Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government

> Articles   > Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government Doctrine or Teaching of the Nicolaitans and Church Government In the Bible, among many questions, the commonly asked question is about the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans and about church government. Over the years, scholars have debated on what these mean and many church institutions have used these words to create their own doctrine over the centuries. The aim of this study paper is to answer the following key questions: What is the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) hates? Did Elohim (God) create a church government or a hierarchical rule? How many times do we find the word “government” in the scriptures/Bible? What are the scriptures that churches use to promote the ideologies of a government in a church? What did Elohim teach about serving His people? What is the master plan of the father of Nicolaitans? What is the doctrine or teaching of the Nicolaitans that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) hates? In order to understand what the scriptures mean by the word “Nicolaitans”, we need to find out how many times this word appears in the scriptures. The word “Nicolaitans” appears in the scriptures as follows: Word Number of times it appears in the scriptures Nicolaitans 2 The word “Nicolaitans” comes from the Greek word “Nikolaites” (pronounced as “nik-ol-ah-ee-tace”). Concordance number is 3531, 3532 and 3534. The word means destruction of people or conquer over people. The word “conquer” means to use force and control over someone. “Nicolaitans means a system run by evangelists, elders, bishops, popes, rabbis, priests and modern day prophets that have forced its people (members) to submit to their dominion (rulership)”. Here we see religious leaders ruling over its members. The members have to do what they tell you to do. That is, they have dominion over your faith. They tell you what you need to believe, what instructions to follow and not to follow from the scriptures. Let us now look at the verses where the word “Nicolaitans” is found in the scriptures. The word “Nicolaitans” appears twice in the scriptures and is found in the book of Revelation. Revelation 2:6 — “Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate”. Revelation 2:15 — “So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which I hate”. You need to understand that the book of Revelation is a coded (concealed) book. This means that the writings are put in the form of a code (that conveys a secret message) and the key to understand these writings is given to the “servants of the Messiah”. That is why the book starts with “The Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach which Elohim gave Him to show to His servants the things that must shortly occur” (Revelation 1:1). So the revelation and the understanding are given to the servants of the Messiah. They are not given to the casual person who attends their church/synagogue or to a Bible reader. Origin of the Nicolaitans When we look for the definition of the term “Nicolaitans” from biblical and secular dictionaries/commentaries, a common theme that stands out is through the words “conquer” and “hierarchy”. For instance, the Catholic Church, Council of Trent stated: "If any one said, that in the Catholic Church there is no hierarchy instituted by divine ordination consisting of bishops, priests, and deacons; let him be anathema" (Council of Trent, session XXIII, canon VI on the sacrament of Order). The word “anathema” means disfellowshipped, cursed or excommunicated. One could say that if anyone says there is no hierarchy in a church that will exercise authority over others, then let such a person be under a curse. One must ask the question, where did all this originate from or where did it begin? In order to understand this question, we need to go back in time to find out who the first Nicolaitans were. We know that the word “Nicolaitans” means to “conquer”. So the next question that arises is who was the first and great conqueror who led the people to destruction and rebellion in the Bible? From the scriptures, we know that in the beginning: “Cush brought forth Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before YHWH; therefore it is said, like Nimrod the mighty hunter before YHWH” (Genesis 10:8-9). While it is easy to read the above verse as reading a newspaper, it is important to know what the Hebrew words actually mean. Let us decode the above verses. Nimrod: comes from the Hebrew word “Nimrowd”, pronounced as “Nim-rode”, concordance number 5248. The word means rebellion. Began: comes from Hebrew word “Chalal”, pronounced as “Khaw-lal”, concordance number 2490. The word means to profane or desecrate.  Mighty one: comes from the Hebrew word “gibbowr”, pronounced as “ghib-bore”, concordance number 1368. The word means a powerful tyrant.  Earth: comes from the Hebrew word “erets”, pronounced as “eh-rets”, concordance number 776. The word means the whole earth. Hunter: comes from the Hebrew word “tsayid”, pronounced as “tsah-yid”, concordance number 6718. The word means hunting for provision. Before: comes from the Hebrew word “paniym”, pronounced as “paw-neem”, concordance number 6440. The word means in the face of. By decoding Genesis 10:8-9, we can say Nimrod became a powerful tyrant whose dominion spread all over the earth. He was a rebel who taught people to rebel (not to follow God) against the Most High (YHWH) and profaned whatever God created honourable. He was all the time in the face of the Most High and wanted to destroy the Most High. He ruled the world as per his laws that desecrated the laws of the Most High. In a nutshell, we can say that he was the supreme leader of the one-world authoritarian religious government that led mankind away from the true worship of YHWH. He put people into bondage (slavery) and created a financial one-world trade system that fed his own provisions. From the scriptures, we understand that Nimrod’s father was Cush. Cush was the son of Ham. Ham was the son of Noah. Cush lived in the land of Shinar. This is where the first civilization succeeded after the flood. The Land of Shinar was a general geographic term for what is referred today as Iraq, known in ancient times as Mesopotamia. Nimrod’s one-world government started in Babylon (Babel in Hebrew), which was in the land of Shinar. Josephus, a well-known Jewish historian, wrote this about Nimrod and his one-world government: “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront (insult) and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He (Nimrod) persuaded them not to ascribe (attribute) it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!” “Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice (weakness) to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, at first, to be less than it really was. It was built of burned brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen (slime), that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he (God) caused a disturbance among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another.” “The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, Confusion” (The New Complete Works of Josephus, published in 1999, Book 1, Chapter 4, Paragraph 2-113 to Paragraph 3-117, page 56 to 57).  What we can understand from the writings of Josephus is that Nimrod firstly united people under his government. Then, when people put their trust in him, he turned into a tyrant. He then created a religious system under the banner of unity, whose main purpose was to desolate the laws and decrees of the Most High. He taught people not to depend on God, but to depend on the government (of Nimrod) for all their needs. He technically was teaching people that God is an evil God that destroyed the world with flood and we do not need to depend on him for our needs. Nimrod’s dominion extended all over the earth. He brought every tribe and people under his government so that he alone could sit on his throne and rule them. Nimrod was also a mighty hunter. When you go hunting, the three important skills you need to have are intelligence, leadership and skill. It is not easy to bring people from all over the world for one task which was to build a great tower to fight the Most High. There is no doubt that Nimrod had a master plan. His plan would be passed from one generation to another so that a day would come when one of his seed would use his plans to make his dream come true for a “one-world authoritarian religious government”. After Nimrod, we find another person coming in the book of Daniel who had a similar vision. This person was Nebuchadnezzar (king of the Neo-Babylonian empire, also called the Chaldean empire) who was a prototype of Nimrod having the same wide-stretching ambition (Daniel 2:37-38). What we can understand from Genesis is that the master plan of Nimrod would always be passed from one generation to another, until its final fulfilment which we will discuss in the later part of this study.  Nimrod was the father and founder of the Nicolaitans and was the first great ruler of the people. The whole system of government was founded on his ideologies. The entire system was created in order to unify the people in the world into one religious system with the same beliefs, doctrines and trade system. The system was meant to transform people into slaves, so that the Nicolaitans, who ran the system, could live via the slaves who work for their system. Teaching of the Nicolaitans is basically when religious leaders rule over others. This is something God hates because man was always to be ruled only by its creator. So who is our creator? Our creator is YHWH, creator of the universe. So then how can the so-called evangelists, priests, pope and other ministers rule over us under the banner of religion? The reason is we have allowed it to happen. The day when we tell God that we want to follow religious leaders, then God allows these leaders to rule over us. This is the teaching that YHWH hates. From the time of creation, man was to obey God and listen to God, not men. This was the system that was put in place by God. Because of our rebellion towards God, we created our own manmade religious system where we started to listen to what men tell us. The system that Nimrod once started still flourishes all around the world. In today’s system, we give our support to the church that tells us what to do. God is just a picture of imagination for these churches. This is the reason why God is not real for millions of people in this world. We have put our trust and faith in men and in churches, who we believe can save us, which is the doctrine of Nicolaitans that originated from Nimrod, the father of all Nicolaitans. This is the doctrine and teaching that God hates. Did Elohim (God) create a church government or a hierarchical rule? When we go to most churches, we will hear ministers and evangelists shouting at the top of their voice that no authority exists unless they are appointed by God. Technically, they are saying that God has appointed them in that position and we must listen to them. We can say that God assigns everything and all power exists because of His will. For example, we know from the scriptures that Nebuchadnezzar came into power because God let it happen. As Nebuchadnezzar had already made his mind to be a king to rule his vast empire, God allowed it to happen. God had a plan to use a king like Nebuchadnezzar for His people of Israel, which we find out later in the Tanakh (Old Testament). While it may take some time for us to comprehend the fact that God would allow such a king to rule the world during the period of Daniel the prophet, the truth cannot be hidden. Yes, God did let it happen. Similarly, when Adolf Hitler came into power, again God let it happen. God knew what Hitler would do, which was to kill the Jews, but God let it happen. In order to understand why God allows this to happen, we need to go back in time to see how the creation was perfected under God before we entered into rebellion (not listening to God). Understanding the Law (decree) of Creation In Genesis chapter one and two, we find out that God created man and woman and put them in the Garden of Eden. Their duty was to work (look after) and protect the garden. When God created us, we were to listen to God. So you had God and man and woman. It was a direct relationship. God was our Master and Father. There was no third person (priest, evangelist, or anyone else) whom we had to listen to. In a nutshell, we have God telling us what we need to do. This is the law (decree) of creation that is set from eternity. When we read the scriptures, we find out that God tests everyone to see if they are faithful to Him or not. This is what we call as the “test of faithfulness”. Until Genesis chapter two, you have only two people, God and man and woman. Keep in mind that man and woman are considered as one flesh for God, not as two separate beings (Genesis 2:23-24). In Genesis chapter three, we see the serpent (called “Nahash” in Hebrew) which God made coming to the woman. Now we have a third person coming. This is very important to understand. Genesis chapter three starts with three persons now coming into the picture. You have on one side man and woman, then a being called the serpent, and you have God. The serpent now comes to the woman and asks her a question which is, “Is it true that Elohim has said, do not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) You need to understand that the serpent asked the woman a general question. We must ask ourselves, why did the serpent ask a question, why not give a direct order to do something? The reason being this was a shadow picture of false prophets/preachers that would come in the future who would twist the word of Elohim. The question which the serpent addressed to the women was: “Is it true that Elohim has said, do not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) An example of a question used by false prophets/preachers in today’s generation is as follows: “Is it true that God said that you cannot eat all animals? Have you not read Acts chapter 10 verses 9 to 16 where God has now commanded us to eat all animals?” We will now see what the reply of the woman was (Genesis 3:2-5). “And the woman said to the serpent, we are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die (v 2-3). And the serpent said to the woman, You shall certainly not die (v 4). For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil” (v 5). We know from Genesis 3:2-3 that woman first knew the command of God, which was not to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree. Instead of saying, “I will not do it” and walk away from that situation, she wanted to hear the reply of the serpent. The reply of the serpent was more powerful this time. The serpent now offers the woman many choices that she would experience if she ate the forbidden fruit. This included: Their eyes would be opened. They would be able to see things which they never saw before. They would be like God and would have the power of rulership. They would know the difference between good and evil. These choices were not given by God to man and woman. Their life was very simple, which was to work and protect the garden. Since the serpent has given so many choices to the woman, she is now becoming attracted (lust of the flesh) to what the serpent is saying. “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). As the woman was becoming attracted to what the serpent was telling her, she started to become weak in her flesh (she was drifting away from God and His laws). The forbidden fruit then became so tempting to her eyes (lust of the flesh) that she ate it. This was a direct violation of the command of the Most High (YHWH). She not only ate the forbidden fruit, but she also convinced the man to eat it. This was again a shadow picture of what would happen in the future when God sends false prophets/preachers. They will offer you things that God does not offer. For instance, Status in the society. Be a part of our church/synagogue and we will make you a great person. Stand with us. Wealth and money. Rulership. Position in the church to rule others. The only thing that you have to do is just listen to what they (false prophets/preachers) tell you to do, regardless of what God tells us to do from the scriptures. Because man and woman violated a direct command (decree of God), not to eat the forbidden fruit, sin entered into the world through man and woman. They failed the “test of faithfulness”. Then we read in Genesis 3:14-24 the penalty of rebellion against the “Word of YHWH” King of the Universe. “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel (Genesis 3:15). Genesis 3:15 is a prophetic