Church at the End

Back to the Shabbat directly after this year’s New Moon of month Shvat which was Sabbath BO. And in the readings of this Shabbat BO the great hope for the nations is laying out. Not only a great hope but also the only one . . . if they, “as a mixed multitude” up to the only One, “Echad” (also Ehad), and His Only Once, His People:

(Exodus 12:38-49) A mixed multitude went up [Aliyah] with them also, and flocks and herds – a great deal of livestock. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves. Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years – on that very same day – it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

But the really interesting for Israel – and especially for the church, the Christians, those who will meet their end together with the one they follow if they don’t separate themselves from their God of all lies, Paul – is commanded before the exodus, the very first two Mitzvoth (commandments), directly placed between the ninth and the last plague for the goyim / Egypt. And the very first two Mitzvoth are the blood of the passover lamb and the blood of circumcision. “Prior to their redemption” the Jews should first and foremost remember once again the mitzvah which they had forgotten to observe during the last two hundred years of their slavery . . . Similarly, the Christians and their church will have to bleed “prior to their redemption” (re-cognition of the commandments of God), which they did not observe during the 2000 years, in which they worshiped their idols like Paul.
God wanted “His people” to have a real change of heart, which was a 40-year journey. The goal was total surrender and dependency on the Lord! It worked best in a dry and barren desert. God told Moses: “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land…” read Parashat BeShalach »

Shabbat Shalom
Eric C. Martienssen

Abstract of the Commentary by
Michael Schneider, israel today, Jerusalem:

In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph as a prototype of the Messiah. We saw the parallels between Messiah Ben-Joseph and the Joseph’s life. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

Hag Hanukkah Sameach (Hanukkah →Current Themes)

Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 and Isaiah 43:21-44:23

Commentary by Michael Schneider, israel today, Jerusalem:
This week we entered the Hebrew month Nisan that according to the Bible is the first month of the year. Meaning that we had this week the Biblical New Year, and unfortunetly not from many it is noticed because the Jews today are going after the rabbinical tradition and celebrating New Year at the 1st Tishrei, Rosh HaShana (original Feast of the sound of the trumpets).

In the word “Nisan” we find the Hebrew word “Nes” which means “miracle”. Indeed, this is a special month in which the greatest of all miracles took place for the Jewish people: the freedom and redemption of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt – that’s why we remember it even more than 3300 years later throu the feast of Passover. May this “Nisan” truly be a month of miracles for everyone in all aspects of life.

Not only had we started a new month and year but also a new book of the Torah: Leviticus that is called also the “Torat Cohanim” the Law of the Priests where we find all the strict ordinaces of services at the temple, sanctuary (tabernacle) and sacrifies.

Although it is a not-easy book, and even some will say an irrelevant because we don’t have a temple and sacrifies ritual anymore, I urge all Believers to read it in a spiritual sense. Is our body not His sanctuary and temple? Should it and our life not be a living sacrifice to our LORD?

Abstract of the Commentary by Michael Schneider,
israel today, Jerusalem:
In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

That was answered in our reading in Zechariah 2:14-16: “Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD… “The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”

Eternal peace between Christians and Jews, or even more? …Meditate about holy matters! Suddenly stands that, what belongs to God (in the Bible called „holy“), in opposition to what mankind made for herself, made herself sanctified. To celebrate my self-made feasts, but am I happy with it, without God? HIS feasts – for Ever holy – HE has called them „moed“ in the Bible/Tanach, which means translated stated appointments. Was it not me myself, who stated new times, on which I wanted to have „a date“ with HIM and wonder now, that HE does not turn up and simply no peace will enter me – and where is the „peace on Earth“?

HE is already here, in you, everything premeditated from the glorious Creator God before all time, in unsearchable love, if we just want to recognize the beauty of His thoughts. For instance, there is Friday – Shabbat – Sunday. Friday has been sanctified by the Ishmaelites to be their holy day, the Christians the Sunday. And in between lies – some day reconciling – the Holy Day of God. Actually from the beginning, as the creation history (Genesis 2:3) shows, He gave „complete rest“ (hebr. Shabbat) for all mankind. Could one not conclude, that Christianity moved as much away from God, as the Ishmaelites? Listen to God:

“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:23-25) – New Jerusalem, did you not feel it? Is „you longing“ not even finding home in every name of God? Pastor Rolf Piller had once the joy to translate some of them (Names of God, PDF).

We wish you a peaceful season, a shining kind light, a soul that touches your longing desire and shares it with you, as well as a blessed start into 2008.

How is it possible that the Torah commands us something which is depending upon a person’s heard, depending upon a person’s emotion? Can God command us how to feel? The love that every Jew feels for God is part of us, is part of the essences of who we are, is very close to the surface!
Watch video commentary by Rabbi Richman from The Temple Institute:

Shabbat Shalom