MNC Chronicles

A "Honeymoon" and Other Stuff

2012-01-02T06:24:00.004-05:00

Most of the time when I tell people that I use the moon for determining the calendar they look at me as though I'm from another planet; one time someone thought I was a Wiccan; go figure.

Most of the time this stems from just a simple lack of knowledge, a lack of knowledge that we all have at one point or another in our life. What we need to learn to do is research what we hear from others. This way we will not pass unrighteous judgment on someone for believing a certain way or ways.

Take this little bit of information about the moon for instance. We use the word "honeymoon" in our culture to speak of the vacation a newlywed couple takes. Have we ever stopped and thought about why we call this time period "honeymoon?" The word honey-moon (originating probably in the 1500's) is a compound word stemming from two words "honey" and "moon." The word "honey" refers to the sweetness of time (or according to some scholars the sweetness of wine) the newly wed couple will have. The word "moon" refers to the time period of the vacation. The word moon is where we get our derivative word "month." Months, in various cultures in the past, where determined by the length of the lunation period, about 29 or 30 days. We see then that we are acknowledging that months used to be determined by the moon every time we speak the word "honeymoon."

We don't ask ourselves enough, "Why do we use this word?" or "Why do we practice this?" The next time someone speaks something to you that sounds strange to your ear, take the time to research what they are saying before jumping to any unfounded conclusions.

EMJ

New Year, Winter, and Janus

2011-12-31T07:02:00.004-05:00

Just a little bit of study will show one that the new year (according to Yahweh's calendar in the heavens - Genesis 1:14-18) is not on January 1 - in the dead of winter, but rather in the spring when everything has come to life and is re-birthed. The first month on the Biblical calendar is named Abib (Exodus 12:2; 13:4) meaning "ears of grain." The month name stems from the harvest of barley in the spring-time.

The pre-46 B.C. Roman calendar actually had lunar months that began on what was called then the kalends of March or March 1. March 1 then and March 1 now do not coincide because March now is an arbitrary solar month that consists of strictly 31 days. March pre-46 B.C. was a lunar month consisting of either 29 or 30 days depending upon the lunar cycle. The Roman month of "Martias" (March) was the moon that came closest to the spring equinox (which takes place on the current Gregorian calendar on March 20 or 21).

In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar of Rome, under the advice of an astronomer named Sosigenes decided to discard the moon from the Roman calendar and adopt a strictly solar calendar. The reason that January (then Januarius) was chosen to be the first month on the calendar was because it was named after the god Janus, a two faced god of new beginnings. He was the god of gates, doors, births, etc. He had one face to take out the old year and bring in the new.

We should acknowledge and celebrate the beginning of Yahweh's year, not the beginning of a year that is completely out of kilter with nature and dedicated to a pagan, heathen god.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/smd/smd03.htm

http://www.crowl.org/lawrence/time/months.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romangods/p/janus.htm

http://hotword.dictionary.com/january/

EMJ

God Spoke to Me...

2011-11-18T06:15:00.003-05:00

My Dad told me years ago something that has always stuck with me. He said this, "Son, whenever you hear someone tell you that God spoke to them be very cautious." I am so thankful that he told me this at a young age because I've heard "everybody and their uncle" say that God speaks to them since then.

What is so disheartening is that you can show some of these people Scripture and it doesn't matter because "God spoke to them" and told them what to believe. I often tell these people that claim to hear the voice of the Creator that I've heard other people claim the same but tell me that God spoke to them something quite different.

For instance I know of two ministers who claim that God told them individually what His name is. One minister told me that God said His name is Jesus; the other minister told me that God said His name is the Lord God. Which one is right? Well, if you go by what people are telling you there is no way of knowing. However, if you judge what they claim by Scripture you can know the truth.

Scripture ALWAYS trumps what people claim to hear from heaven. The Apostle Paul even said that if an angel from heaven came teaching another gospel let him be accursed (Galatians 1:9). The people of Berea were praised for checking Paul's doctrine out by examining the Scriptures daily (OT Scriptures) to see if what he was telling them was the truth (Acts 17:10-11).

There was a time when God's revelation was orally transmitted; that time has come and gone. Once His revelation was written down it cannot be improved upon, added to, or taken away from. Do not listen to people that claim God spoke to them; be very cautious. Instead go with what Scripture says. That is how you will hear Yahweh speaking to you today.

EMJ

What Does Afflict the Soul Mean?

2011-10-07T08:31:00.002-04:00

Almost every year since I've been keeping Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) I get asked this question: What does it mean to afflict the soul (KJV)? This question is asked because in Scriptures like Leviticus 23:26-32 Yahweh instructs the Israelites to afflict their souls on the 10th day of the 7th month. Other Bible translations say to practice self denial (HCSB), humble yourselves (NET), or deny yourselves (NIV).

The Hebrew word for afflict (KJV) is the word anah. This word is found in other passages of Scripture that deal with how people would afflict their selves or practice self denial.

Ezra 8:21 | I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble (anah) ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.

Psalm 35:13b | I humbled (anah) myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

Isaiah 58:3, 5 | Why have we fasted, but You have not seen? We have denied (anah) ourselves, but You haven't noticed... Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny (anah) himself...

These three passages equate fasting with self denial or humbling one's self. This is not the only form of self denial, but it is probably the most common form. The human body thrives on nourishment from food and drink. An extremely good way to practice self denial is to deny your body this same food and drink, i.e. to fast. Other ways may include refraining from sex as well as personal grooming, and the list could be added to.

That fasting was the common way to practice self denial on the Day of Atonement is seen in a proper understanding of Acts 27:9. We read here:

Acts 27:9 | By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Fast was already over...

Commentator Adam Clarke has this to say in regards to this verse:

Sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past - It is generally allowed that the fast mentioned here was that of the great day of atonement which was always celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month, which would answer to the latter end of our September; see Lev. 16:29; 23:27, etc. As this was about the time of the autumnal equinox, when the Mediterranean Sea was sufficiently tempestuous, we may suppose this feast alone to be intended. To sail after this feast was proverbially dangerous among the ancient Jews. See proofs in Schoettgen.

Also note commentator John Gill on this verse:

The Syriac version reads, "the fast of the Jews"; this was the day of atonement, which was the grand fast of the Jews, on which day they afflicted their souls, Lev. 23:27 in memory of the worshipping of the golden calf; on that day they neither eat nor drink, nor do any work, neither do they wash, nor are they anointed, nor do they bind on their shoes, or make use of the marriage bed; nor do they read anything but sorrowful things, as the Lamentations of Jeremiah, until the setting of the sun, and the rising of the stars; and hence this day is called by them יום צום, "the day of fasting", and צום הגדול, "the great fast, and the day of the fast of atonement, and the fast of the atonement": now this day was on the 10th of the month Tisri, which answers to the latter part of our September, and the former part of October; so that it was now Michaelmas time, when winter was coming on, and sailing began to be dangerous; about this time of the year the Pleiades set, which brings on tempestuous weather, and unfit for sailing...

EMJ

Moving Away From the Father

2011-10-05T09:24:00.002-04:00

Whenever someone steps away from being obedient to the Father in the life they live it happens gradually over a long period of time. This is not to say that it can never happen all at once. I have just observed that generally speaking, people tend to fall away by gradually disobeying just a little at a time.

I remember watching a TV show as a child where a "prank" was played on an elderly couple that went into a diner to eat. As they at the table they were at "lifted" about half an inch every minute. Before you knew it the table was up to their chest but they just kept on eating because they were not able to recognize the gradual change in the location of the table.

When people fall away from following the Lord they usually will not realize it even when you make the attempt to help them by telling them they have gotten off course. The reason why? It has been gradual. They think they are still the same and yet they are doing things now that they would have never done a year or two ago. Are you one of these people?

EMJ

Emotions and Experiences

2011-09-27T09:50:00.002-04:00

Many times I have shown direct Scriptural texts to people in discussions, and I often get this response: "But you see, what about when this happened to me?" The argument is one that comes from an experience a person had in their life where they felt close and connected to God.

Although it is difficult to swallow, any experience we have (or emotion) that is not in line with the inspired Scriptures is not from Yahweh. The Holy Spirit that people claim to have encountered is the Spirit that inspired the Scriptures. The Scriptures are our sole authority for what to believe and not to believe. We must come to a point in our life where we are resolved to "lose" any experience we may have had that was not in harmony with Yah's word.

In John 4:24 Yeshua informs us that "God is Spirit," and that those who worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth. This short blog is not meant to be an exposition on this verse, but in short let's focus in on the word "truth." We cannot separate our worship of Yahweh from the truth. We cannot say that it does not matter what the Scripture says because we know that we felt the presence of God worshiping this way. No, our experiences need to be sacrificed on the altar of sacred Scripture. We then repent of doing things our own way and only go by what the Scriptures teach in every area of our life.

EMJ

Humility; Love Your Enemies

2011-09-24T08:08:00.002-04:00

I am convinced that one of the tests of true Christian faith in a person is by how they interact with those who treat them wrongly. Our "human intuition" is to wrong those or shun those that do us wrong. What should be our response to others who speak evil of us, or treat us unfairly, or just plain and simply do not like us? It should be to love them, treat them kindly, do good to them, pray for them, and not seek to "get back" at them. I see this teaching very, very strongly in the words of our elder brother Yeshua the Messiah. His teachings are recorded in Matthew 5:38-48, and yes, they are extremely radical. That being said, a heart that has been changed by the supernatural power of an omnipotent Yahweh, has the ability to humiliate themselves before others and seek for the spiritual well being of even those who may be called their enemies. Yahweh help us to follow the example of your Son.

EMJ

Why Attend a Local Congregation?

2011-08-21T15:50:00.003-04:00

The answer to the above question is simple. I am a follower of Yahweh, God of Scripture. I want to love God and bring Him glory in my entire life. He gives me commandments to meet with other believers on specified days (Lev. 23) and I am told not to forsake to assemble myself with the brethren as the manner of some is (Heb. 10:25). I obey God, not out of a rigid "have to" but out of a desire or want to do so. I enjoy being obedient to the Father's word because He has given me a new heart and mind that has the propensity to do what is righteous.

Yeshua attended synagogue service on the Sabbath, and it was his customary practice (Lk. 4:16). If we are followers of him (following his example) we should do the same.

EMJ

Leather "Pouches" at Qumran

2011-08-19T11:08:00.003-04:00

I've been studying lately about the commands given in Ex. 13:9, 16 and Deut. 6:8 and 11:18. The instructions found therein involve binding the Torah as a sign on your hand and letting the Torah be a symbol on your forehead. I have actually known about these verses for quite some years now, but over the last 3 months or so there has been an increased interest in this command in my mind and heart.

Interestingly enough there are archaeological findings of small leather pouches found in the same location as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These pouches reveal that there were those shortly before or during the 1st century A.D. that took the command literally, writing out texts in the Torah that dealt with the Shema or the Commandments and placing them in these leather pouches and then binding them upon the forehead and/or hand. Seeing that these particular pouches were found in the Qumran area they are most likely those worn by the ancient Essenes.

Yeshua makes note of these "pouches" in Matthew 23:5 where he chides the scribes and Pharisees for enlarging their phylacteries and lengthening their tassels. Yeshua is not rebuking these groups for wearing either item, he is merely rebuking the intent behind why they were wearing them as well as the size of each item being extremely big. Yeshua himself wore tassels as is evidenced by doing a word study on the "hem" of his garment. It stands to reason (logically) that he also wore phylacteries, a Greek word meaning a "safe-guard" or "preservative" in which text of Scripture were placed for safe-keeping.

I will soon be placing an article on this subject on my website for reading. While I have read authors who believe the command to be only metaphorical, the evidence suggest to me that there is a metaphorical understanding and a literal understanding. I will give much more information in the near future.

EMJ

New Book Now Available!

2011-08-09T20:11:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that our newest book at Ministers of the New Covenant - "Learning to Love His Law" - is now available to order. It will soon be available to read on the website as well. Please visit the contact page for orders. There is no set price for the book.

The subject matter of this book is the law of Yahweh God. In a systematic way, the chapters present the very Biblical reasons why Christians should be about the business of being obedient to God's law, and loving the opportunity to live in this obedience. At the same time, the book balances the issue by recognizing that justification cannot be obtained by the law. Our obedience to the law should rather be viewed as the loving response the creature should give to his Creator. This obedience flows from a heart that has been changed by nothing more than the regenerating work of the Spirit of the Most High.

EMJ

New Book Coming Soon!

2011-07-19T20:48:00.005-04:00

I am very excited about the latest book being published at Ministers of the New Covenant. This is a "reader-friendly" book that aims to encourage people to re-think the paradigm that Biblical law is outdated, burdensome, taxing, and harsh. The Creator's law has not been destroyed, and is a law of relief, freedom, and love. Here is an excerpt from chapter one...

"Here is the key though, when you serve God you are walking in the freedom that God has to offer you. There is freedom found in His law. Exodus 20:1 teaches that Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Did he bring them out of bondage so he could lead them to Mount Sinai and give them laws of bondage? Of course not. Yahweh gave the Israelites laws of liberty, as the following Scriptures from Psalm 119 show.

· And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. (Psalm 119:45 KJV)

· Your statutes are [the theme of] my song during my earthly life. (Psalm 119:54)

· Yahweh, the earth is filled with Your faithful love; teach me Your statutes. (Psalm 119:64)

· I will never forget Your precepts, for You have given me life through them. (Psalm 119:93)

I illustrate the point of freedom in obeying the law like this. Let’s suppose you are driving down the road and you are obeying all the traffic and vehicle regulations. You aren’t speeding, you are wearing your seat belt, and you are making sure to stop at all the red lights and stop signs. Out of nowhere appears a policeman. Do you feel worried or afraid? No, because you are abiding by the law. You have no need to worry about the policeman pulling you over and writing you a ticket. You are keeping the law and you are walking (or in this case driving) in liberty. Picture the same scenario, but this time you are not obeying the law. You’ve got your seat belt off, you are going 20 mph over the speed limit, and you just sped through a red light at a major intersection. What do you feel like when the police car appears out of nowhere? I would say there would be an immediate shockwave go throughout your body. You may even grit your teeth because you know what you’ve got coming to you. You are a lawbreaker, and you are in bondage. You must have a ticket given to you. You are not free.

What you may have forgotten for a moment is that what we are discussing right now is how things are taught in the Old Testament. We’ve looked at several Old Testament Scriptures thus far and all of them teach what I have just illustrated. There is freedom in the law of Yahweh. The Israelites never looked at the law that Yahweh gave them as bondage. They looked at it as loving instruction from a loving Father. As a loving Father, He looks out for us and gives us rules to see that we do not get hurt in this life we live."

EMJ

Be Careful How You Treat Others

2011-06-28T12:53:00.002-04:00

I write often. I constantly find myself wanting to put my thoughts down into an essay, article, or book. Sometimes I take upon myself the daunting task of writing a rebuttal to a certain position one takes on a Scriptural topic. Some subjects seem to bring out the worst in me. What do I mean? Well, I find myself wanting to bash other peoples writings and then I take a step back and think about what my true intent is anyway. Am I responding and writing to save my pride or am I writing because I am genuinely concerned with presenting the truth on the topic.

I have found that it is best to address subjects in general rather than specifically addressing those with whom you have the disagreement. If you have a disagreement with someone then address the subject rather than mentioning the person by name. Granted, sometimes a specific quotation is necessary, but most of the time you can deal with the issue without ever bringing up the name of the person you have the disagreement with. This, I believe, greatly encourages change in the mind of the person you disagree with. If you truly have the truth, and this person comes across your writings seeing that you are sticking with the general issue rather than trying to name names, impute motives, etc. they are more apt to see their error if they are in fact in error.

Father, help us all do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

EMJ

Unfit Instead of Unclean (Lev. 11)

2011-06-22T09:11:00.003-04:00

My children and I were doing our daily Torah study this morning and we began Vayikra (Leviticus) chapter 11. This is the chapter where Yahweh gives the laws concerning clean and unclean animals. I always explain it to my children like this: Yahweh has a menu and we are to only eat those things that are on His menu.

In studying this morning we realized that it may be a bit more suitable to refer to unclean animals as unfit animals. The Hebrew word here is tamei and carries the meaning of not permissible to eat.

When we look at a horse and a goat we see that the horse looks just as "clean" as the goat; or maybe even more so (lol). However, just because the horse looks clean does not mean he is tahor (fit to eat). Yahweh has declared the horse as being unfit, not necessarily unclean.

Either way the message is the same; just a thought for this fine morning.

EMJ

Spend Time Teaching Your Children

2011-06-21T07:29:00.004-04:00

It is not very often that you know of people who take the time to diligently teach their children the Torah of Almighty Yahweh. People fly to countries across the globe and travel to cities far, far away from their homes in their own country. The entire time their children sit without the daily influence of their parents teaching them through the Scriptures. The best mission field a husband and wife has is their children. They should make sure that their children are receiving the proper teaching, training, attention, nurture, and discipline that they need.

When you spend both quantity and quality time with your children they will be a blessing to you. So many people "can't wait" for summer to be over so their "kids" can go back to school. They pour over the web looking for a daycare for even their littlest ones. It is a shame that Mothers work and then the Fathers allow their children to be thrown into the government school system where their little minds will be filled with humanistic, atheistic garbage for 8 hours every day. Then these same parents wonder why their children misbehave, are disrespectful to adults, and could care less what their parents tell them. Some parents pass it off by saying something like, "Well it's just the 'terrible twos'," or "Their just going through a 'phase'." What's really happening is that they are not being the missionary they out to be to their very own children. They have sold their children for television, sports, hobbies, "me time," etc.

Take time to spend with your children and teach them Scriptures diligently. You will not be wasting your life doing so.

EMJ

A Parenthesis Between the Two Comings of Yeshua

2011-06-17T20:22:00.004-04:00

Bible students who believe in one of the various forms of preterism (the teaching that events like Daniel's 70 weeks, Matthew 24, and most of the book of Revelation have already been fulfilled) generally poke fun at those who, like myself, believe in a parenthesis of time between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel 9. I've got one book here in my office that calls such a teaching "silly putty exegesis." However, what most of these people do not realize (or either do not consider) is that if they believe in the first coming and the second coming of the Messiah then they already believe in the parenthesis or gap, they just may not have realized it yet.

The student of Scripture knows that Yeshua came the first time and after his death and resurrection lived on the earth for a short period of time. He then, according to Acts 1:9-11 was taken up into heaven, a cloud receiving Him, in the presence of His disciples. As the disciples watched this two men in white clothing stood by and said to them this, "This Yeshua, who has been taken from you into heaven will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven." This proves that Yeshua will come back physically and visibly to this earth, i.e. in the same way that they saw him leave into heaven. This has not taken place; it most assuredly did not take place in 70 A.D. when many preterists believe Yeshua "came" in judgment upon the nation of Israel. Regardless of how much they attempt to "stretch" Scripture to teach such doctrine there is no way to read Acts 1:9-11 and say that Yeshua came in 70 A.D. in the same way that He left in Acts 1:9-11. The fact is this, there has been a gap of time, a parenthesis, between His first coming to this earth and His second coming to this earth.

More than one text could be looked at here but I would like to point out the parallel in Luke 4:14-21 and Isaiah 61:1-2. In Luke 4 Yeshua enters a synagogue on the Sabbath day and has the opportunity to read from the scroll of Isaiah. The place He read from was what we now call Isaiah 61, even though Yeshua would have never called it Isaiah 61 - there were no chapter and verse subdivisions in the scroll Yeshua held in his hands. He read this Scripture:

The Spirit of the Lord (Yahweh) is on me,

because He (Yahweh) has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's (Yahweh's) favor. [Luke 4:18-19 HCSB]

Here Yeshua directly quotes Isaiah 61:1-2 and then gives the scroll back to the attendant in the synagogue. He proclaims to those watching Him that today this Scripture has been fulfilled. It must have been an amazing moment.

What is also amazing is that when we consult the text in Isaiah we see that Yeshua stopped right in the middle of what the prophet Isaiah said. The prophet Isaiah adds this after the last sentence Yeshua read:

...and the day of our God's vengeance... [Isaiah 61:2 HCSB]

I would ask you to open your Bible and look at Luke 4:18-19 and compare it with Isaiah 61:1-2. It will be clear that although Isaiah continued on to speak about the day of God's vengeance, Yeshua did not read that part of the scroll in the synagogue that day. Why? The only reason that we can arrive at is this: the portion Yeshua read was being fulfilled at His first coming, but the day of God's vengeance would be fulfilled at His - yet future - second coming. This shows that the prophecy of Isaiah, though appearing on the surface to be speaking of one singular coming, is actually talking about two separate comings. Yet right in the middle of two sentences we have a gap of time; the same gap I discussed briefly in dealing with Acts 1:9-11.

