Being Grafted in- Understanding Gen. 12:1-3 By James Scott Trimm
We read in the Torah:
[1] Now YHWH had said unto Avram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, unto a land that I will shew you: [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curse you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 12:1-3)
Paul cites part of this material in Galatians when he writes:
[6] Even as Avraham believed Elohim, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6). [7] Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Avraham. [8] And the scripture, foreseeing that Elohim would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the goodnews unto Avraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed. (Gen. 12:3) [9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Avraham. (Gal. 3:6-9)
The Torah Commentator Rashbam (grandson of Rashi) wrote concerning this phrase “in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.(Gen. 12:3)“
Rather, “shall graft themselves on to you.” That is, they intermix with your family. Note that this form is Niphal, not the Pual that is the passive of the Piel “bless.”
And Ibn Ezra says in his commentary to this phrase:
A great scholar said in his book that this “blessing” has something to do with grafting plants.
In the Hifil form, this same verb is used in direct reference to Genesis 12:3 in the Talmud to refer to “grafting” of proselytes into Israel:
R. Eleazar further stated: What is meant by the text, And in you shall the families of the earth be blessed? (Gen. 12:3) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, ‘I have two goodly shoots to graft (להבריך) onto you: Ruth the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess’. All the families of the earth, even the other families who live on the earth are blessed only for Israel’s sake. All the nations of the earth, even the ships that go from Gaul to Spain are blessed only for Israel’s sake. (b.Yev. 63a)
When Paul references Genesis 12:3 in Galatians 3:6-9, he is referring to this understanding of proselytes to Israel being “grafted in” to Israel, as he also writes in Romans:
16 And if the first is Set-Apart, the lump of dough is also: and if the root is Set-Apart, thebranches [are] also. 17 And if some branches were broken off, and you who are a wild olive [tree], weregrafted into their place and became partakers of the root and of the oil of the olive [tree], 18 Do not boast against the [natural] branches. But if you boast, you are not bearing theroot, but the root bears you! 19 And perhaps you should say of the branches that were broken off, I will be grafted intheir place. 20 These [matters] are beautiful. They were broken off because they did not have trust,but you stand, by trust. Do not be exalted in your mind, but fear: 21 For if Eloah did not spare the natural branches, perhaps He will also not spare you. 22 See then the gentleness and the harshness of Eloah: upon those who fell, harshness,but upon you, gentleness, if, you remain in the gentleness. And if not, you will also bebroken off. 23 And those, if they do not remain in their lack of trust, also will be grafted in: for Eloahis able to graft them in again. 24 For if you, who are from the olive [tree] that was wild by your nature, were cut off andwere grafted–contrary to your nature–into the good olive [tree], how much more then,those, if they be grafted in their natural olive [tree]? 25 For I want you to know this mystery, my brothers, so that you will not be wise in thethought of your nefesh: that blindness of the heart, in part, has happened to Yisra’el untilthe fullness of the Goyim should come, 26 And then all Yisra’el will have Life. Thus it is written, From Tziyon a Deliverer willcome, and turn iniquity from Ya’akov. 27 And then they will have the covenant that is from Me, when I forgive them theirsins. (Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9) (Romans 11:16-27)
In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, donations are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or Go Fund Me
Title page of 1625 edition of the Hebrew Book of Jasher
There are frequent references in the Tanak to “lost books” that are cited in the Tanak bu which do not appear in our current canon. These “lost books” include the following:
Book of the Wars of YHWH (Num. 21:14)
Manner of the Kingdom by Samuel (1 Sam. 10:25)
Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)
Book of Samuel the Seer (1 Chron. 29:29)
Book of Gad the Seer (1 Chron. 29:29)
Book of Nathan the Prophet (1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29)
Prophecy of Abijah (2 Chron. 9:29)
Visions of Iddo the Seer (2 Chron. 9:29; 12:15)
The Midrash of Iddo (2 Chron. 13:22)
Book of Shemiah (2 Chron. 12:15)
Book of Jehu (2 Chron. 20:34)
Acts of Uzziah by Isaiah (2 Chron. 26:22)
Sayings of the Seers (2 Chron. 33:19)
The Book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18)
The name “Book of Jasher” (as we have it in the KJV) is a bit misleading. This was not a book written by someone named “Jasher”. In fact the word “Jasher” (Hebrew: Yashar) means “Upright” so that the Hebrew Sefer HaYashar is “The Upright Book”. The definite article “Ha” tips us off that this is not a person’s name but a modifier for the word “book”.
There are two references to Jasher in the Tanak:
“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still (Joshua 10:13)
(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) (2 Samuel 1:18)
From these two references in the Tanak there are several things we can learn about this mysterious book.
From the usage in Joshua 10:13 we can determine:
1. That Jasher contained the account of the prolonged day mentioned in Joshua 10.
2. That Jasher was in circulation by the time the book of Joshua was written. Since Joshua was written prior to the death of Rahab, Jasher must have been written by that time as well.
3. The Book of Jasher had enough credibility that Joshua would cite it as support for his assertion of the prolonged day.
The usage in 2Sam. 1:18 tells us:
4. The Book of Jasher supported an admonition to teach the son’s of Judah “the bow”.
The identity of this lost book has been a matter of much speculation over the centuries. The ancient translations and paraphrases offer little help to us in identifying the Book of Jasher. The Greek LXX omits the entire phrase from Joshua 10:13 and translates the the phrase to mean “The Book of the Upright” in 2Sam. 1:18. The Latin Vulgate has in both places “Liber Justorum” “The Book of the Upright Ones”. In the Targums the phrase is Paraphrased as “The Book of the Law”.
