North (Samaria), and the Kingdom of Judah in the South. He was married therefore to two women (Ezek 23.4; Jer 3.6-8).

SECONDLY, God was married to two sisters. This was proscribed in the Torah (although male-oriented Levirate marriage customs were honoured). There are Messianic legalists today who also proscribe polygamous unions but they are at a loss to explain why it was good enough for God to marry two women, two sisters at that, and is not God our prime example to follow? Now, of course, I am speaking "tongue-in-cheek" as I am sure my students all realise, and I am attempting to make a point here in this short discussion. And I'm not finished yet! Consider a particular parable given by Our Lord Yeshua himself which involves the Lord's marriage to ten virgins!

In Mt 25.1-13 Yeshua uses an example of a polygamous union to describe his coming wedding banquet. The wedding feast was a symbol used by rabbis of the time to speak of the inauguration of the coming Messianic Kingdom of God. And Yeshua is not backward in coming forward with the means at his disposal for creating a "type" of his glorious advent. Polygamous unions were not unknown in Judaea and the Galil in the first century -- especially among the Herodians and many of the outer village people followed this lifestyle. And Yeshua takes advantage of this somewhat common marriage lifestyle to teach a great truth.

I might add that so common were polygamous unions in the first century (especially among the Jews) that one of the qualifications for holding an office in the Messianic Assembly was to be the husband of one wife (Titus 1.6; 1 Tim 3.2). Modern scholarship, however, is challenging even this concept for, in the original Greek of the text, the emphasis is on the responsibility of the Elder of a Messianic synagogue (ekklesia) to be concerned and caring "for wife [number] one." If this is a correct reading, and it appears to be the case, then there is an allowance for more than one wife for a minister of the Gospel as long as he renders due benevolence (for want of a better assessment) to the first wife in his entourage! And, no, I do not want any more than my one wife, the Rebbetzin (LOL). She's quite enough for me (ROFL).

In short, why be offended over issues involving "Adam and Steve" andlet's stop using the old outworn technique of going back to "how it wasin the beginning." We are not "in the beginning." A great deal of waterhas flowed beneath the bridges that tie the history of conflicting cultures together. Things are no longer the way they were 6000 or 25000 years ago. This is 2012.

The Lord is coming. It’s time we remembered this fact above all others.

Accept his word and his alone and worship him and him alone.

Rabbi Dr Les Aron Gosling

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