So much more can be said about this, but for now let me just add that this is exactly what is happening in Daniel 9:25-27. We read of two occurrences after the first 69 weeks, one of which involves the first coming of the Messiah. There must however be a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week because that is the only way you can have the two occurrences in Daniel 9:26 happening after 62 (or 69) weeks but before the 70th week of Daniel 9:27. The gap is none other than the time span that exists in the minds of all those who believe in the physical first coming of Messiah as well as in the physical second coming of Messiah.

EMJ

Daniel's 70 Weeks

2011-06-16T10:24:00.002-04:00

I am looking forward to teaching on the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 again tonight. I started last week by walking through verses 24 and 25 mostly and then beginning to cover verse 26. Tonight I will be discussing why I believe there must be a parenthesis (often called a "gap") between the 69th and 70th week. Some people have mocked this idea calling it "silly putty exegesis" or something similar. These people claim that the only reason anyone places a gap between the 69th and 70th week is because of an existing bias towards a particular eschatalogical system. I contend that such is not the case.

I believe that a consistent, exegetical approach to Daniel 9:24-27 forces one to believe that the 70th week of this prophecy has not yet taken place. Most all believers in Scripture (both OT and NT) actually already believe in this gap but just do not realize it. Let me explain. If you believe in the 1st coming of Messiah (spoken of in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,) and then also believe in a 2nd visible coming of Messiah (Acts 1:9-11) then you believe in an extended "gap" period of time between these two comings. I believe that this is the exact gap that a detailed study of Daniel's 70 weeks shows.

Daniel 9:26 says precisely that after 62 weeks (69 counting the previous 7; 9:25) the Messiah will be cut off. Take note carefully that the Messiah the Prince (vs. 25) is cut off AFTER the 62 weeks and not during the 62 weeks. Notice also that He is cut off BEFORE the 70th week of Daniel 9:27.

Also take special note that there is something else "sandwiched" between the 69th and 70th weeks - the destruction of the city and the sanctuary of the people of Israel. This took place in A.D. 70 when the Romans ransacked Jerusalem destroying the temple and the city altogether.

In these two things we learn that Yeshua's death and the destruction of Jerusalem would both take place AFTER the 62 weeks yet before the 70th week is spoken about. Yeshua was "cut off" around 33 A.D. and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. approximately 37 YEARS after Yeshua's death. Thus the 70th week of years (final 7 year period) did not take place consecutively after the 69th week of years.

There is much more to be said, but I just wanted to put the thoughts swarming through my head today down in "ink." I'll be posting tonight's sermon titled "Is There a Gap in the 70 Weeks?" just as soon as I'm able. Listen to this sermon for further details.

EMJ

Harold Camping = Unrepentant False Prophet

2011-05-25T10:00:00.005-04:00

Little to my surprise - May 21, 2011 came and went just like May 20. Mr. Harold Camping of Family Radio just was not correct in stating that the rapture and judgment would take place on May 21, 2011. I have listened to this fellow speak about May 21 and I must say that it literally makes me feel sick when I hear his utter disregard for proper Biblical exegesis. It is truly amazing to see someone so bound up in a web of deception.

I spoke with one fellow on May 23rd who actually believed Harold Camping was correct in his calculations. I could not believe my ears when this man said that Camping was right on target and only missed the date by a little bit because he has not accepted the Biblical calendar. I then asked this man if he knew the "true" date and he asked me in return if I was going to mock it after he told me. My answer... of course I was going to mock it. Yeshua plainly says in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 that no man knows the day or hour of his return, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. What did this gentleman say to me when I gave him these verses? He told me the Son in these verses was actually the son of perdition... ??? I can't even begin to fathom how someone could really believe that is what Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 are speaking of by mentioning the Son (especially placed in between the angels in heaven and the Father). What a prime example of eisegesis.

He then began to tell me that the reason the May 21st date didn't occur was so that 2 Peter 3:4 could be fulfilled - a passage which speaks of mockers. I tried my best to go through the verse and explain to him that the mockers of 2 Peter 3:4 weren't mocking someone who set a date and the date didn't come to pass, they were rather mocking the idea that there would even be a second coming and thus judgment upon the earth. I believe in the second coming of the Messiah for the purpose of judgment and there are people who mock me and numerous others for believing in this. This man could not see the point. Why? He has been blinded.

I have now by this time (May 25th) heard Harold Camping say things like Christ did come spiritually, and that he isn't at all embarrassed by the coming and going of May 21. There has been no repentance on his part, no acknowledgement that he was flatly in error. It looks as though Harold Camping is a genuine deceived false prophet who will continue in his satanic ways until the day that he dies.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 speaks of people who do not have a love for the truth but instead enjoy lawlessness. These people are the ones upon which God sends a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false. If God places a strong delusion upon someone there is no power other than God Himself that can remove such a delusion.

EMJ

The Fourth Beast... then the Messianic Kingdom

2011-04-25T09:19:00.003-04:00

I've been teaching through Daniel now for about 3 months and I've finally gotten to the prophetic portion of the book; the part that so many people want to talk about; the part that so many people have disagreements about. I find it fascinating to say the least.

One thing that I've been looking at is this: how a person views the prophetic portions of the book of Daniel will determine how this same person views other texts such as Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 3, Revelation, etc. I thought I had somewhat of an understanding of some of these prophetic texts, but I have come to see that some of what I thought I understood I actually did not understand. The reason? Not digging deeply into the book of Daniel which comes prior to all of these other prophetic texts.

When it comes to the intial stage of the Kingdom of Yahweh or the Messianic Kingdom there are basically three views.

1. A-millennial

2. Post - millennial

3. Pre-millennial

To get a bit more technical there are two branches of the pre-millennial view defined best as "historic pre-millennialism" and "futuristic pre-millennialism." But for the sake of brevity we will keep it at 3 views for now.

Both the a-millennial position and the post-millennial position deny that there will be a literal 1,000 year earthly reign/kingdom of the Messiah. A-millennialism doesn't really believe in a millennium (as its title suggests) believing rather that the 1st coming of Yeshua (his death, resurrection, etc.) was the fulfillment of the binding of Satan mentioned in Revelation 20. The "millennium" is simply a figure of speech meaning a long time. They believe that the church will continue to be persecuted and will receive a greater amount of persecution just before the second or consummating coming of the Messiah. This second coming will bring on the eternal kingdom where we will live forever in heaven with the Messiah.

Post-millennialism is extremely similar minus one major point. Those in this "camp" believe that Yeshua's first coming brought on the "millennium" (still figurative), but instead of the church suffering, they believe that things on this current earth will continue to get better and better and that the church will eventually gain control and dominance over the earth to usher in the second coming of Messiah, the eternal kingdom, living in heaven forever.

What is the same in both views is that the Messianic Kingdom is current, and that it is a figurative kingdom ruled from heaven through the agency of the church. I find both of these positions very hard to swallow in light of what we read in both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 concerning the timeline of prophecy and the kingdom of Yahweh.

I'll be brief here. All four kingdoms (represented by precious metals in Daniel 2 and vicious beasts in Daniel 7) represent literaly, earthly reigns/kingdoms whereby literal laws and rule govern a literal realm. Every single place in the book of Daniel where the word kingdom (Hebrew = "malkoo") is used means exactly this. When the Messianic Kingdom comes on the scene as the stone in Daniel 2 and the Son of Man receiving the kingdom from the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7, it is not good exegesis of the texts to move from earthly kingdoms to a Messianic Kingdom that is not an earthly kingdom reality, but rather runs along contemporaneous with the many man-made kingdoms of the earth in our current time, or really for the last 2,000 years.

The Messianic Kingdom in both chapters of Daniel comes on the scene after the fourth beast is judged and killed. History teaches us that the Romans Empire (the fourth beast) continued at least in its first form stronly until the end of the 4th century A.D. This does not align with the prophetic portions of Daniel. This must mean that there will be a final form or revival of this Roman Empire yet in the future out of which will arise 10 contemporaneous kings, and and 11th king (the little horn) that will govern for 3 1/2 years. At the conclusion of this final form of the fourth beast the Messianic Kingdom will come on the scene. Yeshua will return and the literal 1,000 year reign of Messiah (spoken of 6 times in Revelation 20) will commence.

If anyone is interested in following the teachings on Daniel you can visit:

ministersnewcovenant.org/audio.html

EMJ

Are People Keeping Jereboam's 8th Month Feast?

2011-02-11T05:23:00.002-05:00

It seems that as the Scriptural year comes close to ending I always find myself doing more reading and research on the Biblical calendar. I do this I guess to refresh my mind on why I have made the decisions I have made in regards to how to begin the Biblical new year, and sometimes I do so because I have been challenged by others who feel that the method I've chosen to use is incorrect.

I have found that many in the modern "feast-keeping movement" (for lack of a better term) are very adamant that their way is the right way and that all other ways are false inventions of man. Some people will put you right into the lake of fire if you don't agree with them on the calendar. I'll be the first to say that I really would like for the Biblical calendar to be laid out in kindergarten terms in Scripture, but I've come to realize that this is just not the case. I do believe that we can arrive at some solid foundational conclusions, but when it comes to tedious points on what exactly constitutes a new moon or how exactly is the new year to be determined, the Scriptures are grey rather than black and white.

I by no means am faulting Yahweh on this point. He "calls the shots" if I may say and I believe He has placed in Scripture what we need to know for eternal salvation. All I am saying is that the exact directions for certain calendar calculations are not spelled out in the Bible. The Bible never gives us a command like this: "Thou shalt begin the first month of the year with the conjunction of the moon that takes place after the spring equinox." I currently believe that this is how the first new moon of the new year is to be determined, but I'm not going to be so one-track minded as to think that I'm 100% certain that this is how it is to be done.

I have good friends that I believe love Yahweh dearly who disagree with me on how to begin the new year. This sometimes leads me and my friends to keep feasts days in different months or new moons on different days. I do not believe that doing so marks them for destruction or that they (or me for that matter) are committing intentional sin. They could be in error, I could be in error, or we both could be in error. I believe they are trying just as much as me if not more so to do their best to serve Yahweh in the area of keeping His appointed times.

I do know some people who are very quick to bring up the issue of Jereboam's false 8th month feast when certain feast keepers keep what they call a "late Tabernacles." For those that don't have a clue what I'm talking about go read 1 Kings 12, specifically verses 25-33, but the entire chapter should be read. Basically, Yahweh ordained that the Feast of Tabernacles be kept in the 7th month of His calendar, but Jereboam devised a month in his own heart and thus moved the Feast from the 7th to the 8th committing all sorts of abominations along the way.

Sometimes I keep a later Tabernacles than other feast-keeping groups because I use a different method than them. There are many other people who believe as me and they too keep a "later Tabernacles" than other people in certain years. Sometimes you hear people say things like: "They are keeping Jereboam's 8th month feast!" Sometimes they say it loud and boastfully, but others say it with true concern in a gentle manner. Is there a possibility that some people are today keeping the Feast of Jereboam?

My answer is no for the most part. Here is why. Everyone that I know personally today that keeps the Feasts of Yahweh does so genuinely wanting to keep His feast. They are not seeking to move His feast from the 7th to the 8th month on purpose. Their heart isn't seeking to make golden calves and bring in false worship. They are rather seeking to please Yahweh. Now that being said, could I among others possibly be keeping the 8th month instead of the 7th? Yes, it is possible, but the situation is not the same as with Jereboam. I am not purposefully keeping a wrong feast.

See, in the time of Jereboam there was no argument as to when the 7th month on Yahweh's calendar was. Everyone agreed because everyone knew exactly when the 7th month occurred. Therefore what Jereboam did was deliberate, intentional, and downright rebellious. Today, there exists people who love Yahweh on all sides of the calendar debate. We are discussing and debating which month is the 7th, so we should not condemn another person if they choose a different month than us because they really believe it to be the 7th. Jereboam didn't really believe that His 8th month was Yahweh's 7th month. You should see the difference.

I would suggest that you now read 2 Chronicles 30. Here we see a Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrated with a pure heart, but without all the i's dotted and t's crossed. I believe we should make an effort to dot the i's and cross the t's but if we fall short while making the effort Yahweh sees the intention of the heart. He sees that you are doing your very best and if you don't get it all exactly right it's not out of an evil intent to distort His calendar, it's simply out of lack of knowledge on our part. Sometimes we lack knowledge not because we have not studied, but simply because we just don't know - it can be that simple.

There's so much more to say, but if you study the calendar again before this new year starts, study with an open mind towards others who see things a bit differently. Recognize that people are at different stages and that at least they are trying to serve Yahweh in the area of His appointed times even though they may not see eye-to-eye with you on all the particulars.

EMJ

WWJD?

2011-02-06T08:53:00.003-05:00

I remember when almost everyone you met who professed Christianity wore a bracelet that had imprinted on it "WWJD?" I know, I know, not everyone wore them but you get my drift - they were very popular. The acronym stood for "What would Jesus do?" This fad urged people to think about how they lived their life by asking this question. What would Jesus do in this or that situation?

A Torah observant lifestyle takes this question to it's inevitable conclusion. What would Yeshua (Jesus) do? He would keep the commandments of God. He said that we shouldn't even think that He came to destroy the law and the prophets but rather to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17) and He taught others to be fulfilling the law as well (Matthew 5:19). What would Yeshua do? He would keep the Sabbath day, the holydays, and the new moons (Leviticus 23; Isaiah 66:22-23; Ezekiel 46:1). What would Yeshua eat? He would follow the dietary laws of Scripture (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14.) What would Yeshua wear? He would dress modestly (Genesis 3:21), wear tassels on His garment (Numbers 15:37-41; Deuteronomy 22:12), and not wear clothes mixed with wool and linen (Deuteronomy 22:11). What would Yeshua teach? He would teach the Kingdom of Yahweh and for people to repent from their law breaking and believe in this Kingdom (Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43). How would Yeshua treat others? He would do unto others and He would have them do unto Him (Matthew 7:12). What would Yeshua look like? He would have a beard rather than shaving his face (Leviticus 19:27).

The list goes on and on, but the point should be clear. If we are really going to look to Yeshua as our example, shouldn't we be doing the best we know to imitate his life? If our answer is yes, then we need to be diligent to strive to be like Him and - yes - this means we need to follow all the commandments of Yahweh God that are applicable to us in every area of our life.

EMJ

Do Not Be Defiled

2011-01-27T07:58:00.002-05:00

I started teaching through the book of Daniel last night at our local congregation and I can see already that it is not only going to be educational but also enjoyable. When you "sink yourself" into an entire book of Scripture, studying the book verse by verse and sometimes word by word you really come away with a much better knowledge of what the text means.

Daniel was most likely a young man, not even above 20 years old, and was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians. During the beginning of his "sojourn" in Babylon he was given a new name (Belteshazzar) and was told to learn the literature of Babylon. He was also given the meat of the King of Babylon to eat and the wine of the King of Babylon to drink. It is at this point that Daniel drew the line. The Scripture states (Daniel 1:8) that he had purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portions from the Kings table and thus made a request to the Kings chief official that he might not defile himself but rather be given food and drink suitable to his way of life.

Picture yourself being in a strange land, governed by a very powerful ruler, and being chosen to serve in this rulers palace. Now picture yourself being so dedicated to Yahweh your God that you refuse to eat and drink what this King had given to you. That is dedication.

You know though, Daniel did not just march in and point his finger at the chief official, he made a request of him (Daniel 1:8). His humility in the situation helped gain him respect with the chief official, and Daniel was able to eat the diet he chose for 3 years time (Daniel 1:5, 8-18).

Why did Daniel refuse the Kings meat? It is possible that the meat was unclean and forbidden for a Judahite like Daniel. The Torah gives us a menu of the animals that are permissible and that are forbidden (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14). But what about the wine? The Torah does not forbid the drinking of wine, only drunkeness is condemned. Could it be that the wine had been used in worship (as a drink offering of sorts) to the many gods of the Babylonians?

However we understand Daniel's refusal we need to learn that even in our circumstances where we may think we do not have the option of remaining true to Yahweh's law we just may have to step out on faith and refuse to defile ourself. Daniel did, and he was given knowledge 10 times greater than all the wise men in Babylon (Daniel 1:20). This meant that he was given a "top seat" in the Babylonian government.

EMJ

Be Perfect as Your Father

2011-01-09T04:30:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered how you could really be obedient to the instruction of Yeshua the Messiah in Matthew 5:48? In case your wondering, Yeshua says here, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This seems like a task that is impossible, especially if you truly realize the awesome holiness of the Creator. When the prophet Isaiah was in the presence of Yahweh he said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips... (Isaiah 6:5)" Isaiah recognized that compared to Yahweh he was ruined, he was a creature in need of divine help from his Creator.

So how can we be perfect as our Father in heaven? Well, if you believe Yeshua's statement means that we are supposed to be exactly like our Father in heaven (completely holy, sinless, immortal, all knowing, etc.) then it truly is an impossible task for a human such as you and I. However, when we understand Yeshua's statement in the context He said it, the meaning of the instruction becomes quite clear. It is always important to read Bible verses in context, else we will make the mistake of interpreting them to have a meaning which was foreign to the original author and the original audience.

Yeshua, previous to Matthew 5:48, spoke of the need for us to not only love our neighbor but to also love our enemy. He said to pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-44). This is not what we see going on in many Christian communities today. People who profess Christ are constantly trying to "get back at" others and gossip about those who are enemies of them. Even something as simple as someone else blowing the horn at us often causes us to "fly off the handle" and we want to do the exact same thing to them or even worse. In cases like this we are to instead act kindly to those who wrong us. Yeshua here echoes His Father Yahweh. Notice these Scriptures from the book of Exodus.

Exodus 23:4-5 "If you come across your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it."

Here, Yahweh teaches us to do good to our enemies. It's not as though Yahweh is only speaking about this specific situation that may arise in the Israelite community. It's not like an Israelite could see his enemies "cow" and think, "Oh! But it's not his donkey so I don't have to help him!" Yahweh is teaching Israel a principle. The principle is that they are to be kind and seek to help those who would not desire to help them; those who may be downright hateful towards them. This law applies still applies to us today.

In this vein Yeshua tells us (Matthew 5:45) that in loving our enemy we are being like our Father in heaven for even Yahweh makes His sun to rise on those that not only do good, but also upon those that do evil. Yahweh's rain pours out on the righteous and the unrighteous. He is explaining that Yahweh shows common grace to all people in the world, giving them sunlight for their health, warmth, etc. as well as rain; both are necessities of life. If we want to be children of our Father in heaven, then we need to do our best to imitate what He does here.

This is what Yeshua means when He says to be perfect even as Yahweh is perfect. The word perfect often carries the meaning of "complete." Being perfect or complete here means not just loving the ones who love us, but loving the ones who do not love us. If we love only those who love us we are imperfect or incomplete. If we love those who we consider to be our enemy we are exhibiting a complete love.

EMJ

Have You Ever Studied About Tithing?

2010-12-31T06:42:00.002-05:00

Tithing is probably the most preached subject by television ministers today. I would also say it is probably the least studied subject amongst the same ministers. Why do I say that? Just to be harsh? Not at all. I say that because each time you hear a minister on television mention tithes he never walks you through the verse he is dealing with exegetically (historically, grammatically). Usually it is just a loud, "You are robbing God by not paying tithes!" People blindly accept the words of the preacher, because - after all - he is supposed to be the man of God.

I encourage you to study the subject out for yourself; you may be very surprised to find out what the Bible actually does teach concerning tithing. Much more could be said, but over to your right I've posted one sermon to get you started. I certainly do not cover all there is to say on this subject, but I do cover one passage of Scripture that is famous amongst preachers who say something about tithes - Malachi 3:7-12. My Grandfather once told me about a preacher he knew who tried his best to say that Malachi was the first book in the New Testament portion of the Bible. Why? He wanted to have tithes in the New Testament. I find this humorous and detrimental dispensationalism to start with. I digress... Just take the time to study this for yourself. It honors God when we seek to interpret His Scriptures properly.

