Post by Otto on Feb 26, 2007 13:54:57 GMT -8
My testimony
My name is Otto Strand
I was born in Norfork VA in 1953; my parents moved to Miami Fla in 1956. My Mom & Dad were good parents My Dad took me fishin, hunting, & camping. But when it comes to things of G-d my parents did not put much time into. I might have gone to Church two or three times. I had no teaching of G-d.
When I was 15 I had my first girlfriend, I was in love!. After 3 weeks she broke up with me. I was crushed, I said to G-d that night. “I hate you for allowing this hurt” This was the first time I even though about G-d. But at that moment there was an awakening in me that there was a G-d. At about the same time my Sister turned me on to smoking pot. This started a 6-year drug and alcohol abuse.
Each day started with smoking a joint (Marijuana cigarette) driving to a construction job.
Where at break time I would smoke more pot, Lunch time was the same thing, afternoon break same. After work I would go Disco dancing heavy drinking and sometimes popping pills. To help supply my drug habit I would sell drugs. I had friends who were killed, arrested, and overdosed on drugs. At one time I even smoked and sold drugs to an under cover cop. I guess I was just a middleman and he was after bigger fish. After about 5 years of this life style I was sitting on the roof of my apartment complex on a Saturday night. I looked up at the stares and said. “G-d is this all there is to life. Getting high, go to work and then get high again? God if your there let me know”.
It was 1974 and I went to see a play called “Jesus Christ Superstar” There was a seen where People with disease were pushing in on Jesus and asking him to heal me. Jesus yelled at the people stop pushing me there are too many of you. Leave me alone! I had little knowledge of who Jesus was. I new he was born at Christmas and died at Easter. After the play I started to ask myself. Did Jesus push people away? Was he as the play portrayed him? About this time I met this nice girl, Jackie. She was refreshing from all the girls I was use to hanging out with. We started dating. She was a Jewish girl that was raised Catholic. She too was having questions about G-d. She had a Good News Bible that we would sit and read and try to figure out what we were reading.
I had moved into a new apartment and meat a man and his wife Tom & Gill. And it did not take long before they started buying their drugs from me. In 1976 Jackie and I got marred. I keep up my drug use and would still sell to my friends. Tom & Gill had not come by my apartment for about 3 weeks; So, I went to their apartment to see how they were doing.
When I saw them there was something different about them. What was it? There was a glow or something?. “What’s up”, I asked. “You got some good dope”. They just smiled and showed me a new Bible. O-NO I said. Don’t tell me you guys are Jesus freaks! They
Tried to tell me about being born again. And ask me to come to Church with them.
”No way! am I going to a Church”. I did not see Tom & Gill for about 3 month’s. One day
They show up at my door. Otto & Jackie they asked would you come to some friends house with us. There will be a gaiter player from the group called “Black oak Arkansas”. This got my attention, I loved rock music. And I had a chance to meet a rocker. G-ds trap was set.
What I didn’t know was that the rocker was going to give his testimony and the house was part of the Vineyard movement. And the gentlemen that lead Tom & Gill to the L-rd
Would be there also. [Wade] Tom & Gill picked us up and we went. The Rocker sang some songs and then gives his testimony. The gentlemen Wade sat down and talked to me. He laid out G-d’s plan for salvation from Genesis to Revelation. He spoke of things like sacrifice and blood Atonement, and how Jesus was our Sacrifice and one time blood atonement.
We talked for hours. He answered all my questions. Then he asked me! Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart right Now? “Now?. But I do drugs; I drink like a fish,
I use bad langue. I said, That’s O, K Wade said, don’t worry about that stuff. Come to him just as you are. So I said O, K. He leads me in a prayer, and I repeat what he say’s. The prayer is over, but I keep my head bowed and my eye’s closed. I’m thinking I want what
Tom & Gill have, but what will all my friends say. But tom & Gill look so happy & new,
But my friends.
I want it, I don’t, I do, I don’t, do, don’t, do, don’t. I felt like I was about to explode. Then I threw both my arms in the air and yell. “JESES”. With my eyes still closed. I saw a hole open in my chest and a light comes out of me. I was standing in the living room looking at myself and could see the light come out of my back and my chest and out the walls. I was next standing in the street and could see this light going through the houses and down the street. I was next in space and could see the light going off into space. I open my eyes and it felted as if I had just taken a backpack off my back. My skin felt as if it was aglow. For month’s people would ask what was different about me.
