Tzephanyahu

Hi @Gabriel80 I wouldn't be so sure that this is the accuser. It may be the Holy Spirit is prompting you seriously on the matter and the guilt you feel is probably from your own heart. If Satan was involved in your situation, he'd surely make you feel good about not giving and to be selfish. It doesn't serve his purposes to encourage you to give (even through accusation and guilt) because then you'd give and he'd be shamed. I would say make it your mission to research this today and approach it as with the diligence of choosing a school for your child. I know it's a messy job as there are so many out there but if you really get stuck, try Acts435 and look through the needs there. Some aren't so important but some are and your donation could make a real impact of someone's life who is struggling with debt. Thats got to be a good thing. But act before this time tomorrow to give yourself some peace of mind and to take control of this. Analysis paralysis is understandable in this situation, but it isn't acceptable for the long term. Good intentions but inaction counts for nothing. In fact, in can count as a minus point. I don't say this to shame you at all. But as a brother saying "watch out for that pothole!" But again, shake off the heaviness and feel excited that you will be helping someone with your money soon. Forget it as a duty and instead embrace it compassionately and your donation will be a light travelling through a network to reach the needy. Peace

Hi @Gabriel80 Don't feel the stress of needing to tithe, as the tithe was originally for the Levites and Temple administration and livelihood. Instead, give happily and without heaviness. 10% is still fine but don't let the give feel burdensome and go over 10% willingly if the cause is a good one. You are wise to be cautious though. And just giving to a charity that then squanders your funds I don't think counts as a credit to you, even though you gave righteously. Because of this, it will be a fearful day for abusive/irresponsible/deceptive charities at the end. If you want to give 100% of your donation to those in need (without anything taken out for marketing and running cost etc) there's the website Acts435.org.uk. Otherwise, give to those Christian charities who may be local to you and do a good job after researching their charity and website thoroughly. Or the Salvation Army, though mainstream, genuinely do a great job in helping the poor. Barnabasfund I think are quite good too. I hope that helps. Peace.

This Alef-Tav occasionally appears at some quite significant passages, such as in Zechariah 12:10... "they will look upon me Alev-Tav whom they have pierced" Ref

Shalom @NickyLouse Awesome. Is there a more honourable pilgrimage than this one? You ask a hard question here. It's baffled experts in Torah for many years. Some say it's a commandment against cruelty and others say it's to keep Israel away from this pagan practice - they seem to be the most popular opinions. I personally think there is something deeper behind this commandment but I haven't worked it out yet. What I can say with some confidence is that the Jewish interpretation of "do not have meat with dairy together" is nonsense. See Genesis 18:8. Another good question. Roasting a lamb over the fire is no disrespect to Yeshua. But keep in mind, what you do is ceremonial only. There is no need to put blood of the doorposts either of course. Therefore, if you can roast a whole lamb and your whole household eat it and burn up the remnants before morning - brilliant - you've had an awesome Passover! However, if you only have a lamb steak on Passover, you also do well. What if you only have beef? Eat it with joy and be a peace on the Passover! Each scenario is equal. We are all dispersed right now. We are all sojourners. We cannot sacrifice the Passover Lamb at the Temple, as ought to have been done, and rejoice before the Father in the Promised Land. Those are just the very sad facts. So the most important thing is that we memorialise the date the best we can and, when it comes to eating, eating unleavened bread and no yeast for 7 days. You ask another difficult question here. One I cannot answer in short really. In brief, their were two calendars in use in the first century. The Jewish calendar, which runs from evening to evening and reckons months by the moons. This came in during the Hellenization period of the Jews about 160 year BC. At that time, the chosen priesthood, the Zadokites, were expelled from the Temple and replaced with a man-elected priesthood - which ran to Yeshua's day. They Zaodkites seem to have fled to a base in Qumran. The Original calendar, which runs from morning to morning and reckons months by the sun. This calendar was first detailed by Enoch. From other sources in the dead sea scrolls, this was the calendar followed by Moses also. Therefore, it's possible that the actual Passover day was observed by Yeshua, on the night before the Jews observed it according to their moon calendar. In the dead sea scrolls, in seems that the authors referred to those who follow the Jewish Calendar as the "sons of darkness" and the the Enoch Calendar as the "sons of light", which may give another angle to Paul's writing in 1 Thessalonians 5:5. I hope something in my rambling has helped! Shalom