EMJ

The Early Followers of Yeshua and Christmas

2010-12-24T07:03:00.004-05:00

At this time of the year my children see most people celebrating the holiday known as "Christmas." We, on the other hand, do not celebrate the holiday. I remember being in the grocery line one year in December and an elderly woman looking at one of my children and asking them "What is Santa brining you this year?" My little 5 year old looked up and responded, "We don't believe in Santa Clause." The woman looked puzzled and then looked at me, the Father. I gently told her, "Ma'am, we do not celebrate Christmas." You would have thought I was dropping each of my children off of a cliff. She looked at me in a way that would make any person feel uncomfortable. Those of you that do not celebrate this holiday know one of the most popular responses from parents that do celebrate, "You are depriving your children." I hear it just about every year.

This short blog entry is not meant to detail the main reason or sub-reasons I do not celebrate the holiday. The facts about the origins of the winter holiday are available to anyone who wants to do a little "digging." The simple point I want to bring up is this. While people today believe that Christmas is a major holiday for the Christian church, the church which claims the Bible as her guide, it is an undeniable fact that neither Yeshua or the apostles of Yeshua celebrated the holiday that people now believe honors the Messiah.

Scholars date Yeshua's birth to around 2 B.C. (give or take). The next year when his birth rolled around, no one who knew him, not even his closest family, celebrated his birth. The Hebrews never even celebrated birthdays with parties, cakes, candles, wishing, etc. During the life of Yeshua, still no celebrating his birth. After Yeshua left the earth, the apostles or earliest followers of Yeshua never celebrated his birth. If it's so honorable to celebrate Christmas why do we not see the people who knew him face to face doing so in the 1st century A.D.?

Many people believe my family is "weird" because we do not celebrate Christmas. We stick out like a sore thumb at this time of year. However, had we lived as Hebrews in the 1st century - followers of Yeshua the Messiah - we would have fit right in. The only people celebrating anything similar to the holiday now known as Christmas were the Romans who celebrated Saturnalia. A festival held around the winter solstice in honor of the god of agriculture, Saturn.

Usually, when I initially tell someone that I do not celebrate Christmas they immediately ask, "You mean you do not believe in the birth of Christ?" This is because they associate the modern holiday with the birth of Messiah. I gently explain to them that the birth of Messiah has nothing to do with this holiday called Christmas. The name Christmas didn't even actually come about until around the 11th century A.D. The holiday we know today is a blending of ancient heathen customs and truth. Yahweh is not honored when we take the truth about the birth of His sinless Son and attach numerous customs to it that were originally used to honor false gods.

I realize some people reading this may celebrate Christmas; this may be an entirely new concept to many. I want you to know that I have not written this in hatred, but in love. I would simply ask you to study the origin of the customs that go on this time of year. Why do people decorate homes with greenery, including placing a tree in their home? Why do people celebrate this holiday in the winter, around and on December 25? Where do these customs come from. After studying the origins a few Scriptures to begin with are Leviticus 18:1-5 and Deuteronomy 12:28-32. You might also read the account found in Exodus 32. Never forget this simple point though: the earliest followers of Yeshua did not celebrate Yeshua's birth in any way as a holiday. They could have; Yeshua was born and I'm sure those who accepted Him for who He was were very excited and thankful for His birth. But they never celebrated His birth, much less on December 25, with an evergreen tree in their homes.

Seek Yahweh earnestly in prayer, asking him always to lead you along the the pathway of Scriptural truth.

EMJ

Translating Nehemiah 13:19 Properly

2010-12-10T07:52:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you have read and re-read a passage so much that you never even think about the possibility that the translation you are reading is inaccurate in conveying the original Hebrew or Greek. Such was the case for me with Nehemiah 13:19. I plan to write a more in depth article on this verse in the future, but for now let me explain briefly.

The KJV rendering of the first part of the verse is as follows:

"And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut..."

I have a KJV Bible in my study, but the translation I use mostly in reading and studying is the HCSB. Here is the same very in the HCSB:

"When shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the gates be closed..."

The KJV sounds more like sunset took place and it was beginning to be dark, but the Sabbath had not begun. The HCSB sounds as though sunset had not taken place (the sun was casting a shadow) and the Sabbath would begin at sunset.

I believe the HCSB is correct in rendering the verse with the word shadows. Notice carefully that in both translations it is the GATES that are getting dark and not the DAY necessarily. The KJV talks about the gates beginning to be dark. Every tranlsation I know focuses in on the gates growing dark or becoming shadowed.

The Hebrew word here for "dark" or "shadows" is the word "tsalal," and is only used 1 other place in the entire Tanak - Ezekiel 31:3. Here is Ezekiel 31:3 in the HCSB:

"Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage, and of lofty height."

Note the use of the word "shady" in the text, as it comes from the Hebrew word "tsalal." The use of the word here refers to shade that a tree gives. It is this meaning that is also applicable in Nehemiah 13:19 in reference the the gates becoming dark, i.e. having a shadow cast upon them before the Sabbath.

What was taking place in Nehemiah was this: before sunset the sun must have cast a shadow upon the gates of Jerusalem that made the gates darken. This was some sort of signal that the Sabbath day was close at hand (it would begin at sunset).

Do some further study on this yourself. There are alot of other translations that translate "tsalal" as "shadow" (or some variation) in Nehemiah 13:19.

EMJ

Rising and Setting Sun

2010-11-21T10:32:00.003-05:00

There are various places in Scripture that speak of "from the rising of the sun to it's setting." Studying all the places which make such statements leads one to the conclusion that this is a way of Yahweh referring to the entirety of the earth, from the east to the west, all places which are habitable to humanity.

I ran across this in preaching through Malachi. Studying through Malachi chapter 1 verse 11 makes the following statement:

"For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations, says Yahweh of hosts." (NKJV, Malachi 1:11)

Notice here that Yahweh makes reference to the rising and setting sun but then goes on in the second part of the verse to say "in every place." Furthermore, notice these other references in Scripture that are parallel:

Psalm 50:1 - "The Mighty One, God Yahweh, Has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its goping down..."

Psalm 113:3 - "From the rising of the sun to its going down Yahweh's name is to be praised."

Isaiah 45:6 (KJV) - "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me, I am Yahweh, and there is none else."

Isaiah 59:19 (KJV) - "So shall they fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun..."

Commentator John Gill comments on Malachi 1:11 thusly (in part):

"...from East to West which is all habitable; not so North and South, as Kimchi observes, the extremes of which are not habitable..."

Pastor John MacArthur also comments similarly on the verse:

"The phrase is a way of referring to the whole earth... as the subsequent phrase, 'In every place,' indicates..."

EMJ

Don't Give Up in Your Fight Against Sin

2010-09-28T07:43:00.004-04:00

I wanted to write a quick encouraging word to all those who may be reading. If you are struggling with a particular sin in your life do not give up. Generally, when a person commits a sin for the first time it is very difficult, but the second time it is a bit easier. From then on it becomes more easy each time and eventually you feel as though you are doing nothing wrong. Going from feeling complete remorse to feeling nothing is not good at all - you have given in to Satan's ways. I want to encourage you to repent and commit to Yahweh and fight the sin you've been struggling with. You can be an overcomer - it may take time - but the Spirit that lives within you is far greater than any spirit the enemy has in opposition to Yahweh's. Start today, tommorrow may just be too late.

EMJ

Christians Are Allowed to Drink Wine

2010-08-27T16:09:00.005-04:00

I've recently been told - again - that drinking alchohol in any amount is wrong for the believer in Yeshua to do. At least this time the fellow who told me this said that he could not say drinking wine was a sin.

For anyone who is truly interested in studying this issue with due diligence I want to recommend to resources. First a book (pictured above) by author Ken Gentry. This book is extremely exhaustive and yet very easy to understand. He tackles arguments from those in opposition and each chapter is designed to deal with specific issues involved in the subject. This book can be found HERE.

Secondly, I would like to recommend three sermons preached by Pastor John Weaver of Freedom Ministries. If you haven't heard Pastor Weaver preach you are missing out majorly. Few preachers even think of venturing into some of the subjects this man teaches about. His Sermons can be found HERE.

EMJ

Responding to Persecution

2010-07-30T08:14:00.003-04:00

How should a person respond to someone else who is persecuting them? Well, the immediate human reaction is to just get back at the persecutor in the meanest and quickest way possible. We want to "do unto them what they have done unto us." People do this every single day. We have someone speak sarcasm to us, we speak it back to them; we have a person yell at us, we yell at them. We take the attitude that they are getting what they bargained for by starting the situation. This type mentality is not the mentality of the Messiah.

Matthew 5:43-48 instead teaches us that we should do good to those who persecute us, praying for them, loving our enemies. Anyone can love someone that already loves them, but it takes a true, actual follower of the Messiah to love someone (serve someone) who does not love them first, but rather hates them or at least treats them in an unkind manner. I realize that this is so difficult to do and our human ears do not even want to ponder upon treating such people with love, but true Christianity is radical in its teaching.

If you claim to be a follower of the Messiah, I would encourage you to put Matthew 5:43-48 to practice. You may here a more detailed examination of these verses here, the sermon number is #208.

EMJ

False Repentance

2010-06-20T08:51:00.002-04:00

While studying to teach the book of Ruth at the local congregation I attend, I noticed something in the first chapter that spells out for us what is happening today in the lives of so many individuals who attend churches - false repentance. What I mean is this; there are multitudes of people who feel a worldly sorrow for doing "bad things" and these people may even weep buckets of tears over what they have done. However, in the end they always go back and do the same things all over again.

What caught my attention (in this regard) was the account of Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth in chapter 1 of the book. As Ruth, after losing her husband and two sons, journeys back to Bethlehem, she (weeping) tells her daughters in law (Orpah and Ruth) to stay in the land of Moab rather than coming with her. All three of them weep and the two daughters say that they will go with Naomi. Shortly thereafter the discussion continues and Orpah and Ruth cry some more. This time Orpah goes back to Moab, but Ruth clings to Naomi, venturing to an unknown land, people, God, etc. We hear much of Ruth after this, but Orpah travels into the oblivion and is never - to my knowledge, mentioned in Scripture again.

Orpah had false repentance. Yes, she cried tremendously, but there was still a longing to her to go back to what she was used to. I think Naomi may have been testing the two girls to see where there heart was. If they truly wanted to turn their life over to the God of Israel they would continue on with this bitter 'ol woman that Naomi was at the time. As we know, Ruth did stay with Naomi and made awesome promises too her and to Yahweh. Orpah went back to her old ways.

Do we not see this happening with people today? We see people who have committed sin, sometimes heinous, and they feel sorry for what they've done, but it's not a godly sorrow. They still do not realize that they've wronged the sustainer of them and the universe. They ask for prayer, cry sometimes greatly, and you think that something great has happened. You may see them for a little while at church, but soon thereafter you don't see them anymore and they go back to their old way of life. What happened here was visible repentance, but not true repentance. They didn't change their direction; they didn't really have an encounter with Yahweh in their heart of hearts.

On the other hand we may experience true repentance with people who never even shed a tear. I'm not against crying, I'm just saying someone can really have an encounter with God and it be a "dry encounter." Crying and outward sorrow doesn't automatically equal true repentance. If a person is practicing sin and they confess, repent, and believe and you begin to see a true change in a persons life, but they never weeped over their sin don't be presumptous and think that they weren't serious enough. Yahweh works with different people in different ways. If there is a change of life then it is Yahweh. If they stay on the Biblical course then it is Yahweh. If it seems like they are sorry but they continue to do the things that God hates then it was a work of man.

Erich Matthew Janzen

A World of Itching Ears

2010-06-02T06:17:00.003-04:00

If there was ever a passage that is extremely relevant to this day and age it is 2 Timothy 4:1-4. Here Paul (the apostle) encourages young Timothy to proclaim the truth message - preach the word - as some translations put it. He tells him to do so whether it's convenient or not. The KJV says whether it is in season or out of season. I take him to mean most likely when it is popular or when it is not popular. Whatever the case, it is the word that must be preached. This is an oddity today, because most men who call themselves (or whom others call) pastors do not preach the word, they preach a "get rich quick" or "self esteem" message that is about as shallow as possible. In such, people are becoming less and less capable of listening to a genuine sermon/bible study becaue they think a sermon is a 20 minute lesson that exalts mans "goodness" and contains a hint of Scripture here or there.

Paul knew that such times would come, therefore he writes to Timothy that the time will come when people will not be able to tolerate sound doctrine. Does this sound familiar? It surely should because there are thousands of people in the church-world today who do not tolerate sound doctrine. They pick their "home church" based upon programs, music ministry, number of people, how good they feel, etc. They should rather ask themselves if the true message of Scripture is being taught from the pulpit and if God is being glorified rather than man. If a preacher never preaches expositorily or exegetically; if a preacher never teaches deep bible study; if a preacher's messages are always titled "You Can Make It" or "Living to Your Fullest Potential," the chances are you are going to one of the visible "Christian" churches in the world rather than to a true Christian assembly.

Paul tells Timothy that people will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. The HCSB says that these people have an itch to hear something new. This translation then gives a footnote that says "or, to hear what they want to hear." People run to find a multitude of professing teachers so that they might be able to find a few that will lie to them and make them feel better about their sin. How often this is the case today. Paul concludes by saying they will turn away from hearing the truth and turn aside to myths/fables. It is sad, but such happens so very often with people today.

Paul tells Timothy in verse 5 to basically persist in teaching properly. He says that Timothy must keep a clear head, endure hardship (persecution for teaching Scripture), and continue in the work of the ministry. If you are a teacher out there, Pauls words are calling out to you today, and if you are a listener out there who wants there ears tickled, repent and turn to Yahweh's truths before you are cast into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.

Erich Matthew Janzen

5 Sermons on Baptism So Far...

2010-05-13T09:06:00.002-04:00

Quick note to say that there have been five sermons preached in the series on water baptism up to date. Today I will be preaching part 6 and on Saturday part 7 will be preached. You can find the sermons here, and they begin at CD241 and there is a break between part 4 and 5. Part 5 is CD248. Let me also say that in part 5, although baptism is the subject, I took some time to develop the texts of Romans 6:1-7 and Galatians 3:19-27. There is much to be learned from a serious exegesis of both of these texts in relation to justification, law, sin, new life, etc.

Look for part 6 where I will examine some of the claims of those who believe that baptism has nothing to do with the plan of salvation. We will examine a few objections in this particular sermon and may continue to do so in part 7.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Working on Some Tunes

2010-05-04T06:56:00.005-04:00

Just in case you didn't know... I like writing - strike that - love writing music. My wife snapped this photo recently while I was sitting down one Sabbath putting some songs together.

Psalm 149:1

Hallelujah! Sing to Yahweh a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly.

Snarling Dog (Exodus 11:7)

2010-04-22T10:58:00.003-04:00

I was going back over Exodus 11 and 12 this morning in final preparations for a Sabbath sermon, and I noticed something I had never noticed before. It is amazing how that you can read a text for so many years and yet miss something very profound.

In Exodus 11:6-7 we have Moses talking to Pharaoh about what is going to happen in the final plague in Egypt. It is the plague where the firstborn in all of Egypt will perish, that is, unless the command to apply blood to the door of the house is obeyed (see Exodus chapter 12). In Exodus 11:6 Moses says that there is going to be a great cry of anguish throughout Egypt. This cry would be something that had not occurred before nor would occur again. It would be the cry of all the families in Egypt that awoke when their firstborn died during the middle of the night. Imagine thousands of people dying at one singular time all over an entire nation.

Moses then states this in Exodus 11:7: "But against all the Israelites, whether man or beast, not even a dog will snarl."

I read this one time, and then I went back again a read it a few more times. I was thinking to myself, "What in the world does this mean?" It even made me chuckle a bit.

The literal reading from the Hebrew is "not even a dog will move/point its tongue," and most commentators regard it as an idiom meaning something like this: when the Israelites leave they will not have to deal with the grief from their firstborn dying. This means that there will be no dogs howling as is customary for dogs to do when someone in the house is hurt or in need.

However, I think there is another meaning (or a two-fold meaning) here that becomes apparent with a bit of study into the worship of the Egyptians. The Egyptians worshiped a multiplicity of gods and in bringing the plagues on Egypt Yahweh was executing judgment on all their gods (Exodus 12:12). One of the gods Egypt worshiped was named Anubis and was the Son of a major god named Osiris. Anubis was depicted as either a dog (jackal) or at least a man with the head of a dog. He was actually called "barking Anubis" by the Egyptian people. Egypt even had a city named Anubis after the name of the god. Anubis' name actually means something like, "Lord of the Place of Embalming," or "Lord of Death." It was believed by the Egyptians that Anubis was the god that carried them to the underworld when they died.

It is quite probable that what Moses meant in Exodus 11:7 is that there would be yet another judgment on one of Egypts gods. Just as the "powerful" sun god "Ra" was shown to be powerless when there were three days of darkness in Egypt during the ninth plague, Yahweh was now mocking Anubis through His prophet Moses by telling them that even Anubis would not be able to stop the exodus from the land of Egypt, controlled by Yahweh's ultimate power. Even Anubis, the "lord of the dead" couldn't keep Yahweh's Israel people from leaving Egypt. Very interesting to say the least.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Does Yeshua Love Sinners?

2010-04-16T06:21:00.003-04:00

I saw a note on the web yesterday that stated "Jesus Loves Sinners." I agree with the statement, but I fear that most who use such a statement also abuse the words. Many people read that line and feel that it excuses them when they sin or else it allows them to continuously continue in sin so that the Messiah can love them more and more. This is not what is taught in the ministry of Yeshua. I would like to just look at one example.

In Luke 19:2 we read that there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector. Tax collectors then (as is often the case today) were looked down upon because of the way they abused people in stealing money from hard working citizens. They are listed in with prostitutes in the gospels as being people with whom many Judahites would not associate with. Yeshua however, comes to save sinners, whether they be thiefs by tax collection, prostitutes, adulterers, idolaters, etc.

When we continue reading through Luke 19:3-7 we find that Yeshua told this man that He was coming over to his house that day, but all the people murmured and said amongst themselves, "This Yeshua is going to go and be a guest in a man's house who is a sinner!"

What happens next is astonishing. We see that there must have been some type of conversation between Yeshua and Zacchaeus because in Luke 19:8 we read the following:

"And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, that half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." {ESV}

Something had pricked Zacchaeus' heart so that he felt the need to correct the wrongs / sins he had committed or was committing at the present. What was the response given to his statement by the Master?

"And Yeshua said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.'" {Luke 19:9, ESV}

After Yeshua saw the heart of Zacchaeus was truly repentant, i.e. he desired to turn away from the sins he had been committing and change towards acting justly and piously, He told him that salvation had come to his house.

The point is that yes, Yeshua does love sinners, but He loves them in this way. He desires to heal them of their sickness and disease of sin. He doesn't love them in a way that wants to keep them bound in slavery to sin. He comes to them to deliver them of sin; He comes to them preaching repentance from sin. Let us never confuse the statement, "Jesus loves sinners" thinking it somehow means we can just go on and on and on sinning without batting an eye.

Erich Matthew Janzen

A Textual Variant - Acts 8:37

2010-04-14T09:06:00.002-04:00

I certainly do not question the validity of the statement found in the KJV of Acts 8:37. The eunuch from Ethiopia has asked Philip what hinders him from being baptized? In all likelihood there was a response from Philip about belief/faith, repentance, confession, etc. I'm also sure much more discussion took place between the two fellows than is recorded for us by Luke in Acts 8:26-40. However, when we examine the textual evidence for Acts 8:37 we find that the oldest and best manuscripts of the Greek New Testament lack the verse. It is not found in any Greek manuscript before the 6th century A.D. Dr. Neil R. Lightfoot comments:

"Another passage of interest is found in Acts 8:37. The King James translation of this verse reads, 'And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' These words are represented as part of a conversation between Philip the Evangelist and the eunuch at the time of the eunuch's baptism. These are familiar words stressing the importance of faith in Jesus Christ. Yet the words are not found in the American Standard Version or the Revised Standard Version. These and other recent translations, on the basis of evidence, are compelled to omit theis verse from the Book of Acts. It is true that a sixth century uncial, some good minuscule manuscripts, and the Old Latin Version support the verse, but practically all the other manuscripts and versions stand opposed to it. Because no Greek manuscript earlier than the sixth century knows of this reading, beyond doubt it could not have formed a part of the original account of Acts." {Source: "How We Got the Bible" by Neil R. Lightfoot, Third Edition, 2003, pages 99-100}

I was preaching about this text last evening and asked those in attendance if it was possible that something similar to Acts 8:37 was actually said by Philip. Most responded with a shaking of the head yes, or either answering affirmatively, and I agree. It is possible, and quite likely that Philip responded to the eunuch by telling him what he needed to do before baptism (belief, repentance, confession) but we can't just insert words into the text on the possible words of Philip.