The Aramaic Peshitta Tanak has “The Book of Praises” in Joshua 10:13 and “The Book of the Song” in 2Sam. 1:18. This may have resulted from a misreading of ישר (Upright) as שיר (Song). And some have speculated that the book in question was actually a book of songs which included reference to Joshua 10:13 in the lyrics of a song. This theory also takes “the bow” in 2Sam. 1:18 to be the name of a song.
LAID UP IN THE TEMPLE
In his own recounting of the event of the prolonged day of Joshua 10 the first century Jewish Roman historian Josephus identifies the Book of Jasher mentioned by Joshua as one of “the books laid up in the Temple” (Ant. 5:1:17). Thus the Book of Jasher was known to Josephus and was known to be among the books laid up in the Temple in the first century.
There is a Hebrew “Book of Jasher” which is said to have been first printed in Naples in 1552. However no copies of the 1552 edition have survived, and we are dependent instead on the 1625 Venice printing as the oldest known copy.
The 1625 edition of Jasher has a Preface, which says in part (translated from the Hebrew):
…when the holy city Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, all the military heads went in to rob and plunder, and among the officers of Titus was one whose name was Sidrus, who went in to search, and found in Jerusalem a house of great extent…
According to the preface this Sidrus found a false wall in this house with a hidden room. In this room he found an old man hiding with provisions and many books including the Book of Jasher The old man found favor with Sidrus who took the old man and his books with him.
The preface says “they went from city to city and from country to country until they reached Sevilia [a city in Spain].” At that time “Seville” was called “Hispalis” and was the capital of the Roman province of Hispalensis. The manuscript was donated to the Jewish college at Cordova, Spain.
This Book of Jasher is a narrative beginning with the creation of man and ends with the entry of Israel into Canaan.
The Book of Jasher passage related to Joshua 10:13 reads as follows:
“And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.
And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.” (Jasher 88:63-64)
And the Book of Jasher passage which relates to 2Sam. 1:18 involves Jacob’s last words to his son Judah:
“Only teach thy sons the bow and all weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies.” (Jasher 56:9)
This reads very similar to the midrash which gives these last words as:
“Thou, my son, art stronger than all thy brethren, and from thy loins will kings arise. Teach thy children how they may protect themselves from enemies and evil-doers”
It would seem that the author of Jasher did not create this account to fit with 2Sam. 1:18 since the same account occurs in the midrash (which itself may have been drawn from Jasher).
Certainly many serious scholars have concluded that this Book of Jasher is authentic. The well known Hebraist and Rabbinic Scholar (and translator of the 1840 Book of Jasher) Moses Samuel wrote of Jasher:
“…the book is, with the exception of some doubtful parts, a venerable monument of antiquity; and that, notwithstanding some few additions have been made to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains sufficient to prove it a copy of the book referred to in Joshua, ch. x, and 2 Samuel, ch. 1.” – Moses Samuel – Hebraist and Rabbinic Scholar
And my old friend and mentor, the late Dr. Cyrus Gordon (who was the world’s leading Semitist until his death) said:
“There can be little doubt that the book of Jasher was a national epic… The time is ripe for a fresh investigation of such genuine sources of Scripture, particularly against the background of the Dead Sea Scrolls.” – Dr. Cyrus Gordon
One of the chief objections given by skeptics to the authenticity of the 1625 Hebrew printing of the Book of Jasher is that our oldest known surviving copy is this printed Hebrew edition of 1625. Some have argued that the book itself was a forgery created by Rabbis in the Middle Ages.
Recently, while doing research for the Book of Jasher Study Project I discovered yet an important evidence for the ancient origin of this book, and incredible parallel with a document found among the Dead Sea Scrolls known as the Genesis Apocryphon.
The Genesis Apocryphon records a conversation between the biblical figure Lamech, son of Methuselah, and his son, Noah, as well as first and third person narratives associated with Abraham.
We read in the Book of Jasher (in parallel to Gen. 12:19-20):
29 And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household. 30 Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife. 31 And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid. 32 And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman. 33 And Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him. (Jasher 15:29-33)
The Genesis Apocryphon gives a first person account of these same events as given in the first person by Abraham himself with striking similarity:
So he called me to himself and asked me,”What have you done to me because of your wife [Sar]ai? You told 27me,’She is my sister,’ yet she was actually your wife! I took her as my own wife! Here she is; take her, go, depart from 28all the provinces of Egypt! But first, pray for me and my house that this evi]l spirit may be exorcised from us.” So I prayed for him, that blasphemer, 29and laid my hands upon his [he]ad. Thereupon the plague was removed from him, the evil [spirit] exorcised [from him, and he was hea]led. The king rose and [in]formed 30me . . . and the king swore to me with an oath that [he had not touched] her. Then [they brought] m[e] 31S[ar]ai. The king gave her much [silver and g]old, and great quantities of linen and purple-dyed garments [ . . . ] [he put them] 32before her, and before Hagar as well. He restored her to me and assigned men to escort [me out of Egypt . . (Genesis Apocryphon Col. 21 lines 26-32)
In both accounts Pharaoh gives Abram and Sarai gold and silver and other riches when they are escorted out of Egypt!
Another important parallel with the Dead Sea Scrolls occurs in the account of the Akeda. The Book of Jasher contains a prelude to the Akeda which parallels the event at the opening of Job:
46 And the day arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord. 47 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 48 And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee. 49 And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more. 50 Hast thou seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth. 51 And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten. 52 For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned. 53 Even from the time of his son’s birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee. 54 And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds. 55 And Satan answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words. (Jasher 22:46-55)
This has an interesting parallel to this prelude in the Dead Sea Scrolls:
And a son of love was born to Abraham and he named him Isaac. Now the Prince of Malevolence (Mastemah) came to God and brought his animosity to bear against Abraham because of Isaac…. (4Q225)
These parallels with the Dead Sea Scrolls are important because these scrolls were lost from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, until their discovery in 1947. These documents would not have been available to Jews in the middle ages! These parallels make it evident that the original Hebrew Book of Jasher is at the core of the text published in 1625 Venice edition.