Shalom @Walter and Deborah Good post. It's interesting to see just how many words is dedicated to the Sabbath within the ten commandments compared to the other commandments, such as murder or adultery. It's just about the same amount of words dedicated to talking about idolatry! As below.. “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Hello @portlie The Messiah seems to be speaking about believers in this passage as no unbeliever can be a branch in the vine (The Messiah). Consider the words of Paul from Romans 11 in conjunction with the passage in John - where he explains that us "wild branches" have been grafted in whereas some of the natural branches have be cut off. "If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off."

Hi @Open7, I hope you're doing good. It's an interesting question you pose. The way I see it is that this a matter of irresponsibility and negligence. Suppose an engineer in an army didn't fully test a tank before the day of a war, instead he just hoped everything would be okay. The next day the soldiers in the tank run into a preventable malfunction, whilst in conflict, and lose their lives because of it. Who was at fault, the soldiers or the engineer? Achan's sin didn't immediately affect him but it resulted in the death of others, and their blood was on his hands. We all have responsibilities, some more than others. There is always a consequence for irresponsibility, sometimes more severe than others. Achan ignored his small part in a bigger picture because of selfishness, greed and lack of faith, and the repercussions were awful. I think there's a good lesson in his example for us in the church today. Peace.

Amen

I think condifing in the matter privately with friends would still be okay. Perhaps even friends you have made on here via DM. But look to Yahweh and the Word throughout this hard time. Endure with patience, long-suffering and hope - never ceasing to pray for your husband each day with a fervent heart. Scriptures shows us that it's this that makes mountains move and it really does. I was in a similar situation with my wife and after praying for her day and night for years, each day, the Lord open the eyes of her heart. And I have the same faith that this can happen for you as well. Definitely. Again... trust in Him and His goodness. Brave all these trials with quiet endurance, peaceful patience and soft love. And always, always hope and pray continually for your husband (don't stay down cast). Peace to you my friend. May Yahweh give you wisdom, strength, determination, courage and peace.

Hi @Thewhitedove I'm sorry to hear that you continuing to have difficulty with your husband. I think it's a good thing that you get support from friends and advice from others. But that said, does your husband know you post about him on here? It feels like I've seen a lot of posts about him in the past. He might know all about and is fine with it - in which case, may you get the appropriate advice from a wise source, and you can stop reading here But, if your husband doesn't know, I would consider this matter deeply before continuing to post about him. If I found out my wife was posting like this, even though my personal name wouldn't be broadcast publicly, I would be very hurt, disrespected and distanced. As I imagine you would be, if he was continuing to post about you in Atheist forums. Or, to put it another way, would you feel happy sharing all of your posts with him this evening? Now, don't get me wrong, I think it is very important at times to reach out for external advice on a marriage. In some cases, it can save a lot of heartache and even individuals from very abusive situations. Nevertheless, it would be wise for you to assess to what constitutes as a genuine call for help versus a genuine complaint before you post. Of course, the latter is understandable, as you are in a very difficult situation. But be careful you don't find yourself suddenly standing unrighteously before God on this matter. I hope you understand the heart of this message and not the initial reaction. Peace.