For example, we find that the Jailor asked Paul in Acts 16:30 what he needed to do to be saved. Paul's response was to believe in Yeshua (Acts 16:31), but the text goes on to say that after this response they spoke the message of the Lord to the Jailor. What was included in the message of the Lord? Many things I'm sure, but it would not be correct for us to insert a few verses in the text relying on the possibility of Paul teaching the Jailor about the death, burial and resurrection.

There is nothing unorthodox about Acts 8:37 as found in the KJV. And, contrary to many staunch KJV ONLY advocates, the newer versions of Scripture like the ASV, RSV, or NIV are not trying to diminish from the person of Christ. There are many other verses in these newer versions of the Bible that show one must believe Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of Yahweh (see Matthew 16:13-18 and 1 John 4:15).

Erich Matthew Janzen

Preaching Yeshua Includes Preaching Baptism

2010-04-13T09:13:00.003-04:00

I was studying Acts 8:26-40 this morning and came across something that I was already familiar with but reminded of. Here we have Philip being led of the Spirit to preach to a eunuch under the authority of the Queen of Ethiopia. Much could be said here, but I simply want to point out that Philip eventually preached Yeshua to this man. What does it mean to preach Yeshua?

I would say that since Philip began at Isaiah 53 in his preaching (see Acts 8:29-35) he would have certainly preached the death of Yeshua to the eunuch. If Philip preached the death of Messiah this would in turn mean that he would have preached the death of a sinless Messiah, a perfect lamb, as well as the resurrection from death of the Messiah.

We can also conclude from the context that Philip preached water baptism to the eunuch. We know this because after the text says that Philip preached Yeshua to him they came across a body of water and the eunuch (not Philip) made this statement, "Look, there's water! What would keep me from being baptized?" For the eunuch to ask the question necessarily implies that Philip must have preached to him that he needed to be baptized into the Messiah.

When we preach Yeshua to others does our preaching include water baptism? If not, it certainly should based upon the inspired example in Acts 8.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Did Yeshua Practice Ritual Handwashing?

2010-04-08T07:43:00.003-04:00

I have either heard or read on more than one occasion that Yeshua DID practice the ritual handwashing ceremony of the Pharisees which is centered in upon in Matthew chapter 15 and Mark chapter 7. Each time I hear someone who follows the oral "law" of the Jews today they focus in on the fact that the Pharisees asked Yeshua why his disciples did not wash their hands (in the ritual prescribed manner) prior to eating bread. It is reasoned that if they asked about his disciples that he must have followed the tradition, but not his disciples.

This understanding even on the surface lacks tremendously. Just going on to read the context in each chapter shows that Yeshua did not see the practice as being binding. There is nothing in either chapter that insinuates that Yeshua did practice the washing. On top of this we have a clear text in Luke 11:37-40 that shows Yeshua DID NOT practice the washing when invited to dine with none other than a Pharisee.

"As He was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in a reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that He did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner. But the Lord said to Him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil. Fools! Didn't He who made the outside make the inside too?" [HCSB]

It is abundantly clear that Yeshua did not follow the traditional hand washing ritual, and this is because it was not part of the only true Torah, that which was written.

Why do certain people continue to proclaim that Yeshua followed the traditions (oral)? I have to believe it is because these people carry the same spirit as many first century Pharisees. They for some reason believe the oral traditions carry weight and are in some manner acts of obedience towards God, and acts of holiness towards themselves.

Erich Matthew Janzen

The Faith of Naaman

2010-04-05T16:27:00.003-04:00

Naaman was a man in the Bible who had a serious skin disease and desired to be healed. According to 2 Kings 5:1-14 he eventually got around to going to the prophet Elisha's house to seek a healing. The Prophet sent a servant out to meet Naaman and this servant gave Naaman Elisha's words - "Go down to the Jordan river and dip yourself in it seven times." At first Naaman was furious, proclaiming to the servant that he thought the prophet would come out and do something flashy to heal Naaman's disease. He then remarked that there were better rivers to dip in and asked why he couldn't just go to them to cleanse himself. Eventually, he did have enough faith to be healed of his disease, but the healing only came after obedience to the inspired words of the prophet.

Some things in the Bible seem simple, plain, and even foolish at first glance. However we may look at certain biblical instructions, do we have enough faith to follow them? Will we be as Naaman was at first or will we be as Naaman was at the last?

Erich Matthew Janzen

I'm Going to Work Today (Easter)

2010-04-04T08:45:00.003-04:00

I was talking to a fellow the other day about doing some work for him and I told him I had Sunday (Easter Sunday) open. His response was, "You remember it's Easter right?" My response was, "Yes, I know. I do not celebrate Easter." He must have not celebrated it either because in a few minutes I will be leaving to go to his house for work.

To many people it seems strange to not celebrate Easter, but instead work on the day, but this would have been the practice of Yeshua the Messiah and every single follower of Yeshua in the 1st century Christian faith. No one, let me repeat, not one single follower of Yeshua in the 1st century (in the New Testament Scriptures) celebrated Easter. Easter didn't have anything to do with Yeshua, but it had everything to do with the custom of the heathens who honored the spring fertility goddes by such names as Ashtoreth, Astarte, Eostre, Ishtar, etc. All the sunrise services, egg hunts, easter bunnies, etc. stem from worship to this goddess.

If Yeshua the Messiah, nor his apostles and followers celebrated Easter then why should we? If they didn't think it to be important to their true worship and faith, why should we? Do you realize that while Yeshua lived (as well as His disciples) there were people on the earth and possibly in close proximity to Jerusalem that did celebrate Easter? Did you know that the people who celebrated it were not followers of Yahweh at all? Did you realize that people actually hunted eggs, had sunrise services, and depicted "easter" bunnies before and during the time of Yeshua for heathen, pagan worship?

Is Yahweh honored in the celebration of Easter? Not in the least bit, He is rather dishonored. To take such paganism and attempt to attach it to the resurrection of the Son of Yahweh is a stench in Yahweh's nostrils. You don't mix the holy with the unholy. You don't proclaim a feast to Yahweh and then build a golden calf to help you out in your worship (Exodus 32). Father help us to see the error of our ways more and more.

Erich Matthew Janzen

From a Good Friend and Brother

2010-04-02T07:59:00.002-04:00

This post was written by a fellow brother in the faith. It is a response to someone who wrote a very brief essay which downplayed the significance of the law/torah of Yahweh. Hope you all enjoy!
------

What is sin? According to 1 John 3:4 sin is the transgression of the law. If the Messiah destroyed the effectiveness of the law, then how do we define sin? I think all one must do is read the verse above. I agree that the law will not justify anyone; it is a schoolmaster to bring people to the Messiah, but I don't agree that it condemns us. As a matter of fact, it liberates us. Hence the reason James says, "...the one who look intently into the perfect law of FREEDOM and perserveres in it, and is not a forgetful heaer but a doer who acts - this person will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25).

The author of the email says, "the law is perfect" but then goes on to say that it condemns us. The law only condemns those who break it. I don't for one minute think that there is a man alive who keeps the law perfectly, but there are many who do not care if they keep it at all. By not acknowledging this perfect law that the Messiah himself kept, we place ourselves into bondage over an over again, trampling the blood of our precious Savior in the ground. Just because the law does not justify you doesn't mean it doesn't provide a plan for active holiness. If we say that we live by the spirit we must walk by the spirit (Romans 7). Furthermore if our Messiah kept the law perfectly, and we are supposed to model our lives after him, then why would anybody not want to keep the law? Once again, it is not the law that condemns us, but the debt we owe to the law that nailed the unblemished lamb to the tree. Our sin put him on the tree and if we are to repent and turn from it we can't continue to break God's law, knowing that's the very reason Christ died. So if Christ died for our sin, "Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary we uphold the law." (Romans 3:31)

From our own Messiah's mouth we hear this, "For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished." (Matthew 5:18) It baffles me to think that this sinless Messiah (God's annointed) would be lying. I think it would be wise to look at Paul's writings again and rethink this view. By the way, Paul was a law keeper too. In Acts 21:24 the apostles are talking to Paul and they says this: "Take these men, purify yourselves with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. The neveryone will KNOW that what they were told about you amoun ts to nothing, but that you yourself are also careful about observing the LAW."

This email is not meant to be critical but to rebuke false teaching. Paul tells Timothy, "I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2) I am afraid that "...certain men are turning the grace of our Lord into a license to sin and denying our only Master and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. (Jude 1:4).

Sorry for the lengthy reply, I hope this give you another angle to look at things. I encourage you to be like the Bereans and search the scriptures daily to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11).

With so much love,
TJ Martin

Enjoying Teaching on Baptism

2010-03-31T07:57:00.003-04:00

I am currently teaching a sermon series at the local assembly I attend titled "Water Baptism in the Bible." Greatly enjoying it. I hope to write a fairly short article on the subject which pertains to baptism in the old covenant times. Many people are not aware of the various baptisms that were commanded in the days of Moses and throughout the remainder of the Tanak. There are also mentionings of baptism in the Apochryphal (intertestamental) writings. All of these divers baptisms shed light on the origin of John's baptism as well as baptism into Yeshua the Messiah.

I recently ran across the prophecy mentioned in Zechariah 13:1 which speaks of "on that day" there being a fountain that would be opened to the house of David and those in Jerusalem to wash away sin and uncleanness. Comparing Zechariah 12:10 with John 19:37 and Zechariah 13:7 with Mark 14:27 we can know that Zechariah prophesied much about occurrences that would take place during the first coming of the Messiah. I believe Zechariah 13:1 falls into this category and is a reference to the baptismal waters that place a person into the Messiah. The Israelites of the 1st century understood that when the major prophecies concerning Messiah, Elijah, the Prophet (of Deuteronomy 18) were fulfilled there would be a unique baptism come into play (see John 1:19-25, especially verses 24-25).

It is truly awesome to see these great understandings Yahweh has for us in Scripture.

You can listen to each sermon in the series by going to this link. Sermons start at #241.

Erich Matthew Janzen

My Question to a Messianic Rabbi

2010-03-29T07:24:00.002-04:00

Last night I attended a teaching/lecture about the Passover led by a Messianic Rabbi from the Atlanta area. It was very enjoyable to say the least, and I agreed with much of what He had to say, although I didn't partake in the "seder" because I will keep Passover next moon in the Gregorian month of April.

There was a few things mentioned by the Rabbi concerning the Jewish traditions that take place during the Passover seder/meal. These traditions are not participated in by me and my family because we feel they are additions to the Passover and not commandments from Yahweh. Exodus 12 is great place to go to learn about how to keep Passover, but Jewish tradition has added some baggage to its observance and such tradition is not necessary if one desires to celebrate the Passover.

That being said, I was talking to one of my friends during a break about asking the Rabbi about Easter - and I eventually got to ask him myself just before his departure from the church grounds. I asked him, "Sir, did the earliest followers of Yeshua in the 1st century celebrate Easter?" He looked at me like I was crazy! "Of course not! You've got to be kidding me!" were basically his words/statement. I then told him that I had figured he felt this way, but just wanted to hear it from him.

Easter is a man-made festival/day that has nothing to do with true worship. The name stems from a fertility goddess if anyone desires to do the research to find, and the practices such as sunrise services, easter egg hunts, bunnies laying eggs, etc. all have everything to do with false worship rather than with true worship. It is certainly true that Yeshua resurrected from the tomb on the third day, but none of his disciples or anyone in the Bible ever celebrated what the professing church world calls Easter today.

Simple question: If the early assembly did not celebrate Easter in the 1st century, why do people make it such an importance today? Why didn't the early believers think it to be important? The answer is because it was not important. They did not see it proper to mix pagan/heathen customs with great truths like the resurrection.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Is the Law of Moses Bondage?

2010-03-26T07:55:00.003-04:00

Most professing Christians really feel strongly that the Law of Moses was a law of bondage and not a law of liberty. This not only contradicts what Psalm 119:45 says ("I will walk at liberty for I seek Thy precepts.") but it also contradicts what took place prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

The Israelites had been in bondage in Egypt for many, many years. Exodus 20 begins the treatise on the 10 commandments by saying, "Then Elohim spoke all these words saying, I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery." Did you catch that? The place of slavery. The Israelites were under harsh slavery in Egypt; in other words they were under bondage.

Now I ask you, did Yahweh deliver the Israelites from Egypt's bondage, allow them to cross the Read Sea, defeat Amalek, come to the Mountain of God, and then give them a law that that placed them back under bondage?

Erich Matthew Janzen

Protecting the Flock

2010-03-22T15:45:00.002-04:00

Have you ever heard someone say that they are protecting God's flock? I've heard it several times, mostly from preachers who will not allow someone with different doctrine to come to their church and engage in public debate/discussion. I recently had a fellow tell me this very thing when I asked him if he would be willing to have a public debate with me at his church. He said that he wouldn't allow me to come into his church and talk about what I believed on a certain topic (doctrine) in debate format because he was "protecting his flock." My question is this: is this how a minister is called to protect his flock?

Is keeping people from hearing alternate doctrine protecting the flock? I think it is more akin to being worried that they made be persuaded to look further or deeper into a subject that they may know little to nothing about. The problem with most Pastors is that they do not teach their members to study the Bible for them selves. It is certainly okay to have teachers, but people shouldn't rely on teachers for their salvation. They should listen to what the teacher is teaching, and then go back and study the verses of Scripture that are given in a diligent fashion. This way, even if the teacher/Pastor has presented the truth to them, the person will have studied it out them self and the truth (that particular truth) will become "part of them." They will believe it whole heartedly and will not be able to waver from it.

If a person just blindly accepts what the teacher has to say they will be more likely to abandon what they've been taught in difficult times of hardship, persecution, or the like. This is because they do not believe it for them selves, but only because there Pastor told it to them.

The way you protect the flock is to (1) teach the flock true doctrine, and (2) teach them to study the true doctrines in their personal Bible study life. This way when someone else comes to them with falsity they will be able to give a defense of the faith concerning the hope that lies within them.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Halloween Info

2009-10-31T06:57:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! Seems like I just can't find the time to contribute to my own blog! Sometimes it feels like I can't find time to sleep... for real. At any rate, I just wanted to mention that I recently taught a lesson on the origin of Halloween for those that are interested. The message can be found here, and is #217 on the sermon list.

Let me say also that I had the opportunity to watch somewhat of a documentary on the history of Halloween last night with my family. The show's title, "The Haunted History of Halloween" put out by the history channel. Excellent little piece. Very informative, and from what I can tell from my studies, very reliable information. It's worth checking out for anyone who has wondered about the reason(s) behind the holiday.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Feast of Tabernacles 2009 Photos

2009-10-20T06:12:00.011-04:00

Sister Lise is excited about Yahweh!

Scripture discussion under the sukkah.

Bro. Stephen helping out with cooking.

Two great musicians!

Bro. Chuck's Testimony

Bro. Dan shares his spiritual journey.

Girls just having fun!

Bro. Bill taking it easy.

The "Kendall Camp"

You Need to be Weaned Eventually

2009-07-26T17:57:00.002-04:00

The more I speak with professing Christians the more I realize just how unimportant it is to people to know the Bible in an in depth way. I recognize that a "babe in the faith" needs time to grow. My youngest son is almost 10 months old and there are certain foods I just cannot feed him at this time in his life. Many foods would cause him to choke and possibly die. As is the natural, so is the spiritual. Some people are new to the faith and have to be fed milk instead of meat. I am not overlooking this at all. What I am pointing out is something similar or the same to what the author of Hebrews pointed out years ago:

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God's revelation. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature - for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. (Hebrews 6:12-14; HCSB)"

The author tells us of people who should be teachers, i.e. they should be able to explain the more in depth doctrines of Scripture to other people who may still be s in the faith. Wouldn't you say that someone whose been in church for the past 20 years should be able to eat spiritual meat? I sure would, but I find that there are people who have been to church for 20, 30, 40 years and still have not been weaned from the breast. They would be satisfied with listening to a message about John 3:16 every single Sunday morning, and as long as the preacher huffs and puffs a little and shouts to the top of his lungs, they feel like they've been to church for the week.

I'm not against John 3:16, nor do I believe all strong preaching is fruitless, I am just saying that it's time for people who've been Christians all their life to actually know something about the Bible. It's time for them to quit thinking that all that matters is going to church or singing their favorite song in church. This is what the author of Hebrews is speaking of. He tells us that anyone who lives on milk alone is inexperienced with the message about righteousness. I can understand this of someone who has been studying for maybe 1 to 5 years, but after this you got to quit going back to the milk container. Those initial years should have been spent learning the "milk." It's time to eat a steak dinner.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Who Do You Belong To?

2009-07-10T07:31:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of listening to a 4 hour debate/discussion yesterday on trinitarian vs. unitarian issues. Many perspectives given, and much discussion and disagreement was involved in examining the different viewpoints.

I did notice though that it seemed those in the trinitarian camp always wished to pinpoint the non-trinitarians to a particular denomination. Of course, some of the non-trinitarians were members of the Jehovah Witnesses or inactive Jehovah's Witnesses at least. Generally, when those two words are mentioned together (Jehovah and Witnesses) people stop in their tracks and put up their sword and spear. I, on the other hand, always enjoy talking with Jehovah's Witnesses. They are very Biblically astute and quite cordial for the most part (I have found). At any rate, why did the trinitarians almost demand that a non-trinitarian place himself under the umbrella of a particular denomination?

I have found that people often ask me what denomination I belong to. When I explain to them that I do not belong to a denomination they almost always immediately reply, "Oh, you are non-denominational." It's as though the tital "non-denomination" has in effect turned into a denomination these days! I try my best to explain to them that I am just a follower of the Messiah, and I believe in the Sacred Scriptures. Sometimes people cannot get over the fact that you do not identify yourself with the Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc. denominations of today.

Where there any such things in Scripture? I don't think so. I only see those who profess to believe in the Scripture. I see those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of the Son of God (Rev. 14). I see people called Saints, Christians, believers, etc. What I do not see is the label of a denomination, so I do not think it necessary to be involved in such in this day.

Erich Matthew Janzen

The Two Become One Flesh

2009-07-08T06:48:00.002-04:00

What does the Bible actually mean when it says that a husband and wife become one flesh? I've heard people speak on this text and talk about how close a husband and wife become throughout marriage. They being to think, talk, and even sometimes act like the other. I myself have experienced this: my wife and I will be driving down the road and remain quiet for a time. After this we both speak up, and we speak up at the same time and say the exact same words! This has happened more than once in my marital life, and it is astonishing each time, but as awesome as this is, this is not what the Bible means when it says that a man and a woman become one flesh (Genesis 2:20-24).

Adam made this remark when Eve was brought to him in Genesis 2: at last, this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called woman (ishah in Hebrew) for she was taken out of man (ish in Hebrew). This bone and flesh terminology is used elsewhere in Scripture thusly:

Genesis 29:14 - And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.

Judges 9:2 - Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

2 Samuel 5:1 - Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

2 Samuel 19:13 - And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.

1 Chronicles 11:1 - Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

Ephesians 5:28-31 - So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

It should be easy to see that the "bone and flesh terminology" has the meaning of kinship or family relation. All of these Scriptures are strikingly similar to Adam's statement about Eve: she is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Adam was declaring that he was starting a kinship relation, and marriage should be looked at as a kinship relation with the individual you're marrying. Not just some kind of flippant possiblity, but an actual covenantal relationship. Let's teach our children just how close the marriage bond really is.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Rewarded for Your Works

2009-07-03T07:19:00.002-04:00

There are certain words that are "taboo" among people in the "Christian religious" world today. One such word is works. If you so much as mention that we must have good works in our Christian life, or even if you quote a Scripture that mentions works, people do not take a liking to it. For example, James 2:24 says:

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."

Please do not get me wrong, I completely understand that these works flow out of a living faith. I am not in any way saying that works are the cause of justification, but I am saying that a man that is justified by faith will produce good works, per James 2:24. I have a friend that says this, "A pear tree is not a pear tree because it has pears on it. A pear tree has pears on it because it is a pear tree." In other words it is the tree that comes first, but the tree does produce good fruit.

Another passage that is seldom mentioned is found in Matthew 16:27:

"For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done."