revelation that is written in coded language for the servants of the Most High. It says God’s chosen people and the people who listen to the serpent (false prophets/preachers) will always be at war. God’s chosen people will tell people to come out of paganism and false teachings and return back to the Torah (laws of God) and to listen to the voice of God. They will have power to destroy these false prophets at its appointed times. These false prophets and preachers will fight back and hurt God’s chosen people (His servants), but God’s people will always prevail and their seed will never perish. From the seed of God’s chosen people shall arise the Righteous King and the Saviour of all who will save the people of this world from their sins and will conquer death. At the end of the age, this Righteous King and Saviour will crush the head of the serpent (satan/devil; “HaSatan” in Hebrew) and will destroy the serpent forever. The Bible says of a time of restoration of all things (Acts 3:21), which means going back to the original phase of creation. We believe that this has already begun, as this age in which we live closes for the grand finale of the return of the Righteous King and Saviour. The choice is before us. Do we follow men or the voice of YHWH who we hear through Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit), the comforter of YHWH which will lead and guide us in all truth? This is the test of faithfulness, whether we will follow the twisted teachings of men or the righteous word of YHWH. You choose your path. From the law of creation, we can learn that there was never a hierarchy put in place. Man and woman walked with God and listened to the voice of God. Because we chose to listen to the serpent (false prophets/teachers), judgement was pronounced by God. This is why God’s faithful people can never be part of a system, church, government, and synagogue. They live a life of obedience to their Master and are ruled by their Master Yehoshua HaMashiach and are led into the truth by the Ruach HaKodesh. How many times do we find the word “government” in the scriptures/Bible? Let’s check how many times the word “government(s)” is mentioned in the Bible. If God indeed created a government or hierarchy in the church for men to rule over us, we can be confident that we will find many instances where the word “government(s)” is mentioned in the scriptures. Word Chapter and Verse Concordance number government Isaiah 9:6 4951 government Isaiah 9:7 4951 government Isaiah 22:21 4475 government 2 Peter 2:10 2963 governments 1 Corinthians 12:28 2941 Going through the whole scriptures/Bible, we find that the word “government(s)” is mentioned only five times. We now have a big problem. In the whole Bible, how can this word be mentioned only five times? We will now look at the verses from the scriptures where this word  is mentioned in its chronological order. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). “And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (Isaiah 22:21). “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10). “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). Why is the word “government” used in Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7? The word “government” used in Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7 comes from the Hebrew word “misrah” (pronounced as “mis-raw”), Strong’s concordance number 4951. The word “misrah” means an empire, even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The problem we have over here is with the English language (a West Germanic language), which in theory is a pagan language (influenced by Celtic, French, Latin, Greek, Dutch, Spanish, German, Italian, Indian) that deteriorates itself from one generation to another. Let’s look at two examples in order to illustrate the issue with the English language: Example One: King George had an empire that reached its majesty in 1922. Example Two: King George had a government that reached its majesty in 1922. When we read examples one and two, we see the differences are pretty big. The first example tells of an empire that reached its majesty in 1922 of King George. The second example tells of a government that reached its majesty in 1922 of King George. The second example completely diminishes the enormity of the message that the original writer wants to convey to the reader, even though the difference is just a word. Again the problem is with the English language. The corrected translation of Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 9:7 should read as: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the empire shall be upon His shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Of the increase of His empire and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the YHWH of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). The word “empire” used in the corrected translation of Isaiah 9:6 and 9:7 means “the power of the empire”. When the Kingdom of the Most High is established on earth, His empire and power would stretch from one part to the other part of the world and there will be no end to His empire. Why is the word “government” used in Isaiah 22:21? The word “government” used in Isaiah 22:21 comes from the Hebrew word “memshalah” (pronounced as “mem-shaw-law”), Strong’s concordance number 4475. The word “memshalah” means a realm or rulership, even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of Isaiah 22:21 should read as: “And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy rulership into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah” (Isaiah 22:21). The world “rulership” in English means a territory over which a person rules. Why is the word “government” used in 2 Peter 2:10 (Messianic Writings, New Testament)? The word “government” used in 2 Peter 2:10 comes from the Greek word “kuriotes” (pronounced as “koo-ree-ot-ace”), concordance number 2963. The word “kuriotes” as per Thayer’s Greek definition means dominion (rule), even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of 2 Peter 2:10 should read as: “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise dominion. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10). Why is the word “government” used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (Messianic Writings, New Testament)? The word “government” used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 comes from the Greek word “kubernesis” (pronounced as “koo-ber-nay-sis”), Strong’s concordance number 2941. The word “kubernesis” means to guide (steering, pilotage) even though the concordance scholars have also added the word “government” as an alternative. The corrected translation of 1 Corinthians 12:28 should read as: “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, guides, diversities of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). The word “guides” means to steer/direct people to God. We can see from the above Bible verses that the word “government” does not exist in the scriptures, as the Hebrew and Greek words convey a different meaning to the reader as we have seen with the corrected translations. The issue is with the translation of the actual Hebrew and Greek words and the biases of the Bible translators who inserted the word “government” into the scriptures. In a nutshell, we can say that the word “government” does not exist in the scriptures, as God did not create a government to rule over men. The rulership and the power to rule over man and woman is only for the Messiah Yehoshua (Jesus Christ). What are the scriptures that churches use to promote the ideologies of a government in a church that is ordained by God? This section will explore the various scriptures used by churches to promote that a government in a church is ordained by God. Lessons from Moses — Where did he get the information from? Exodus 18:13 to 27:  And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.  So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.  When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.  Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.  If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land. Exodus 18:13 to 27 is the fundamental doctrine used by all churches to appoint ministers, evangelists, rabbis, priests, so that people can be taught the way of the Most High Elohim. We need to examine the above-mentioned verses as we have a big problem. From the scriptures prior to Exodus 18:13 to 27, we find that Moses is asking God for instructions on how to do things. When we come to Exodus 18:13 to 27, we have a situation that is similar to the one we had in the garden of Eden, where a third person is now entering the picture with advice on how things are to be done. The common belief that people have is that God told Moses to set into motion the events that took place in Exodus 18:13 to 27. But it was not God who told Moses what to do, but it was a third person. This third person is Moses’ father-in-law and his name is Jethro. Jethro was a priest of Midian. Midianites worshipped multiple pagan gods and Jethro was a priest of Midian and its people. Therefore, Jethro was a pagan priest. Later in the scriptures, we see YHWH Elohim telling Moses to destroy the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-18 and Numbers 31) because of their wicked ways. Instead of asking God for advice on how to teach the children of Israel, he heard the advice of Jethro as shown in Exodus 18 verses 24 to 26. So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Why did Moses listen and do what Jethro told him? He did because it was pleasant to Moses’ eyes/hearing. Because Moses made this decision without consulting with God in the first place, God allowed this to happen. Moses here failed the “test of faithfulness”. Keep in mind that such decisions are not small; these are big decisions that require the counsel of the Most High Elohim. But Moses heard the counsel of Jethro, who was a pagan priest. So the hierarchy of people to rule was put in place by Moses who received advice from a pagan priest (seed of serpent). This was a mistake that Moses did. God did not tell Moses to do this; it was a decision Moses made on the advice of his father-in-law. The hierarchy to rule the children of Israel came from a pagan priest, not from God. Lessons from the book of Numbers 11:16-17 Some churches use Numbers 11:16-17 to ordain 70 elders/ministers as part of their ministry, as they say this is how God wants his ministry to run. So YHWH said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.  Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:16-17). Most churches would go this way about Numbers 11:16-17. We need to choose 70 men (people in our ministry who do what we say) and appoint them as elders so that they can also do our ministry work. When we read Numbers 11:16-17, we see God first talking to Moses and telling him to gather 70 elders of Israel. The first thing we need to ask is, what is the meaning of the word “elder”? The word “elder” comes from the Hebrew word “zaqen” (pronounced as “zaw-kane”) concordance number 2204 and 2205. This means a person who is recognized by the people for his gifts of leadership, wisdom (in righteous living based on the Torah) and justice. Then we see Moses choosing, based on what God told him, 70 men and bringing them to the tabernacle so that the spirit of YHWH could be upon them. So the flowchart of events over here is: God talking to Moses with an instruction   70 Elders chosen   Spirit of YHWH rests on them. In modern-day churches, we don’t see God talking to the elder of the church or God sanctifying these elders. We see men appointing men based on an event that happened during the time of Moses. Moreover, we need to understand why God chose 70 elders to help Moses. In the previous verses of Numbers 11:10-15, we read Moses is pleading to God to kill him because the people were weeping before Moses. Moses was unable to bear the grief of weeping, as the burden was too heavy for him. God then, in His great mercy, told Moses, “I will sanctify elders to help you so that you don’t have to bear all of these burdens yourself”. So we see that the elders and the duty of Moses were to serve the people, and not serve themselves. Lessons from the book of Judges — Did God tell men to rule over His people? A certain verse from the book of Judges is one of the favourite verses that most churches use to promote their doctrine of a hierarchy in the church. I used to be sick of hearing this when I used to go to church. Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25 states: “In those days there was no sovereign (king) in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The ministers in the church I used to go to would use the above verses to say, see what happens when you don’t follow leaders appointed by God. You end up doing what is right in your eyes. You need to follow us and we will lead you to the right path. Let us take a step back and pay more close attention to Judges 17:6 and 21:25. We all know that Israel had many kings and judges. Even though they had a king or a judge, they still did the wrong thing. Just because you have a king or a ruler, it does not mean you will do the right thing. The whole point is, at the end of the day, what you do in life determines whether you are with God or not and has nothing to do with whether there is a leader/ruler or not. We must follow God and not men. Man should be ruled by God and not by men. Judges Chapter 2 tells us, when Joshua died and all the generations after him died (verse 8-10) the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of YHWH and served other gods and served Baal (verse 11). Evangelist and church ministers want you to listen to them because if you don’t listen or are not a part of their group, then obviously there will be no money (under the banner of tithes/donations) coming into the religious system. If you are part of their system, then you will tell this to many people and bring more people into the system. So it is advantageous for them to say that God has appointed them and you need to follow them. When we read Judges Chapter 2, we see that the children of Israel started worshiping false gods. Let us now read verses 13 to 19 and see how the story transpires: “So they forsook YHWH and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (v 13). “And the displeasure of YHWH burned against Yisrael. Therefore He gave them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them. And He sold them into hands of their enemies all around, and they were unable to stand before their enemies any longer” (v 14). “Wherever they went out, the hand of YHWH was against them for evil, as YHWH had spoken, and as YHWH had sworn to them. And they were distressed greatly” (v 15). “Then YHWH raised up rulers who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them” (v 16). “However, they did not listen to their rulers either, but went whoring after other mighty ones, and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commands of YHWH, they did not do so” (v 17). “And when YHWH raised up rulers for them, YHWH was with the ruler and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the ruler, for YHWH had compassion on their groaning because of those who oppressed them and crushed them” (v 18). “And it came to be, when the ruler was dead, that they would turn back and do more corruptly than their fathers, to go after other mighty ones, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not refrain from their practices and from their stubborn way” (v 19). Judges 2:13-19 shows us that even though YHWH raised rulers to save the children of Israel from their enemies, they still went back whoring after other gods. The whole point of Judges 2:13-19 is that, ruler or no ruler, at the end of the day it all depends on you. Your faithfulness to God is what matters at the end of the day. The other thing we find over here is that the role of the ruler was to save the children of Israel from their enemies as their enemies were ruthlessly crushing them. The ruler was not supposed to rule over them as we see in today’s modern-day churches, where ministers rule over its members. In Judges Chapter 6 to 8, we further see the rise of a mighty brave man called Gideon. Here the children of Israel were given into the hands of the Midianites as they were worshipping false gods. God delivered the children of Israel from the Midianites through Gideon who was faithful to YHWH. Here is the test of faithfulness (the choice we make in our life) that Gideon had. When Gideon delivered the children of Israel, they came to Gideon with a proposal that could make Gideon a great ruler. Let’s see what they offered to Gideon: “So the men of Yisrael said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midyan.’” “But Gideon said to them, ‘I do not rule over you, nor does my son rule over you. YHWH does rule over you.’” (Judges 8:22-23) We see from the above verses what Gideon said to them — you must allow YHWH to rule over you and not men. The primarily lesson that we need to learn from the book of Judges is that we must allow YHWH to rule over us, and not men. We must also understand that it is not Elohim’s will for people to have rulers to rule over them. But it is the Israelites who demanded someone to be their ruler. All throughout the Tanakh we see, regardless of who ruled, the decision to follow God or the ways of men was the choice of every individual. Lessons from the book of Samuel — Did God appoint a King to rule over His people? Many churches use 1 Samuel 15, verse 1, as an example where God sends His prophet to anoint a person so that they can lead His people. For instance, the church/religious institution would say something like this: “In 1930, God raised a man called Herbert. God used him powerfully to preach the end time warning to Israel. Before he died he anointed many people to continue to do that work. People must follow us and our teachings as we are anointed and put in this position by God through Herbert who anointed us to carry the end time work”. 