When we were driving home that night, Wade said to me, that I should tell someone as soon as possible what happen to me tonight.
I rolled down the car window and yell at some lady
Walking her dog. “Jesus saved me tonight!” When I got home I pulled up the 6 Marijuana plants and put them in the trash, I flushed all my pills’ and poured out the booze.
My life was changed that night. The craving for drugs, pills and booze was gone.
My old friends eventuality stop coming by. But the trade was worth it.
One week later Wade, Jackie, Myself, and another brother named Trace.
Went to a little food store to hand out tracks and to tell people what happen to me last
Weekend. We were handing out tracks when a Policeman drives up. I hand him a track
And he becomes irate with me for handing him some religious martial.
He starts accusing us of soliciting for money. He makes us stop handing out tracks.
I start telling people what happen to me last week. The police officer ask for our
Idenafaction, witch we hand over. He puts our driver Trace in his portal car and tells
The rest of us to go home. This we can’t do. We tell him because you put our driver in your portal car. He tells us to stop talking to people about Jesus or he will run us all
In. We keep sharing. Sundely! In front of the convenient stores there is a three-car accident. In about 30min there are now. 6 police cares and
2 ambulances. By this time people start gathering around to see what is going on.
Thanks to that angry police officer I got to shear with a lot more people than if he had not showed up. After the accident was cleared up and all the people left Trace was cleared and we all went home.
I begin to read the Bible with a new understanding and hunger. One day while I was reading my Bible I come to
Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
As soon as I read this I hear a small voice say, “I showed you this.”
It has not always been an easy walk with the L-rd. My wife and I have raised five children.
All Still Believers! One is a schoolteacher, one is a Police officer, one is going to collage to be a Doctor, Another one is in collage for science, and my Last one is about to finish High School.
I know that I have been given a FREE gift. And there is nothing I can or could ever do to deserve this free gift of my salvation. This is perfectly clear to me. In 1996 something started to happen to me that was as powerful as my salvation exspearrents. I started to wonder after reading. 1Corinthians 5: 8 “Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”
Now I have read this scripture 100 times. But this time it jumped out at me.
“Let us keep the Festival”. Keep Passover? I was not keeping Passover. I went to my Pastor and asked, “ Why don’t we do Passover.” Because! He said, that’s OT teaching and we are free from all that. Wait a moment this is the NT. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
I called a local Synagogue and asked their Rabbi where I could find information about putting on a Passover Seder. He sent me to my Library. In 1996 I held my first Passover Seder.
In 1997 I held another Seder at home. And in 1998 I held a Passover Seder at my church.
My wife and I started asking more & more questions about the Jewish part of Christianity That was not there. I would ask “If Christianity come from Judaism why is there nothing Jewish in Christianity”? I never did get an answer. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
I started wondering also about John 7: 2 But when the Feast of Tabernacles was near, 10 however, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he [Jesus] went also, not publicly, but in secret.
“Jesus keep the feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot]? Why don’t we keep the festival of Sukkot?
John 10: 22 then came the Feast of Dedication [Hanukkah] at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.
Jesus keep the feast of Hanukkah? Why don’t we?
What other Feast is there that we don’t keep? And why not?
Pastors would tell me. “That is all the OT and we don’t need the OT we got the NT.”
“NO! This is all NT,” I would say. One pastor told me The Jews have there Holidays and we have ours. And this is how it has always been. “Why”?
I just had more Questions, like
Luke 11: 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
“Obey the word of G-d”? Jesus could not have been talking about the NT! The only other word Jesus could have been speaking of was the OT. “OBEY THE OT”?
This is not what Pastors are teaching! They wanted me to shut up and go along with what has been tough for about 2700 years.
But why? Where did Christmas come from? Or Easter? Or Halloween? And why have we made them Christian Feast days? No place in OT or NT does G-d call these Feast days his. And what about the seventh day being the Sabbath? and how and when did it become the first day. And I learn very quick not to bring up OBEYING [as Jesus said] Leviticus chapter 11. So!