We need your help today! We still need to raise $350 for bills hitting our account tonight (8/5/24) and we do not have it! Help us keep our account from going into the negative and starting a chain reaction of returned items and fees! In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, donations are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
The last two months have hit us very hard. It has been a long time since our situation was this dire. Any donation will help, and any donation is better than no donation.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
I realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.
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There is an old Jewish story of a couple about to be married. They lived in a small village and had invited everyone from the village to their wedding. Each guest was asked to bring a jug of wine for the celebration. Each jug of wine would be poured into a giant vat to be shared by everyone. As the wedding day approached, each member of the village thought, “If I do not bring my jug of wine, it will not be missed among so many other jugs.”
The wedding day arrived and the couple were married and everyone was excited. But as the tap of the vat was opened, not a drop of wine flowed from it, for everyone had been sure that someone else would provide their share. Do not count on someone else to do your part, you do your part.
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The last six weeks have hit us very hard. It has been a long time since our situation was this dire. We are treading water financially. We we have nearly $220 in pending charges that must clear our account tonight. This morning I am taking my wife to one of her many doctor appointments, where there will be a copay, plus I need to fill a prescription for her today that is just over $200 (that is our cost). We honestly need to raise about $500 today to cover these costs. Any donation will help, and any donation is better than no donation.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen, and to continue the work of the Scripture Restoration Project. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
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According to the Jewish tradition known as Kabbalah, as one approaches Ayn Sof (the Infinite One) one passes through four worlds. These four worlds are based on the four stages of the process of creation, each of which exists outside the dimension of time and thus they all are to be passed through as one approaches Ayn Sof.
These four worlds, or four stages of creation are laid out in the Tanak in the book of Isaiah:
All that is called in My Name, for My Glory (K’vod), I have created (Beri’ah) it, I have formed (Yetzirah) it, And I have made (Asiyyah) it. (Is. 43:7)
The four worlds are known as the World of Atzilut (emanation) ; the World of Beri’ah (creation), the World of Yetzirah (formation) and the World of Asiyyah (action).
When the Infinite One created the universe, His work of creation followed these four stages. Since all but the last of these worlds exists, like YHWH, outside the dimension of time, as one approaches YHWH from this world, one must pass though the upper three worlds which stand as stages of this world, or worlds of their own, between this creation and the Creator.
The First Century Jewish Writer Philo of Alexandria also writes about the Creation as unfolding in stages corresponding to other “worlds”. And while Philo is commonly understood of speaking of two worlds, a closer examination will show that Philo actually subdivides each of these two worlds into to two, so that Philo’s system actually has four worlds as well.
Philo writes of two worlds,
We must mention as much as we can of the matters contained in his account, since to enumerate them all is impossible; for he embraces that beautiful world which is perceptible only by the intellect, as the account of the first day will show: (16) for God, as apprehending beforehand, as a God must do, that there could not exist a good imitation without a good model, and that of the things perceptible to the external senses nothing could be faultless which wax not fashioned with reference to some archetypal idea conceived by the intellect, when he had determined to create this visible world, previously formed that one which is perceptible only by the intellect, in order that so using an incorporeal model formed as far as possible on the image of God, he might then make this corporeal world, a younger likeness of the elder creation, which should embrace as many different genera perceptible to the external senses, as the other world contains of those which are visible only to the intellect. (17) But that world which consists of ideas, it were impious in any degree to attempt to describe or even to imagine: but how it was created, we shall know if we take for our guide a certain image of the things which exist among us. When any city is founded through the exceeding ambition of some king or leader who lays claim to absolute authority, and is at the same time a man of brilliant imagination, eager to display his good fortune, then it happens at times that some man coming up who, from his education, is skilful in architecture, and he, seeing the advantageous character and beauty of the situation, first of all sketches out in his own mind nearly all the parts of the city which is about to be completed–the temples, the gymnasia, the prytanea, and markets, the harbour, the docks, the streets, the arrangement of the walls, the situations of the dwelling houses, and of the public and other buildings. (18) Then, having received in his own mind, as on a waxen tablet, the form of each building, he carries in his heart the image of a city, perceptible as yet only by the intellect, the images of which he stirs up in memory which is innate in him, and, still further, engraving them in his mind like a good workman, keeping his eyes fixed on his model, he begins to raise the city of stones and wood, making the corporeal substances to resemble each of the incorporeal ideas. (19) Now we must form a somewhat similar opinion of God, who, having determined to found a mighty state, first of all conceived its form in his mind, according to which form he made a world perceptible only by the intellect, and then completed one visible to the external senses, using the first one as a model. (On Creation 15b-19)
So this presents two worlds, one of incorporeal ideas, perceptible only to the intellect, and a corporeal world perceptible to our senses.
However these two worlds may be further divided. Philo says of the incorporeal world, that it is “an incorporeal model formed as far as possible on the image of God.” (On Creation 17)
And of the corporeal world Philo says:
(8) But Moses, who had early reached the very summits of philosophy, and who had learnt from the oracles of God the most numerous and important of the principles of nature, was well aware that it is indispensable that in all existing things there must be an active cause, and a passive subject; and that the active cause is the intellect of the universe, thoroughly unadulterated and thoroughly unmixed, superior to virtue and superior to science, superior even to abstract good or abstract beauty; (9) while the passive subject is something inanimate and incapable of motion by any intrinsic power of its own, but having been set in motion, and fashioned, and endowed with life by the intellect, became transformed into that most perfect work, this world. And those who describe it as being uncreated, do, without being aware of it, cut off the most useful and necessary of all the qualities which tend to produce piety, namely, providence: (On Creation 9-9)
So that the corporeal world is composed of a stage or world that is merely a “passive subjectinanimate and incapable of motion by any intrinsic power of its own” but which “became transformed into… this world” when it was “set in motion, and fashioned, and endowed with life by the intellect,” (On Creation 9)
This means that Philo of Alexandria actually presents four “worlds” or “four stages of creation”: The image of Elohim, the incorporeal model formed as far as possible on the “image of God”. A corporeal “passive subject” and “this world” which is “set in motion.”