1 Samuel 15:1 reads, “And Samuel said to Saul, YHWH sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. And now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH”. When you read the Bible, context is very essential. For instance, when we read a story book we read the whole story. We don’t take one sentence and then convince the audience that this is how the story is being said. We read the whole story and then tell the audience what the story actually is. Let us read the previous chapter before 1 Samuel 15 and see how the story actually begins. In 1 Samuel 8:1-22, we read: “And it came to be, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons rulers over Yisrael. (Verse 1) And the name of his first-born was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, rulers in Beersheba. (Verse 2) But his sons did not walk in his ways, and turned aside after own gain, and took bribes, and twisted right-ruling. (Verse 3) And all the elders of Yisrael gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘look you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to rule us like all the nations’. (Verse 4, 5) But the word was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, give us a king to rule us. So Samuel prayed to YHWH. (Verse 6) And YHWH said to Samuel, listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them. (Verse 7) According to all the works which they have done since the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other mighty ones so they are doing to you too. (Verse 8) And now listen to their voice, but you shall certainly warn them and shall make known to them the ruling of the king who does reign over them. (Verse 9) And Samuel spoke all the words of YHWH to the people who asked him for a king, and said, this is the ruling of the king who does reign over you: He shall take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots, and appoint commanders over his thousands and commanders over his fifties, or to plough his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons, and equipment for his chariots. (Verse 10-12) And your daughters he is going to take to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. (Verse 13) And the best of your fields, and your vineyards, olive trees he is going to take and give them to his servants. (Verse 14) And a tenth of your grain and your vintage he is going to take and give it to his officers and servants. (Verse 15) And your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys he is going to take and use for his own work. (Verse 16) A tenth of your sheep he is going to take and you are to be his servants. (Verse 17) And you shall cry out in that day because your king who you have chosen for yourselves, but YHWH is not going to answer you in that day. (Verse 18) However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and said, “No, but let a king be over us. (Verse 19) Then we shall be, we also, like all the nations, and our king shall rule us and go out before us and fight our battles. (Verse 20) And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of YHWH. (Verse 21) And YHWH said to Samuel, listen to their voice, and make a king. And Samuel said to the men of Yisrael, each of you go to his city.” (Verse 22) From 1 Samuel 8:1-22, we know that when Elohim wanted to rule over His chosen people of Israel, they rejected Elohim from ruling over them. It was never God’s intention to allow men to rule over His people. When we read verse 7, we read that “…for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them”. You can literally see God weeping here when He says, “they have rejected me”. Man was always to be ruled by God. This is the law of creation. No mortal human being has the authority to rule over man. Since we don’t want God to rule over us, we told God we want a king to rule over us just like the other nations (pagan nations). The children of Israel made up their mind that they want a king to rule over them. Before God gave them a king, He told them that, if you have a king over you, he is going to rob you basically in everything you have. In verses 11 to 17, it basically tells what the king is going to do to their household, which is, “take your sons and daughters away for the King’s own purpose, all of the fruits the best of them of your farming lands will go to the king, your cattle livestock will go to the king including your grains”. When we take a step back, we find that, whatever the people had, the king is going to rob them. First, the king is going to take their family, then their fields and grains, and then their cattle. By the time the king takes all of this, you will have nothing with you and you will weep to YHWH, but YHWH will not answer your prayers. While it is easy for a person to read verses 11 to 17 as reading a tabloid, this verse is prophetic in nature for every generation who allows men to rule over them. In today’s generation, we see ministers/priests and churches/religious institutions ruling over God’s people. In Table 1, you will see the similarities between a king and a minister who rules over the children of God. You have to understand that verses 11 to 17 are comparable to a curse of slavery (to become slaves of men) pronounced by God because man does not want to be ruled by God. Even though God said that the king will do what pleases him and they will weep to Him when the king takes away everything, “…the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and said, ‘No, but let a king be over us’” (verse 19). What do we learn from 1 Samuel 8? In life, to follow God or to follow men is always our choice. But as human beings, the excuse we have is, how can I be right and others be wrong? Since this cannot be correct, I rather follow men than follow God. This eventually leads to God not listening to our prayers, when we go into slavery. Table 1: Similarities between a king and minister who rules over God’s people What happens when you allow a king to rule over you and not YHWH? What happens when you allow ministers/priests and churches/religious institutions to rule over you and not YHWH? Family: Take sons away from the home to work for the king. The work includes serving in the army, and in the king’s farms. Take daughters away to look after the king and to work for the king. Family: Take sons from their family so that they can help in the ministry of the church as volunteers and to help the church grow. Many churches don’t allow people to marry someone from outside the church. For instance, a member of the living church of God is only allowed to marry another member of the living church of God.  Land: Best produce of your land is for the king and his people who serve in his courtyard. Land: The church encourages people to give their inheritance after they die to the church. “…If you would like to donate your house/property to the church, please do contact us”. Household: Your servants and your friends he is going to take for his own work. Household: While the ministers enjoy their comfortable life, they expect you to come and help in the church, like cleaning the church, kitchen duties, usher duties and other duties as commanded by the ministers. Livelihood: Your grains, winery and your sheep, a tenth of them he is going to take for his own need. Livelihood: These ministers rob you of your livelihood under the banner of tithes and donations. For instance, under the donation section on their church website, you will be surprised to see the number of tithes they require from you: First Tithe (Living Church of God) Second Tithe (Living Church of God) Third Tithe (Living Church of God) Festival Fund (United Church of God) Assistance Fund (United Church of God) Youth Program Fund (United Church of God) Good Work Program Fund (United Church of God) Building Fund (United Church of God) International Work Fund  (United Church of God) Lessons from the book of Ephesians (B'rit Hadashah, New Testament, Messianic Writings) — Did God appoint a hierarchy in the religious system/church? Ephesians chapter four is the gold standard used by churches and all religious systems to promote and make the church members believe that God ordained a hierarchy of rulership in the church. From the time I started going to church, ministers in the church loved quoting Ephesians 4:11. The ministers would say, “This is the hierarchy we must follow”. Let us read Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 to 16 (New King James Version) and see what is actually being said here: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Translating the Greek words of Ephesians 4:11 English Word Used in Bible Greek Word Concordance Number Actual Meaning of the Greek Word Apostles apostolos 652 Messenger or a sent one Prophets prophetes 4396 Foreteller or an inspired speaker. This means someone who is sent by God with a divine message. Evangelists euaggelistes 2099 A preacher of the gospel. Pastors poimen 4166 A shepherd who tends herds or flocks. Teachers didaskalos 1320 An instructor who teaches the things of God and the duties of man.   When we translate Ephesians 4:11 Greek words, we find out what is actually being said. Technically, the words apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers mean only one thing, “a person to teach God’s way”. Unfortunately, the Christian world has desecrated what God actually meant. Men have twisted God’s words and have made a TITLE competition to show everyone on where they stand in the hierarchy of their church which is ruled by men. For example, Presiding Evangelist of the Church of God – Dr Roderick First Vice President, Evangelist, Successor to the Church of God – Mr Richard Director of the Church of God and Evangelist of Australasia – Mr Bruce Apostle, Modern Day Prophet, Anointed Teacher, Preacher, Author, Executive Producer – Dr Arthur His Holiness the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI Patriarch of Antioch and all the east Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I I-was Grand Rabbi Moshe A normal person would think, “My goodness, what is wrong with all of these people? Are these people normal (psychologically stable)? Is this the hierarchy of mentally unstable people God created as per Ephesians 4:11?” The answer is NO. God did not create the above-mentioned hierarchy. Men created these huge titles by adding and subtracting and misusing God’s words. For God, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are all at the SAME LEVEL. He classifies them as His servants. One is not superior to another. They are to teach God’s word and are servants of God. According to modern-day churches/religious institutions, the hierarchy works as this (Figure 1): God Evangelist or Prophet or Pope or Bishop         People who want to learn the way of God According to the scriptures, this is how God works (Ephesians 4:11-12) (Figure 2)             God                           People who want to learn the way of God Evangelist or Prophet or Pope or Bishop (They are servants of God. So they have to work below the people, not above the people. They serve the people from below, not from above. If they rule from above, then they become a Nicolaitan.) When we read Ephesians 4:11-12, it clearly says, “ “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. The role of all the apostles and others are for equipping the saints. The word “equipping” comes from the Greek word “katartismos” (concordance number 2677). The word means preparing fully the people. Let’s look at an example in a modern-day situation: The king gave his maids, butlers, chief of staff, secretaries and his advisors orders for the equipping of the people so that they can serve in the king’s palace. Here the king gives direct orders to his servants (maids, butlers, chief of staff, secretaries and advisors) saying, do whatever is required to serve and teach my people so that they can serve in my palace. The people over here are supposed to serve the king and not his servants. Now going back to Ephesians 4:11-12, how many apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers do you know that are willing to do the following for you? Clean your home. Clean your toilets. Give money to help you. Provide you with shelter and food. Pick you up from your home and take you to the supermarket. Help you in times of need. Cook food for you. Find a job for you. Encourage you to do great things in life. Come to your home and teach you the word of God. I am sure we all know the answer to the above question, which is, there is hardly anyone. Why is it that they do not want to do the above-mentioned things? Because then they will be seen as a servant. Since they have already appointed themselves with these huge titles like the “Presiding Evangelist of the Church of God”, how can they then do things that a servant would do? It would be an embarrassment for them. We can say from Ephesians 4:11-12 that the whole point of having apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to support you and teach you, that is, be a servant to you (not vice versa), so that you can come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of the Most High. Lessons from the book of 1 Corinthians — Did God appoint a hierarchy in the religious system/church? 1 Corinthians chapter 12 is always used by churches in conjunction with Ephesians chapter 4 to promote and make the church members believe that God ordained a hierarchy of rulership in the church. Let us read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 1 to 31 (New King James Version) and see what is actually being said here: Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:  You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,  but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it,  that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. Translating the Greek words of 1 Corinthians 12:28   English Word Used in Bible Greek Word Concordance Number Actual Meaning of the Greek Word God theos 2316 Elohim (God) Appointed tithemi 5087 Placed Church ekklesia 1577 Called out Apostles apostolos 652 Messenger or a sent one Prophets prophetes 4396 Foreteller or an inspired speaker. This means someone who is sent by God with a divine message. Teachers didaskalos 1320 An instructor who teaches the things of God and the duties of man. Miracles dunamis 1411 Workers of miracles Gifts charisma 5486 Spiritual gift Healing iama 2386 Healing Helps antilempsis 484 Helps/helpers Administrations kubernesis 2941 To guide Varieties genos 1085 Diverse (race) Tongue glossa 1100 Languages Corrected Translation of 1 Corinthians 12:28 “For Elohim has placed among the called out people, first messengers, after them, inspired speakers, after them instructors, after them workers of miracles, after them spiritual gifts of healing and helpers, and guides, and diverse languages.” When we read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 in its context, we understand that all of the messengers work as one to bring people into the body of the Messiah. Everyone is to look after each other and help each other. 