My wife and I started praying about, wanting to know the truth about the Jewish root of scripture. One Friday night we were driving by this Church and we notes a big Star of David that covered a cross that was on the front of this church. [This Messianic synagogue rented this church for Friday night] My wife and I decide to try this synagogue next Friday night. We arrive late and the service had already started. When we walked through the doors I feel the L-rd speak to me, “This is where I want you”. I no sooner had this though and my wife says to me. “I feel the L-rd just spoke to me and said, “This is where I want you.” At this point my wife and myself knew nothing about Messianic Judaism. But if this is where G-d wanted us, then we will do everything
The L-rd say’s. It was not till almost a year after we entered this Messianic synagogue that I was reading Exodus 19: 7-8 and this scripture jumped out at me. Befor knowing, we said, “We hear and we will obey”. We felt like the children of Israel who had received their salvation from slavery [in 1976] and, now, were on our way to receive
G-ds instructions on how he wanted us to live our life befor him.
We had questions, fear, and needed understanding. A new world open to us, and it was overwhelming at times to learn that we had inherited lies based on Anti-Semitic feelings To the origin of the Jewish N T scriptures and the History of the Church.
1) History of the church.
To understand we must go back more than 2000 years ago to Roam. When Roam conquered a country, Roam would bring into Rome the god’s from the country Roam had conquered and the worship of that god into Roam. But! That country Roam conquered was required by Roam, to worship the gods of Roam. This being the Sun god called “Mithra”. Interesting facts about the sun god Mithraism.
. Mithra is the god of light
. Mithra was born of a mother-rock by a river under a tree
. Sunday was kept holy in honor of Mithra,
. The 25 December was observed as Mithra birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun,
When Roam conquered Israel. Israel would not worship the god’s of Roam. This created friction and right out hatred between Roam and the people of Israel.
This is the setting that the messianic believers were faced with from Roam.
More and more Roman’s become believers in the sect of Judaism. Then persecution started on all the Messianic Believers Jew and Gentile. Until about 325 CE (AD) when Constantine, become Emperor of Roman. His reign marked the alliance of church and state. The pagans no longer persecuted Christians. But not so for the Jew!
The Roman Catholic Church comes into being with this friction towered everything Jewish. Christians were not allowed to practice the Biblical feast days, or keep the seventh day Sabbath Etc. This is why there is nothing Jewish in Christianity. And today’s Church was birthed from the Roman Catholic Church. By the time Constantine called the first general church council together at Nicea in 325 CE, anti-Semitism was already endemic in what had become apostate Christianity. The Council of Nicea was attended by 318 bishops, none of whom were of Jewish extraction. In fact, no Jewish believers were even invited, even though Messianic Judaism continued to persist among many Jewish believers, as well as Gentile God-fearers.
Constantine was a worshipper of the “Sun God,” Mithra, and through The Roman Catholic Church Constantine incorporated or blended Mithra worship and the Church.
By this blending of Mithraism & The Church it was bringing more people into the Church.
Summary: The first believers were Messianic and a sect of Judaism. The early Church fathers divorce itself from its Jewish roots. And to fill it’s Churches the Church changed G-d’s feast days to accommodate the pagan worshipers on the days they were use to worshiping on.
This was a hard pill to swallow, and at first I though this cant be true? But I remembered that I had asked G-d to show me the truth about the Jewish root of scripture. He answered my prayer but not with the answer that I wanted to hear. I next started praying and searching for the truth about G-ds Holladay’s.
2) G-d’s reckoning of time
The first thing we learned was that G-d’s reckoning of time was not the same as the Greek reckoning of time.
G-d states in Gen 1: 5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19, 1:23, & 1:31
[“There was evening, and there was morning--the first day.”] The day starts at evening goes through the day and ends at evening. This is G-ds reckoning of time.
Also in Gen 1: 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, [and let them serve as signs to mark “seasons” and days and years,]
The word “SEASONS” in Hebrew is “MOEDIM” this word means “APPOINTED FEAST” or HOLIDAYS. The planetary structure points to and regulates the Feast of
G-d. The Moedim=Feast are first and foremost part of the creative order of G-d. And not merely part of the covenant made with Israel at Sinai.