Philo’s Four Worlds correspond exactly with the Four Worlds of Kabbalah! This tells us that either the Four Worlds as taught in Kabbalah are either derived from Philo of Alexandria, or that (more likely) both Kabbalah and Philo of Alexandria are referencing a very ancient Jewish tradition of the “Four Worlds” that dates back at least to the First Century, but possibly much, much further into ancient times.
In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, donations are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org
Thanksgiving is not heathen. Thanksgiving is the only non-heathen holiday that is widely observed in the U.S. We have a lot to thank the Pilgrims for Religiously and Politically. They were persecuted in Europe because Yahweh and His Scriptures were their Supreme Authority, not the Crown or the Church (the Church of England or the Catholic Church). As Americans our Experience is based in part on the history of the story of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims are our intellectual, theological, political, economical, and social “fathers and mothers” of our unique American Experience. They were Separatist who did not celebrate Christmas and Easter as they did not see a biblical basis for it, and wanted to truly finish and complete the Reformation in Spirit and Truth. They were “Separatist” from the corrupt and unbiblical practices of both the Church of England and Catholicism. They were persecuted because of this by the Church of England and James I (the same James who authorized the King James Version of the Bible of 1611 as penitence for his homosexual activities) as the “head” (based on the belief of the Divine Right of Kings and Apostolic Succession) for not conforming to the evil and unscriptural practices of the Church. They met in homes. Studied straight from Scripture and believed Scripture, and only, Scripture was the normative instruction (positive and negative) for the life of a believer. They had an Eldership. Made decisions as a community of believers. Had property and things in common. Wrote pamphlets against the established government and religious systems and were driven out of England and Holland for all of these actions. Wow! Their beliefs and actions established the groundwork for the U.S. and its ideals of freedom of worship, freedom of speech, due process, trial by jury, etc. How we have so strayed!
The Pilgrims viewed the first “thanksgiving meal” at Plymouth as a Thanksgiving Offering (Lev. 7:11-13) to Yahweh for giving them safe passage to the New World based on the commands found in Psalm 107 to give thanks after arriving safe from a long journey on a ship (See Psalm 107:23-32). (The Pilgrims viewed the New World as a Promised Land where Yah was bringing them to worship Him without being persecuted by the government and established church.)
Point is, Thanksgiving is not a heathen feast as the Pilgrims were nonconforming, free thinkers, guided by Yahweh’s Word and His Spirit and established a community to advance and practice the aforementioned ideals in word and deed—for this I am thankful because it is hard to imagine a world without people who were willing to break away from the system and do what is Scripturally sound and true, even though it was painful, hurtful, and subjected them to persecution, poverty and the like. This is what I will be Thanking and Praising Yahweh for this Thanksgiving; for because of the Pilgrims (and Yahweh’s Power and Guidance) we can have independent meetings in homes and the like without fear of being persecuted and dragged into prison for not conforming to the religious and/or political majority.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. (Psa 107:21-32)
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We need your help today!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org.
I recently wrote a series of four blogs on Messianic Prophecy in the lost books of the Tanak (Part1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) In that series I explored the idea that there are many Messianic Prophecies in the “Lost Books” of the Tanak, many of which are being restored to us in these last days.
It has been said that there are over 365 Messianic prophecies in the Tanak. This article is, however, about an important Messianic prophecy found in the Wisdom of Solomon.
One of the most beautiful pictures of Messiah in the Torah is that of the brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness to heal the people. We read in the Torah:
[6] And YHWH sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. [7] Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH, and against thee; pray unto YHWH, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. [8] And YHWH said unto Moses, Make you a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. [9] And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:6-9).
In the Wisdom of Solomon we are told that this “fiery serpent” represented a “sign of salvation (Yeshua)” the “Savior of all”: (“Yeshua is Hebrew for “salvation”)
[5] For when the horrible fierceness of beasts came upon these, and they perished with the stings of crooked serpents, your wrath endured not for ever: [6] But they were troubled for a small season, that they might be admonished, having a sign of salvation, to put them in remembrance of the commandment of your Torah. [7] For he that turned himself toward it was not saved by the thing that he saw, but by you, that are the Savior of all. (Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-7)
In the Good News according to Yochanan , Messiah boldly identified himself as this “Savior” saying:
13 And no man has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven– the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14 And as Moshe raised up the serpent in the wilderness, thus the Son of Man will be raised, 15 So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:13-15 NHRV)
28 Yeshua said to them again: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He. And I did not do a thing of My own, but as My Father taught Me, so I speak. (John 8:28 NHRV)
32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Me. (John 12:32 NHRV)
Why was this serpent a type of Messiah? Because the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew word for “serpent” (נחש) is 358 which is also the gematria of the word “Messiah” (משיח) 358 is also the gematria for the phrase “Shiloh comes” (יבא שילה) (Gen. 49:10). This is why the Talmud says that “Shiloh” is one of the names of Messiah (b.San. 98b) and why the Targums paraphrase the word “Shiloh” as “Messiah” in in Gen. 49:10.l.
We must raise $500 by the end of the day today (8/12/24) to cover bills including nearly $300 for my wife’s pain medication. (My wife is chronically ill, suffers chronic pain and is disabled, I am her care taker).I need to pick up that medication today.
The time is short, and there is much work to be done. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or Go Fund Me.