Some translations say here, "according to their works." This is exactly the sense. Friends, if you are truly born from above, you will perform works of righteousness. Do not be afraid of believing this. These two Scriptures are proof enough that we must maintain good works, but there are many other Scriptures in favor. Why not take the time to look them up today?

Erich Matthew Janzen

"Let Us Make Man" Does this prove a Triune God?

2009-06-11T17:14:00.003-04:00

I talk a lot to people about who God is. The majority of professing Christians believe that God is one being but exists in three distinct persons. They usually term such a belief by the name Trinity, or the Triune God. A very popular Christian apologist puts it like this: God is one what in three who’s. One of the reasons most Trinitarians claim that God is three in one is found in Genesis 1:26. I do recognize (for those students out there) that the scholarly community does not really any longer use this verse in support of the “Trinity,” but this most certainly does not keep others (namely elders, pastors, lay people, etc.) from using such an argument. I can speak of this first hand for in the many discussions I have gotten into in the past several years this is one of the most popular verses for the Trinitarian proponent.

I find this argument very odd. I do not find it odd for someone to read more than one person or being into the plural pronoun “us” or “our.” That I find perfectly normal and acceptable. What I find odd is that they are using this text in their favor of the Trinity, i.e. the “three in one God.” The text doesn’t say, “Let us three make man,” or “Let Me and the Son make man.” The text simply uses plural pronouns, and the most we can say based upon the text alone is that more than one person is in view.
I have made the argument before that a single person can use a plural pronoun and it make perfect sense. We all do it from time to time when we think or say to ourself, “Let’s see, what am I going to do?” The word let’s is a contraction for “let us.” So I do not think a single person is out of view even with a plural pronoun. This being said, I think it is highly more likely that more than one person is in view with the word "us." That would be the most common and most prevalent use of the word “us” or “them” or “our.” We use plural pronouns to denote more than one person. If I say, “They went to the park,” it is obvious to the one I’m speaking to that more than one person went to the park. Even if I say, “They drove to the park,” although one person is actually doing the driving (behind the steering wheel) there is still more than one person in the car that is driving down the road. My point is that the most prominent use of a plural pronoun is that more than one person is in view. I could be referring to “two” people by the word “us” or I could be referring to “two hundred” people. It surely implies more than one.

What most Trinitarians do not stop and think about though is this: if plural pronouns indicate that there is more than one person in view then by the exact same reasoning singular pronouns would have to indicate the only one person is in view. It’s very simple yet so often overlooked by Trinitarians who use Genesis 1:26 in their favor. Let me illustrate and then give a Biblical example. I had stated before that the sentence, “They went to the park,” implies more than one person went to the park. However, the sentence, “He went to the park,” has to be speaking of one singular person going to the park. It might be true that others went with the “he” but for you to say that “He went to the park,” means you are talking about a singular individual. I have already (in this short article) used singular pronouns as I type. Does this not indicate that I am one single person? Why of course it does, and when God uses singular pronouns it surely indicates that He is a single person.

Now to the Biblical example. Let me place Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 for you to see. I am going to put the singular pronouns God uses in blue and the plural pronouns in red. Please take not of the number of times each category is used.

Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Ge 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Ge 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Ge 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Ge 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Ge 1:6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Ge 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Ge 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Ge 1:9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Ge 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Ge 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Ge 1:14 ¶ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Ge 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Ge 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Ge 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Ge 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Ge 1:20 ¶ And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Ge 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Ge 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Ge 1:24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Ge 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Ge 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Ge 1:29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Ge 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Ge 1:31 ¶ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Ge 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Ge 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Ge 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

If we take a count we have 16 times God uses the singular pronouns in this text. We may though diminish this to 14 times seeing two of these times the singular pronoun is italicized indicating that the word does not appear in the Hebrew text from which the English is translated. We do have 3 times where God uses a plural pronoun. So if we are taking a tally, we have 14 verses 3. I have lost softball games before where the other team had somewhere around 14 points and my team had somewhere around 3 points; believe me, it’s no contest in such a game. But the points do not stop here. If you continue reading the rest of the book of Genesis God continues to use singular pronouns the entire time and never again uses a plural pronoun in the remainder of the entire book. So we are literally talking about hundreds verses three.

Remember, if a plural pronoun indicates more than one person is in view then a singular pronoun indicates that only one person is in view. Do you believe God is one person or more than one person?

If God is only one person then why does He use “us” and “our” in Genesis 1:26? Well, could this be because He is talking to someone else? Of course this could be and must be. We know that God generally and overwhelmingly uses singular pronouns when speaking, so this means He is one person. When God occasionally speaks by saying “us” or “our” He must be speaking to another
person(s) or being(s). Although it is not in the scope of this article, let me briefly say that the angelic beings were at the creation (Job 38:7) and that one of the four “us” texts in Scripture is clearly a reference to the angels (Isaiah 6). It appears to me that God was speaking to His angelic court, announcing His crowning act of the creation of man to His heavenly host. This does not mean that angels created man at all, for in Genesis 1:27 God uses the singular pronoun to describe His actual creation of man. He was simply involving his angels in this creation in verse 26. This is a very common and ancient interpretation of the text, and is even set forth by such prominent Bible translations today, such as the NIV and NET translations.

I think it is time that Trinitarians recognize that a singular pronoun refers to a single person. They obviously do not have a problem recognizing that plural pronouns refer to more than one person.

I do not believe in the Trinity, but I do agree with the Trinitarian that the word “us” implies more than one person. If you are a Trinitarian reading this right now, do you agree that the word “I” or “he” implies a single person?

Erich Matthew Janzen

Do Not Think (Mt. 5:17-19)

2009-05-23T15:47:00.002-04:00

I just wrote a little song the other day based upon the words of Yeshua in Matthew 5.

------------------------------------------------------------
Do not think I came to destroy the law or the prophets
I've not come to destroy but to fulfill
For I assure you until heaven and earth pass away
Not one jot or tittle of the law shall fade

Therefore who breaks the least commandments
And teaches others the same
Will be least in the kingdom
Yahweh won't know their name

But if you practice and teach these commandments
You will be called great by our Great Father Yahweh
-----------------------------------------------------------

Erich Matthew Janzen

What are You Living For?

2009-05-10T08:33:00.000-04:00

What are you living for? I mean really - what do you live for each and every day? If you are a genuine Bible believer then you should recognize that this current life, when compared to the backdrop of eternity, is nothing more than a drop of water in a bucket. Yet how few professors of the faith actually live for the kingdom rather than live for the world. People spend so much energy on fancy cars and houses, on just the right color paint for this project and that. They make extra sure that they have exactly what they want and they are sure to do everything they can to obtain it. Look at how many fathers today work and work and work and spend absolutely zero time in communion with God and as little time as possible in communion with their wife and children. Wives are neglected for what, a sporting event? Children are neglected by being placed into an unholy government school system where they learn for 8 hours a day from people who do not live for God in the least extent of the word. So there they learn a worldview that is totally secular and humanistic. Then at times parents wonder what happened when there children grow up and do not live for God. How silly; they are just mimicking there parents, but the parents are to naïve to even realize that their living for their selves rather than for the heavenly Father.

This life is so short. The Biblical book of James tells us that this life is but a vapor; here today and gone tomorrow. We really do not know what this very day has in store for us. Will we make it through the day? Only God knows. Will we see tomorrow? There is only one who knows the answer to that question. Where are you laying up your treasures? What goals have you set for your spiritual life? Are you more worried about your next pay check than you are about serving God? Are you more interested in what’s coming on television than taking time out daily to read and also study God’s word? Have you even told the Father that you love Him lately? And if you have, do you really love Him? Do you keep His commandments?

Erich Matthew Janzen

Miss California and Homosexuality

2009-04-25T07:33:00.003-04:00

I do not watch beauty pageants. I believe that Christian women should not parade themselves in immodest clothing such as nightgowns and swimsuits. Today this even includes some of the regular day-to-day clothing that women fashion. The Bible makes it extremely clear that both men and women are to be modestly clothed (Gen. 3:21; 1 Timothy 2:9).

That being said, I wanted to give a few comments on what I read about concerning Miss California's recent comments after being asked about same sex "marriage." Her response was basically that she wasn't there to judge anyone else, but she was raised (and still believes) believing that marriage was between a man and a woman. It appears that her statement outraged the judge that asked her the question, and he has since written some terrible things about her. I am glad that she at least stood up for what she believes to be right.

However, a much bigger problem exists here, and this is that the belief that marriage is to be between men and women should not be presented as an opinion. It is not just her opinion or my opinion; it is the rock solid standard of the Almighty Creator. Scripture makes it clear from the very beginning. Yahweh created Adam and then made this man a helper comparable to himself - the helper was a woman, not another man. He commanded the two of them to be fruitful and multiply, something that can only be done in the man-woman marriage context. God even goes on in the Genesis acount to say that there comes a time when a man must leave his father and mother. Notice again that the man is leaving his father (man) and mother (woman), and then cleaving to his wife. This shows the family unit begins with the marriage of a man and a woman.

What Christians need to do is quit worrying about how people will feel about their standards (which are God's standards) and quit worrying about being politically correct. If Yahweh's word teaches it we need not be ashamed about believing it and proclaiming it. We can always proclaim it in love, but love includes rebuke (Lev. 19:17). We are called to command sinners to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt. 4:17). Repentance includes a turning away from sin and a turning to righteousness. If theives, murderers, drunkards, revilers, adulterers, fornicators, and yes homosexuals want to inherit the kingdom, they must stop practicing their sin. This is the law of Yahweh.

Erich Matthew Janzen

The Godly Home

2009-04-23T13:50:00.003-04:00

If you are interested in having a home that is righteous then you need to make it a priority to listen to these sermons by Denny Kenaston found here.

I don't know what else to say, but this: LISTEN TO THESE SERMONS, PLEASE.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Why Do We Think It?

2009-04-21T07:07:00.007-04:00

In Matthew 5:17 Yeshua the Messiah made this statement, "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets." In light of this very plain statement by our Master, why is that so many people think He came to destroy the law?

I've gotten into many discussions about the law of Yahweh as found in books such as Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, etc. and the first thing that usually comes out of people's mouths is, "Well, that's Old Testament" or "We are not under the law," or "That's been done away with." They then explain that Christ died and we aren't obligated to keep the law any more. If all this is true, then wouldn't it mean that Yeshua did come to destroy the law? Wouldn't this mean that a part of His mission was to come and take away the law and not require us to keep the law?

Well of course it would and that is why the teaching that we do not have to keep God's law is so dangerous. It makes Yeshua out to be a liar. He told people to not even think this, yet preachers not only think it they proclaim it to the people week in and week out. If ever a person comes to their pastor and asks them about this or that commandment, the common reply: don't worry about that, we aren't under the law. What a way to deal with a question. No explanation, no exegesis, and you can forget dealing with the passage expositorily. Just say we are not under the law and it seems everything else does not matter.

I say that we should respect our Lord and that means respecting His words. He told us not to think it. Do you love Him enough to obey this command? Don't even let it enter into your mind that part of His mission was to destroy the law; that wasn't why He was commisioned by the Father. He rather came to deal with sin which is the breaking of the law. He came to pay the penalty for sin which is death; not to do away with God's standard of righteousness.

Do you believe in Yeshua? Do you believe His words in Matthew 5:17?

Erich Matthew Janzen

Let us Celebrate the Festival

2009-04-11T07:17:00.002-04:00

The Messiah, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. Paul wrote these words many years ago when he wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians Christians. Paul was in the midst of admonishing this church in how to handle a situation of sexual immorality that had come in amongst them. In doing so he instructed them on how the feast of unleavened bread should be kept. Not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. This is a beautiful lesson in conduct, but what most people miss is that Paul did tell the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 5:8, "let us therefore celebrate the feast." As the Bishop's Bible of the 1500's puts it, "let us keep holyday."

The Greek word behind this phrase is the word heortazo and is only used here (this one time) in the Greek New Testament. It is however related to a root word in Greek, heorte, the common Greek word used for a feast or festival. For example it is used in Luke 2:41-42 in speaking of the feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread that Yeshua and his family celebrated in Jerusalem when he was a child of 12 years. Heorte is used many times in the New Testament - Mt. 26:5; 27:15; Mk. 14:2; 15:6; Lk. 2:41-42; 22:1; 23:17; Jn. 2:23; 4:45; 5:1; 6:4; 7:2, 8, 10, 11, 14, 37; 11:56; 12:12, 20; 13:1, 29; Acts 18:21; Col. 2:16.

What this shows is that the Christians under the New Covenant did not believe that the feast days had been abolished. They didn't think that Yeshua came to destroy the law, just as he admonished his followers NOT to think (Mt. 5:17). They recognized that Yeshua had come and had given a new or fresh dimension to the feast days, but this did not mean that the days themselves had been abrogated. The early church continued to celebrate the days and were even commanded to not let anyone judge them in regards to holydays, new moons, and sabbaths (Col. 2:16 - a passage often misunderstood because of not recognizing the context).

Much more could be said, but for this time I just want to tell other feast keepers, have a great feast of unleavened bread this year! May Yahweh's word be magnified!

Erich Matthew Janzen

Sermon by Paul Washer

2009-03-22T07:52:00.003-04:00

I want to highly recommend this sermon here, by an itinerant preacher named Paul Washer. Mr. Washer is a minister withing the Southern Baptist community of churches, and I don't know if I've ever heard a Southern Baptist preacher preach like this. It is wonderful to hear people proclaiming what salvation truly is and what truly follows salvation.

Erich Matthew Janzen

We Deny God by Our Works

2009-03-20T05:05:00.002-04:00

Much is made today of confessing with the mouth that "Jesus is Lord." Generally, when an evangelist or preacher invites people to be saved, what he is saying is that he desires for people to come up to the front where he is at and say a prayer and then they will be saved. If this person ever doubts their salvation, this same preacher will tell them to "remind the Devil" that they said the prayer. Trust in the prayer they teach. Sounds ridiculous to me as I write. It is ashame to see the gospel prostituted like this.

Here is a major problem with the above. A profession of faith will always come for the genuine believer, however just because a person makes a profession of faith does not mean they are a genuine believer. Someone can claim they have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness and they lie and have not the truth (1 John 1:6). Or as Titus 1:16 puts it:

"They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work."

We aren't talking here about atheists. We are talking about people who say that they are a Christian. They wouldn't ever deny God with their mouth, they would even think such would be preposterous. Farbeit from them to ever speak against the God of heaven. We are talking about people within the ranks of professing Christians. It is inside of these people that we have professors of God with their mouth, but a denial of God with their works. If you are denying God right now, you are doing it by the way you live. It's easy to speak the words "I believe in Yahweh God," but showing others you believe in Him by the way you live is a completely different story. It can only be done by the work of the Spirit of Yahweh.

Look at 1 Timothy 5:8. This is a chapter devoted to showing how widows should be materially provided for. On a larger scale it teaches us that a man is required to provide for his family. The text states:

"Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

How does this man deny the faith? Does he shake his fist at heaven and blaspheme the name of God? That's not what the text says at all. He denies the faith by something done (or in this case not done) and not by something said.

It is easy to say you know God, but if you truly know Him you will be keeping His commandments (1 John 2:2-4). If you really have been saved by grace through faith, works of righteousness will follows (Ephesians 2:8-9, and don't forget to read the next verse, verse 10.)

Erich Matthew Janzen

He Became Sin

2009-03-19T06:18:00.002-04:00

He Became Sin - by Matthew Janzen
Isaiah 53; 2 Corinthians 5:21

He was pierced through for my transgressions
He was crushed for my sin
The punishment for my peace fell upon Him
And by His bloody stripes I'm clean within

If I could have been there that day
I don't think I would ever be the same
But the reality is I was there, being nailed, to the tree
I recognize I was not even born
But knowing the full truth makes me feel torn
The King of kings He bled, He suffered and died
Just for me, He took my place

He became sin for me
When I should have been crucified upon that tree
And I took on His righteousness
And don't ever forget He gave it willingly
He said if there be a way, please Father
Let this dreadful cup now pass from me
But nonetheless not my will be done but Yours
He became sin

It seems at times it weighs upon my mind
I can't help thinking of it all the time
How one so holy, separate from all sin, could take the place
Of a man, a sinful one like me
I have nothing to bring Him but all my sin
No works of righteousness from within
But He says come to me and I will make you clean
Purify your heart, give you a new start

He became sin for me
When I should have been crucified upon that tree
And I took on His righteousness
And don't ever forget He gave it willingly
He said if there be a way, please Father
Let this dreadful cup now pass from me
But nonetheless not my will be done but Yours
He became sin

Oh, He was crushed by the Father
It even pleased Yahweh our God to bruise Him
And the reason for this wrath is because of the sin
Of you, and me

The Son became sin for me
When I should have been crucified upon that tree
And I took on His righteousness
And don't ever forget He gave it willingly
He said if there be a way, please Father
Let this dreadful cup now pass from me
But nonetheless not my will be done but Yours
The Son became sin

He was pierced through for my transgressions
He was crushed for my sin
The punishment for my peace fell upon Him
And by His bloody stripes I'm clean within

The Son Does Not Know

2009-03-14T07:06:00.002-04:00

Mark 13:32 states the following (NASB):

"But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

This seems pretty straight forward to me. Not even the Son of the Father knows the day and hour of the coming that is predicted in Mark 13.

One of the attributes of Deity is that God is omniscient - all knowing. There is absolutely zero that God does not know. There are too many passages in the Bible that make this clear. Isaiah 46:9-10 (KJV) will suffice for now:

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

I have shown Mark 13:32 to many Trinitarians as well as Oneness believers and generally they usually explain to me that the Son really does know the day and the hour, exactly the opposite of what the passage blatantly says. The response goes something like this:

"Well, Matthew, he was talking about his human nature not knowing,

but his divine nature really did know."

What this amounts to is someone saying, "I realize he said he did not know, but I believe that he really did know." Is this what Yeshua was trying to get across to his listeners when uttering these words? Was he trying to tell them that although he said he did not know he could at any point switch over to his divine nature and know all of a sudden? Do you honestly believe that is really what he meant?

Is is much easier to allow the passage to speak to us from its context. The Son of the Father doesn't know, right in line with the angels and me and you. This is what the Bible says, and there is nothing in the context of the passage that would lead us to believe otherwise. I'd much rather stay with what is actually said, rather than the exact opposite of what is said.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Are Dead People Really Alive?

2009-03-05T08:39:00.003-05:00

When a person dies it is generally thought by professing Christians that the person is really alive in some way or form. It seems that people have a belief in an "immortal soul" of sorts and that it is just the body that dies but the "soul goes marching on." For example, if "Joe Smith" dies and was a faithful member of the church, his Pastor may remark at Joe's funeral that Joe has went on to be with the Lord. The Pastor may also say something like, "Joe is looking down on us right now." Are these thoughts Biblical? Do people even care what the Bible has to say about the state of those who have died?

Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 - "All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."

Notice that at death the same thing happens to both the righteous and unrighteous, the clean and unclean, the good and the sinner. It is not that the good person goes to heaven and the bad person goes to "hell" (an often misunderstood and misinterpreted word). They all go to the same place; to the dead, that is the state of death. The text goes on to say that the living know that they will die. As I write this paragraph, I know that one day I will grow old and I will die; that is something that I am assured of, because I am alive right now and can think and reason with my intellect. The opposite of that is that the dead do not know anything. How can this be if they are in heaven praising and worshiping Yahweh? Certainly they would know something. Or what about if they are being tormented in "hell" with fire as nominal Christianity teaches. Don't you think they would know they were on fire? Of course they would, but the point is that they do not know because they are really dead. It's not just that they appear to us to be dead, but have really survived death in some form.

Psalm 88:10 - "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah."

Here the psalmist asks if Yahweh can show a wonder to a dead person. He also asks if the dead will praise Yahweh. Notice though that the psalmist understands that praise can only be given by the dead if they have risen, that is, if resurrection takes place. A dead person cannot praise Yahweh.

Psalm 6:4-5 - "Return, O Yahweh, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?"

Here David asks Yahweh to deliver him and save him because he knows that if he dies he his memory will be gone and he will not be able to give thanks to Yahweh. This is why the writer rhetorically asks, "in the grave who will give you thanks?"

Psalm 30:9 - "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?"

Here we see that when a person goes into the pit (corruption, decay, etc.) they do not have the ability to praise Yahweh or declare His truths. When the psalmist says "shall the dust praise thee" he is hearkening back to what Yahweh declared to Adam in Genesis 3:19, "for dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return." Man was made from the dust of the earth, and when man dies he goes back to the dust of the earth.