Lev 23: 1-2 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'these are [my appointed feasts], the appointed feasts=Moedim of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
In other words these are G-ds Holidays not just Jewish Holidays
The first of His holidays (appointed feasts) is the Sabbath.
Gen 2: 2-3 by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, Most people will agree that the 7th day is [Saturday]. I realize that I would read scripture with a pair of Roman, gentile, western, glasses. Let me give an example.
Acts 20: 7 – 11
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was
into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"
11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.
I was taught that Paul started preaching Sunday morning took a lunch break, Went back to preaching Sunday night and preached till midnight and then left on his trip Monday morning.
With the proper understanding of G-d’s reckoning of time (day is from evening to morning then evening.)
the first day [Sunday] of the week starts at sundown Saturday night. Acts 20: 7 – 11 could read this way: Acts 20: 7 – 11
7 On the first day of the week [Saturday night] we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. [Saturday midnight]
8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"
11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight,[Sunday morning] he left.
My/our understanding of scripture is bias, based on 2000 years of Anti-Semitic feelings past down to us from Roam. Example of this is in
Col 2: 14
Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
This scripture I have used to argue that the Law (written code) was nailed to the cross. Meaning we do not need the
– [teaching]. But when I compared it to.
Gal 3: 13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
This is speaking of the curse of the written code of the law that condemned us. But He (Yeshua) becomes the curse in our place. So it is the curse of the law that was nailed to the cross. The law – teaching how to live a G-dly life still stands.
My wife and I have come to a new and refreshing understanding of G-ds word. We have found that obeying his commands are not burdensome. But has given us direction and freedom in our life.
We should be careful that by the rejection of this new understanding of G-ds word from a Messianic view, we could be rejecting a powerful move of G-d in these last days. For the sake of holding on to teachings that are but traditions taught by men. Could it be that just as when Jesus was talking to the Pharisees of his day in Mark 7: 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." That we have come full circle where he would say the same to the church today? “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men”.
The Messianic understanding in the past 20 years has come alive and is still growing. I thank G-d that he has taken away the secret power witch has had us blind and has open my wife’s and my eyes to the freedom we have in his. 2 Thessalonians 2: 5-8
Shalom.
My name is Otto Strand
I was born in Norfork VA in 1953; my parents moved to Miami Fla in 1956. My Mom & Dad were good parents My Dad took me fishin, hunting, & camping. But when it comes to things of G-d my parents did not put much time into. I might have gone to Church two or three times. I had no teaching of G-d.
When I was 15 I had my first girlfriend, I was in love!. After 3 weeks she broke up with me. I was crushed, I said to G-d that night. “I hate you for allowing this hurt” This was the first time I even though about G-d. But at that moment there was an awakening in me that there was a G-d. At about the same time my Sister turned me on to smoking pot. This started a 6-year drug and alcohol abuse.
Each day started with smoking a joint (Marijuana cigarette) driving to a construction job.
Where at break time I would smoke more pot, Lunch time was the same thing, afternoon break same. After work I would go Disco dancing heavy drinking and sometimes popping pills. To help supply my drug habit I would sell drugs. I had friends who were killed, arrested, and overdosed on drugs. At one time I even smoked and sold drugs to an under cover cop. I guess I was just a middleman and he was after bigger fish. After about 5 years of this life style I was sitting on the roof of my apartment complex on a Saturday night. I looked up at the stares and said. “G-d is this all there is to life. Getting high, go to work and then get high again? God if your there let me know”.
It was 1974 and I went to see a play called “Jesus Christ Superstar” There was a seen where People with disease were pushing in on Jesus and asking him to heal me. Jesus yelled at the people stop pushing me there are too many of you. Leave me alone! I had little knowledge of who Jesus was. I new he was born at Christmas and died at Easter. After the play I started to ask myself. Did Jesus push people away? Was he as the play portrayed him? About this time I met this nice girl, Jackie. She was refreshing from all the girls I was use to hanging out with. We started dating. She was a Jewish girl that was raised Catholic. She too was having questions about G-d. She had a Good News Bible that we would sit and read and try to figure out what we were reading.
I had moved into a new apartment and meat a man and his wife Tom & Gill. And it did not take long before they started buying their drugs from me. In 1976 Jackie and I got marred. I keep up my drug use and would still sell to my friends. Tom & Gill had not come by my apartment for about 3 weeks; So, I went to their apartment to see how they were doing.