Book of Enoch: Wisdom Dwelt Among Men By James Scott Trimm
I recently wrote a series of four blogs on Messianic Prophecy in the lost books of the Tanak (Part1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) In that series I explored the idea that there are many Messianic Prophecies in the “Lost Books” of the Tanak, many of which are being restored to us in these last days.
It has been said that there are over 365 Messianic prophecies in the Tanak. This article is, however, about an important Messianic prophecy you may never have heard of, found in the Book of Enoch.
1 Wisdom found no place where she might dwell; Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens. 2 Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of men, And found no dwelling-place: Wisdom returned to her place, And took her seat among the angels. 3 And unrighteousness went forth from her chambers: Whom she sought not she found, And dwelt with them, As rain in a desert And dew on a thirsty land. (1Enoch 42:1-3)
To understand this prophecy better let us look at a parallel prophecy in the Book of Baruch. Baruch was the Scribe of Jeremiah. The Book of Baruch is a book found among those known as the Apocrypha. These are books which are considered canonical by all pre-Protestant Christian churches. They are cited by authors of the so-called “New Testament” frequently, and quoted by the so-called “Church Fathers” right along side the others.
The Book of Baruch also speaks of Wisdom personified saying:
29 Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her [wisdom] and brought her down from the clouds? 30 Who has gone over the sea, and found her, and will buy her for pure gold? (Baruch 3:29-30)
This is a reference back to the Torah where we read:
9 And YHWH your Elohim will make you over-abundant in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good; for YHWH will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers, 10 If you shall hearken to the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Torah; if you turn unto YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul. 11 For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say: `Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should says: `Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?’ 14 But the word if very near unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. 15 See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, 16 In that I command you this day to love YHWH your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statues and His ordinances; then you shall live and multiply, and YHWH your Elohim shall bless you in the land where you go in to possess it. (Deut. 30:9-16)
Then a few lines later Baruch writes (also concerning the personification of Wisdom):
37 Afterward she appeared upon earth and lived among men. 4:1 She is the book of the commandments of Elohim, and the Torah that endures forever. All who hold fast will live, and those who forsake her fast will die. (Baruch 3:29-30)
This is what Enoch means when he writes:
1 Wisdom found no place where she might dwell; Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens. 2 Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of men, And found no dwelling-place: Wisdom returned to her place, And took her seat among the angels. (1Enoch 42:1-2)
The phrase “and took her seat among the angels” is also reflected in the words of Psalm 110:
YHWH says unto my Adon: Sit you at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. (Ps. 110:1 HRV)
Let us now look at a passage of the Ketuvim Netzarim which Christians have totally misunderstood, Romans 10:4. It appears in the most Christian translations to say that “Christ is the end of the law”. The Aramaic word used for “end” here is SAKA. Back in 1893 when James Murdock S.T.D. (A Christian) translated the Aramaic Peshitta into English for the first time, he translated this word as “aim”. He noted the original Aramaic word in the margin and further defined it “end, scope, summary”. This Aramaic word is used in the Rabbinic literature to mean “number” “sum” or “total”. In the Babylonian Talmud this word is used as follows “…the SUM of pupils for a teacher in the primary class is twenty five” (b.Bat. 21a) The root verb for this Aramaic noun means “to calculate, count, sum up” or “to look out for, to hope for”.
With this Aramaic word, Paul is saying, not that the Messiah is the TERMINATION of the Torah, but that Messiah is the aim, goal, scope, summary, number, total and sum of the Torah! Paul is saying that the Messiah is the Torah. Messiah is the sum of the Torah.
Rom 10:5 then continues with:
For Moses thus wrote of the righteousness that is by the Torah that `he who does these will live by them.’ (Lev. 18:5)
Remember now, Paul has just said that the Messiah is the sum of the Torah, and now he is quoting the Torah to prove that “life” comes from the Torah.
Then in Rom. 10:6-8 Paul continues:
And of the righteousness that is by trust, he thus says: `Do not say in your heart: who has ascended to heaven’ (Deut. 30:12) and brought down the Messiah? `And who has descended’ to the depth of She’ol `and brought up’ (Deut. 13:13) the Messiah from among the dead? But what does it say? `The answer is near to you, to your mouth and to your heart,’ (Deut. 30:14) which is the word of trust that we proclaim”
Now Christian commentators have taken Paul to be contrasting “the righteousness that is by the Torah” (Rom. 10:5) with “the righteousness that is by faith” (Rom. 10:6) to prove that Messiah is the “end”/”termination” of the Law as stated in Rom. 10:4.
There are several problems with this interpretation.
To begin with, we have already shown that Paul’s point in Rom. 10:4 is not that Messiah is the termination of the law, but that Messiah is the goal and sum of the Torah.
Secondly Rom. 10:5 and Rom 10:6f both quote passages from the Torah to prove their points.
Thirdly, these commentators totally mangle the point Paul is making in Rom. 10:6-8.
When Paul was teaching the Bereans in Acts 17, we are told that they checked “the Scriptures” to see if what Paul said could be found there, and Paul said they were more noble than others he had taught, for doing this. Now the only Scriptures they had at the time were those of the Tanak (“Old Testament”) so Paul would look to the passages he cites from the Tanak to see that we are applying his words accurately as they are in the Tanak.
So lets be good Bereans and look at the portion of Torah Paul actually quotes in Rom. 10:6-8, see what it actually says in context, and see how Paul is using it. Paul is quoting from Deut. 30:12-14.
Now the first and most important point is that in Deut. 30:12-13 it is the Torah that we do not have to have brought down to us, but in Paul’s citations in Rom. 10:6-7 it is the “Messiah” who does not have to be brought down to us. Paul is applying his logic that Messiah is the sum of the Torah from Rom. 10:4 (thus reaffirming that we are correct in our understanding of SAKA in Rom. 10:4).