Isaiah 38:18 - "For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth."

There is no praising Yahweh for the dead who have went to the grave. They cannot celebrate Him or hope for His truth, because they are... dead. They are not conscious.

There are other passages in Scripture that teach this truth; the dead are really dead - they are not alive somewhere else in the universe. However, there is hope for those who have died in Christ. That hope is not experienced right now, but in the future at the resurrection of their bodies (1 Thess. 4; 1 Cor. 15).

Erich Matthew Janzen

A Verse That Touched My Heart

2009-02-22T06:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I was studying and preparing a sermon for this approaching Sabbath day and I found a verse that brought tears to my eyes. If you're like me, you get discouraged about life in general. We all have difficulties and problems in life, and often times the harder we push the more the trials come. We feel confused, down trodden, in despair, and as if there is no hope. Paul felt those same feelings, but he wrote the following in 2 Corinthians 4:8 (NASB):

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persectued, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

I feel hope from this verse; I'm gonna' make it.

Erich Matthew Janzen

The Sleep of Death

2009-02-21T04:44:00.002-05:00

I have recently been studying and pondering much on the topic of death, heaven, hell, resurrection, etc. as recorded in Scripture. I'm aware that there are numerous thoughts from various people and groups on the issue, but seeing that the Bible is where I begin, I am interested in what the Bible teaches on the subject. I'm literally flabbergasted at the lack of scriptural support most professing Christians and Christian denominations have for their view. The most common view of all (in the broad spectrum of Christendom) is that when a person dies they either go to heaven to live with God, or they go to "hell" and begin their process of burning for eternity. In spite of how common this view is, I cannot find it to be substantiated in Scripture. For now, I want to only speak about the term the Bible uses often to describe death - asleep.

Notice John 11:11-14

"These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Yeshua spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Yeshua unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."

The above passage makes it obvious that our Lord referred to death as sleeping. This is what Yeshua had in mind to begin with, but the His disciples thought he was talking about natural sleep rather than the sleep of death. Recognize that Yeshua did not exclaim that Lazarus had obtained immortality, was with God, was in heaven, etc. He was sleeping, i.e. in the sleep of death.

The same is said of the disciple Stephen in Acts 7:59-60:

"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Yeshua, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

Consider also 1 Corinthians 15 (vss. 17-23), a chapter in which resurrection is the context:

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

Those fallen asleep in Christ is another way of saying those that have died in a right relationship with Christ. Paul is explaining in the chapter that there is a promise of a resurrection, and we need not fret that we only have hope in this life. He goes on to speak of Christ being raised from the dead and being the firstfruits of them that sleep. Notice how "dead" and "sleep" are used interchangeably here. The answer to Christ's death was resurrection unto eternal life, thus the answer to death (for those in Christ) will be resurrection unto eternal life.

Paul also speaks somewhat of this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Yeshua will God bring with him."

Notice again that Paul is speaking of people who are asleep and he clarifies those he speaks of even more so by saying that they are asleep in Yeshua. Paul point here in these two short sentences is that we should not sorrow for we have a hope of resurrection. He hearkens back to the resurrection of Yeshua. Yeshua died, but was resurrected by the power of Yahweh. In the same way we will be resurrected from the sleep of death at the coming of Yeshua the Messiah.

Going back now to some passages in the Tanak (Old Testament) we read the following:

Psalm 13:3 - "Consider and hear me, O Yahweh my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death."

1 Kings 2:10 - "So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David."

Job 14:12 - "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

Daniel 12:2 - "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Each of these passage equate death with the analogy of sleeping. Let me quote one more passage at length to conclude - Acts 13:32-37.

"And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Yeshua again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption."

The point that Paul makes here in Acts 13 is that Yeshua is the man spoken about in the many Davidic prophecies of the Tanak, seeing that Yeshua was a descendant from the line or family of David. David fell asleep, died, and saw corruption, decay, i.e. his body did rot. The one whom Yahweh raised, Yeshua, did not see corruption, He did not rot.

There is much more to say concerning these topics, but I've given enough for you to start "chewing" on in this small post. Let us always allow Scripture to be our guide.

Erich Matthew Janzen

The Holman Christian Standard Bible

2009-02-16T06:36:00.002-05:00

You might want to pick up a copy of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) the next time you are out and about. I love the Bible, and I also love having numerous translations available to me for Bible study. It is quite interesting at times to see how various translations render certain texts of Scripture based upon there study, knowledge, etc. I am particularly fond of the HCSB for one reason that I will share in just a second. Let me first say that it is a good, easy-to-understand translation of Scripture. It speaks the language of today without compromising the message of Sacred Scripture. I have personally chosen it as my household's primary Bible translation for studying, memorization, etc. My children enjoy it and I enjoy hearing them read out of it.

What first caught my attention though about this translation is its use of the name Yahweh is many texts of the Old Covenant Scriptures. In the preface to my edition the translation explains that it uses the name Yahweh to portray God's name, and "the LORD" is a title and not a name. The HCSB uses Yahweh in many cases where the name of God is emphasized (like in Exodus 3:15 and Psalm 68:4).

What makes this so useful for me (and other believers in the sacredness of God's name) is that you can buy this Bible at your local Christian bookstore. When witnessing to others, if I have a Bible with me that can be bought down the street and the Christian bookstore (where everyone goes to buy a Bible), and that uses the name of Yahweh frequently, I really feel like I can get the attention of the person I'm witnessing to. This is a Bible put out by the Baptist organization for the most part, and thus I can explain to people that its not just me making this up or something. The translators of the HCSB saw the name Yahweh important enough to include it numerous times in the Old Covenant portion of our Scriptures.

So... if you want to strengthen your witness about the name of Yahweh, I would suggest you go get you and HCSB and begin to carry it with you. This way you will have it if the need arises.

Erich Matthew Janzen

A Wonderful Poem

2009-02-03T09:50:00.002-05:00

A couple of days ago my oldest daughter (10) brought me a poem that she had written. I am very proud to have such a daughter that loves Yahweh and expresses herself in this fashion. I thought it was fitting to share the poem with others.

A Lesson Learned

By: Morgen Janzen

A lesson learned each day at school
A lesson learned to follow rules
A lesson learned in everything
In winter, summer, fall, and spring

A lesson learned at church each week
To do your best and kindly speak
A lesson learned of Esther brave
Of all the people she did save

A lesson learned from each mistake
That all us people ever make
From them who died with spear or sword
To stand up for our Savior Lord

A lesson learned each day you see
To make us best as we can be

Thanks for reading!

Erich Matthew Janzen

Yahweh's Law & Yahweh's Grace

2009-01-31T06:09:00.004-05:00

Had a chance to read an excellent book on the subject of the applicability of the law to believers today. The book is titled The Law and Grace and is written by Todd Bennett (you can check out his website here). I really want to recommend the read because the work is very exhaustive yet it simplifies things for even someone with very little or no knowledge on the issue. I'm a firm believer in obedience to Scriptural Law and this book did nothing but encourage me in an already taken stance. I would hope that it do the same for those who feel as I, as well as for those who may not really believe that a Christian has to keep God's Law. Why not give the book a try?

Erich Matthew Janzen

Righteous People?

2009-01-12T05:24:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we get to the point where we believe that there really isn't anybody in the world that is righteous. Is this incorrect on people's part? A favorite Bible verse for many church goers today is one that proclaims, "There is none righteous, no not one." You will find this verse in Romans 3, but it is quoted from its predecessor, the book of Psalms (written much earlier in history). Psalm 14 has this to say concerning their being none that are righteous:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Yahweh looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." [Psalm 14:1-3]

There is a parallel verse in a later Psalm (53) as well which basically reiterates what is stated above. The obvious context of these verses is that the author is speaking about those who say in their heart that there is no God, no Creator. These men are corrupt and partake in abominable works. However, in the Romans passage where Paul cites the verse we see that there is a broader meaning to the text. Paul quotes the passage, but in context applies it to all those who have sinned against the law of Yahweh (Romans 3:9,19). Have you ever transgressed the law of Yahweh? I certainly know that I have, and I meet people everyday that have as well. If you have ever fell short from perfect obedience to Yahweh's law, then you fall under the category of those who have sinned (Romans 3:23), and in this sense there truly is no righteous person, that is, no perfectly righteous person. The point of Romans 3 is to show that there is a need for a Savior, something the Old Covenant saints readily recognized.

See, this wasn't something that Paul "concocted" during his lifetime. I remember speaking to a woman on the phone one time who was telling me that she believed Paul was a false apostle. I had heard this before, but had never experienced someone telling me in such blatant terms. One item of disagreement she had with Paul was that he said there was none that were righteous, yet she read of many people in the Bible who were righteous. I attempted to explain to her that I believe there were are righteous people in the earth, made righteous first and foremost by the grace and mercy of the Almighty, but Paul's point was that there are none perfectly righteous. I then tried my best to show here that just before Paul made his claim he wrote "as it is written," meaning that he was quoting from earlier texts of Scripture. It wasn't that people like David and Solomon believed people were righteous and then Paul came up with the idea that nobody was righteous. David understood the need for a Savior in Psalm 130:3-4 when he stated:

"If thou, Yahweh, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

Solomon also understood this fact when he wrote long ago:

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." [Ecclesiastes 7:20]

The point is that all of Yahweh's children have understood the need for salvation. They have recognized that they cannot save theirselves, that they need someone to pull them out of sins captivity, the slavery of transgression. We need to always keep this in mind and never think that we have come to the point where we are somehow justified by our works. We should rather trust in Yeshua, the Son of Yahweh, rely on him for our salvation, placing our faith in Yahweh's word.

Erich Matthew Janzen

You Reap What You Sow

2008-12-30T06:22:00.002-05:00

I was once at a family gathering (kind of a reunion) in my childhood that took place in Alabama. I remember hearing some members of my family sing as song with a line it that said, "An old brimstone preacher lived long ago. His message was clear it said you reap what you sow." I always liked that line, and of course it comes from a passage in the book of Galatians. The Bible does teach that you reap what you sow. Of course we know this is true in the natural. If you go outside and plant a field of corn you should not get upset when spring harvest comes and you've got corn to pick. To go outside and expect a field of watermelon or a field of snap peas would be utterly ridiculous. As crazy as this may sound, most parents today are surprised, upset, bewildered, and distraught when they see there children get involved with the wrong crowd or in sinful activities the older they get. But the message of the brimstone preacher was right. They are reaping what they've sown.

You cannot expect to never spend quality or quantity time with a child and then have him love and adore you the same way as if you did spend such time with him or her. I cannot expect my daughters to respect my understanding and wisdom one day when it comes time for them to get married if I do not nourish and take care of them now when they are young. My sons will not want to listen to me, much less obey me when I council them not to go to a certain place or area, or not to hang out with a certain person, if I've not been diligently teaching them the commandments of the Most High all throughout their elementary years. But the opposite is just as true. The more time I take care to talk to my children, play games with them, teach them the Scriptures, sing with them, and just spend good, plain ol' family time with them, my harvest will be plentiful.

To not raise your children up properly and then expect them to do what is right in their teenage years is like looking for snap peas after you've planted corn. Parents, you are accountable for your children. If you've brought a child (or children) into this world they are your responsibility. I don't just mean that you have the job of feeding and clothing them, I mean that you have the job of training them up in the way that they should go, in the way of the law of Yahweh. It is your job to teach them diligently out of the Scriptures, it is your job to make sure that they understand the commandments and what they mean and entail. It is up to you to take time to discipline them when they err at a young age. You must "water," "pull out the weeds," "till," etc. you children, just as a farmer takes great care to make sure what he planted will produce abundantly.

I'm looking for the best harvest myself. Yahweh has given me the tools to make sure the best harvest is what I get. The tools are the books of the Bible. I am using them; I hope you will too.

Erich Matthew Janzen

To Hanukkah or Not To Hanukkah?

2008-12-23T07:08:00.002-05:00

My family and I celebrate Hanukkah. By that I do NOT mean that we put up a "Hanukkah Bush" and place presents under it, or that we give our children a gift once a day for eight days, or that we even light a menorah in memory of oil lasting for eight days (which may not even be a true historical occurence). What I mean is that we remember (during this time of the year) the story of 1 Maccabees 1-4. It's a beautiful story; a historic account of how many people in Israel lost their lives for holding fast to Yahweh's law. It is also a record of how a "broken" temple, and temple of Yahweh that had been desecrated, was eventually taken back for the purposes of Yahweh and dedicated to the service of Yahweh. It's truly an amazing story; one of my favorites.

Many people do not know that you can find a brief mention of Hanukkah in John 10:22 under the name Feast of Dedication. The word dedication in the Hebrew language means Hanukkah (it is actually #2597 in Strong's Exhuastive Concordance). Therefore when I mention or anyone else mentions Hanukkah, don't let it throw you. Don't think that we are talking about some kind of mystical thing or celebration. It is simply a word that means dedication, and dedicate to Yahweh the Israelites in 1 Maccabees 4 did. We learn from John 10:22 that this was a feast celebrated in Jerusalem during the time of Yeshua by the Israelites; we also learn it was celebrated in winter.

Some people object to the celebration of Hanukkah because it is not commanded by Yahweh in the Torah (law). This objection stems from two problematic paradigms. One, my family and I, nor anyone else I know that celebrates the feast, believes it is commanded. We see it as a custom in Israel; something that is optional. Two, Yahweh does not condemn festivals that are instituted for reasons other than paganism or mixing evil with good, etc. For example, the Judahites in Esther's day instituted Purim (Esther 9:17-26); it was a custom in Israel for the people to mourn the death of Jephthah's dauther four days a year (Judges 11:39-40); the Israelites in 2 Chronicles 30 added an additional 7 days to the Feast of Unleavened Bread making the feast last 14 days instead of the commanded 7. Were these institutions sinful? Were they a violation of the commandments of Yahweh? Absolutely not. Are they commanded? Absolutely not. One can choose to celebrate these type things or not; they are a matter of liberty similar to the drinking of wine or eating of meat (Romans 14).

When I read the account of the Hanukkah institution in 1 Maccabees, it just makes me want to remember the feast as something special. I can't help but get emotional when I read the text. I hope you will take the time to go and read it for yourself.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Family Worship

2008-12-06T05:59:00.002-05:00

When is the last time you sat down with your family and worshiped the Creator? I'm not talking about in a church building or at a church function. Those should be done, but to limit our times of study, praise, learning, etc. to once or twice a week is not beneficial to our families. The Bible teaches us that men's hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (go look it up) and that we need to be encouraging one another daily so that we are not hardened by sins deceitfulness. Our children need to be hearing the good news of the gospel along with a host of other Biblical studies each and every day of their lives. They need to be hearing it from their Father and Mother, not just their church Pastor or Elder.

My family has been going through Proverbs for a while now and I've noticed particularly that a common saying in the book is that a wise child makes his Parents glad, but a foolish child brings discomfort on Parents. But why are so many children foolish? Is it because they have to be that way? Is it because there is nothing a Parent can do to drive away such foolishness? Are Parents just to throw up their hands and wait until their children "grow out" of such a stage? None of the above, I say. Foolishness is driven away by applying the Bible to your childs life and by disciplining your child with the rod of correction; it (the rod) will drive foolishness far away from your child, but it must be administered in love, not in hate.

Getting back to Biblical training, I believe that us Father's should be taking time out everyday to study with our children. Sing songs of praise with them to Yahweh, teach them Bible verses encouraging them to commit them to memory. Take time to go through the life of a Biblical person, or an entire book in the Bible. Talk to them seriously, give them practical applications that they can follow through with even now in their childhood. Teach them to pray to the heavenly Father. All of this is assuredly a wonderful and proper use of our time here in this life. People waste their time with so many other things, when they could be glorifying their Maker with family worship.

I want to suggest for you to have family worship in the morning before everybody goes about their day. It's so great to begin each day with Yahweh. Don't waste your life; don't wait until tommorrow, start today. You'll be glad you did.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Theism vs. Atheism

2008-11-30T06:09:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I had the priviledge of reading a discussion between Christopher Hitchens (atheist) and Douglas Wilson (Christian theist) titled "Is Christianity Good for the World." What a read! There are so many points I could attempt to convey to you about the book, but there is one thread through Wilson's writings that stands out to me and that is how on earth does the atheist account for morality? Wilson constantly demands that Hitchens thinking inside his own atheistic "bubble." It seems that atheists want to make statements like "Why does evil exist?" or "Look how many hypocrites there are in the Christian faith!" Wilson combats these seemingly powerful statements by asking the atheist how he defines evil? What does he mean by hypocrisy? How (given his belief that there is no God) can he determine what is evil and/or hypocritical? How can he say that a fellow atheist who makes the decision to murder or rape a person is acting wrongly? What standard does he have to tell him such is evil?

I'm reminded of the time I did some work for a woman who told me she was an atheist. After a little while I approached here and asked if she would have had a problem with me greeting her with a slap instead of a handshake? She replied, "Do what?!?!" I repeated by asking again if she would have thought me to be wrong by greeting her with a "hello" and a slap across the face. She said she would think I was crazy, and thus I continued by asking "Why?" Why is it that she would think I was crazy? Was it because she felt it to be un-courteous? But why? If I'm just the product of a "big bang" and so is she, and I wish to convey my greeting with a slap instead of a handshake, how can she condemn me? She may rather have a handshake, but that's nothing more than her preference, in her worldview. Of course, I know why she thinks the slap is not appropriate, there is something deep inside her that acknowledges the existence of Yahweh, God of heaven and earth.

Erich Matthew Janzen

I Have to Believe Like You!!!

2008-11-26T09:41:00.003-05:00

Sometimes in conversation or in witnessing to others people are astounded that I actually believe they must believe exactly like me or they will not be saved. You may have just read that and may be astounded yourself. The reason I feel this way is because I believe what the Bible teaches, and if you really, I mean really, believe what the Bible teaches then you will have to agree with me on this issue.

Take for example John 14:6. Yeshua the Christ here proclaims that He is the way, truth, and life, and that no one can come to the Father but by Him. Now, this sounds pretty exclusive to me, and I believe it with all my heart. I believe that the Son is the way to the Father, He is the means by which anyone in Adam can be at peace with the Father. Because I believe the Bible, I believe John 14:6. Because I believe John 14:6 I am forced to believe that anyone who doesn't believe in Yeshua for who He is as portrayed in Scripture will be forever lost; they will not have salvation for their soul. If you really believe the Bible then you will have to agree. If you do not agree, then you must have another worldview besides a Biblical one. In other words, if you do not agree then you really do not believe the Bible, you only give the phrase lip service.

People want to "tip-toe" around others and be politically correct rather than being up front about their belief system. Don't get me wrong, I do my best to be friendly to everyone, and I know that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be gentle in our approach with others, all I'm saying is that if someone asks me a question about what I believe, I'm not going to lie to them or tell them the half-truth. I must be up front with them, and if needs be on certain issues, tell them that unless they believe as I do, they cannot be saved. I realize this may sound strange to some, but the reason for the sound is because people have not been taught out of the Bible in churches, or at least they've not been taught the totality of Scripture. Pastors deceive people by the droves because they quote Scripture; that's right, the Pastor quotes Scripture, straight from the Bible and the people think, "Well, how could he be wrong, after all, he is quoting Scripture." The problem lies, not with the quoting of Scripture, but with the quoting of only portions of Scripture; the portions that can be manipulated by the Preacher to his own advantage. Multitudes of verses, doctrines, and subjects go untold in churches today. People are then deceived into thinking that doctrine doesn't matter because the preacher preached last Sunday that love is the greatest thing of all. He quoted directly out of 1 Corinthians 13 - how could he be wrong.

The passage isn't wrong, but we cannot quote it with a full neglect of all of the other passage in Scripture promoting sound doctrine and teaching. We must be forthright in proclaiming what the truth is, not being ashamed at all of our exclusivism. Yeshua was an exclusivist, I want to be like Him.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Wine Maketh Merry

2008-11-16T06:52:00.002-05:00

We need to be able to read the Bible with are eyes wide open. I have found that people generally (not always) read Scripture from the perspective of their upbringing. Baptists read the Bible as though it was written by Baptists, Presbyterians as Presbyterians, Sacred Name groups as Sacred Name groups. It is difficult for most to read Scripture apart from what they were or are being taught Scripture states. What we've have to learn to do is to read Scripture in the original context in which it was written. We must also understand the author of the text, the people to whom the text was written to, and the culture at the time. When we are not commmitted to reading Scripture in this way we will often come away from our Bible reading thinking that this verse or that verse really shouldn't be in our Bibles. It's not our "denominational" way, so to speak.