When I saw them there was something different about them. What was it? There was a glow or something?. “What’s up”, I asked. “You got some good dope”. They just smiled and showed me a new Bible. O-NO I said. Don’t tell me you guys are Jesus freaks! They
Tried to tell me about being born again. And ask me to come to Church with them.
”No way! am I going to a Church”. I did not see Tom & Gill for about 3 month’s. One day
They show up at my door. Otto & Jackie they asked would you come to some friends house with us. There will be a gaiter player from the group called “Black oak Arkansas”. This got my attention, I loved rock music. And I had a chance to meet a rocker. G-ds trap was set.
What I didn’t know was that the rocker was going to give his testimony and the house was part of the Vineyard movement. And the gentlemen that lead Tom & Gill to the L-rd
Would be there also. [Wade] Tom & Gill picked us up and we went. The Rocker sang some songs and then gives his testimony. The gentlemen Wade sat down and talked to me. He laid out G-d’s plan for salvation from Genesis to Revelation. He spoke of things like sacrifice and blood Atonement, and how Jesus was our Sacrifice and one time blood atonement.
We talked for hours. He answered all my questions. Then he asked me! Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart right Now? “Now?. But I do drugs; I drink like a fish,
I use bad langue. I said, That’s O, K Wade said, don’t worry about that stuff. Come to him just as you are. So I said O, K. He leads me in a prayer, and I repeat what he say’s. The prayer is over, but I keep my head bowed and my eye’s closed. I’m thinking I want what
Tom & Gill have, but what will all my friends say. But tom & Gill look so happy & new,
But my friends.
I want it, I don’t, I do, I don’t, do, don’t, do, don’t. I felt like I was about to explode. Then I threw both my arms in the air and yell. “JESES”. With my eyes still closed. I saw a hole open in my chest and a light comes out of me. I was standing in the living room looking at myself and could see the light come out of my back and my chest and out the walls. I was next standing in the street and could see this light going through the houses and down the street. I was next in space and could see the light going off into space. I open my eyes and it felted as if I had just taken a backpack off my back. My skin felt as if it was aglow. For month’s people would ask what was different about me.
When we were driving home that night, Wade said to me, that I should tell someone as soon as possible what happen to me tonight.
I rolled down the car window and yell at some lady
Walking her dog. “Jesus saved me tonight!” When I got home I pulled up the 6 Marijuana plants and put them in the trash, I flushed all my pills’ and poured out the booze.
My life was changed that night. The craving for drugs, pills and booze was gone.
My old friends eventuality stop coming by. But the trade was worth it.
One week later Wade, Jackie, Myself, and another brother named Trace.
Went to a little food store to hand out tracks and to tell people what happen to me last
Weekend. We were handing out tracks when a Policeman drives up. I hand him a track
And he becomes irate with me for handing him some religious martial.
He starts accusing us of soliciting for money. He makes us stop handing out tracks.
I start telling people what happen to me last week. The police officer ask for our
Idenafaction, witch we hand over. He puts our driver Trace in his portal car and tells
The rest of us to go home. This we can’t do. We tell him because you put our driver in your portal car. He tells us to stop talking to people about Jesus or he will run us all
In. We keep sharing. Sundely! In front of the convenient stores there is a three-car accident. In about 30min there are now. 6 police cares and
2 ambulances. By this time people start gathering around to see what is going on.
Thanks to that angry police officer I got to shear with a lot more people than if he had not showed up. After the accident was cleared up and all the people left Trace was cleared and we all went home.
I begin to read the Bible with a new understanding and hunger. One day while I was reading my Bible I come to
Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
As soon as I read this I hear a small voice say, “I showed you this.”
It has not always been an easy walk with the L-rd. My wife and I have raised five children.
All Still Believers! One is a schoolteacher, one is a Police officer, one is going to collage to be a Doctor, Another one is in collage for science, and my Last one is about to finish High School.
I know that I have been given a FREE gift. And there is nothing I can or could ever do to deserve this free gift of my salvation. This is perfectly clear to me. In 1996 something started to happen to me that was as powerful as my salvation exspearrents. I started to wonder after reading. 1Corinthians 5: 8 “Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”
Now I have read this scripture 100 times. But this time it jumped out at me.