Hi @Open7, I agree that looking for or acting upon "signs" can be a dangerous thing. It's closer to divination that walking the path of righteousness and one opens themselves up to being led away by their heart rather than the truth. We must remember that desire drove Eve rather than deceit... "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." - Genesis 3 So in some ways, the tree was a sign for Eve which, of course, backfired. In my experience, I tend to notice Yahweh's interaction in my life AFTER the event. I can then look back and realise with wonder how precious and fragile each decision and move was to lead to that perfect scenario. Perhaps Yahweh works like this as if He gave us signs to respond to we would most likely mess up our reactions and choices in our response! So perhaps He works behind the scenes in our lives for our own benefit. Scripturally speaking, there are very few "signs" given by Yahweh ahead of choice. An each instance can pretty much be argued as unique and exceptions - rather than a standard way of interaction. What I do see as a standard way of operation in the Scriptures is the silent guidance of the heart, providing we are willing to listen to the truth of conviction... "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand, Or whenever you turn to the left." - Isaiah 30 How interest in contrasts with Eve's 'seeing', rather we should be 'listening'. Not only listening to the Holy Spirit, but also to the Scriptures themselves. Peace.

Hi @plo1988 Good question. In the Biblical way of understanding, one's name is like tag of their whole entirety - not just a title. What I mean is that your name is who you are, your authority/power, a descriptive of your core, and of course your identity. When you read in the Scriptures of the Father or the Son talk about their 'name', they don't just mean simply 'the sound they are called by' but the essence of their authority. So Yahweh is the name (or authority) of the Creator of all things and Yeshua/Jesus is the name (or authority) of the Son of the Creator. Hopefully I'm making sense! Taking this further, this will give you some insight when we learn that the Father as "given His name" (or authority) to the Son. This means the Son can rule with the full authority of God the Father - until the Kingdom comes. Like how in ancient times the author of a letter with the King's seal could write letters with the full authority of the king. And, in the same way, Christians have the authority to pray in the Son's 'name' (or His authority). So, to answer your question, to believe in the His name is to believe in His authority, power and being - that what He says He will do, He can and will do and has the full ability to do so. Therefore, by "believing in the Father's name", we are saying we believe that He is the only true God and Creator of all things. By "believing in the Son's name", we are saying we believe He told the perfect truth about being the Son, that He has the power to raise us and that He is indeed the chosen Messiah and King. This goes to the centre of of testimony - that we believe in the name of Yeshua/Jesus, that He is who He said He is, and He lives at the right hand of Yahweh, and all authority of the Father's 'name' has been given to Him. I hope that makes some kind of sense! Peace.

Hi @Dennis1209 Gardening needn't be such hard work as it is today. In fact, in New Jerusalem the saints will have their own land to till, and it will yield in abundance, but it won't require hard grafting as if you raised a garden/vineyard/farm today. I think Yahweh gave Adam a job to do so that he wasn't sat idle. It was his purpose and goal for each day, week, month and year. And consider that tending a garden doesn't solely mean protecting and de-weeding it, but also nurturing for it and "cleans" it... Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He cleans it so that it may bear more fruit. - John 15:2 (LSB) Cleaning a vine in such a way helps it to produce more fruit and so it's likely Adam had some kind of similar "performance monitoring and enhancing" job in the Garden. That's a great question, I have no idea. It's possible that it was by hand alone. Some legends write of Adam and Eve being of a much bigger and taller stature than we are today. Perhaps he could prune a bush as easily as we pinch through a small cluster of grapes? Peace