One verse that may seem out of place to some is Ecclesiastes 10:19. The Scripture reads (KJV), "A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things." Alot of people will be able to "stomach" the portion of this text that talks about a feast. I've attended many a feast in my life, a get together of sorts with family and/or friends where there is much, much food to the liking. When a feast like this is held there will inevitably be laughter, and why not? It is enjoyable to laugh with others in a clean, fun way. It is enjoyable to here someone say or speak of something that is humorous to the ear. The Bible agrees and not many will argue - a feast is made for laughter.

The next sentence in the passage says that wine maketh merry. This is more difficult to swallow for the average Bible reader, but is it not just as true as the sentence previous to it? If we have no problem accepting the first part of the verse what makes us what to rip out and throw away the second part? And after all, doesn't wine make merry the heart? According to the Psalmist it does.

"He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." [Psalm 104:14-15]

Once again, notice the surrounding context here. People will have no problem whatsoever about grass for cattle, and herbs for the service of man. Not one will argue about oil making a man's face shine and bread strengthening a mans heart. However, when we come to the phrase that says wine which makes the heart of man glad we seem to balk. "Oh that can't really mean what it says, can it?" we wonder. Yet the text speaks clearly, agreeing with the author of Ecclesiastes, and with numerous other texts in Scripture. Wine truly makes merry the heart. This is not a statement of sarcasm or rebuke; the author is not here trying to speak in such a way as to warn the reader not to make his heart merry. He is just giving a simple statement of truth, right along with a feast, and right along with grass, herbs, oil, and bread.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Singing Love Songs to Yahweh: Yea or Nay?

2008-10-25T07:14:00.005-04:00

I am a fan of good music. I enjoy hearing words in a song that are from Scripture, but I also enjoy listening to the instruments playing skillfully and with a loud noise (Psalm 33:3). I recently attended a concert with both Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith (pictured above). What an evening it was! My wife and I (and our new edition, David) really enjoyed ourselves. I realize that these two fellows are not "eye-to-eye" with me on all doctrinal issues, but nevertheless they are were they are at in their walk with Yahweh. I once had a heart that beat for Yahweh, but didn't know anything I know now. I had to grow in grace and in knowledge. It seems that us Yahwists don't always remember that we haven't always been where we are now, and that we need to give others the time it takes to grow. For that matter, I'm still growing, learning, conforming to Yah's word. It's a wonderful experience all the way through. But that's not what this piece is about. I'm interested in looking at the question: should we sing love songs to Yahweh and Yeshua?

Not too long ago I read an article about how certain contemporary Christian artists were singing songs about "longing for God's embrace" or having God "hold them in His arms." This article made the point that we shouldn't turn Christian music into "love songs" to God, but remember that God is holy and just by singing songs like "A Mighty Fortress is our God," or "Holy, Holy, Holy." What should our position be on this? Does the Bible give us an answer?

Well, I believe that we should sing songs that exalt Yahweh for who He is, holy, just, immortal, King, Lord, Sovereign, etc. I'm all for recognizing the holiness of God in our songs of praise and worship. Does this mean we shouldn't sing such lyrics to God like longing for His embrace? I have to answer in the negative. I believe even these songs are Scriptural. Let me prove this to you.

All one has to do is look at the times in Scripture that speak of loving God. There are also times where it speaks of God loving us as a gentle father. For example Psalm 91:4 speaks of Yahweh covering us with His "feathers" and of us finding trust "under His wings." Psalm 17:8 has David asking Yahweh to keep him as the apple of his eye. The verses echoing these are too numerous to include all in this segment. Maybe I will devote a segment to the love verses of the Bible. My point is that we can sing about Yahweh loving us, embracing us, protecting us, etc. Just read Ezekiel 16 where Yahweh is portrayed as the husband of Israel. There is nothing wrong with singing about Yahweh in these terms.

I do agree though that we should not only sing about Yahweh's love, and that's probably where modern Christian music has missed it. We should be balanced; love is only one of God's attributes, He also hates you know (Psalm 5:5). We should sing of Yah's justice and mercy, love and hate, grace and wrath, tenderness and holiness. Our songs should be balanced. I love writing songs about Yahweh's law. When I read through the Psalms it seems that King David did too.

Erich Matthew Janzen

What About Voting?

2008-10-24T08:12:00.002-04:00

What do I think about voting? Well, I've been thinking about it alot lately. I must say that it stirs up a great amount of mixed emotions in me. On the one hand, I've never voted (even locally). People that hear this immediately think my actions stem from not wanting to get involved in politics, but that's really not the reason. I've always taken the position that if there was a Christian man who believed in God's law running for an office in government, I would vote. The problem is that I've not found one yet. Maybe they've ran and I didn't know about it, but most men that I'm familiar with that are running this year and that have ran in years past are wicked, wicked men. Yes, against the backdrop of such a sinner like Barack Obama certain men can "look" holy. But should Obama be the backdrop? Really; shouldn't the backdrop be the Bible? I think so, and all true Bible believers should agree that the Bible (not a man) is the moral standard for us today.

Let me just take a few more lines to speak about how wicked a person Barack Obama is. I would say that he may be the most wicked person to ever run for the office of President. It baffles me (to say the least) that a person who calls themself a Christian can, with clear conscience, vote for a person who is pro-infanticide (abortion). This man supports abortion in all shapes and sizes; first, second, third trimester, partial birth abortion, etc. He even seeks to promote a bill which states that if an abortion is "botched" (if the baby is birthed and still alive after an abortion is performed) the doctor(s) are not required to give this child medical attention. Anyone who thinks that this is okay is nothing short of a son of Belial in my mind, and in Yahweh's mind. There are many other issues I could go into concerning Obama's wickedness, but this one issue, the issue of life, is enough to steer me as far away as I can get from this candidate. You should be ashamed if you are voting for him. I pray that Yahweh would punish those who put such a person in office.

What about John McCain? Is he a righteous man? No way!!! It's equally amazing that people think that McCain is some kind of "maverick." The only reason people feel this way about this man is because of the person he is versing - Obama. Of course, to a Christian, McCain is less evil than Barack Obama on issues like abortion, but how does he stand up to God's standard for a king (Deuteronomy 17)? He falls way short. He doesn't believe God's law is or even should be the standard. He hasn't written out a copy of the law, and he doesn't read in it everyday. "How do you know Mr. Janzen?" The Bible tells me that I know them by their fruits. I've listened to McCain speak and I've read his position on issues like abortion, same marriage, immigration, etc. Had he been reading in Yah's law he would take Yah's position. Furthermore, look at who's running for Vice President. Sarah Palin seems like a nice woman, and I feel bad for how ruthlessly the media has treated her, but she shouldn't be running for the office of the Vice President as a woman. Of course most people would not like this statement, but the office of leadership is not for women Biblically. Isaiah 3:12 states it well that when Israel has turned her back on Yahweh, children oppress them and women rule over them.

So what should you do? As I see it you have two, maybe three, choices. You can either:

1) Not vote at all.

2) Vote for the man you think best meets the standard of Scripture. This may be a third party candidate such as libertarian or the constitution party. This may even be a write in.

3) Vote for the lesser of the two evil men that are getting the coverage allowing them to have the possibility of being elected.

I know people who take each of the positions I've mentioned. I'm not advocating which position is right. I can see voting for a third party or writing someone in you truly believe will follow God, however, does this third party candidate even have a chance? I don't think so. You could look at the issue as though we've been dealt a hand and we need to play that hand the best that we can. Had our forefathers in this nation never played the hand at all, would we even have as many freedoms as we have now?

Erich Matthew Janzen

A Correction in Sabbath Calendar

2008-10-22T19:40:00.002-04:00

I always do my best to calculate Sabbaths ahead of time for the upcoming year. This past calendar I made was very close for this upcoming New Moon. The Sabbath fell out on Tuesday this past week, on the Hebrew calendar it was the 22nd day of the 7th month. This coming up Sabbath (October 28th on the Gregorian calendar) is the 29th day of the 7th month. I then thought that the New Moon would be two days in length putting us into Sabbaths on the Gregorian Thursday, but I knew it would be close, and I believe I was off by a day here locally where I live.

The conjunction of the moon occurs at 7:14 p.m. EST (locally, for me) and it will not be evening by this time. Therefore, seeing that the conjunction takes place before the Sabbath ends, this coming New Moon will be a one day New Moon rather than a two day New Moon.

For those who may not have a clue as to what I've just written feel free to contact me here. I praise Yahweh for His grace and I'm thankful that He's given us the heart to make corrections when we see that we are in error.

Your friend,
Matthew Janzen

Removing the Logs

2008-10-22T06:51:00.002-04:00

It is extremely easy for me to point the errors out of another. I don't think that I speak for myself here, even though some people probably will not be willing to admit it. We have a tendency (being in Adam) to look every man on another sins while at the same time overlook major issues (sins) in our personal life. It's the same way with me when I go inside another persons home. It's like my eyes always focus on the flaws of the home, whether small or large. I'm able to see every crack in the wall, the places where the trim or base board may not align perfectly, or perhaps the bathroom is not quite clean enough to my liking. While these things may actually be a reality in anothers home I am not able to see them as easily or see them at all in my own home. I become accustom to the flaws in my own home because I'm around them every day and they become normal to me.

The more used to or accumstom we get to something the more likely we are to forget about things. Statistics show that a high percentage of car wrecks occur within the first five miles of your home. Why is this? It is because you feel comfortable driving that same route you drive every morning. You think you are superman behind the wheel and could drive the route blindfolded if you have to. This makes us less alert to other traffic, stop signs, putting on our turn signals, etc. All of it stems from being used to something or accustom to something.

Yeshua spoke of judging and measuring others in Matthew 7:1-4. He told us to judge not lest we be judged, and with what measure we measure another that same measure will be held against us. He also went on to say that we are able to see specks in our neighbors eyes but cannot seem to see the log that is in our own eye. Everytime I read this passage I picture one man with a 2x4x8 in his eye walking up to another man with a piece of sawdust in his eye. The funny thing about it is that the man with the log in his eye in reality cannot even get his hands upon the other guy because this 2x4x8 will not allow him to do so! We do this all the time spiritually, and we with the log often times do not even realize that we've got the log there. We are accustom to it; we can't even see it. On the other hand, the speck or piece of sawdust in someone else is like a laser beam, easily spotted by our eyes. Why? Because it is in someone elses life.

King David had something like this happen to him in 2 Samuel 12 when Nathan the prophet came to approach him of his sin against Yahweh. Nathan spoke to David of a rich man with multiple cattle taking this one little ewe lamb away from a poor man to feed a traveler passing through. The poor man only had the one ewe lamb, but the rich man just couldn't bear to see even one of his who knows how many hundreds (possibly thousands) of cattle killed. Nathan asked David what should be done, and David - not realizing that he fit the criteria of the rich man - said the man was a man of death and that he should pay back four lambs for the lamb he took from the poor man. The next thing out of Nathan's mouth was, "David... YOU ARE THE MAN!" I like to think that Nathan screamed this at David. The point was that David didn't even realize that he "fit the bill" in Nathans allegory. He was overlooking his own sin. Thanks be to Yahweh, David confessed his sin in this situation. Will we confess our sins? Let's get those logs out of our own eyes.

My New Son & Feast of Tabs

2008-10-21T07:14:00.005-04:00

Take a look at this! My wife had our third son (fifth child) on October 6 at 3:05 p.m. and we are still very excited and very thankful for another blessing from the Father. His name is David Alexander Janzen (weight 7lbs 10 oz; length 19 1/2"). He is currently doing great and is probably still asleep right now with his mother down stairs. We do covet the prayers of the saints for all of our children. Please pray for my wife as well; she does more than her share here at the "Janzen Ranch" including homeschooling all the children. Little David has been "enrolled" now for just over 2 weeks :)

I also wanted to put up a few pictures from our Feast of Tabernacles that has come to a close. Here is the banner we had on our fence, close enough to the road for all to see:

Next is a picture of our sukkah (Hebrew word for "booth" or "temporary dwelling"). My other two sons from left to right are Benjamin and Elijah. (The puppy on the bottom left is Wendy, our basset hound.)

I've got to add one more. This one is not from the feast, but is a picture of me and all my children about 2 hours after my wife's delivery of David. I love my children. As the Psalmist said, they are like arrows in the hands of a mighty man - happy is the man that has his quiver full of arrows (Psalm 127:3-5). From left to right: Elijah, Morgen, Daddy (holding David), Rosa'Lyn, and Benjamin. I'm such a blessed man!

Yahweh bless all those who seek Him with their whole heart.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Audio Back Up on Website

2008-10-16T07:57:00.002-04:00

The audio for around 80 messages, talks, debates, etc. is back up on my site here. Sorry for the color of the player currently; I've got to figure out how to fix that "electric" orange soon (it's hurting my eyes :)

At any rate, I've not been blogging much; my wife just had a baby on October 6, and we've been keeping the Feast of Tabernacles this week. I will do my best to have some pics of the baby as well as the Feast soon.

Your friend,
Matthew

Book Concerning Identity of Yeshua

2008-10-15T07:25:00.006-04:00

For those who may not know, I would like to recommend a book I carry (written by myself and co-author John Cordaro) for your studies regarding just who Yeshua really is. As with anything I write, I've had people tell me how much this book has helped them and how well it is written, but I've also had people tell me it is the worst piece of material they have ever seen. This simply comes with the territory I guess, but nevertheless, I do want everyone to know that I feel there is a wealth of information in this book concerning Yeshua's person; who He is and who He is not.

If you are a believer in the Deity of Yeshua or in the Trinity, etc. I would like for you to read this book. I would also be more than glad to speak with anyone concerning the material in the book. I have fallen in love with the Son of Yahweh in the past 4 years, and in doing so have fallen in love with Yahweh, understanding who my Creator is. I want for others to experience the Father and the Son in this way, not because it is "my" way, but because it is the Biblical way. Yahweh is God the Father, and He does have a begotten Son. So simple, yet so true.

For anyone desiring a copy please contact me at the following address or email me and I'll send you a copy free of charge.

Matthew Janzen
4101 Haralson Mill Rd.
Conyers, GA 30012
emjanzen@ministersnewcovenant.org

Erich Matthew Janzen

Problems with Mp3 Sermons

2008-10-11T08:15:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to say that my server for the mp3 sermons on my website is currently changing so access to sermons has not been available for a few days now and will remain that way until probably October 15. I apologize for the inconvenience, but come around Wednesday, it should be back up fully.

Erich Matthew Janzen

David Alexander Janzen

2008-10-07T13:56:00.003-04:00

My wife and I are the proud parents of our newly born baby boy: David Alexander Janzen (born at 3:05 p.m. on Monday, October 6). I cannot even express with words just how much of a miracle it is to watch a baby be born. This is something that touches my heart each and every time I see it happen. This was the 5th time for me and the wife. We hope to have some pictures up soon. Thank you to all who have prayed for us during this time.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Starving and Feeding

2008-10-03T06:10:00.002-04:00

Sometimes people come to me asking about how to handle certain hang-ups and problems in their life. One of the best scenario's I've come to realize is that we must be willing to starve these hang-ups as well as feed the spiritual man.

Sometimes people will attend church for weeks, months, and possibly years. Yet during this entire time these same people aren't doing anything spiritual outside of the 2 or so hours they sit in church during Sabbath worship. This person is starving themself spiritually and let not this man think that he will be able to battle in the spiritual warfare that this world offers. Just as a person who starves himself literally will eventually pass away, so will the person who starves himself spiritually. I see people who slowly (but surely) fade away into the oblivion when it comes to being a servant to the Most High. I encourage you, if you are one of these people, to begin an active plan of reading, studying, praying, fasting, witnessing, etc. Keeping yourself active in these areas is like feeding yourself nutritious spiritual meals. You will begin to grow; be patient though. You've been dead for some time, you will have to slowly bring yourself back to coherence.

While people starve themself spiritually they are usually feeding their flesh. They eat the things that drown themselves in sin. I heard a story once of a man who found a small box on the side of the road and it just so happened that the box was full of pornographic material. Prior to this finding the man not so much as had an unction to look at such filth, but upon looking the first time he began to feed a fleshly desire. Eventually the pornography wasn't enough; he began to attend strip bars and clubs, and then began committing fornication with numerous women. This is one example of how people fade away slowly, and guess what, it is because they are feeding something they ought not be feeding. As long as they feed themselves in this way, they will grow in this way. They more they age in this fashion the more difficult it will be to kill this person.

One thing a person can do who is in this situation is to find someone they can love and trust, and begin the hold themself accountable to this brother or sister. Don't try to make it on your own, you need the help of a fellow Christian. You need someone to talk to about your problems, and sometimes a shoulder to lean upon, and even cry upon. You need a person to tell you what you need to do. You don't need a person who is going to "buddy up" with you and justify your sin right along with you. You need someone who will help "choke out" the sin that has so easily beset you over a period of time.

Starve yourself of ungodliness; feed yourself with righteousness. Plan to begin today.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Website Updates

2008-10-01T07:05:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to say that I've recently updated my website to include a new mp3 audio section, a music section where I offer two music CD's, as well as an order form to make things easier. Visit the home page of the site and check things out: www.ministersnewcovenant.org

Erich Matthew Janzen

Another Sneak Peek at New Book

2008-09-30T08:15:00.001-04:00

From Chapter 1 of Husbands Love Your Wives

There are times when I do not feel like loving my wife. I might be having a bad day, maybe somebody fussed me out on the job. Whatever the case may be, loving my wife is not continuously easy. Sometimes it is, but other times it is not. Am I only called to love her when it is easy? No way! I’m called to love her just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it. This means that even when she may say something sharp towards me, I’m called to love her. Even when she may slam a door in my face, I’m called to love her. Maybe she says harsh words that cut deep to the heart. Through all of this, I’m called to love her.

I’m blessed to have a beautiful, lovely wife. She is very submissive to me as her husband, but I would be fooling you (and myself) to say that we always get along. Everyone’s marriage is going to experience problems. When these problems arise you better believe I don’t want to love my wife. However, I’ve recently started either thinking in my mind or whispering to myself these words – Love her as Christ loves the Church. Sometimes I’ve had to grit my teeth to say them the first time, but it does help the more that I say them. Either I’m going to obey Scripture or not. Either I believe Ephesians 5:25 or not. Romans 5:8 states that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:6 states that Christ died for the ungodly. Do you think your wife is a sinner? How about ungodly? Guess what? You are called to love her as Christ loved the Church.

New Books Available in October

2008-09-26T06:46:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that my newest work, Husbands Love Your Wives, will be available the first week in October. Anyone desiring a copy may email me at:

emjanzen@ministersnewcovenant.org

This book is dedicated to holding marriages together, and is specifically aimed at the husbands duty towards his wife. The chapter synopsis is as follows:

Introduction: Husbands, Love Your Wives - Considers marriage as a life-long commitment to your spouse and gives an overview of the entire book.

One: Paul's Letter to Ephesus - Concentrates on Paul's words in Ephesians 5 directed to husbands.

Two: Genuine Family Planning - A husbands role extends from being the husband he should be to being the Father he should be. Also contains words for single men/future husbands.

Three: A Husband's Physical Duties - Provides information on how a man should supply materially for his wife.

Four: A Husband's Spiritual Duties - Men ought to be the spiritual leaders in their home, and this means that the husband must lead his wife and children by example.

Five: The Whole Counsel of God - Not only do men have a role in marriage, the women play a vital role as well.

Six: Touching it With a Ten Foot Pole - Does the Bible allow for divorce ever?

I want to also mention that a new edition of an earlier work of mine titled The Sign of Jonah, will also be available in early October. This book highlights the reasons why Yeshua did not remain in the grave for 72 hours. Please email me at the above address if you would like to receive a copy of this book.

For more information, materials, literature, books, audio, etc. visit:

http://www.ministersnewcovenant.org/

Erich Matthew Janzen

A Short But Exciting Conversation

2008-09-22T05:28:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday I had a conversation with a person I have not talked to in quite some time. As she was talking she explained to me that she had been reading a book regarding a woman's role towards her husband. What a breath of fresh air! In a world where it seems wives and husbands want to be everything other than a godly wife or godly husband, I hear a Christian woman explaining that she is learning how to serve her husband. I was doing jumping-jacks inside!