“Let us keep the Festival”. Keep Passover? I was not keeping Passover. I went to my Pastor and asked, “ Why don’t we do Passover.” Because! He said, that’s OT teaching and we are free from all that. Wait a moment this is the NT. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
I called a local Synagogue and asked their Rabbi where I could find information about putting on a Passover Seder. He sent me to my Library. In 1996 I held my first Passover Seder.
In 1997 I held another Seder at home. And in 1998 I held a Passover Seder at my church.
My wife and I started asking more & more questions about the Jewish part of Christianity That was not there. I would ask “If Christianity come from Judaism why is there nothing Jewish in Christianity”? I never did get an answer. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
I started wondering also about John 7: 2 But when the Feast of Tabernacles was near, 10 however, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he [Jesus] went also, not publicly, but in secret.
“Jesus keep the feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot]? Why don’t we keep the festival of Sukkot?
John 10: 22 then came the Feast of Dedication [Hanukkah] at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.
Jesus keep the feast of Hanukkah? Why don’t we?
What other Feast is there that we don’t keep? And why not?
Pastors would tell me. “That is all the OT and we don’t need the OT we got the NT.”
“NO! This is all NT,” I would say. One pastor told me The Jews have there Holidays and we have ours. And this is how it has always been. “Why”?
I just had more Questions, like
Luke 11: 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
“Obey the word of G-d”? Jesus could not have been talking about the NT! The only other word Jesus could have been speaking of was the OT. “OBEY THE OT”?
This is not what Pastors are teaching! They wanted me to shut up and go along with what has been tough for about 2700 years.
But why? Where did Christmas come from? Or Easter? Or Halloween? And why have we made them Christian Feast days? No place in OT or NT does G-d call these Feast days his. And what about the seventh day being the Sabbath? and how and when did it become the first day. And I learn very quick not to bring up OBEYING [as Jesus said] Leviticus chapter 11. So!
My wife and I started praying about, wanting to know the truth about the Jewish root of scripture. One Friday night we were driving by this Church and we notes a big Star of David that covered a cross that was on the front of this church. [This Messianic synagogue rented this church for Friday night] My wife and I decide to try this synagogue next Friday night. We arrive late and the service had already started. When we walked through the doors I feel the L-rd speak to me, “This is where I want you”. I no sooner had this though and my wife says to me. “I feel the L-rd just spoke to me and said, “This is where I want you.” At this point my wife and myself knew nothing about Messianic Judaism. But if this is where G-d wanted us, then we will do everything
The L-rd say’s. It was not till almost a year after we entered this Messianic synagogue that I was reading Exodus 19: 7-8 and this scripture jumped out at me. Befor knowing, we said, “We hear and we will obey”. We felt like the children of Israel who had received their salvation from slavery [in 1976] and, now, were on our way to receive
G-ds instructions on how he wanted us to live our life befor him.
We had questions, fear, and needed understanding. A new world open to us, and it was overwhelming at times to learn that we had inherited lies based on Anti-Semitic feelings To the origin of the Jewish N T scriptures and the History of the Church.
1) History of the church.
To understand we must go back more than 2000 years ago to Roam. When Roam conquered a country, Roam would bring into Rome the god’s from the country Roam had conquered and the worship of that god into Roam. But! That country Roam conquered was required by Roam, to worship the gods of Roam. This being the Sun god called “Mithra”. Interesting facts about the sun god Mithraism.
. Mithra is the god of light
. Mithra was born of a mother-rock by a river under a tree
. Sunday was kept holy in honor of Mithra,
. The 25 December was observed as Mithra birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun,
When Roam conquered Israel. Israel would not worship the god’s of Roam. This created friction and right out hatred between Roam and the people of Israel.
This is the setting that the messianic believers were faced with from Roam.
More and more Roman’s become believers in the sect of Judaism. Then persecution started on all the Messianic Believers Jew and Gentile. Until about 325 CE (AD) when Constantine, become Emperor of Roman. His reign marked the alliance of church and state. The pagans no longer persecuted Christians. But not so for the Jew!