In Baruch that which is brought down from heaven in Deut. 30:12-13 is personified Wisdom (compare 1Cor. 1:24 ) which is identified with an incarnation of the Torah itself having come down to earth to dwell with men.
Moreover, when Paul says “the answer is near to you, to your mouth, and to your heart, which is the word of trust that we proclaim” (Rom. 10:8) Deut. Says “But the WORD is very near unto you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deut. 30:14). So the “answer” and the “word of trust/faith” in Rom. 10:8 is the “word” in Deut. 30:14, but in Deut. 30:14 that “word” is CLEARLY the Torah! In other words Rom. 10:8 might be understood “the TORAH is near to you, to your mouth, and to your heart, which is the TORAH of trust/faith that we proclaim”.
Fourth, we find that Deut. 30:15-16 parallel the meaning of Lev. 18:5 so that we can see that Paul is citing these two passages together, not because he is contrasting them, but because they teach the same thing!
Finally if we look back to Rom. 10:6 which is quoting Deut. 30:12 and we look closely at the phrase Paul quotes “who shall go up for us to heaven” in the original Hebrew of Deut. 30:12, and if we take the first letter of each word to from a new word (this is a technique known as “Notarikon”) then we spell the Hebrew word MILAH (which can mean “word” or “circumcision”) and if we take the last letter of each word we find the name YHWH, so hidden and embedded in this Hebrew phrase is the phrase “Word of YHWH”. Paul’s point is that both the Messiah and the Torah are the “Word of YHWH”.
Just as the Tanak identifies the Torah as the Way (Deut. 9:12; 11:22-28; 30:15-16) the Truth (Ps. 119:142, 151) the Life (Deut. 32:46-47) the Light (Prov. 6:23; Ps. 119:105; Is. 8:20; 51:4) and the Word (Is. 1:10; 2:3) the Ketuvim Netzarim identifies Yeshua as the Messiah as the Way, the Truth, the Life (Jn. 14:6) the Light (Jn. 8:12; 1:4-5, 9; 3:19; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46; 14:6) and the Word (Jn. 1:1-3; 14-18; Rev. 19:13). Because the Messiah is the Torah itself incarnate which “appeared on earth and lived among men” (Baruch 3:29).
This is exactly what Enoch is saying because Enoch then writes in 42:3:
3 And unrighteousness went forth from her chambers: Whom she sought not she found, And dwelt with them, As rain in a desert And dew on a thirsty land. (1Enoch 42:1-3)
And Paul goes on to quote Isaiah a little further down in Romans 10 saying:
And Yesha’yahu was bold and said, I was seen by those who did not seek Me, and I was found by those who did not ask for Me. (Is. 65:1) (Romans 10:20 HRV)
Thus Paul clearly has not only the Book of Baruch and Deuteronomy in mind in Romans 10 but also 1Enoch 42:1-3 as well!
Donations have been very low, leaving us behind. In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. We must raise $500 by the end of the day tomorrow (8/12/24) to cover bills including nearly $300 for my wife’s pain medication. (My wife is chronically ill, suffers chronic pain and is disabled, I am her care taker). The time is short, and there is much work to be done. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
We need your help to continue the ongoing work, bringing the message of Messiah to the Jewish people, and bringing the message of Torah to the world. We need your help with the ongoing work of Scripture Restoration, as restore the original Hebrew of the “New Testament” books, a project which will bless all mankind, especially the Jewish people of Israel.
In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, donations are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or Go Fund Me.
The Pilgrims were a splinter group from the fringes of the Puritan movement. Many of them were leaving a Britain which was too politically difficult for them, to start a “perfect” new world.
The first feast lasted three days when thay celebrated their first harvest in 1621,which, thanks to a little help from their native American friends, was abundant.
Thanksgiving as a “holiday” comes from a cross between a conventional harvest festival and the belief of the Pilgrim Fathers when, after serious hardship which had whittled their numbers down from 105 to 43, they finally realized their settlement was going to make it.
Thanksgiving was influenced in part by the English and continental European Harvest festivals popular in the Puritan movement, with churches decorated with cornucopias, pumpkins, corn, wheat sheaves, and other harvest bounty, English and European harvest hymns sung on Thanksgiving weekend and scriptural lections drawn from the biblical stories relating to the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November 1863. U.S. Presidents annually declared a Thanksgiving Day each year on the final Thursday of November. In 1938 F.D.R. broke with this tradition, moving Thanksgiving to the next-to-last Thursday in November.
On October 6, 1941 the U.S. Legislature passed a joint resolution setting this last-Thursday date for the holiday beginning in 1942. But, in December of that year the Senate passed an amendment requiring that Thanksgiving be observed each year on the fourth Thursday of November (This was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes the next to last). On December 26, 1941 F.D.R. signed the bill into law, for the first time making the date of Thanksgiving a matter of federal law.
Thanksgiving is not of pagan origin, it originates from the Puritan pilgrims who were influenced by the biblical harvest festival of Sukkot.
We need your help to continue the ongoing work, bringing the message of Messiah to the Jewish people, and bringing the message of Torah to the world. We need your help with the ongoing work of Scripture Restoration, as restore the original Hebrew of the “New Testament” books, a project which will bless all mankind, especially the Jewish people of Israel.
Our $300 electric bill is past due, and our rent is due in just five days! We need your help today!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with myself, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org.