Hi @debrakay Great topic. I absolutely think so. For example, the Book of Enoch (quoted in Jude) states at it's opening that it was written for the latter days generation. And in 2 Esdras (quoted in Matthew), Yahweh instructs the priest Ezra to rewrite the Scripture after the Babylonian Exile. He states that the Old Testament canon of books were to be made easily available - to the wise and unwise alike, whereas the tens of additional books were to be held back for those seeking out wisdom. 2 Esdras 14:37-48 There is a long a convoluted history behind how the Word of God has been attacked and chipped away at in the past. Whether it be from the Jews, believers and even non-believing scholars. There is simply too much to squeeze into a reasonably sized post. However, for now, consider the fact that original 1611 KJV included some apocryphal books. And, if you and I were having this conversation as recently as the mid 1800s, we would still have these apocryphal books in our canons! Indeed, as it stands today, some other Biblical canons around the world still have more books that the 66 books of the American Canon. Now, imagine if a new Christian movement arose today and wanted to remove Revelation from the Bible - calling it non-inclusive, hateful and even a non-inspired. Imagine that, despite the kickback from Christians, new revised Bibles started to be printed without Revelation in them. How many generations do you think it would take before Revelation was shunned entirely? Expecting by the 2nd or 3rd generation might be ambitious, but what about when you start getting to the 4th and 5th generation? Therefore, don't let any man, church or scholar tell you what God wants you to know. Read the books for yourself. The Holy Spirit will guide you as to whether or not these books are inspired. His sheep will recognise His voice. Every Christian should read their 66 canon Bible first and foremost and know it thoroughly well, being comfortable with all the books within, before venturing out into any other reading material. I'm sure we agree on that. However, many Christians then go on to read other Christian material to compliment their studies and even spend time reading fiction too. That's fine. But what if instead of reading commentaries, devotionals, life guides, study guides and fictional books (which all originate from mere men), you spent that time reading books that claim to be inspired? If the apocryphal books don't seem inspired to you, that's okay, at least you absorbed any wisdom from them and have an informed opinion on them for future discussions. BUT, what if you do recognise the Master's voice within them? What a blessing! I speak for myself when I say that reading these books have filled in many topics left uncovered in the Bible, such as where did demons come from, more about what happens when we die, more about the Messiah's return and New Jerusalem and more about the Exodus etc etc. And so I see a bigger picture than I did before when I just stuck with the 66. Personally I think so. I study certain apocryphal books with Scripture with no differentiation. Now, not all extra-biblical books seem sound but I would say 90% are - such as the ones found with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Ethiopian Canon. Although I would say to stay well clear of any "New Testament apocryphal books". I'm yet to find one that parallels harmoniously with Scripture. It seems the Gnostics started to get involved in writing books at this time. If you would like a list of books I personally think are perfectly safe to read, just let me know. I always check if they parallel with Scripture, don't contradict the 66 book canon, and keep the Messiah it His rightful place. In summary, if you take anything away from what I have said, let it be this: Read the apocryphal books over any other Christian literature. You're far more likely to come away more enlightened and wise than reading anything written by a mere man fresh out of a modern day Biblical Seminary. I hope that helps. Peace.

Hi @DeighAnn You're welcome. When they died and when we die the same thing happens. The spirit returns to Yahweh, the body returns to the dust and the soul is sent to Sheol. Sheol is often translated in English Bibles as "the grave", which is unfortunate, as it is an actual location in the depths of the Earth. Sheol is split into several divisions, but to keep things simple there is basically a "dark side" and a "light side". (The light side is sometimes referred to as Abraham's Bosom because of Luke 16:19-31.) So to answer your question, the souls of those who were righteous now rest in this light side of Sheol and this is also where the saints will go when they die. As for the unrighteous, they go into the "dark side" of Sheol, awaiting the inevitable Judgement Day. Nothing has changed. The souls of all the righteous and the unrighteous will still go into their respective division in Sheol when they die. All will wait in there until the Resurrection, which is when Sheol gives everyone back, like a womb giving birth. Remember, all will be resurrected, not just the righteous (see Daniel 12). The unrighteous will be resurrected in shame and to face the Judgement. The righteous will be raised in a renewed body or "born again" to start their new lives in New Jerusalem. Therefore, Jesus' life, death and resurrection didn't change this natural process any more than he changed the way people are born. That wasn't the purpose of His mission. But since He came the light side of Sheol has been filling up a lot more than ever before! HalleluYah. I hope something in all of that blabbering is useful to you. Peace.