This woman told me that as she began to apply the Biblical principles of being the helper she was created to be towards her husband, the husband began to notice the drastic change. He even remarked to her, "What has got into you honey?" This question stemmed from recognizing an obvious change in the life, demeanor, and actions of his wife. This woman also shared with me that she firmly believed that if she obeyed Scripture in regards to her role as a wife that her husband would be changed by the manner she lived. I know this is true even for wives with unbelieving husbands. Go read 1 Peter 3:1-3. It's powerful.

BTW, the same holds true for the husband. Yahweh, give us husbands who love their wives. Yahweh give us husbands who serve their wives. Yahweh give us husbands who desire to please You with all their heart, showing their children what it means to be a man of Almighty Yahweh. Likewise, Yahweh... gives us true wives, true women of Yahweh.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Is it Pleasing to Yahweh?

2008-09-17T03:21:00.003-04:00

I've talked to so many people about subjects like the Sabbath and the Festivals over the past 10 years and I've enjoyed many of these discussions. Some of them haven't born much fruit, but I can say that for the most part, fruit has been produced. Do I think subjects like this need to be discussed? You better believe I do. The Sabbath and Feast Days are important doctrines of Biblical faith. We are called as Yahweh's people to observe them with are all. There are passages in the Bible that reprimand Yahweh's people (Israel) for their disobedience to the fourth commandment. As a matter of fact, the land of Israel had to be allowed to keep "her" Sabbaths while the people of Israel were in bondage because of their neglecting to keep these land sabbaths.

Is it pleasing to Yahweh though to keep Sabbaths and Feasts while neglecting weightier matters in the law? I've met some people who only want to talk about Sabbaths and at the same time are not loving their wife and teaching their children the commandments of Yahweh. Personally, I do not want to listen to a man teach me about the Sabbaths of Yahweh if his house is not in order. I don't want to hear someone go on and on about how we need to keep the Sabbath and at the same time treats his wife like garbage and allows his children to be caught within the web of the world. This does not mean the Sabbath is not important, all it means is that our Sabbaths can become abominations to Yahweh because of the other things we are involved in.

Yahweh, at times, hated the Sabbaths of His people Israel (Isaiah 1). I'm not talking about Yahweh hating their false Sabbaths (that's a given); I'm speaking of Yahweh hating a persons Sabbaths when they blatantly disobey His law and expect everything to be okay if they show up for the holy convocation on Sabbath. A man can leave Sabbath worship and spend all week not being a good husband and father and His Sabbaths will be an abomination to Yahweh. A man can also spend all week backbiting, gossiping, getting drunk, hanging out with the people of the world, and His Sabbaths will be an abomination.

If we really want to honor the Sabbath, lets do it with the life we live. Let's not live for the devil all week long and think we can give Yahweh the Sabbath at the same time. You can't eat from the devils table and the table of Yahweh; it just doesn't work that way. Oh, you can choose to live your life in this fashion, but you will receive weeping, gnashing of the teeth, judgment, and destruction.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Communication in Marriage

2008-09-15T06:02:00.002-04:00

I believe that one of the problems in marriages today is the lack of communication. A husband and wife should be the best of friends, they should be able to talk to each other, not in just saying I love you or "How did your day go?" but in all aspects of life. Talking to your spouse draws you closer to your spouse. Discussing situations that arise in life with the person you married is one of the best ways to let them know that you genuinely care about their feelings and thoughts.

What happens is that a husband may never even speak to his wife unless he is making a request for dinner. Likewise unless the wife needs some money she may never talk to her husband. What a way to communicate! I know that my wife doesn't only want to hear me ask her what she's cooking, she wants me to talk to her as my friend, and I want the same from her. I want to be able to discuss all things with her and in doing so draw us closer together in marriage. When a wife says to her husband, "I'd like to talk to you about something," us husbands need to respond in a more than willing way. We must make sure we give our wife the time she needs. We must make sure that we give her a listening ear and a "shoulder" to lean on if need be.

If a husband or wife is not willing to communicate where will comminication come from? Men will seek elsewhere and so will women. This means that problems will arise, disagreements will surface, and emotions will run high, but not in a good and holy manner. Take time out to talk to your spouse today. Let them know that you are there for them and that you really do care. If you've not been the husband or wife you are supposed to be then quit rebelling against the commands of Yahweh. Stop your wickedness, repent of your stubborness, and begin to do what is perfect in the sight of the Father.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Does Yahweh Hate? - Pt. 3

2008-09-12T07:09:00.002-04:00

Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Yahweh, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. [Psalm 139:19-22]

This passage is not one that speaks explicitly of Yahweh's hatred towards people, but it does so implicitly. To begin, notice how the Psalmist writes that God will slay the wicked, and then he refers to such wicked people as "bloody men." Surely we see the hatred of God towards these men here. Yahweh does not kill people that He has salvational love for.

Next we see the Psalmist even commenting on his hatred toward the enemies of God. Those that hate Yahweh, those that are Yahweh's enemies, we are under obligation to hate. Those that shake their fist at the Creator or those who defy His holy law because they would rather follow their whims and desires of carnality, we are supposed to count them as our enemies; enemies we are to hate. The passage is summed up by stating that the Psalmist hates them with a perfect hatred. The two words "perfect hatred" do seem strange together in our ears, but they are nevertheless Biblical as seen here. The enemies of Yahweh, those that do wickedly, those that set their hearts on evil are to be hated by the saints of Yahweh. They are to be hated perfectly.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Sometimes Things Get Tough

2008-09-09T06:04:00.002-04:00

There are so many things people go through in this life that are disturbing. What's even more disturbing is trying to figure out all the "why's" and "how's" of everything. I do not understand why we have to go through times that are difficult. That is, I do not completely understand. I do know what the Scriptures reveal and that is that difficult times can be for testing, and Yahweh can allow us to go through valley's so that we will better understand our desperate need for Him. I also know that Yahweh can punish people with a host of plagues for their wrong doing.

We often burden ourselves in an attempt to know particulars. People lose sleep over this or that, and can never find the relief they need because their mind is constantly racing at lightning speed, bogged down with questions that are humanly unanswerable. It is in these times that we need to practice the Biblical command to lay our burdens upon Yeshua the Messiah, and let Him carry the load for us. We should pray to Yahweh through Him, with a belief that although we do not have the answers, and never will for some things, He does have all the answers. Yeshua knows all of the answers to all of our questions and problems. He was tempted in all points just as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

I just read the other day in Philippians where Paul wrote that we are to be anxious for nothing, basically meaning that we should not be constant worriers. The remedy Paul gives for someone who worries day in and day out is that they should in every thing by prayer and supplication let their requests be made known unto God. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this verse quoted or listened to a sermon that commented upon it. It's so easy to "amen" the verse when everything is going just right in your life, but how hard it is to actually believe it and practice it when it seems like your world is caving in around you and in our minds their is no way to get out. It is the difficult times though that need to find us putting the verse to practice, asking Yahweh to help us in any way that only He knows how. He's got the answer; He knows what you should do; He will lead us and guide us in the tough times. Trust in Him. Your going to be okay; you'll come forth as gold.

Erich Matthew Janzen

What is a Christian Church?

2008-09-08T05:14:00.002-04:00

Here recently someone mentioned that the church I attended was not a Christian church. If you define Christian as someone who believes in the Trinity, lawlessness, universalism, and blind acceptance of any and all doctrines then no we are not your definition of a Christian church. The problem is that this is not the proper definition of a Christian church. People often give definitions to words that are not accurate, but far from the original, pure definition of the word. Such is the case at hand. What does the word Christian really mean?

The word Christian in our Bibles is taken from the Greek word Christianos literally meaning "a follower of the Christ." Noah Webster, in his 1828 dictionary of the English language defines the word Christian thusly under the first three headings:

1. A believer in the religion of Christ.
2. A professor of his belief in the religion of Christ.
3. A real disciple of Christ; one who believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example, and obey the precepts, of Christ; a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety.

What constitutes a Christian is someone who (1) believes in Yeshua the Christ, and (2) follows in His teachings. This is the correct definition of a Christian. Did Yeshua teach the Trinity? No. Did Yeshua teach lawlessness? No. Did Yeshua teach universalism - that every single individual could and would be saved eventually? No. Did Yeshua accept any and every doctrine that man had to offer? No. Yeshua was a strict Hebrew-Israelite follower of Yahweh. Those who truly follow Yeshua the Annointed (Messiah, Christ) are Christians.

I believe in Yeshua. I confess with Peter (Matthew 16:13-18) that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of Living God; this means that I dwell in God and God dwells in me (1 John 4:15). I also believe in the God of Yeshua, Yahweh, and quote the shema with Yeshua (Mark 12:28-32). I believe in keeping His commandments to abide in His love (John 15:9-10) just as He kept His Father's commandments to abide in His Father's love. I believe that a person who claims to know Yeshua, but is not obedient to Biblical law is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3-4). I believe that it is only those who do the will of the Father that will be in the kingdom of Yahweh (Matthew 7:21), and that many who call Yeshua Lord, Lord will be cast away from His presence of people whom Yeshua never knew (Matthew 7:21-23).

All these beliefs stem from studying the Bible. They do not come from studying a man-made document, and ecumenical council, or a denominational handbook. These are Christian doctrines, true Christian doctrines.

I say to all those out there who may encounter others who falsely label you as non-Christian, let a person know what a true Christian is. Make sure you tell others the accurate definition of the word Christian. Don't let someone fool you into thinking a Christian is something other than what is found in sacred Scripture. Be Biblical. Look for a church that is true to the Scriptures. Look for a church who's thinking and thus theology is based upon what Yeshua actually taught. Read the gospels, believe Yeshua, and don't be worried if you end up in contradiction to the masses of people who claim to be Christian today.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Does Yahweh Hate? Part 2

2008-09-05T08:57:00.003-04:00

"For thou are not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: Yahweh will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." [Psalm 5:4-6]

Contrary to popular opinion, there are people living today that Yahweh hates. Yes, I said people, actual individuals. The common dictum used today to combat Yahweh's hatred toward certain people is this: "Well, God hates the sin, but loves the sinner." This sounds good, and does tickle the ear of the person involved in the sin, but the fact remains that the above verse (specifically Psalm 5:5b) says that Yahweh hates all workers of iniquity.

The Hebrew word for iniquity here is the word aven, defined by Strong's Exhaustive Concordance as "From an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence, to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble. vanity, wickedness; specifically an idol:--affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners(-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain ,vanity, wicked(-ness)." In the sense of Psalm 5:5 what we have is Yahweh hating those that refuse Him as their leader, thus refuse to have His law govern over them. They aren't willing, because of their sinful heart, to follow in the precepts of Yahweh. They choose rather to go along in their evil ways and stubborn heart, falling deeper and deeper into transgression. This brings more and more of a curse upon them as Job states in Job 4:8-9 "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed." God destroys such people because they, the people, are an abomination to Him.

It should be understood that without sinners their would be no sin. Therefore if God hates the sin committed He likewise would hate the individual involved in sin. 1 John 3:4 informs us that sin is the transgression of the law. What does it take for a transgression of the law to occur? It takes an individual to transgress the law, thus the individual person brings about the sin and the saying remains true, Yahweh hates all workers of iniquity. Does Yahweh hate? If you are a genuine Bible believer, you will have to believe that He does.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Does Yahweh Hate?

2008-09-04T07:23:00.003-04:00

The Scripture informs us in the book of 1 John that "God is love." It seems like everyone knows about this verse, and I think that's a good thing. If the Bible tells us that Yahweh is love then we ought to believe it and know about it. John 3:16 echoe's the verse by telling us that "God so loved the world."

What often happens though is that people believe God is only love, but that just isn't true at all. Yahweh has a tremendous amount of attributes, and we need not exalt one of God's attributes above the other of His attributes. One often neglected almost to zero is the fact that Yahweh hates. "Do not talk about hatred," some say. "We should not be people of hate!" What we need to do here is make sure that we speak Biblically and not emotionally. A person may not be able to understand or "feel" how God could actually hate something or even someone. It is usually easier for a person to wrap their mind around God hating an activity rather than God hating an individual, but the Biblical facts are evident if we lay aside or prejudice and respect the word of the Lord; the word of Yahweh. Yahweh does hate. He had a man He blessed with wisdom write in Ecclesiastes 3:8, "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." When is there a time to hate? I will examine the Biblical texts in the next posting.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-01T07:22:00.004-04:00

"Whatever Yahweh pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings." [Psalm 135:6-10 KJV]

I remember back on 2005 when Hurrican Katrina hit. I also remember doing some work for a woman shortly thereafter who said that she was so devastated that such a wonderful city with such a wonderful festival - Mardi Gras - had to undergo such a tragedy. I, on the other hand, firmly believe that the Hurricane was a small glimpse of the judgment of Yahweh. It was no coincidence that if the Hurricane would not have hit back then, the city would have held its "Decadence Festival." Decadence standing for lawlessness, licentiousness, the freedom to do that which you want; whatever is right in your own eyes.

Some people may read the above and agree, but I would urge the people that live in the area I do - Atlanta, GA - to not be so quick to judge the character of New Orleans. Yahweh could just as easily send a major blow to the city of Atlanta for it is just as wicked, lawless, and apart from anything holy. People haven't even begun to see what Yahweh does to those who refuse to listen and take heed to His holy law. We should not wonder why Yahweh would do such a thing to a city, we should rather be thanking Him for holding back His wrath on many cities in the world as of yet.

Rather than pray for the protection of the wicked, I pray that Yahweh's will be done in the current Hurricane, and that those who are righteous will be protected and spared. This is a Biblical prayer, patterned largely after the prayers of Prophet David in the Psalms. How do you plan to pray, or how have you already prayed?

Erich Matthew Janzen

To Whom Should We Go?

2008-08-31T07:13:00.002-04:00

I haven't preached for as long most preachers in the world today. Many people I've talked to believe that somehow being a "Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal" or even Yahwist for a long amount of time means that they have the truth. I recently received a phone call from an individual who said that a local minister in his area was asking how many years I had been ministering. The minister told him my website said that I'd been ministering for about four years and to him this meant that a particular doctrine I held could not be correct. This minister was supposably a Yahwist minister (he believed in using the name of Yahweh exclusively) and I was quite surprised that he would use the same reasoning that I've had many other denominational preachers use. I've talked with people and preachers, and made an honest attempt to witness to others about Yahweh's name, but oftentimes I hear a statement somewhat like this, "Son, I've been a ________ for 30 years." The blank can be filled in with many denominations in nominal Christendom today. When a person says these words all I can do is say a prayer for them hoping that they will realize the Scriptures to be paramount rather than their years of service in a denomination.

Other times I speak with people whom "God has told" something to. I just very recently talked with a nice gentleman on the phone who was trying to tell me that God had showed him that the Trinity was a true doctrine. This man, though very cordial, was completely deceived into thinking that God had showed him the truth through some miraculous means and it really didn't matter what anyone else had to say on the issue. I made an attempt to discuss the word elohim with the fellow, and at the same time was going to explain to Him what I believed about God's being and person. He told me that he was not interested in a discussion nor was he interested in receiving any literature, books, etc. from me; he just wanted to share his experience with me. I told him my wife had dinner ready and we should probably end the discussion. It ended on a friendly manner, as I always try my best to do, but I was in the spirit of wanting to pray for this lost sheep; hoping that Yahweh could open his heart to see the light of sacred scripture - its utmost importance.

All this being said, I will continue to do my best to talk to people like this again. Why, you may ask? Because I do not know whom the elect of Yahweh are. It is my duty to preach the gospel to others and let Yahweh sort the sheep from the goats. I want to make the effort to reach the convinced preacher, the person who "talks" with God, the businessman, the drug dealer, the white supremist, the black supremist, etc. Some people may not agree with my position on this, but I refuse to not take advantage of the opportunity to share the gospel with a person that Yahweh Himself created. I want to let the preacher know that it doesn't matter what he and I believe (whether for one year or thirty) but it does matter what the Bible says. I want to let the "revelator" know that Yahweh would never tell him or show him something that is not found in the written revelation of Scripture. I want to let even the roughest sinner know that God hates him (Psalm 5:5; 6:8) and that the wrath of God will be poured out upon him if he does not repent (Isaiah 13:9). He will suffer the punishment for sin, that is, unless he confesses his sin, and repents of his sin. Yahweh will forgive him and give him hope and life. That's what I want to do.

Sometimes we are at ease and have a certain class of people we like to witness to. There are certain people we are not interested in reaching. Shame on us if we take this position. Yeshua taught at times that the tax collectors and the harlots would enter the kingdom before those that appeared righteous (Matthew 21:31-32). We need to be willing to reach people involved in even the most heinous and obvious crimes against Yahweh's law. We need to be ready to witness and not back down from sharing the gospel with a drug dealer, gang member, homsexual, or leader of a cult. We need to show them the love of Yahweh and at the same time preach to them the truth of Yahweh's word without compromise. This is the Biblical way. Let us follow it.

Erich Matthew Janzen

Sneak Peek at New Book

2008-08-07T13:19:00.002-04:00

I'm currently writing (and almost finished) a book concerning a husband's duty to his wife. I guess you could place the book under the category of Marriage and Christian Living. Here is a peek at a portion of the introduction for those who may be interested.

Erich Matthew Janzen
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All husbands should be constantly learning about being a better husband. This goes for whether you’ve been married for 5 years or 50 years. I have talked to a few husbands who have been married to their wife for 50 years. This strand of man is becoming more and more difficult to find. Men now a days “fall out of love” for their wife, and marriage vows are really not seen as vows in the sight of God and their spouse, but rather empty words which have the meaning of, “Well, I’m trying this out, and if it works for me great, but if it doesn’t no big deal, I can just get a divorce and continue searching for ‘Mrs. Right’.”

These “50 year marriage veterans” have a lot to teach a young man like myself. I remember talking to a woman who had been married for several decades. At the time I think I had been married around 2 or 3 years. She told me, “Son, the grass is not greener on the other side. It’s just better kept.” These words have stayed with me since that day. I must make the effort to apply these words to my relationship with my wife. If I want her to honor me, I must love her as Scripture commands; just as Christ loves the Church.

You know what people who are married for this amount of time still say? They say that marriage is something you work at. They say that they are still learning what it means to love their spouse. I’ve never spoken to someone who’s been married for this long who thinks they’ve got it all figured out. They all recognize that although they’ve been through a lot, they are still continuing to learn about what things like sacrifice, commitment, thick-n-thin, and ‘till death do us part really mean. It’s just like life; we never stop learning, and that means we should never stop growing.

Holy Matrimony

2008-07-27T08:35:00.002-04:00

I had the blessed opportunity yesterday to speak at a wedding. I'd never done so before, but was honored to be asked. Prior to speaking I contemplated on the greatness and the glory of Yahweh in placing Adam and Eve together in Genesis 2. I'm always excited when I think of how Eve existed prior to her being taken out of Adam. Yahweh actually and really took a part of Adam's body and made that part into Eve. Wow!!! That shows forth the true meaning of Genesis 2:24 - "They are no more two (twain) but one flesh."

Marriage is a commitment between man and woman that is supposed to last a lifetime. When Yeshua was asked about divorce and putting away in Matthew 19 he responded to the questioners by saying, "Have you not read that He which made them in the beginning made them male and female?" He continued by saying that what Yahweh had joined together let no man separate. That shouts to me that Yahweh's plan in the beginning is for a husband and wife to be together until death.

Many times husbands and wives find themselves separating what God has joined together in the act of divorce. It saddens me at how lightly people view marriage vows. The sanctity of marriage has left modern America. We Christians should speak our vows as being ones taken in the sight of (first) Almighty Yahweh and (second) our spouse and (third) two or more witnesses. Scripture says that it's better not to make a vow at all than to make a vow and break it. That would have to include the marriage vows.

I'm so thankful that Yahweh has blessed me with a wonderful wife; it makes marriage so much easier. I believe a large part of marital problems stem from the husband and wife not practicing the role that was ordained by Yahweh from the beginning. Paul expounded on this role in Ephesians 5. He basically said that the husband is to take the role of Christ and the wife is to take the role of the Church. Husbands aren't loving their wives like they are commanded and wives are not being subject to their husbands like they are commanded. This makes for disharmony in the home and inevitably, if kept up for long enough, ends in divorce.

I'm currently writing a book titled "Husbands, Love Your Wives" based on Ephesians 5:25. It will have a little bit for the wives in it too. I want to be a minister that is in the business of making a drastic attempt to save marriages. I want to make people hold together the union that God has joined.

Erich Matthew Janzen