The Roman Catholic Church comes into being with this friction towered everything Jewish. Christians were not allowed to practice the Biblical feast days, or keep the seventh day Sabbath Etc. This is why there is nothing Jewish in Christianity. And today’s Church was birthed from the Roman Catholic Church. By the time Constantine called the first general church council together at Nicea in 325 CE, anti-Semitism was already endemic in what had become apostate Christianity. The Council of Nicea was attended by 318 bishops, none of whom were of Jewish extraction. In fact, no Jewish believers were even invited, even though Messianic Judaism continued to persist among many Jewish believers, as well as Gentile God-fearers.
Constantine was a worshipper of the “Sun God,” Mithra, and through The Roman Catholic Church Constantine incorporated or blended Mithra worship and the Church.
By this blending of Mithraism & The Church it was bringing more people into the Church.
Summary: The first believers were Messianic and a sect of Judaism. The early Church fathers divorce itself from its Jewish roots. And to fill it’s Churches the Church changed G-d’s feast days to accommodate the pagan worshipers on the days they were use to worshiping on.
This was a hard pill to swallow, and at first I though this cant be true? But I remembered that I had asked G-d to show me the truth about the Jewish root of scripture. He answered my prayer but not with the answer that I wanted to hear. I next started praying and searching for the truth about G-ds Holladay’s.
2) G-d’s reckoning of time
The first thing we learned was that G-d’s reckoning of time was not the same as the Greek reckoning of time.
G-d states in Gen 1: 5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19, 1:23, & 1:31
[“There was evening, and there was morning--the first day.”] The day starts at evening goes through the day and ends at evening. This is G-ds reckoning of time.
Also in Gen 1: 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, [and let them serve as signs to mark “seasons” and days and years,]
The word “SEASONS” in Hebrew is “MOEDIM” this word means “APPOINTED FEAST” or HOLIDAYS. The planetary structure points to and regulates the Feast of
G-d. The Moedim=Feast are first and foremost part of the creative order of G-d. And not merely part of the covenant made with Israel at Sinai.
Lev 23: 1-2 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'these are [my appointed feasts], the appointed feasts=Moedim of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
In other words these are G-ds Holidays not just Jewish Holidays
The first of His holidays (appointed feasts) is the Sabbath.
Gen 2: 2-3 by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, Most people will agree that the 7th day is [Saturday]. I realize that I would read scripture with a pair of Roman, gentile, western, glasses. Let me give an example.
Acts 20: 7 – 11
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was
into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"
11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.
I was taught that Paul started preaching Sunday morning took a lunch break, Went back to preaching Sunday night and preached till midnight and then left on his trip Monday morning.
With the proper understanding of G-d’s reckoning of time (day is from evening to morning then evening.)
the first day [Sunday] of the week starts at sundown Saturday night. Acts 20: 7 – 11 could read this way: Acts 20: 7 – 11
7 On the first day of the week [Saturday night] we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. [Saturday midnight]
8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was
into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"
11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight,[Sunday morning] he left.
My/our understanding of scripture is bias, based on 2000 years of Anti-Semitic feelings past down to us from Roam. Example of this is in
Col 2: 14
Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
This scripture I have used to argue that the Law (written code) was nailed to the cross. Meaning we do not need the
– [teaching]. But when I compared it to. Gal 3: 13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
This is speaking of the curse of the written code of the law that condemned us. But He (Yeshua) becomes the curse in our place. So it is the curse of the law that was nailed to the cross. The law – teaching how to live a G-dly life still stands.
My wife and I have come to a new and refreshing understanding of G-ds word. We have found that obeying his commands are not burdensome. But has given us direction and freedom in our life.
We should be careful that by the rejection of this new understanding of G-ds word from a Messianic view, we could be rejecting a powerful move of G-d in these last days. For the sake of holding on to teachings that are but traditions taught by men. Could it be that just as when Jesus was talking to the Pharisees of his day in Mark 7: 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." That we have come full circle where he would say the same to the church today? “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men”.
The Messianic understanding in the past 20 years has come alive and is still growing. I thank G-d that he has taken away the secret power witch has had us blind and has open my wife’s and my eyes to the freedom we have in his
. 2 Thessalonians 2: 5-8 Shalom.