1 Corinthians 12:28 is not talking about a hierarchy; it is talking about the gifts that Elohim gives to “His servants” so that they can support other members of the body and thus we all become one in the body of the Messiah. What did Elohim teach about serving His people? We can understand from the study of scriptures that Elohim did not create a hierarchy where men will be ruled by men. All of these ideologies came from the father and founder of a hierarchical form of government, and that was Nimrod. In today’s modern-day version of Christianity, ministers behave like tyrants who abuse their power under the banner of “I am appointed by God” and end up as abusive ministers who disfellowship those who do not conform to their manmade laws and standards. They rule their congregations like they are “god” and like to say, “You do what we tell you to do as we are appointed by God”. Let us now look at the scriptures and see the issues that God has with ministers who under the banner of shepherds were ruling over God’s people unjustly in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and in the Messianic writings (New Testament). “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! says YHWH.  Therefore thus says the YHWH God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings says YHWH” (Jeremiah 23:1-2). We can see in Jeremiah 23:1-2 that these shepherds (modern-day ministers, pastors, evangelists, prophets, priests, pope, bishops) were not doing their duty of being a servant. They were ruling over God’s people unjustly and not attending to their needs. They were only attending to their needs. That is, as long as these modern-day ministers have food to eat and a house to live in, that is all that matters to them. What did Elohim tell to these ministers? He will take revenge on these unrighteous ministers for the evil that they do to God’s sheep (God’s people). “For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, says YHWH. Therefore their way shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment, says YHWH. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to err” (Jeremiah 23:11-13). In Jeremiah 23:11-13, we can see that YHWH is accusing both priests and prophets for being profane. The reason is that they are telling wrong things to the children of Israel and are causing them to sin. This is the same issue we have with modern-day ministers and evangelists. Their teachings are totally contrary to the inspired scriptures. As long as you are part of their social club, you are safe. The moment you start questioning their teachings, you are marked to be disfellowshipped. YHWH then says in Jeremiah 23:16, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, they lead you astray. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of YHWH”. In Jeremiah 23:16, God is telling people, “Do not follow these false prophets, they say that they are sent by me (God), but they are not from me (God)”. Then we read in Jeremiah 23:21, “I did not send these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied”. God’s people were facing the same problem even in the time of Jeremiah. They were all being deceived by false prophets/priests. This is the same situation we have in this generation. Jeremiah the prophet, a man sent by God, has a stern warning for today’s ministers and evangelists who claim to be appointed by God, but are not, and are appointed by men. Read the whole chapter of Jeremiah 23 to find out the judgement pronounced on modern-day ministers by YHWH. Ezekiel the prophet was inspired by YHWH to tell a message to the shepherds of Israel who claim they are appointed by God. “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Yisrael, prophesy against the shepherds of Yisrael, prophesy and say to them, Thus said the Master YHWH to the shepherds, ‘Woe to the shepherds of Yisrael who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?’” (Ezekiel 34:2). Ezekiel 34:2 is a slap on the face of modern-day ministers and evangelists. That is why when they (today’s ministers) come to Ezekiel chapter 34 they skip that chapter, because they know that God is talking about them. We have a big problem with verse 2. It says, “Should not the shepherds feed the flock?” When was the last time the minister in your congregation asked you, “Do you have food to eat, do you need any sort of financial help from me, how can I help you to get you a job, and how can I serve you”? You will not hear this from your minister. Why? Because as long as they get fed, and they have a house to live in, that is all that counts. We strongly recommend you to read the full chapter of Ezekiel 34, as this is the judgment pronounced by God on the modern-day evangelists and ministers. We need to ask the question, what did Yehoshua HaMashiach tell his disciples when they serve His people?  Matthew 20: 25 to 28 is an instruction that God gave to all of His true disciples on not to practice a Nicolaitan hierarchy and to be true servants. “Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) called them near and said, you know that the rulers of the nations are masters over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. But it shall be not be so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Adam did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”. Is your priest, minister, evangelist ready to be your servant? Can they come and help you in your home? We all know the answer to this question! They want you to serve them, because they have exalted themselves with great titles that it is a shame for them to do a servant’s job. The ministers and evangelists have made their church members slaves so that they can serve them and their exalted positions of authority and power in the church, and what have the ministers produced in return? They have produced zero spiritual fruits and have done nothing in perfecting the saints. One thing that they have mastered or have a PhD is in creating a hierarchy of Nicolaitans and twisting and perverting God's scriptures. The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5 wrote on how members of the body of the Messiah need to look after each other. His instructions were specifically for the elders (modern-day ministers and evangelists) who were teaching God’s people. Let us now read 1 Peter 5: “Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Messiah, and also a sharer of the esteem that is to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you. Shepherd the flock of Elohim which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but voluntarily, not out of greed for filthy gain, but eagerly, Neither as being masters over those entrusted you, but being examples of the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3). So what should God’s true shepherds do? They must serve the flock and should not rule over them. The word “masters” used here comes from the Greek word “katakurieuo”, concordance number 2634. The actual meaning in Greek is to bring under one’s power or exercise authority over someone. We now have a big problem here. How many church ministers/evangelists do you know who do not exercise authority over their congregation? The problem we have in today’s churches is that people love to rule over others. That is why they automatically become a Nicolaitan, because they love to do what their Father Nimrod did.   One would have to ask the question, so who has to lead God’s people? How can church leaders not be the head of man and lead them to the truth? Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 3 declares, “And I wish you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim”. So who should we follow? We must follow the Messiah who by the power of the Holy Spirit will lead us to the truth. This begs the question, why did Apostle Paul did not mention church leaders in this verse? If there was a hierarchical rule, then the above verse should have stated the head of every man is the church leaders. Paul here is making it clear   that man is accountable to God, along with his additional accountability, when man takes a wife. God the Father and Yehoshua HaMashiach are the creators and have all authority. Man and woman are the creation, and are accountable to their creators. There is no place for any other authority or a chain of command as of a hierarchical ministry to come between God and man. God only permits ministers to be helpers if they have truly qualified themselves to be helpers in these God creator and man creation relationships; otherwise they will be judged severely. Playing religion, church and ruling over God’s people that is seen in all churches is like a spiritual epidemic infection. It eventually spreads without notice, until one day you realise that you have spiritual tumours in your whole body. This eventually leads you to the path of destruction and death. The spirit of Nimrod and religious deception is alive and well, and thriving in this end-time generation. The final question that you need to ask yourself is, do you want to be part of this religious system or are you willing to come out of it and follow the Messiah? What is the master plan of the father of Nicolaitans? Nimrod is the father and founder of Nicolaitans whose sole purpose in life was to enslave people and take them away from God. He was a mighty hunter who was in the face of Yahweh.  In order to understand his (Nimrod’s) master plan, we need to go back in time and read what his plan was. The book of Jasher is considered by most Bible scholars to be an inspired book that was removed from the scriptures. The book of Jasher is talked about in the scriptures. “So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day” (Joshua 10:13). “and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher” (2 Samuel 1:18): We need to ask the question, why was the book of Jasher removed from the scriptures? While this itself is a study paper of its own, we will discuss this vital topic when we talk about the Book of Jasher some other time. We will now look into the Book of Jasher and see the Master Plan of Nimrod. Master Plan of Nimrod -To bring the world as one and to set up a government to rule over men, the beginning of one-world government “And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head (verse 39). And he (Nimrod) set over his subjects and people, princes, judges and rulers, as is the custom amongst kings (verse 40). And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely, and he fought with his enemies and he subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles, and his kingdom became very great (verse 44). And all the nations and tongues heard of his fame, and they gathered themselves to him, and they bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became their lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they were all under his power and counsel” (verse 45) (The Ancient Book of Jasher by Ken Johnson, Jasher chapter 7, Page 17-18, Nimrod’s invasion begins). Nimrod’s one-world government ideology — How this will be carried from one generation to the another, until its final fulfilment. People should put their trust in men and not in God. Remove the dependence of men from God so that men can depend on men for their needs. Appoint rulers, princes and judges to rule over men. By this, man shall depend on appointed governments of that land for their needs. Build towers all throughout every generation that will replace the worship of the true God of heaven. By this way, man will start honouring and worshiping other men, deities, and idols as their god. Build high-raised towers everywhere in the world as a reminder that men rule over men and we are not ruled by God. Bring back the world under one-world government: so that man can have one government, one language, one financial monetary system, one religious system, one healthcare system, one housing system, one education system and one system to rule over all men. By this way, man will no longer depend on God for anything. Desecrate and destroy everything that God made perfect. My (Nimrod) plans should be carried from one generation to another in every walk of life (finance, housing, education, healthcare, food, religion), so that one day it shall come true in its final days. The aim of the plan is to banish the name of God forever and destroy God, so that man will not worship God anymore because He (God) destroyed our forefathers in the great flood. In conclusion, what we can say from this study paper is that God never ordained a government and this whole notion of government came from the Father of Nicolaitans, Nimrod. We need to ask ourselves whether we want to be a part this modern-day church/synagogue system before this whole system falls and burns to the ground. Judgment is coming as given in the book of Revelation to this system that has put men into slavery. That is why Revelation 18:2-5 says: “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!  For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’  And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.  For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities’”. Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan (this plan would be carried from generation to generation until its final fulfilment). This painting was done by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1563. It is officially displayed in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.     Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan Established by the European Union (official poster published by the EU) Tower of Babel — Nimrod’s Master Plan Comes True (European Union Parliament inaugurated in December 1999 in Strasbourg, France. A Central Power to bring Europe as one) Nimrod’s one-world government ideology — How this will be carried from one generation to the another, until its final fulfilment.   Hierarchy of a Religious Church — For example, Roman Catholic Church (Example of a Nicolaitan Structure)     Hierarchy of a Religious Church — For example, Church of God (Example of a Nicolaitan Structure)     We at Messianic Jews Natsarenes dedicate this study paper to our brothers and sisters who lost their faith in God because of unrighteous greedy ministers/evangelists who, over many years, destroyed the love they had in God by exercising authority over them. Be at peace, brothers and sisters. We will see you when our Righteous King and Judge Yehoshua HaMashiach returns. Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet

Hair Length for men and women- What does the Scriptures tell us Hair Length for men and women-

> Articles   > Hair Length for men and women- What does the Scriptures tell us Hair Length for men and women- What does the Scriptures tell us Hair Length for men and women- What does the Scriptures tell us In every culture and country we see men and women with different hair lengths. In the Middle East, women commonly have long hair and men have short hair. In countries like Sweden, we see men having long hair and women having short hair. Some people and churches have used hair length as a major issue in developing an opinion when they see a person. For some religious organisations, it does not matter what the person believes in, if he is a man and has long hair, we cannot fellowship with him. Similarly, if they are a woman and do not have long hair we cannot fellowship with her. The aim of this document is to shed light on what the Scriptures say about hair length in both men and women. This article aims to answer the following key questions: How many times does the word hair/hairs appear in the Scriptures? What types of hair lengths do we see in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and in the Messianic Writings (New Testament)? How do we define long hair and short hair biblically? What is the hair length required for men and women as per the Scriptures? Did Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) have long or short hair?   How many times do the word hair/hairs appear in the Scriptures? We need to first examine how many times the word “hair” and “hairs” appear in the Tanakh and in the Messianic Writings. The word “hair” is mentioned 64 times. The word “hairs” is mentioned 15 times. Some of the references in relation to the word hair also refer to animal hair. We will now see the verses that particularly refer to “hair length” from the Scriptures in its chronological order. Numbers 6:5 -“All the days of the vow (Nazirite) of his separation a razor does not come upon his head. Until the days are completed for which he does separate himself to YHWH, he is set apart. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long”. 2 Samuel 14:26 – “And when he cut the hair of his head, for it was at every year’s end that he cut it because it was heavy on him, when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred sheqels by the sovereign’s weight”.  Ezekiel 44:20 – “And their heads they shall not shave, nor shall they let their hair grow long, they shall keep their hair well-trimmed.” John 11:2 – “Now it was Miryam who anointed the Master with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Elazar was sick”. 1 Corinthians 11:14-16 – “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man indeed has long hair, it is a disrespect to him? And if a woman has long hair, it is an esteem to her, because the long hair has been given to her over against a veil. If, however, anyone seems to be contentious (causing to have an argument), we do not have such a habit, nor do the assemblies of Elohim”.   