Donations can be sent by Paypal, Zelle or Go Fund Me
LET’S REMEMBER THE MEANING OF THANKSGIVING DAY By Raymond Mc Nair (The PLAIN TRUTH Magazine November 1976)
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving day…, do we Americans realize the real source and the true extent of our many blessings? Have we Americans carelessly forgotten the real meaning of Thanksgiving day?…
Brief History of Thanksgiving
In December 1620. the Mayflower anchored at Plymouth Rock. Massachusetts. A small band of 103 Pilgrims landed on the bleak . wintry coast of present-day Massachusetts. intending to set up a new colony – a Christian commonwealth – where they could wors hip God according to the dictates of their consciences. Before landing at Plymouth. the Pilgrims drew up the “Mayflower Compact” by which they intended to govern themselves:
“We whose names arc underwritten. the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James. Having undertaken. for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country. a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia. do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one another. Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic. for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid …. “
That terrible winter of 1620-21 took a frightful toll in sickness and death among the brave Pilgrims. Only 56 o ut of the 103 who landed there survived. But with spring, new hope budded. Each Pilgrim family now had a home. And they were blessed with the friendship of a friendly and helpful Indian named Squanto.
During the spring of 1621. the Pilgrim settlers planted 20 acres of corn. 6 of barley. plus some peas. All summer long they anxiously tended their first crop in the New World – for they knew that their very lives depended upon the successful maturing of that crop. The corn and barley did well. but the hot sun parched the peas.
The First Thanksgiving Day This hardy band of Pilgrims were accustomed to the English thanksgiving celebrations. observed after the British had defeated the French in 1386 and the Spanish in 1588 when their “‘ Invincible Armada” had sailed against England. Furthermore. during their brief stay in Holland the devout Pilgrims had seen the Dutch celebrate a day of thanksgiving for their victory over the Spaniards in October 1575.
It was quite natural, therefore, for the Pilgrims to observe a day of thanksgiving after anxiously watching their crops ripen during the long summer of 1621. After the harvesting of a bumper crop. their governor. William Bradford. set aside a day for special feasting and thanksgiving. For three days the women folk served the men at long tables. That first thanksgiving feast included wild turkeys. wood pigeons. partridges. ducks, geese, Indian pudding, hoecake. and fish. After dinner. the Pilgrims entertained their Indian guests by demonstrating their firearms. while the Indians did the same with their bows. A lso they participated in various athletic events, games, and races.
Other Days of Thanksgiving many different days of thanksgiving were observed by the people of the Thirteen Colonies for various reasons during the decades which followed. Various thanksgiving days were observed in grateful appreciation for bountiful crops. victories, and deliverance from pestilence. In 1742. the governor of Georgia, James Oglethorpe. issued the following thanksgiving proclamation as a result of the dramatic victory which the English won over the Spaniards in the southeastern part of America, so wonderfully were we protected and preserved, that in this great and formidable conflict but few of our men were taken, and but three killed. Truly the Lord has done great things for us. by rescuing us from the power of a numerous foe. who boasted that they would conquer and dispossess us. Not our strength or might have saved us: our salvation is of the Lord. “Therefore it is highly becoming us to render thanks to God our deliverer. … “
The Continental Congress also proclaimed several days of thanksgiving during the American Revolution – days during which the colonists could rejoice in their homes and churches for victories won. In 1778. General George Washington proclaimed a day on which to give thanks for the important treaties which the Thirteen Colonies had just concluded with France.
Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
In 1789. during the first year of his presidency, George Washington issued America’s first Thanksgiving day proclamation. thereby selling a precedent for succeeding presidents to follow.
In Washington’s national Thanksgiving proclamation, he said:
” . .. it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will to be grateful for His benefits. and humbly to implore His protection and favor:”
President Washington. therefore. set aside November 26, 1789 to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the
‘”beneficent author of all the good that was, that is or that will be: that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks.”
Washington asked his fellow Americans to give thanks for their God-given victories during the Revolutionary War, for
“tranquility, union. and plenty … [for] constitutions of government for our safety and happiness. and particularly the national one … for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed … for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.”
Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
The next Thanksgiving day proclamation was made by President Abraham Lincoln. During the bloody Civil War, many Americans came to look upon that conflict as a punishment from the hand of God. Abraham Lincoln also believed that to be so. He issued the nation’s second Thanksgiving day proclamation on October 3. 1863:
“This year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary nature that they cannot fail 10 penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God …. “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. who. while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy . .. . “
Earlier that same year. on March 30, 1863, President Lincoln had designated a day of fasting and prayer that God might restore peace and union to the nation. In that proclamation he said:
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven: we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. Bu t we have forgotten God …. “
President Lincoln, therefore, proclaimed “the 30th day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in the hope that the American people might be reconciled God. forgiven, and healed.
Needed: A Modern-day Lincoln
America today faces far greater threats than during our terrible Civil War. Each year millions die prematurely – because we have forgotten the laws of God. Our fair land is polluted. The food we eat, the water we drink and the very air millions of us breathe is polluted. Violence and sex fill our TV screens and pornography seems to be everywhere. Crime, juvenile delinquency, and lawlessness climb relentlessly. Corruption and bribery are rampant. Immorality and licentiousness fill our land. Divorce and broken homes are common.
Truly. America needs another Abraham Lincoln to call the nation to fasting and prayer – with thanksgiving to God for our many blessings – so that we can be delivered from these things that seriously threaten to des troy this great nation of ours.
America needs to heed the words of her first president. given in his farewell address: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity. religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
Also. we need to remember the advice of America’s dynamic President Teddy Roosevelt who encouraged “the virtues of courage. honor, justice, truth , sincerity, and hardihood – the virtues that made America. The things that will destroy America’s prosperity –at any price, peace-at-any-price, safety first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
General Douglas MacArthur also gave America these sobering words on December 12, 1951:
… . . It is essential that every spiritual force be mobilized to defend and preserve the religious base upon which this nation was founded. For it is that base which has been the motivating impulse to our moral and national growth . History fails to record a single precedent in which Nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual reawakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”
As Americans observe their upcoming Thanksgiving day they must remember that it is meant to be a day of thanksgiving to the Creator-Ruler of the world for the many blessings he has bestowed upon this great nation.