What types of hair lengths do we see in the scriptures in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and in the Messianic Writings (New Testament)? From the Tanakh and Messianic Writings we know that there are two types of hair length. The first one is long hair and the second one is trimmed hair. The Torah does not say anything about required hair length for males or females except that when a man takes a Nazirite vow he must not cut his hair at all (he should let his hair grow). How do we define long hair and short hair biblically? The million dollar question is how do we define long hair and short hair biblically? According to the Scriptures, Torah means “instruction in righteousness.” So if the Torah does not specify hair length for men and women, why are churches and synagogues making a big deal on hair length for a man and a woman? For example, some churches make such a big issue with men having long hair that without cutting hair to their standard (according to the man-made law of the church), you cannot come to the church. Similarly, if women don’t have long hair then they need to either wear a hat or have some sort of covering on their head. So if God (Elohim) did not make a rule about hair length for men and women in the Torah, what is the problem with churches and other religious institutions? These churches want to add their own law under the banner of God, which itself is a direct violation of God’s command “You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the YHWH your Elohim I am giving you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). Now we will see how people in Biblical times used to define words like “length/long.” Understanding Length in Biblical times In Biblical times the measures of length originated from the human body. In many cultures around the world, people still use fingers, hand, arm, and foot to define length. For example, people living in countries like India and Egypt still use hand/foot measurements to define length. These measures vary between every person based on their height, weight and physique. In ancient Israel length was classified as following: Finger-breadth – In Hebrew it is called “Etzba.” A fingerbreadth has the width of an adult human finger. For example, the phrase two fingers of whiskey refer to the amount of whiskey that would fill a glass to the level of two fingers wrapped around the glass at the bottom. Palm – In Hebrew it is called “Tefah” or “Tefach.” A palm breadth is based on the breadth of a human hand without the thumb and fingers measured from the fist. Span – In Hebrew it is called “Zeret.”  A span is the distance measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. Ell- In Hebrew it is called “Amah.” An ell is the length of arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. Mile – In Hebrew it is called “Mil.” Mil is the distance walked in 18 minutes. Parsa – In Hebrew it is called “Parasa.” Parasa is the distance walked in 72 minutes. Name Approximate Metric Equivalent Fingerbreadth (Etzba) 2 – 2.4 cms Palm (Tefah) 8 – 9.6 cms Span (Zeret) 24 - 28.8 cms Ell (Amah) 48 – 57.6 cms Mile (Mil) 960 – 1152 meters Parsa (Parasa) 3.84 – 4.608 km   What is the hair length required for men and women as per the scriptures? In the Tanakh we see that if you have taken a Nazirite vow, you cannot cut your hair at all unless that vow has been fulfilled (Numbers 6:5). Similarly, if you are a priest you cannot have long hair and you must keep your hair well-trimmed for men (Ezekiel 44:20). So what do we mean by “keep your hair well-trimmed?” On average, human hair on our head takes 30 days to grow in males.  Most males have a haircut every 30 days or once a month. This is what we call “keeping the hair well-trimmed.” For women we don’t see any Scriptures in the Tanakh that tells them to cut their hair. So technically, long hair is still classified as a matter of beauty in women. In the Messianic writings, we come to 1 Corinthians 11:14-16. This verse has been a subject of intense controversy and is still used by many churches as their gold standard. Let’s now have a close examination of 1 Corinthians 11:14-16 and see what is actually being said. Does not nature itself teach you that if a man indeed has long hair, it is disrespect to him? And if a woman has long hair, it is an esteem to her, because the long hair has been given to her over against a veil. If, however, anyone seems to be contentious, we do not have such a habit, nor do the assemblies of Elohim. (1 Corinthians 11:14-16) The first thing that we need to understand is this: how can nature teach us that long hair on man is a disrespect? Every day I go to nature (trees and greenery behind my house) and ask the question: can you tell me, nature, if long hair on me is disrespect? Until today I have not received any answer from nature. So what does this word nature actually mean? The word nature comes from the Greek word “phuis,” which means “natural” (Strong’s concordance number 5449). Let us look at some common examples: It is natural for women to give birth It is natural for women to have long hair It is natural for men to have a beard It is natural for man to get married to a woman It is natural for man and women to fall in love Let us look at an example from the scriptures: Because of this Elohim gave them over to degrading passions. For even their women exchanged natural relations for what is against nature, and likewise, the men also, having left natural relations with woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing indecency, and receiving back the reward which was due for their straying. (Romans 1: 26-27) What we can understand is that the word “natural” or “nature” means something that is intended by Elohim to be as it is. In other words, “this is how nature intended it to be.” For instance, it is not natural or normal for men to have sex with men, or for women to have sex with women; these are an abomination to God. This is against the natural laws of Elohim. The second thing we need to understand is: how can Apostle Paul create a new law (1 Corinthians 11:14-16) when such a law is not part of the Torah? Paul did not create any new law. He just spoke to the people in the assembly on the natural things that were intended by God. That is why the verse ends with “…anyone seems to be contentious, we do not have such a habit, nor do the assemblies of Elohim”. The last verse means, if you would like to argue about hair length, it is up to you as this has nothing to do with God’s people. Now the question that we need to ask is - what is the natural hair length for men and women as per the Scriptures and as per the Israelite traditions of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? In ancient biblical times, a man’s hair length was based on the palm of his hand (Tefah) (see Figure 1). A woman’s hair length was based on length of the woman’s arm (Ell) (see Figure 5). Keep in mind that these traditions are not based on the Torah (Torah does not specify a length), but based on the Israelite standard of the society that they were living in. For example, when you go to countries in the Middle East and in India you still can see thousands of women with long hair, as per the length of their arm. In these societies it is graceful for a woman to have long hair and hence most women would try to have long hair.   How do you measure the length of a man’s hair? Catch hold of your hair. Pull your hair either backwards or forwards with the palm of your hand and whatever hair that comes out from the palm of your hand cut it off with a scissors. This is how you measure your hair length using the palm of your hand. For men who have wavy or curly hair, your hair could look shorter or thicker than others when using the palm measurement. For men who have straight hair, your hair could look longer than other men when using palm measurement. Have you ever noticed the hair length of well-known men like Benjamin Franklin (founding father of the United States)? When we look at his photo, we might think that he has long hair. But, he never had long hair. His hair length was basically based on the palm of his hand (see Figure 2). People living in the 17th century knew how to measure their hair length, which was always based on the palm of their hand. Similarly, have you noted the hair length of George Washington and Albert Einstein? Again their hair length was based on the palm of their hand (See Figure 3 and Figure 4). Figure 2: Benjamin Franklin Hair Length Figure 3: George Washington Hair length Figure 4: Albert Einstein Hair length   When we men used to go for a haircut in the 20th century, did you notice that the hairstylist (barber) used to use their fingers to measure hair length when cutting with scissors? Where do you think they got the idea to use their fingers to measure hair length? It was passed from one generation to another that when you measure hair, you use your palm or your fingers. In summary, you can say that a man’s hair length is based on the palm of his hand. It is not based on meaningless, man-made traditions of churches or by your pastor/rabbi. It is based on the palm of your hand. What we can conclude about hair length from an Israelite traditional perspective is that a man’s hair length is based on the palm of his hand. How do you measure the length of a woman’s hair? In ancient Biblical times, women used to not cut their hair.  Hair length in women was always based on the length of her arm (see Figure 5). Why do you think women in Asia and in the Middle East have long hair (based on their arm length)? The reason being, it is passed from one generation to another that women must have long hair. Why do women these days in Western countries have short hair? The reason being, they have embraced the lifestyle of prostitutes without even knowing that years ago people used to identity a prostitute (whore) by short hair. Even though these are harsh words directed to a woman, the truth cannot be hidden. Ask your great grandparents what did the word flapper mean? The word flapper means prostitute. Why did it mean prostitute? Because these women used to cut their hair short to identify themselves as prostitutes. That is why in 1920s if women had short hair they used to wear a beautiful hat, so that they would not be identified as prostitutes or as a flapper. For instance the Encyclopaedia Wikipedia says, “flappers were a new breed of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed (shortened/cut) their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted (display) their disdain (contempt) for what was then considered acceptable behavior. Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles, and otherwise flouting (openly disregard) social and sexual norms.” Have you noticed that, in the 20th century, all women prisoners in many countries had their hair shaved off or had very short hair? This was a punishment prescribed by law in many countries. Many pagan religions around the world practice short hair on women, like Buddhist monks and other religions. The question that women need to ask themselves is: do you want to be a part of this custom that originates from paganism?  We can see that over time, as a society, our norms have degraded. What is evil we say is good. What is good we say is evil.  In the Israelite custom, when the hair of a woman was too long and was not manageable, they used to measure the hair using their arm length and excess hair was cut off. This is the same custom that is followed in many countries in Asia and in the Middle East. It is natural for women to have long hair, as this is how you were created by YHWH. While today’s society teaches that short hair on women is the accepted standard, the Scriptures and the traditions of our forefathers and patriarchs teach us that long hair is the beauty of women.   Did Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) have long or short hair? Yehoshua HaMashiach did not have long hair as he never took a Nazirite vow. His hair length was based on the palm of his hand which was the standard accepted in an Israelite society. Keep in mind that Yehoshua HaMashiach is our high priest (Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14). Since a priest cannot have long hair as per Ezekiel 44:20, we can be assured that our Master and King Yehoshua did not have long hair. Concluding remarks In conclusion a person must discern themselves what hair length is appropriate to them. Keep in mind that a day will come when we will stand in front of the King of Kings Yehoshua HaMashiach. Women, you don’t want to look like a flapper with short hair when you meet your King Yehoshua HaMashiach. Similarly, men, you don’t want to look like a woman with long hair when you meet your King Yehoshua HaMashiach. The only exception for men when they can have long and uncut hair is when you have taken a Nazirite vow. Remember we are the children of Israel and therefore we need to start living like the children of Israel and leave the traditions of this shameful world behind.   Frequently Asked Questions: As a man I am having bald hair and it is not possible for me to grow hair. What should I do? For some reason you are bald, which Elohim knows, and therefore you cannot do anything about this. You can wear a men’s hat or a cap if you wish to protect your head. I have shaved off the hair on my head due to baldness. In such situations, what should I do? You basically can’t do anything because baldness is not your fault. It is happening because of some unknown reason in your body. You can wear a men’s hat or a cap if you wish to protect your head. I prefer to shave the hair of my head as it is more convenient.  Is this style acceptable? This style is not acceptable by YHWH Elohim. You are telling the creator, ”I will decide what is good for me. As hair is a burden to me, I will shave it off.” Hair is given to human beings as our protection. It is not meant to be a burden. Pagans shave off the hair of their head to please their god. Is it necessary to have my hair length as per the palm of my hand (for men)? Can I have shorter hair? No, it is not necessary to have your hair length exactly as the palm of your hand. You definitely can have shorter hair (for men). The whole point is to make sure that your hair is well-trimmed. As a woman, I have difficulty growing my hair Do I need to wear a hair wig or wear a women’s hat or a head covering? There is no need to wear a hair wig for this. Try to live a modest life. Many women wear a head covering, but again, this is a personal choice. The two photos shown below show some examples of head covering used by Jewish women (they have used a Jewish head scarf; see Figures 6 and 7).   Figure 6: Jewish Head Scarf   Figure 7: Jewish Head Scarf with decorative work   As a woman I am having a lot of hair loss and I need to cut and keep my hair short to control my hair loss. In such situations is my short hair acceptable? Yes, it is definitely acceptable as this is a health condition that you are facing. In such situations it is totally acceptable to cut your hair to avoid further hair loss.  As an African/Pacific Islander woman I don’t have long hair at all and I have very short curly hair. What do I do in such situations? You cannot do anything as this is how YHWH created you. So be of a good cheer as it is perfectly fine. I need to shave off the hair of my head as I am undergoing medical treatment, for instance, chemotherapy. Is this alright? Yes, this is perfectly fine as you are suffering from a health condition. As a woman can I have hair longer than the length of my arm? Yes, you definitely can. I am having a medical condition that prevents me from having hair (example: seborrhoeic dermatitis, alopecia areata, scalp infections etc.). What do I do in such situations? You would have to cut or in some cases shave your hair, as per the medical advice you receive from your medical practitioner. Keep in mind that you are doing this because of your medical condition. You are not doing this because of social norms. As a man or woman, why should I have hair on my head? Why is hair important on my head? Hair was created by YHWH to be your protection. It was meant to do good. The medical literature shows: Hair on our head protects us from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays and helps us in not getting cancer on our head. Having hair on our head helps us to detect if there are any harmful metals in the human body. Hair on our head helps our head cool during summer months. In winter months, hair helps us to prevent a drop in body temperature. Hair cells are involved in helping us keep our sense of equilibrium. Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet

If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible

> Articles   > If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible. If Jesus was a Jew, then why are we Christians? The untold story of the real Messiah of the Bible. Answering the greatest question that no one dared to ask: Was Jesus Christ a Jew or a Christian? One of the greatest deceptions that exists in today’s world is the hiding of the real identity of Jesus Christ (Yehoshua HaMashiach). It is a conspiracy that started centuries ago, of which no one speaks. It is a deception ingrained in the mind of billions of faithful Christian believers, that Jesus Christ and His disciples were Christians. Believers trust that when Jesus Christ lived on Earth He and His disciples, for some reason, became or called themselves Christians. The aim of this study is to shed light on this crucial topic and to show who our Saviour and Redeemer Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is. This article will answer the following key questions: How many times do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian appear in the Bible (Scriptures)? What do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian mean as per the Scriptures? What does the word “religion” mean and from where did this word originate? Who were the first Hebrews and Jews in the Scriptures? Was Jesus Christ a Hebrew, Jew, or a Christian? The untold story of the two groups of people during the time of the Messiah. What is the Hebrew roots movement? According to the Scriptures, salvation is promised to which people?   How many times do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian appear in the Bible (Scriptures)? Word Number of times the word appears in the Scriptures Hebrew 26 Hebrews 23 Jew 32 Jews 257 Natsarene or Nazarene 2 Christian or Christians 3   What do the words Hebrew, Jew, Natsarenes, and Christian mean as per the Scriptures? Hebrew: The word Hebrew is an English word and comes from the actual Hebrew word Ibriy, pronounced as Ib-ree. Strong’s concordance number 5680. The scriptures identify Abram (who later became Abraham) as the first Hebrew (Ibriy). Therefore, whenever the term Hebrew is mentioned in the Scriptures, it denotes the descendants of father Abraham (father of the faithful). The word Hebrew also means; “one from beyond, to go over or to go across”. The term Hebrew has been related to the one who crossed over or one who went from place to place. In the Scriptures we see an event: “YHWH said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Abram was obedient and “crossed over” from his land to the land of Canaan. Hence he became the first Hebrew, the one who crossed over under divine instruction. There is a deeper inner meaning of the word Hebrew. Abram was to be a blessing to the world because of his obedience to YHWH. The word Hebrew also means “the one who is obedient to the instruction of YHWH”, just like Abram was obedient to YHWH, which ultimately led Abram to become Abraham father of many nations. The word Hebrews means “a group of people who follow the footsteps of father Abraham”. Jew: The word Jew is an English word and comes from the actual Hebrew word Yehudah and Yehudi. It is pronounced as yeh-hoo-daw and as yeh-hoo-dee respectively. Strong’s concordance number 3063 and 3064. The word Jew is a horrendous translation error. The reason being that the letter “J” did not exist in English. It first appeared in Western Europe in the 15th Century and was introduced in English in 1634. Likewise, the Hebrew alphabets do not have the letter “J”, nor do they have a “J” sound. The word Yehudah (Judah) means “let YHWH be praised or now I praise YHWH” as per Genesis 29:35. The word Yehudi (Jew) means someone who is a descendant from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah). The first time we see the word Jew (Yehudi) in the Scriptures is in the book of Esther chapter 2 verse 5 when they were living in exile. Judah (Yehudah) was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Yahqob) and anyone descended from Judah (Yehudah) was a Yehudi From the scriptures we understand that the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms, the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. When King Solomon died, a civil war broke out for the throne. Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) had his father’s blessing to be the new king. But Jeroboam (he was not Solomon’s son and was an administrator under King Solomon. He was from the tribe of Ephraim which was the most powerful tribe) had more influence on the people. The war split the kingdoms in two. Rehoboam took the Southern Kingdom and Jeroboam took the Northern Kingdom The Southern Kingdom consisted of the descendants of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. The Northern Kingdom consisted of the nine tribes, namely, Reuben, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh. Keep in mind that the Cohenim or Kohenim (Priests) of the tribe of Levi chiefly existed in the land of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but were also scattered in the midst of both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. The Southern Kingdom was called the House of Judah and the Northern Kingdom was called the House of Israel. If you would like to see the map of the Northern and Southern Kingdom, please refer to the Holman Student Bible, 2007 print edition, page 274. The word Jews mean “people who are from the land of Judah (Yehudah)”. Natsarene or Nazarene: It is important to note that the term Natsarenes takes its usage from the word "Netzer", which in English means “Sprout”. Isaiah 11:1 states "And a Rod shall come forth from the stump of Yishai, and a Sprout (Netzer) from his roots (sheresh) shall be fruitful". A Sprout (Netzer) more accurately refers to a “new shoot” growing from the side of an olive tree trunk (see Figure One). By implication it means new life. It represents a new generation that grows from a tree. In the Gospel of John we see Yehoshua (Jesus) talking about this. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch (Klema in Greek, pronounced as klay-mah, Strong’s Concordance Number 2814, means “a shoot”) in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch (Klema in Greek) that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch (Klema in Greek) is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me” (John 15:1-4). Netzer is the word commonly used for Netzarim or Natsarenes. When Isaiah wrote of the "Netzer" in Isaiah 11:1, the city of Nazareth did not exist. The Christian world understands that Jesus Christ was a "Nazarene" because He came from the city of Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth). But the term "Netzer" speaks of the qualities of the Messiah, not about where He lived. The word netzer represents the kingdom of the Messiah that begins as a sprout that grows to fill the whole earth under the rulership of Yehoshua HaMashiach. That is why the first followers of the Messiah were called Natsarenes, according to Acts 24:5, because they lived and followed a life obedient to their King Yehoshua HaMashiach. Christian or Christians: The Greeks used the word Christianos and Christos for the Hebrew Mashiyach (Anointed). Strong’s concordance number 5546 and 5547. The word Christos was far more acceptable to the Roman pagans who accepted the new religion (Christianity) instituted by the Roman emperor Constantine the great. The word Christian does not mean anything to followers of the Messiah because that word was invented by Constantine. Lew White author of the book “Fossilized Customs” explains the origin of the word Christian as follow. “The Greek word "Christos" (kristos) has come to mean anointed, and this corresponds with the Hebrew word Mashiyach. What is not commonly known is that Osiris and Mithras were both called "Chreistos", which meant "GOOD". The word was adopted from gnostic Paganism; The inscription "CHRESTOS" can be seen on a Mithras relief in the Vatican. During the time of Marcion, around 150 CE, Justin Martyr said that "Christians" were "Chrestoi", or "good men". Clement of Alexandria said "all who believe in Christ are called "Chrestoi, that is 'good men'". Rome was the center of Chrestos Mithras worship, so the adaptation or revisionism to the new faith for this title should hardly be a huge mystery; but this information has been intentionally buried. The word "Christian" is only used 3 times in the received Greek texts; and if it were in fact what the disciples called themselves as a "sect", it would have seemed very foreign not only to them, but to everyone involved”. The word Christian is mentioned only three times in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) and is a translation error. The actual word is “Messianists”. The disciples of Yehoshua never called themselves Messianists; new believers called them Messianists. Let us look at an example: I travel to Germany to teach the word of YHWH. People would tell their friends that an Australian person had come here to teach us the word of YHWH and it was a very inspiring speech. Even though, under the laws of men (passport that I carry), I am referred to as an Australian, my origin or my blood line is not Australian, but a Jew. Therefore, I would always refer myself as a Jew. It would not matter to me what others call me; you are an Australian or a speaker from Brisbane or a follower of YHWH. This is so important to understand. The disciples were called Messianists by other people; they did not call themselves as Messianists as they were Jews. The word Christian is not found in any of the gospels or in the book of Revelation, but is found in the Book of Acts and in First Peter as a translation error. Keep in mind that Greek is a pagan language and was not the language of Yehoshua HaMashiach or of the Patriarchs. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I, shows this about the disciples of Yehoshua (Jesus): Thus Christ’s holy disciples also called themselves “disciples of Jesus” then, as indeed they were. But when others called them Nazoraeans (another word for Natsarenes) they did not reject it, aware of the intent of those who called them that. They were calling them Nazoraeans because of Christ, since our Lord Jesus was called “Nazoraean” himself, as the seen in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. They use not only the New Testament but the Old Testament as well, as the Jews do. For they do not repudiate the legislation (Torah), the prophets, and the books which are called Writings by the Jews and by themselves. They have no different views but confess everything in full accord with the doctrine of the Law (Torah), and like the Jews, accept that they are supposedly believers in Christ (Yehoshua HaMashiach). For they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and that all things have been created by God, and they declare that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4, John 10:30), and that his Son is Jesus Christ (Section II: Page 128; 6,7 – 7,2 from The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I (Sects 1-46), 2nd Edition, by Frank Williams. Epiphanius was a bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The word Panarion means “against heresies”. Words in brackets have been added for understanding). What does the word religion mean and where did this word originate from? The word religion is mentioned only five times in the Scriptures and is mentioned only in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament). Word Number of times the word appears in the Messianic Scriptures Religion 5 We will now see where the word religion appears in the Scriptures: Acts 26:5 – They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. Galatians 1:13 – For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it. Galatians 1:14 – and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. James 1:26 – If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:27 - Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world The word “religion” comes from the Greek word threskeia pronounced as thrace-ki-ah. Strong’s concordance number 2356. The word threskeia actually means the “external ceremonial aspect” of worship or “a way” of worship. Let us look at an example of how this expression is used in the Scriptures by Yehoshua HaMashiach. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly (external aspect of worship), but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men (external aspect of worship), but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (you are without the Torah or you do not keep the Torah)” (Matthew 23:27-28). God did not create a religion. He created a way of life for people to walk in. That is why the word “religion” does not even exist in the Tanakh (Old Testament) In the book of Isaiah, we see during the reign of the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah saying “and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: This is the way. Walk in it (Isaiah 30:21)." We don’t hear, “this is the religion you must follow”, but we hear, “this is the way in which we must walk”. Also in Isaiah, we see God saying, “And I will lead the blind into the way which they know not: and in the paths which they were ignorant of I will make them walk: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight: these things have I done to them, and have not forsaken them” (Isaiah 42:16). The word religion originated from the Greek/Roman worship of false Gods, which was at epidemic proportions during the reign of Emperor Constantine. When Christianity became the primary religion of the Constantine Empire, the word religion was embraced by the Roman Empire and made its entry into the Scriptures. One thing we need to remember is that religion is the way that people use to divide, which eventually leads to destruction. Following the Way of YHWH is the way to peace and salvation. Who were the first Hebrews and Jews in the scriptures? Was Jesus Christ a Hebrew, Jew or a Christian? Father Abraham was the first Hebrew according to the Scriptures. As the Children of Israel came from the blood line or from the loins of Father Abraham, we are all Hebrews. Now the question that many people ask is, “So are we a Hebrew or a Jew?”. The problem with this question is that the word “Jews” appears twice for the first time in the book of two Kings. Then we see the word “Jews” appear in the book of Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah. Keep in mind that initially, God’s elect people were known as Hebrews. The term “Jew” did not come into use until after the nine northern tribes were banished to Assyria and Judah (Southern Kingdom) was exiled to Babylon. In the later stages of the captivity (during the time of Esther) and in the early stages of the return to the land of Israel (during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah), the tribe of Judah was dominant. The word “Jew” developed as a shortening of the word “Judah.” The dominance of the tribe of Judah in the return to the Promised Land resulted in all of the Israelites, generally being referred to as “Jews.” The term "Jew" is derived from Jacob's fourth son, Judah (Yehudah), and may have originally applied only to Judah's descendants. Jacob assigned Judah the role of leader and king. The scriptures prove this: "The sceptre shall not turn aside from Yehudah, not an Inscriber from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him is the obedience of peoples" (Genesis 49:10). "But you Bethlehem Ephrathah you who are little among the clans of Yehudah, out of you shall come forth to Me, The One to become Ruler in Israel. And his comings forth are of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). Now the question is; "Was Yehoshua HaMashiach a Hebrew, Jew or a Christian?" Yehoshua HaMashiach came from the blood line of Father Abraham, the father of the faithful. As the blood line of Father Abraham flows into the tribe of Judah (Yehudah) the Saviour and Redeemer of Israel and the world is a Yehudi, which means a Jew. Yehoshua was not a Christian and will never be a Christian. When Yehoshua HaMashiach was born into this world, the title given to Him was "King of the Jews". When He died, the title given to Him was “King of the Jews”. All throughout the Messianic Scriptures, Yehoshua HaMashiach was referred to as King of the Jews and in some places as King of Israel, not as King of Christians. Matthew 2:2 – Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Matthew 27:11 – "Are you King of the Jews"? And Yehoshua said to him, You say it. Matthew 27:29 – And they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying “Greetings, King of the Jews”. Matthew 27:37 – And they put up over His head the written charge against Him: This is Yehoshua the King of the Jews. Matthew 27:42 – If He is the King of Israel let Him now come down from the stake, and we shall believe Him. Mark 15:9 – Do you wish me to release for you the King of the Jews? Mark 15:12 – What then do you wish me to do to Him who you call King of the Jews? Luke 23:2 – We found this one perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying He Himself is the Messiah, a King. John 1:49 - Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel”. John 12:13 – Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of YHWH, the King of Israel. John 18:37 – You say it, because I am a King. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:39 – But you have a habit that I shall release someone to you at the Pesah. Do you wish, then, that I release to you the King of the Jews? Since we are grafted into the body of the Messiah, we spontaneously become sons of the Most High, and hence become a Jew in the eyes of God (not in the eyes of men). The Messiah never referred to himself as King of Christianity or King of Hebrews, but He called himself King of the Jews That is why today we, the Children of Yisrael, call ourselves Messianic Jews, which means we are faithful followers of Yehoshua HaMashiach, who was a Jew. The untold story of the two groups of people during the time of the Messiah One of the questions that people often ask is, "Why do we have one group of believers believing in the Messiah and the other group rejecting/trampling the Messiah in the land of Israel?" From the scriptures we find that even when Yehoshua was born there were faithful people waiting for the birth of the Messiah. That is why Matthew chapter 2 starts with “And Yehoshua having been born in Bethlehem of Yehudah in the day of Herodes the sovereign, see, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem”. This is the first group of believers (the Magi) of Yehoshua that came to pay homage to the King of the Jews. Then we suddenly see another group led by Herodes who under the disguise of paying homage to Yehoshua actually desired to destroy/kill Yehoshua (Matthew 2:13). Here, we see basically two seeds (the seed of YHWH and the seed of the Serpent; refer to Genesis 3:15), the first one waiting for their promised King to save them; the second group who will do all that is in their power to destroy the promised King of the Jews. What we can understand is that the division had already happened as soon as Yehoshua was born, which was basically the fulfilment of Genesis 3:15 ("And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel"). Now we will look into the timeline/chronology of these two groups of people. Before we talk about the Chronology of the two groups of people, we want to make one thing clear about the dates of the Chronology. Chronology of the dates of the birth of the Messiah Yehoshua and His death is a continuous debate among all Biblical scholars. For example, some suggest that Yehoshua was born in 3 BCE and others say he was born in 5 BCE (BCE meaning- Before Christian Era). We are not here to say which group is right or wrong, but to simply point out that “dates of biblical chronology is a topic that is still fiercely debated”. The aim of this topic is not to promote a debate, but to merely show the chronology of events that led to the division of two groups of people. If you don’t understand how the two groups of people divided and where they ended up, you won’t understand its history. BC or BCE (Before Christian Era) 37 BC: The reign of King Herod the Great. Herod is not from the blood line of King David. His mother was an ethnic Arab and his father was an Edomite. Edomites are from the line of Esau. He was made king by the Romans and not by the Jewish people. For more information about the Herodian Era refer to the book, Ancient Coins through the Bible by Joseph Dow, 2011 Edition. 20 BC: Schools of Hillel and Shammai founded. Hillel and Shammai were two principal rabbis of the first century BCE who founded opposing schools of Jewish beliefs, known as the House of Hillel and House of Shammai. The argument between these schools lay on things pertaining to ritual practice, morals, and doctrine. These two schools were critical for the shaping of the Oral Law (manmade oral laws of men that the Messiah and the Apostles opposed) and Judaism (a manmade religion). For more information about the Schools of Hillel and Shammai refer to the book, The Jews in the Time of Jesus: An Introduction by Stephen Wylen, 1996 Edition. 19 BC: Herod begins to rebuild the Temple. 3 BC: Yehoshua HaMashiach and Yochanan ben Zechariah born (Jesus Christ and John the Baptist). 2 BC: The Maggi visit Yehoshua HaMashiach (believers of the Messiah) to pay homage. During the same time non-believers of the Messiah under Herod order the execution of all male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The rise of the two groups of people: Followers of the Messiah (Seed of YHWH) and the Non-Followers of the Messiah (Seed of Serpent). CE (Common Era) 6 CE: Annas becomes first High Priest. 8 CE: The School of Shammai (the dominant group of Pharisees in the 1st century), issues 18 edicts meant to create forced separation between Jews and Gentiles. 10 CE Hillel (founder of the Pharisee School of Hillel) dies and is succeeded by his son Shimon. 14 CE Augustus dies; Tiberius succeeds him as emperor. 15 CE Annas removed as High Priest and his son-in-law Caiaphas eventually succeeds him. 26 CE Pontius Pilate becomes Procurator of Judea. 27 CE Yochanan ben Zechariah (John the Baptist) prepares the way for YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach as per Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3. 27 CE Yochanan ben Zechariah beheaded by Herod the great. 27 CE Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) begins His teachings as the prophesied Messiah (Fulfils His role as the Messenger, the Holy One of Israel as prophesied in Exodus 23:20-21). The teachings of Yehoshua who came in the name of YHWH last for 70 weeks (490 days). (Daniel 9:24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your set-apart city, to put an end to the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover crookedness, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up a vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Set-apart"). 28 CE Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) crucified and resurrected. 31 CE Gamaliel, head of the Sanhedrin, encourages patience to Followers of the Way (Acts 5:34-39).   33 CE The school of Shammai attempts a power play, expelling all non- Jews from Jerusalem. The Messianic believers of Yehoshua are swept up in this and are scattered abroad, while the Hebrew Apostles remain in Jerusalem. 34 CE Paul persecutes Followers of the Way but undergoes conversion when Yehoshua speaks to him divinely, thereafter spending three years in Damascus. 36 CE Pilate butchers a group of Samaritans and is relieved of his position as Procurator for this act, and his treatment of Herod Agrippa; he commits suicide in Italy a year later. 40-41 CE Caligula (Roman Emperor) orders a statue of himself placed in the Temple at Jerusalem but is assassinated before the order is carried out. 44 CE Paul and Barnabas minister in Antioch; the term “Messianist” comes to be used there for the taught ones (Acts 11:25-26). 49 CE Claudius (Roman Emperor) expels the Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2). 63 CE Jews begin forming rebellion against Roman rule. 64 CE Rome burns; Nero (Roman Emperor) blames the followers of the Messiah (called Christians in English) and severe persecution begins. Nero covered the Messianic believers with the skins of animals and gave them to dogs to be torn into pieces. Many believers were nailed to crosses (stake), and burnt to serve as a nightly illumination torch, when daylight had expired. 70 CE Jerusalem destroyed by Titus (Roman Emperor). 71 CE The Romans cut down every tree in Israel and salt the land to punish the Jews for the rebellion. 73 CE Masada taken and the people who have held out against the Romans commit suicide. 85 CE A new sect of believers a sect mentioned in the Book of Revelation that will impact followers of the Messiah forever arises in Pergamum (in ancient Greece); they are known as the Nicolaitans. Their lasting impact will bring froth the hierarchical system instituted by Nimrod. The name Nicolaitan means "the conqueror of people". 90 CE Rabbis Yohanan ben Zakkai and Gamaliel II re-establish the Sanhedrin and expel all believers of Yehoshua from the synagogues. 132 CE Simon bar Kokhba proclaimed as the messiah by the Jewish leaders and revolts against Roman rule; the followers of Yehoshua do not participate. The Bar Kokhba revolt was the third major rebellion by the Jews of Judaea province against the Roman Empire. The rebellion is also known as The Third Jewish Revolt. Simon bar Kokhba, the commander of the revolt, was acclaimed as a messiah, a heroic figure who could restore Israel. Jewish believers of Yehoshua Messiah did not support Simon Bar Kokhba and they were barred from Jerusalem. This war was the turning point that separated the two groups to two different radical groups. One group would eventually end up being Christians and the other group would end up being Orthodox Jews of Judaism. 135 CE Last vestiges of Jewish self-rule eliminated by the Romans as the rebellion (Third Jewish Revolt) is crushed. The Temple is given over to Zeus. The first Gentile bishop, Marcus, appointed over the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. 175 CE The term Old Testament is first used by the bishop of Sardis, in reference to the Tanakh, to force separation between Jews and new converts. 180 CE Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, becomes the first post-Apostolic church father to assert primacy of the church in Rome over all other churches. 185 CE Origen, a church father, forbids teaching from Jewish sources. 200 CE Christian ministers are called priests for the first time. Judah haNasi (Yehudah HaNasi), of the school of Hillel, begins codifying Jewish philosophies and commentaries in the Mishna. 201 CE First Christian specific church building erected in Syria. 220 CE The Mishna was endorsed in 220 CE by Rabbi Judah haNasi (Yehudah HaNasi) when oppression of the Jews and the passage of time increased the possibility that the details of the oral traditions of the Pharisees (536 BCE – 70 CE) would be lost. The scriptures show that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) was very hostile to the Pharisees for their oral manmade traditions and laws that were not part of the Torah and the Tanakh (Matthew 15:9). 256 CE Pope Stephen becomes the first head of the Roman church to openly declare succession to Peter and to hold supremacy over all church bishops. 301 CE Armenia becomes the first Christian nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. 312 CE Constantine superficially converts to Christianity after a dream leads him to a military victory. He remains polytheistic until his death, even striking coins to honour Apollo. 321 CE Constantine declares Sunday as the official Christian Sabbath day, instead of Saturday. 324 CE Constantine moves the capital to Constantinople, leaving the bishop of Rome the most powerful man in Italy. 325 CE Council of Nicaea meets to codify Christian doctrines in response to growing heresies. Jewish bishops are specifically excluded from the meeting. Doctrine of the Trinity formally acknowledged in some cases with bishops threatened with death if they do not accept it. Council of Nicaea meets to codify Christian doctrines in response to growing heresies. Jewish bishops are specifically excluded from the meeting. Doctrine of the Trinity formally acknowledged in some cases with bishops threatened with death if they do not accept it. 337 CE Christianity becomes the official state religion of Rome. Constantine finally receives baptism as a Christian (from heretical Arian priests), and dies on Pentecost. Christianity originates as a lawless religion (totally drifting away from the teachings of the Torah, Tanakh and the way in which Yehoshua HaMashiach taught and walked). Constantine eradicates any teachings that are Jewish like the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) and the Tanakh (writings of the Prophets and other writings). Constantine introduces heretical pagan festival celebrations into Christianity like praying for the dead and Easter. The term Easter originated from the name Astarte a Chaldean pagan goddess who was considered queen of heavens by the Romans. 359 CE The Jewish calendar is changed and fixed by Rabbi Hillel II as a mathematical calendar. This fulfils what Daniel the prophet said when the calendar of the Most High gets changed. "…and it wears out the set-apart ones and it intends to change appointed festivals and Torah (Daniel 7:25)." This eventually leads the Jewish people drifting away from the Torah to Rabbinical Judaism (a man-made religion made by Rabbis). More importance was given to the oral law (Mishnah and Talmud) which was considered legally binding, regardless of what the Torah said. The Rabbis had gone to such an extreme that they claim that the oral laws (laws that are not part of the Torah) were all given by YHWH to Moses on Mount Sinai. Rabbinical Judaism is a manmade religion that gives more importance to the laws of Rabbis (men) than the laws of YHWH. From the chronology of the two groups of people we find how Christianity evolved over time into a lawless religion and that the actual founder of Christianity was not Jesus Christ but Emperor Constantine. Similarly, we see how the Jewish people drifted from the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh and started embracing Rabbinical Judaism. What is the Hebrew roots movement? The Hebrew roots movement is not part of the Scriptures. It is a man-made term that is a mixture of Christianity (a lawless religion) going under the disguise of Hebrew roots claiming to bring people back to the faith of the forefathers namely Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were the first Hebrews. Elohim did not create any movement, but a way of life. The main aim of the Hebrew roots movement is to make money under the disguise of preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom. The whole notion goes like this – "Christianity is basically a boring religion. How do I make it more attractive so that I can get more people to join my ministry (stand with us or support us) or our group with their tithes (money)? So this is what I will do. I will take some parts (not all, whichever is easier) of the Old Testament and reject some parts of Christianity like Christmas, Easter and other Christian observances and I will create something called a Hebrew roots movement, which is basically a mixture of Christianity and bits and pieces of the Old Testament". This is basically the reason why every Hebrew roots movement has disintegrated (collapsed) over time, because their foundation basically lies on “how to bring people to my church/ministry or my group”. Instead of teaching people how to follow the Torah and the Tanakh and to live a life as our Saviour and Elohim Yehoshua lived, the Hebrew roots movement is basically based on two primary things: How do we attract people to my ministry or organisation? How can we get money (tithes) from the people who attend?   