Our rent is due in four days and our electric bill is past due!In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!
As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.
If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.
Now is time to step up to the plate!
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org
Donations can be sent by Paypal, Zelle or Go Fund Me
Messiah in the Lost Books of the Tanak Part 4 The Restoration
There are at least 365 Messianic prophecies in the Tanak, pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah. In parts 1-3 we have demonstrated that there are also additional prophecies found in the books known as the “Apocrypha” as well as in the Book of Enoch.
This is however, only the beginning.
There are frequent references in the Tanak to “lost books” that are cited in the Tanak bu which do not appear in our current canon. These “lost books” include the following:
Book of the Wars of YHWH (Num. 21:14)
The Book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18)
Manner of the Kingdom by Samuel (1 Sam. 10:25)
Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)
Book of Samuel the Seer (1 Chron. 29:29)
Book of Gad the Seer (1 Chron. 29:29)
Book of Nathan the Prophet (1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29)
Prophecy of Abijah (2 Chron. 9:29)
Visions of Iddo the Seer (2 Chron. 9:29; 12:15)
The Midrash of Iddo (2 Chron. 13:22)
Book of Shemiah (2 Chron. 12:15)
Book of Jehu (2 Chron. 20:34)
Acts of Uzziah by Isaiah (2 Chron. 26:22)
Sayings of the Seers (2 Chron. 33:19)
Our current Tanak is just a small portion of the sacred Scriptures our forefathers once had in so called “Old Testament Times”. So what became of these books?
In Part 3 we learned that Rabbi Semeon had said concerning the Book of Enoch (a book which is actually quoted in Jude 1:13-14):
Rabbi Simeon said: ‘Had I been alive when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave mankind the book of Enoch and the book of Adam, I would have endeavoured to prevent their dissemination, because not all wise men read them with proper attention, and thus extract from them perverted ideas, such as lead men astray from the Most High to the worship of strange powers. Now, however, the wise who understand these things keep them secret, and thereby fortify themselves in the service of their Master.’ (Zohar 1:72b)
And that the so-called “Church Father” Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 240 CE) wrote around the same time period:
But since Enoch in the same Scripture has preached likewise concerning the Lord, nothing at all must be rejected by us which pertains to us; and we read that “every Scripture suitable for edification is divinely inspired.” [110] By the Jews it may now seem to have been rejected for that (very) reason, just like all the other (portions) nearly which tell of Christ. Nor, of course, is this fact wonderful, that they did not receive some Scriptures which spake of Him whom even in person, speaking in their presence, they were not to receive. To these considerations is added the fact that Enoch possesses a testimony in the Apostle Jude. [111] (Tertullian; The Apparel of Women”; Fathers of the Church 3,1,1-3)
In other words “the Jews” (i.e. Rabbinic Judaism rather than Nazarene Judaism) had removed material from the canon which was too clear in pointing to Yeshua as the Messiah.
Many examples can be found in the books of the Apocrypha and Book of Enoch (as shown in parts 1-3) but many examples can be given from other “lost books” as well.
For example in the Greek text of Matthew 27:9-10 (as well as in the DuTillet and Munster Hebrew texts) a prophecy is attributed to Jeremiah which is not to be found in our current text of Jeremiah (though very similar passage does appear in Zech. 11:12-13.) (However in the Shem Tob Hebrew and the Old Syriac and Peshitta Aramaic versions have only “the Prophet” and not “The Prophet Jeremiah” (Some Shem Tob texts have “The Prophet Zechariah”).)
According to the fourth century “Church Father” Jerome these exact words (in Matt. 27:9-10) actually appeared in a (now lost) Apocryphon of Jeremiah (2nd Jeremiah?) which was in the hands of the fourth century Nazarenes. Jerome wrote:
“Recently I read in a certain Hebrew book that a Hebrew from the Nazarene sect brought to me, the apocryphon of Jeremiah, in which I found this text written word for word.” (Jerome; Commentary on Matthew 27:9)
In the King James Version of Matthew we read:
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:23 KJV)
The Hebrew (Shem Tob, DuTillet and Munster) and Aramaic (Old Syriac and Peshitta) all have singular “prophet” while the Greek has “prophets”.
Anti-missionaries have claimed that there is no such prophecy and that the reference was simply invented. Of course there is no motive for the author of Matthew to cite a prophecy that did not exist, as doing so would only discredit his book. This was one of the prophecies found in the lost books of the Tanak.
The 365 prophecies in the Tanak that point to Yeshua as the Messiah, are only a fragment of of the vast number of prophecies once contained in books now lost to us. These lost prophecies were also far less vague that the prophecies which remained in the Tanak.
The good news is that much of this material will one day be restored to us as part of that which was prophesied in the Book of Enoch:
But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or diminish ought from my words but write them all down truthfully –all that I first testified concerning them. Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. And to them shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who have learnt therefore all the paths of uprightness be recompensed.’ (1Enoch 104:10-13)
Enoch was speaking of this generation. I have been given several projects that will put more of the Word of YHWH into the hands of the people, with online interlinear texts etc. There is much work to be done, and less time than ever in which to get it done.
The time is near at hand in which “the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” (Isaiah 29:18)
The 365 Messianic prophecies are only a shadow of a much larger and much clearer set of Messianic prophecies which were once in the Scriptures and which will one day be restored to us!
Donations have been low and bills are due. We need your help today! We must raise at least $160 by the end of the day today or our account will go into the negative and start a chain reaction of returned items and bills!
For some time now my wife is very ill, and I spend most of my time at home as her caretaker.
I am at home and in a position to dedicate many hours to this important work that I have been directed to do.
But I also realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.
Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org or by Zelle or Go Fund Me
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