The two main groups that had the largest influences on thousands of people and who were the beginners of the Hebrew roots movement were the Sacred Name Movement and the Radio Church of God who later called themselves as the Worldwide Church of God, respectively. The Sacred Name Movement The Sacred Name Movement started in 1928 and kept the Jewish festivals like Passover, Sukkot and other festivals and adopted using sacred names of God like Yahweh, YHWH etc. It was started by Clarence Dodd who started publishing The Faith magazine in 1937. Today there are hundreds of groups that came out of the Sacred Name Movement that go by different names like Church of God Seventh Day, Assembly of Yahweh, Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry and many more. Radio Church of God or Worldwide Church of God The Radio Church of God started in 1930 and was founded by Herbert Armstrong who came out of the Church of God Seventh Day. The Radio Church of God had the biggest impact during the time of Mr Armstrong during the 1930s. In 1968, the Radio Church of God was given a new name, the Worldwide Church of God. The World Wide Church of God pioneered the hierarchical Nicolitian structure where every person had to listen to the minister regardless of whether the minister was right or wrong. Sexual abuse of women by ministers, extravagant life styles of ministers, and greed for power and control was rampant in the Worldwide Church of God. The most noticeable history of the Worldwide Church of God was the extravagant life style of ministers and senior pastors. Mr Armstrong the supreme leader of the Worldwide Church of God lived an extravagant life. He had his own personal private jet, his own pilots, his own stewardess, mansions, dined with serving bowls and cutlery made of gold, owned hundreds of buildings and forced members of the Worldwide Church of God to pay three tithes which caused many members of the church to end up in poverty. Mr Armstrong himself had a salary of $600,000 US Dollars per year. For more information refer to the book, Armstrongism – Religion or Rip-off? By Marion McNair, 1977 Edition and The Armstrong Empire: A Look at the Worldwide Church of God by Joseph Hopkins, 1974 Edition. When he died in 1986, the church (a Nicolitian Empire) collapsed in a few years and thousands of splinter groups arose all around the world going by the name Church of God. The above photo (Figure Two) is part of the Armstrong campus in Pasadena, United States that includes the Ambassador College auditorium, which the World Wide Church of God possessed during the time of Armstrong. Because they had the most attractive buildings and life-styles, millions of people came into these buildings and campuses to glorify men (not God). Yehoshua warned His followers about systems that would come during our day and age: "Any kingdom (Nicolitian Empire) divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom (Nicolitian Empire) stand?" (Luke 11:17-18). Today the million dollar campuses and properties are in ruins and have been destroyed. Watch the video and photo (Figure Three). Today the most notable groups of the Worldwide Church of God include the United Church of God, Living Church of God and the Philadelphia Church of God. These churches still follow the same footsteps or a slightly modified version of the World Wide Church of God doctrine. How did all these groups collapse? One must ask the question, “How did they all collapse?” Because people in all of these groups followed men! When you follow men and not the Scriptures, the curse of God comes upon you. This is the fundamental reason why churches and the Hebrew roots movement do not read the book of Jeremiah, because the book of Jeremiah is all about the priests and ministers who claim they are appointed by God. How many times have you heard ministers in the Hebrew roots movement say this statement, "The Father spoke to me", "The Father gave me a revelation", "The Father told me to tell you this". This is at epidemic proportions in the Hebrew roots movement, false prophets pretending that they hear the Father's voice. Yehoshua HaMashiach himself said, "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form (John 5:37)". You can never hear the voice of the Father. These False ministers with great pride will preach, “The Father spoke to me”. They are false prophets When you put your trust in churches and religious leaders who you think are appointed by God, YHWH curses you and that is why you become spiritually blind and deaf and you end up like a shrub in the uninhabited desert. This is the same thing that the Scriptures tell us: "Thus said YHWH, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from YHWH. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and not see when good comes, and shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land that is not inhabited" (Jeremiah 17:5-6). How do people get attracted to all of these groups and churches? The number one factor that attracts people to all of these groups or churches is Bible prophecy. We call it "Bible prophecy prediction addiction". Bible prophecy addiction is at epidemic (like the Bubonic plague) proportions in the Christian and Hebrew roots movement. In fact, that is all what people want to hear. Most people believe that Bible prophecy is one of the factors that can save you. Unfortunately these people are wrong. Bible prophecy can never save you. The life that you live under YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach and His teachings which is basically the Torah and the Tanakh is what saves you. You know what? Prediction addiction sells and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to the ministry. Do not be deceived by prediction addiction. Bible prophecy is basically foreseeing the future and telling what is going to happen in the future. In a pagan worldly system we call this “Fortune telling” or “divination”. During the times of the Patriarchs, Israel was always warned of the consequences of divination (knowing the future) which is basically running after other man-made gods. "When you enter the land YHWH your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9-11). While most people would say that Deuteronomy 18:9-11 is talking about running after other gods, it is not as simple as that. It especially warns of anyone constantly talking about the future (practicing divination). This is seen in the Christian world, where Churches use Bible Prophecy as a tool to attract millions of people. So is Bible prophecy bad? Definitely not! It is good as it gives hope to the servants of the Messiah. Because ministers and churches have defiled (exploited for money) the word Bible prophecy, it ends up being a curse. Let us look at a scenario. Why don’t churches/groups use the Torah to attract people? The reason is that it is VERY BORING. We don’t want the Torah as it is too boring and is full of laws and it is the Old Testament (who the heck wants the Old Testament?). If you start a church or group that teaches only the Torah, trust me on this, there will hardly be anyone in that group. People find the Torah boring and unattractive. This is why every Hebrew roots movement and many Christian churches concentrate on the book of Revelation, book of Daniel, Gospel of the Good News of Gods’ Kingdom and the New Testament. These messages would sell and in turn bring millions in revenue to the organisation. You teach the Torah and your revenue would be "zero balance" in your bank account. In Christianity, faithful Christians believe that only sweet Jesus Christ can save you and it is your faith in Jesus that saves you. While it is 20 percent correct, just believing in Jesus Christ cannot save you. Jesus himself said, "Just believing in me cannot save you". This is the same thing that Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) warned millions of people earlier. Let us look at the words of Yehoshua HaMashiach: "Not everyone (billions of Christians) who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, (Jesus we love you, I love Jesus Christ) shall enter the kingdom of heaven (when the Messiah sits on His throne in Jerusalem, Israel), but he who does the will (Keeping the Torah and living a life as YHWH said) of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day (during the reign of the Messiah), 'Lord, Lord, (Jesus Christ) have we not prophesied (Bible Prophecy addiction is the first thing that Yehoshua quotes here) in Your name (Bible prophecy addiction- Jesus is coming soon; be prepared), cast out demons in Your name (doing miracles in the name of Jesus Christ), and done many wonders in Your name (preaching the Good News of Jesus Kingdom)?' And then I will declare (Yehoshua will pass the Judgement) to them, 'I never knew you (who are you); depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (get away from me you lawless people, the one who does not practice/live by the TORAH)! (Matthew 7:21-23) (Words in brackets are added for understanding). Let us take a step back and carefully examine Matthew 7:21-23. The first thing that Yehoshua says is “…have we not prophesied in your name?”. Why would Yehoshua talk about prophecy? Because this is the only reason why millions of people go to church, they all want to know the future and learn Bible prophecy. The second thing is they want to be part of a system that only heals people and preaches the Good News of God’s Kingdom. The four facts common to all Christian churches and ministries:   Love Jesus Christ and get baptised in His name. Once saved always saved. The whole ministry is about Bible prophecy Tithing to the ministry in the name of God. God will bless you if you help His ministry. This goes under the banner “we need to preach the good news of God’s kingdom to the whole world and save as many people as possible.” In order to do this, we need your money. Promoting to do good to others, to heal people and to make them well.   Unfortunately none of the above four facts can make you inherit the Kingdom of the Messiah. Imagine this: All your life you loved Jesus Christ and suddenly when you see Him for the first time, He tells you "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (you who are without the Torah)". It is so important to understand this: You cannot live a life without the TORAH. Because the whole Torah is about the Messiah and He is the living WORD (Torah) which became flesh. If you reject the Torah, He will reject you. If you live a life as per the Torah and follow the complete Scriptures, rest assured you will be with Him when His Kingdom is established. Let us look at the actual translation of Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord. Lord!' will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of My Father, the One in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that Day, 'Lord. Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name? And we cast out demons in Your name, and we did many miracles in Your name?' And then I will declare to them that 'I never knew you: you working without Torah must continually depart from Me (The Power New Testament, Fourth Edition by William Morford). Unfortunately, the Hebrew roots movement is infiltrated with false prophets whose main notion is to make money (draw money out of you). That is why they have all become like the Prophet Balaam. It is very important to understand the life of Prophet Balaam as he is mentioned in the book of revelation by Yehoshua and also in the Messianic scriptures. Let us look at the story of Prophet Balaam. The untold story of Prophet Balaam Almost all ministers/pastors (95%) follow the footsteps of Prophet Balaam. Why do they follow Balaam unsuspectingly? You will find out shortly. Balaam was a prophet of YHWH. That is, he was a person who talked with YHWH and who heard the voice of God. There was a time in his life when he was a good prophet who served YHWH and did what God said. From Numbers chapter 22 to 24 we see that Balak, King of Moab, called Balaam to come and curse his enemies which were the children of Israel. The royal officers of King Balak took money for divination (prophecy) so that they could pay Balaam. For some reason, Balaam told them to stay at his place so that he can ask YHWH about this. We then see God telling Balaam “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed”. Balaam then refuses to go with the royal officers. King Balak was so persistent that he sent his princes to Balaam once again with more wealth and money to tempt and seduce Prophet Balaam. But after a great deal of pressure (Balaam was being tempted), Balaam started to become weak (material desire for wealth and money). He began to see the riches that he would receive in a different way. Balaam’s weakness for money and the material things promised to him by king Balak took a toll on his life. Covetousness and greed moved him to mount his donkey and head in the direction of error. Balaam compromised his calling (by not listening to YHWH), and sold his divine calling for money. He gradually began to submit to the wishes of king Balak of Moab before the end of his life. This made Balaam teach the children of Israel to worship idols and commit immorality. He did it for riches and money. Many Hebrew roots movement ministers/pastors/rabbis and Christian evangelists have preached the message of YHWH in exchange for money. That is, if you want to know the truth and the good news of God’s Kingdom, you need to buy their books, DVDs and CDs. You want to be blessed (be prosper) by YHWH, support our ministry to spread the good news to the whole world (donate to us) to get a blessing from YHWH. They have basically sold YHWH and His message in exchange for money. They deceive the innocent with their flawed teaching and set them on the path of destruction. People are encouraged to give money and invest in their ministry saying they are doing God’s work, expecting to receive huge returns (God will bless you for supporting their ministry). People are taught that giving money in the form of tithes and donations will make them rich through God’s blessing. Nowhere in the Scriptures has it said that if you give your money to a Church Ministry or to a system you will be blessed a hundred times more. The Scriptures does say that “if you” (you do it yourself) help the poor, orphans and the widows, you will be blessed. A person who has common-sense (unfortunately it has become less common) would know that if you invest your money with a church ministry it cannot provide you with any blessing. For example, some of the richest people in the world are atheists -Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, Jodie Foster, Richard Branson and hundreds more are all atheists. Some of the most unspiritual people have lots of money like atheists. Making money has nothing to do with what you give or don’t give to a church ministry. Giving money to a church ministry will not make you rich. If you want to be blessed by YHWH- give it to the poor, needy and the widow (you give it personally, don’t hand your money to an organisation expecting they will give). Balaam in Hebrew means "not of the people", Strong's concordance number 1109. When you are not part of God's people, you basically represent the seed of Satan. In the Messianic scriptures, Balaam is exposed by Yehoshua as a type of false teacher who brings false teachings in exchange for money. "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages [money] of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). "Woe to them who have gone in the way of Cain, and have run riot after the deception of Balaam for wages [money], and they have perished in the rebellion of Korah" (Jude 1:11). False prophets are just like Balaam because they love the wages (money) of unrighteousness. When you read the story of Balaam in Numbers you will find that Balaam was more interested in the rewards of divination than he was in the rewards of being a true prophet of God. Don’t be deceived by all these church ministries and all these Hebrew roots movements. In many ways they do have "some truth in them", but their main goal is to pull your money out from you by any means under the banner "we need to do God's work and we have a small window of opportunity to do his work". Salvation is promised to which people? The final question that we need to ask is: “According to the Scriptures and from the mouth of YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach, salvation is promised to which people”? Yehoshua (Jesus) himself said in His own words who would inherit Salvation: "Salvation is for Christians" (Jesus did not say this). "Salvation is for the Hebrew Roots Movement" (Jesus did not say this). "Salvation is for the Natsarenes" (Jesus did not say this). Yehoshua said, "You Samaritans (Gentiles; other nations) worship what you do not know (you do not know who YHWH is and neither you live a life as per the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh). We worship what we do know (we live a life as per the Torah, Prophets and the Tanakh), because salvation (redemption via Yehoshua. Yehoshua means YHWH is Salvation) is of the Jews (Yehudim)." (John 4:22) As much as you want to believe, salvation is for the Jews (the real children of Israel) who live by every word of YHWH, the one who lives a life as per the Torah, and the one whose Elohim, Master and King is YHWH Yehoshua HaMashiach. You become a Jew in the eyes of YHWH, when you live a life as our King, Master and Elohim lived Zechariah the prophet foretold what would happen in the Kingdom of the Most High (that is during the reign of Yehoshua HaMashiach): "Thus says YHWH of hosts, 'In those days (millennial reign of Yehoshua) ten men from every language of the nations (Gentiles) shall grasp the tassels (when you wear a tassel it means you are ruled by the Torah of YHWH) of a Jewish man (not a Christian, not a Catholic, not a Mormon or Jehovah's witness, not a member of the Living Church of God), saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you" (Zechariah 8:23). In conclusion, let us be proud to be Jews because our Messiah and King Yehoshua was, and will always be the King of the Jews. Long live the King of the Jews our Elohim Yehoshua HaMashiach whose power and glory is from all eternity. Let His name be forever and let all nations call Him King of the Jews. AMEN. AMEN. Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet