��������������������������������������������������� The Lion, The Lamb and The Blood
Nothing in all history impacts the human race like the death and resurrection of Christ. But this generation, for the most part, fails to see the heart of the matter, and few seem to make the connection between the blood of Christ and their own eternal destiny. The Christian who has fathomed the meaning of the blood of Christ has seen the heart of God as He is touched by our sin, in both His judgment and His mercy. Christ told us: "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)
Paul said: "...being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9)
And John wrote that Christ: "...and washed us from our sins in his own blood." (Revelation 1:5)
In the fifth chapter of Revelation (vs. 1-5) John describes his vision in which no one is able to open the book sealed with seven seals. Then he is told that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome, to open the book, but when John looks for a lion, he sees a lamb (vs. 6), a lamb that has been slaughtered, to which the four and twenty elders sing a "new song" saying: "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." (Revelation 5:9)
The Blood of The Lamb: When God determined to slay the first born in Egypt. He provided a way of escape for the sons of Israel, who dwelt there as slaves. They were to slay a lamb and put some of its blood around the doorways of their houses. The blood was the evidence that a lamb had been killed and the first born in those homes would be saved from death.
The issue here was life and death, and the shedding of blood was the means by which the animal was put to death. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)
Wherever blood was used in sacrificial offerings, it signified that death had taken place. However, the death of animals was not sufficient for meeting the penalty of man's sins, as is explained in Hebrews. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4)
The needed sacrifice was found in Christ. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
When the prophet Isaiah described the coming of a suffering servant to redeem God's people, he pictured Jesus as a lamb, led to the slaughter, dying for the people "to whom the stroke was due." (Isaiah 53:7-8)
Just as the lamb was put to death to save the first born Israelites from death, Jesus was slain that we might be saved from death in the day of judgment. John the Baptist, therefore, introduced Jesus by saying, "Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
Expressions such as "the cross of Christ" and "the blood of Christ" are euphemisms that always signify Christ's death. We are cleansed, washed, sanctified, and justified by His blood only in that His blood means His death. Paul could write that: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
He underwent God's judgment on our behalf, so that in the day of judgment we might receive a favorable verdict, and thus be justified. In effect, the judgment has already take place on the stake for believers, who "by faith" are "justified by His blood." (Romans 5:1, 9)
Some Twisted Ideas: The principle of Jesus undergoing judgment on our behalf by dying our death is simple enough, but many kinky ideas have been derived from expressions referring to His blood.
Some hold that the blood of Jesus saves us because it was special and divine. A gospel song has as its theme the idea that "just one drop of His blood" will cleanse you from all sin. If that were true, There would have been no need of Jesus' Death. One can lose a lot of blood without dying!
The fact is, the blood of Christ was ordinary human blood, as stated in Hebrews 2:14, that He shared the same kind of flesh and blood as those He came to save. There was nothing magic about His blood; it served the same purpose for Him as it does for all mankind. The giving of His blood meant the giving of His life. It was not the blood that was different, but the person. Jesus was the sinless Son of God, Thus He could pay our penalty for our sins.
Sometimes heard is the statement that we are baptized in order to "meet the blood of Christ." This sounds as though it is the blood of Jesus, and not His death, burial and resurrection that really counts. Scripture does not suggest this, but does say: �"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:3)
Baptism (immersion) is somewhat similar to a death, burial and resurrection, as Paul writes: "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)
The significance here is not in "meeting the blood" but in being united with Christ in His death (vs. 5).
Others misunderstand Jesus' statement that we are to eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:53), interpreting this to mean that in the communion the wine (or grape juice) actually becomes His blood. Of course, it doesn't. Jesus explained, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
It is in a spiritual sense that we fill ourselves with the body and blood, the very life, of Jesus, as expressed by Paul: "Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)
We are told about baptism: "...preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." (Mark 1:4); "...preaching the Baptism of Repentance for the Remission of sins." (Luke 3:3)
Therefore, baptism is very very important and every Christian should be baptized.
Some of the most popular hymns give the praise to the blood of Christ. We sing of being "washed in the blood of the Lamb," of the One "whose blood can cleanse each spot," and "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the lamb." Such expressions would be ridiculous were they meant in the natural sense. But when taken in the spiritual and Biblical sense, they express wonderful and mighty truth. By His death Jesus cleanses us and performs the wondrous work of redeeming us from sin and thus from death at the final judgment.
The Lion: Like a lamb being led to the slaughter, Jesus willingly submitted to crucifixion that the final penalty for our sins might be met. His death demonstrates that God's laws are important, a life and death matter. While it may be politically correct to make no discrimination between moral values, and even ignore Biblical standards altogether, the fact is that Christ died because God takes His Laws very seriously.
His death also demonstrates God's tremendous love and mercy, in that He would give His Son that we might not suffer the final death at judgment (for our sins), but might have life and immortality. By sacrificing Himself Jesus gained a great victory over the world, sin and death, making Him worth to "take the book and open the seals thereof." (Revelation 5:9) But in John's vision Jesus is also identified as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Revelation 5:5)
After Jesus, the lamb, was obedient even unto death, God raised Him up, exalted Him, and gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth. No longer is He the lowly lamb, submitting to the abuse of evil men who oppose God. Now He is the King, reigning on the throne of God until it is time for Him to take the throne of David, and will return at that time to judge the world in righteous judgment. (Acts 2:30-31; 17:31)
It is fitting for us to sing about the blood of Christ, if by this we have in mind the value of His death for us. To acknowledge His death, burial and resurrection is also to acknowledge our debt to Him. Following the example of Christ, Christians are to humbly obey the Father, and be willing to suffer tribulation and the persecution of the oppressor in patience. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
To glory in His death is a sham unless we put ourselves at God's disposal, to be used as His servants to please Him. And to allow the Judiazed Judeo-Christians to blaspheme Christ with the pagan celebration called "Easter" is a shame we will never be able to live down. We will be forgiven for it, but the shame we will have to bear forever, because we would not protect the name of our Savior and give the proper honor to His death, burial and resurrection as we should have done.
�������������������������������� Ishtar/Easter
In this study we want to explore the relationship between Easter and the goddess Ishtar, and why the celebration of the Easter holiday is a great abomination to Almighty God. We will explore the history of the goddess Ishtar as well as her various attributes and names that she was called in different ancient cultures. We will also find out exactly what God has to say about this adulterous, idolatrous worship of Easter/Ishtar in these in time days.
Let's begin with the fact that the word "Easter" is not in the Scriptures. Some may say that it is Acts 12:4, but they haven't done their homework. Let's look at Acts 12:4: And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternons of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
The word is not Easter. It is a corrupted translation of the Greek word "pascha" which means "Passover," from the Hebrew word "pasach" meaning "to pass over." If you don't believe this, look it up it is #3957 in the Strong's Concordance Greek Dictionary.
Most often in trying to explain to people that the Easter worship is in fact the worship of the goddess Ishtar, their immediate reply is that they are worshiping Jesus, and that the Easter worship is the celebration of the risen Christ, His resurrection from the dead. What does it really matter if the word Easter is a transliteration of the word Ishtar? We are still worshiping Jesus Christ and His resurrection. God knows the intent of our hearts.
True enough, God does know the intent of our hearts. But God also knows the utter abomination of this Easter/Ishtar worship, as well as the fact that� most are caught up in this worship in ignorance. But now you are no longer ignorant concerning this matter. You will be presented with the facts in this lesson that the Easter worship is indeed the worship of the goddess Ishtar, and not the worship of Jesus Christ, as you have been taught to believe. It is up to you to discern the truth of this matter from the facts that will be presented. He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear. If you forbear, then your blood shall be upon your own head. If you hear the truth of this matter, then repent.
Let's begin with the fact that nowhere in the Scriptures does God tell us to worship the resurrection of Christ, what Easter is supposedly all about. Therefore, the Easter worship is a Tradition of Men. What does the Scripture tell us about the traditions of men? "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
Beware, lest the traditions of men spoil you. Why? Because they are not of Christ and they will lead you astray. Furthermore, what do the Scriptures have to say about those who would insist that it is Christ whom they are worshiping at Easter, according to the tradition of men? "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." (Isaiah 29:13)
The people do honor the Lord with their lips, lip service, but their hears are far removed from Him, because their fear, their reverence, and their worship of Him is taught by the precepts and traditions of men. The Easter worship is a tradition of man, and its origin comes from the worship of the pagan goddess Ishtar. God tells us over and over throughout the Scriptures to leave behind those traditions of men, to come out of mystery Babylon.
On that note, let's look at the history of the goddess Ishtar and her connection with mystery Babylon, meaning confusion, from the root word Babel. To fully understand the origin of the worship of the goddess Ishtar and her subsequent history, we must find go back to the origin of mystery Babylon and understand from whence this worship evolved, even back to the garden of Eden.
We know from God's word what the true nature of the sin in the garden was, a sexual relationship between Eve and Satan, and from this relationship Cain was born. Cain was the son of Satan, the serpent, called the devil. Cain was the founder of ancient Babylon in Sumeria, and history bears this out. In Genesis 4, the Scripture tells us that Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch. Archaeologists have uncovered ancient city that is called Erech located in what we know today as Iraq, the land of Babylon.
The king of this ancient Babylon was known as Sargon, which translated means King Cain. To make a long story short for the sake of sticking to the subject of Ishtar, Cain made deities of Adam and Eve. He called them Anu and Ea, later known as Ishtar. His other chief deity was Bel, a form of Baal, another name for Satan.
Without digressing too far, a thorough study of the evolution of mythology and most world religions will lead one back to ancient Babylon and Cain. For a more thorough study concerning Cain and his conquests, order the book "Sargon the Magnificent." Now that we have taken you back to the beginning, to the origin of this worship of Ishtar and where it comes from, let's now move onto Ishtar herself. Let's find out what Ishtar is all about, the stories and myths about her, what was involved in the worship of her, and what that worship signified. The following passage is an excerpt from "The Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 7: "Inanna, the Sumerian astral deity representing the planet Venus, was known throughout the Mesopotamian world; the Akkadians (and later the Assyro-Babylonians) called her Ishtar. For both the Sumerians and the Akkadians, she was the principal goddess in their respective pantheons. Inanna-Ishtar's closest counterparts to the west are the Canaanite Astarte (called Ashtoreth by the Hebrews) and the later goddesses of Greece and Rome, Aphrodite and Venus.
�One of the most important myths about Inanna-Ishtar concerns her relationship to the shepherd god Dumuzi-Tammuz, who is probably a divination of an actual early ruler of Uruk (Erech, the city Enoch of Genesis 4). Although the myth has many variations, its basic outline can be reconstructed from the Sumerian 'Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld,' the Akkadian parallel 'Ishtar's Descent,' and recently translated fragments of the 'Death of Dumuzi,' as well as various laments for Dumuzi and a large set of 'Sacred Marriage' texts.
�According to these sources, Inanna and Dumuzi have a passionate love affair and marriage. Subsequently the goddess wants to visit the underworld ruled by her enemy and sister Ereshkigal, probably to rule there as well as in heaven. After bedecking herself with jewels and� finery, Inanna descends and is met at the gate by a servant of Ereshkigal, who at various stages removes her garments. Finally she approaches her sister naked and humiliated. Ereshkigal fastens on her the 'eyes of death,' turns her into a corpse, and hangs her body on a stake.
�Inanna's servant, worried after three days of her absence, fashions creatures who descend with revivifying materials. They bring her back to life and she reascends to earth, accompanied by frightened demons who wander with her from city to city in Summer. When she returns to Uruk she finds her lover Dumuzi not bewailing her plight in the underworld, but actually celebrating it. She sets after him the demons, who after a long chase overtake and torture him and drag him down to the underworld.
�There are many variations of this myth, but its importance lies in the love affair between Dumuzi-Tammuz, who comes to represent the annual dying and regenerated vegetative cycle, and Inanna-Ishtar, the embodiment of the generative force in nature. In their intercourse she fecundates the growth cycle of spring.
�This came to be ritualized in an annual ceremony in which the king, representing Dumuzi-Tammuz, entered into a hieros gamos, a sacred marriage, with a sacred temple prostitute, representing Inanna-Ishtar, and thus sympathetically brought regeneration to the land. Their intercourse was, in a sense, the resurrection of the dead god, and lamenting turned into rejoicing. The popularity and geographical spread of this myth and its ritualization are attested in Ezekiel 8:14, where the prophet condemns the practice followed by some Jerusalem women lamenting for Tammuz." (The Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 7)
Let's look at this passage from Ezekiel for a moment. "He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. The he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. The said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again and thou shalt see great abominations than these." (Ezekiel 8:13-15)
You see, the Lord is condemning this practice of worshipping Ishtar and lamenting for Tammuz, and calls it a great abomination Easter worship is an abomination to God.
Let's reflect back upon the story of Ishtar and pick out� some of the key points. Notice the resemblance of the story of Ishtar to that which is written in the Gospel about our Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Ishtar descended, she was stripped and humiliated; Jesus was stripped and beaten in humility. Ishtar was killed and hung on a stake; Jesus was crucified on a stake. Ishtar was resurrected after three days; Jesus rose from the tomb on the third day. By now it should be quite obvious to you why Easter is in fact the worship of Ishtar.
Satan has taken the truth about Christ and overlaid it with the worship of Ishtar, bringing it into the church through the traditions of men and presenting it as the celebration of Easter, a transliteration of the word Ishtar. Satan knew the purpose of this earth age and has tried repeatedly to subvert God's plan. He tried to corrupt the seed line in the garden so that Christ could not be born and die on the stake.
Satan failed at that attempt, so he used his offspring, Cain and the Kenites (the sons of Cain) to propagate false religions and myths that have a resemblance to the truth. In order to create confusion and disbelief so as to deceive God's children. For every positive there is a negative, and Satan is the Great Imitator.
Remember, Satan's whole thrust is to be worshipped as God. Let's for a moment review a few more of the characteristics of Ishtar, not losing sight of the story of Ishtar and what the ritualistic worship of her represented, the resurrection of the dead god. Ishtar was also known as the Queen of Heaven (there is a large denomination that openly prays to the Queen of Heaven).
Ishtar was connected to the planet Venus, called both the "morning star" and the "evening star." Ishtar was worshipped as female in the morning and male in the evening. You should also note that in Isaiah 14:12, Lucifer, another name for Satan, is called the son of the morning.
The name Lucifer itself means "the morning star." Ishtar is also called the goddess of fertility, from another one of her notorious legends. As the legend goes, an egg fell from heaven one day and landed in the Euphrates river. Some fish managed to roll the egg to shore, hence the tradition of rolling Easter eggs.
Then several doves (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) descended from heaven and incubated the egg and hatched the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of Easter. The egg became the universal symbol for fertility, and as such can be traced to pagan ritual and worship worldwide. Like the egg, the rabbit became part of the Easter tradition because it too was a symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt.
Let's now look at how this practice of worshipping the goddess Ishtar/Ashtoreth/Astarte was promulgated by the children of Israel. Pay attention to the word "groves." The Hebrew word for groves is "Asherah," a form of Ashtoreth/Astarte, pointing right back to Ishtar. "And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger: For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing." (2 Kings 17:9-12)
Using the Strong's Concordance Hebrew dictionary, let's look at the word for "groves."
groves...
Hebrew 842. 'asherah, ash-ay-raw'; or 'asheyrah, ash- ay-raw'; from Heb. 833; happy; Asherah (or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess; also an image of the same:-grove. Comp. Heb. 6253.
Hebrew 6253. 'Ashtoreth, ash-to'-reth; prob. for Heb. 6251; Ashtoreth, the Phoenician goddess of love (and increase):-Ashtoreth. The Asherah was a phallic symbol, shaped in the image of the male organ.
Again, the children of Israel participated in this heathen ritual of worshiping Ishtar, the "grove worship," and wrought wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger, after being commanded not to do this thing.
Will our people continue in this abominable practice of worshiping Ishtar/Easter and provoking the Lord to anger? Let's look at another instance of this practice among the children of Israel. "But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols." (2 Kings 21:9-11)
What was that Manasseh did? From the Reader Digest "Great People of the Bible and How They Lived." "Inside the Jerusalem temple he placed an image of Ishtar, the Assyrian goddess of love and war, associated with the planet Venus. In her name, priest and male worshipers engaged in ritual sex with 'holy' prostitutes housed in the temple, a practice that was supposed to promote the fertility of crops, herds and families (akin to the rebirth or resurrection from the dead)." (Great People of the Bible and How They Lived)
Manasseh brought the worship of into the temple, the house of God. The priests performed ritualistic sexual orgies with the temple prostitutes to worship the fertility goddess and promote the symbolic resurrection of the dead god.
Manasseh was not the only king to bring this worship into the temple. King Ahab under the influence of his wife Jezebel also brought the worship of Ishtar into the house of God. "And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him...But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel." (1 Kings 16:30-33; 21:25-26)
Ahab, through the influence of Jezebel built an altar to Baal and also made groves. Remember the groves were for the worship of Ishtar, from the Hebrew word Asherah/Ashtoreth. Let's now go to these end times and see what God has to tell us about this Easter/Ishtar worship. "And the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and they patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." (Revelation 2:18-22)
King Ahab suffered that woman Jezebel, his wife, and brought the worship of the goddess Ishtar into the House of God. Do you suffer that woman Jezebel? Are you still practicing your worship of Easter, whose worship goes to Ishtar and not to Christ? God has given you His warning. He has given her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Where do you stand, with Christ or with Jezebel?
In this study we have presented you with the facts and history concerning Ishtar/Easter. You have had the opportunity to see that the worship of Ishtar and the ritualistic sexual orgies were symbolic for the resurrection of the dead god, the very thing Christians purport to be celebrating the resurrection of Christ.
Easter is a tradition of men and is taught by the precepts of men. It is an abominable, idolatrous and adulterous practice. Jesus said "follow me," not the goddess Ishtar. You must be aware of the wiles of the Devil. Satan has cleverly inserted the worship of the goddess Ishtar into the church, calling it Easter, by slightly twisting and corrupting the truth and perverting the minds of God's children, causing them to provoke the Lord to anger.
They Call It Holy: South African evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne has introduced Charismatics to what he calls "laughing revivals," in which people may roll on the floor and laugh hysterically. At Oral Roberts University at a recent Howard-Browne meeting, Our President Richard Roberts "ended up on the floor laughing." His father, Oral Roberts, said the phenomenon signaled the arrival of "another level in the Holy Spirit." (The Sword & The Trumpet, Winter 95 Box 870, Chandler, Texas 75758)
In reporting on "holy laughter" at a camp meeting in 1994, Warren Smith, writer for SCP Newsletter, said that pastors were stumbling around the church stage "drunk" with "holy" laughter, which was considered "proof" of the "power of the spirit" over them. Both Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Pat Robertson of the 700 Club have endorsed "holy laughter." But Smith suggests that Christians should examine it very closely, as it just might be from Satan rather than from God. (His article may be obtained from Spiritual Counterfeits Project, Box 4308, Berkeley, CA 94704. It is in newsletter Vol. 19.2)
Immigrants Recruited: According to the St. Petersburg Times, as confirmed in the Washington Times. The U.S. is secretly recruiting more immigrants in more than 100 countries. The secret recruitment is part of a program in which the United States tries to encourage immigrants from places that are "under represented in the current cultural mix."
This report, from Criminal Politics (Feb. 95) says that the object of the plan, out of the offices of the Jew Henry Kissinger is to "diversify" all non-Jewish races. Beginning in January 1995, 55,000 foreigners, from such places as Mongolia and various African countries, are to be awarded visas for permanent resident status. Suzanne Lawrence, a spokeswoman for the State Department, is quoted as saying, "it is to diversify the existing pool of immigrants." Criminal Politics points out that it is no longer possible for White Gentiles to identify themselves as such without being accused of racism and bigotry, and children may be conditioned so that they will never identify themselves with their heritage. (Criminal Politics, Box 37812, Cincinnati, OH 45222)
Culture Change: "Ethnic conflict is a worldwide phenomenon." Donald Horowitzx. "Plural societies" (with culturally divergent ethnic groups) are "defined by descensus and pregnant with conflict." Authoritative population projection indicates that within the lives of some people now living, the United States is destined to become a thoroughly multiracial, multicultural society in which non-Hispanic Whites will constitute only a minority of the population.
The largely unconsidered result of past and present immigration policies is that the United States is in the process of changing the racial and cultural composition of its population to a degree probably unprecedented in human history, except for situations involving the military conquest of a society by a foreign aggressor. (Ethnic Conflicts Abroad: Clues to America's Future? by Glaister A. and Evelyn E. Elmer, published by The American Immigration Control Foundation, P.O. Box 525, Monterey, VA 24465)
A New Threat: Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt, professor of sociology at Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL, writing in The Lutheran Witness, of December 94, describes how multiculturalism threatens the church and the Gospel. For example, he says, grade-school books present pagan beliefs of American Indians as valid religious practices, because all religions are of equal value, and the Ten Commandments are held as merely the reflection of a certain culture, and thus no better than any other culture's code of moral behavior.
Multiculturalists argue that all cultures are morally relative, and not to be criticized. We are not to brand as immoral the Hindu practice of suttee, which required burning alive the husband's widow on his funeral pyre, nor the bloody human sacrifices practiced by the Aztec, Mayan Indian or the Jewish Ritual Murders.
Many multiculturalist writings present pagan religions in a favorable light while denouncing Western (Christian) culture. Even witches are presented positively. The anti-Bias Curriculum encourages grade-school teachers to tell their children that witches were not "bad," but women "who really helped people." It also tells teachers to instruct pupils in holidays other than Christmas and to support the children who do not celebrate Christmas.
"The message is clear," Schmidt writes. "Christ's Great Commission of going into all the world (cultures) and making disciples is politically incorrect. Christianity has no greater claim to God's truth than any other culture's religion...multiculturalism will further erode our nation's morality, largely derived from Biblical norms." (The Christian News, 2/27/95)
Child Slavery: Levi's is using "thousands of children (who) toil like robots in Bangladesh sweatshops that churn out Levi's and other garments for the blue jeans barons," according to a reporter for a British newspaper who recently toured the factory. He discovered children working 16-hour days, six days a week, children who were fired if they got sick and were working and living in squalor. The marketing efforts of Levi Strauss have met with great acceptance among homosexuals. American Family Association began promoting a boycott of Levi Strauss products (Levi's, Dockers, Britannia clothing) when the company cut off financial support of the Boy Scouts of America because they would not allow homosexuals and atheists to be scoutmasters. (AFA Journal, 2/95)
Land of The Free: A compassionate man who was telling the Gospel message on the street was arrested by State police, handcuffed and taken to jail. A judge sentenced him to six months probation and ordered him not to witness on that street. His case is being appealed by the Christian Law Association. Attorney David Gibbs III says, "It is a frightening thought that...telling another person about Jesus Christ could be classified and punished as criminal activity by a court in the United States of America." (Minutemen Alert, 3/95)
But it is just such false teachings as that above which has caused our people to miss the True Doctrine of Christ:
�������������������������� The Lion Out of Judah
From listening to the Judeo-Christian preachers, ministers, evangelists, and etc., which I will refer to from here on to save space and time, as Judeo-Christian teachers; preach and teach lies about the Lord Jesus Christ that I am presenting the following for your review and study. Key Questions which we will try to answer are as follows:
�� 1). Was Jesus a Jew?
�� 2). From where does salvation come?
�� 3). Does this study relate to world events today?
First let's take a look at the word Jew. If you will take any good encyclopedia you will find that there was no such thing as a Jew at the time Christ was on the earth. Second that the letter "J" did not become part of the English Alphabet until some time around 1500. Then Strong's Exhaustive Concordance in the Greek Dictionary of the New Testament relates the following:
Jew...
Greek #2453. 'Ioudaios, ee-oo-dah'-yos; from 2448 (in the sense of 2455 AS A COUNTRY); Judean, i.e. belonging to Jehudah:-Jew (-ess), OF JUDEA.
Greek 2448. Iouda, ee-oo-dah'; of Heb. or [3063 or perh. 3194]; Judah (i.e. Jehudah or Juttah), A PART OF (or place in) Pal.:-JUDEAN.��
In the 4th chapter of the Gospel according to the Apostle John we find the record of some astounding teachings of Jesus. In His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well near the town of Syhchar, He made it plain that salvation was very different in character from that which the Jews (Pharisees) had been teaching the people. But He also said that salvation is of the Jews. This makes the passage puzzling in the English language, and it has led too many people astray: Causing them to believe a lie; and it needs careful study if it is to be correctly understood, as we shall see.
Why is it so important to understand this particular portion of the Bible? It is important for Christians to understand ALL of the Bible, but this passage is of special significance because of the current, but erroneous, opinion among many that Christianity arose out of Judaism, that there exists a Judeo-Christian value system, that Jews have their own covenant with God which circumvents Jesus Christ and His atonement, and that the United States has a special obligation to the religious political Zionist state of Israel. In short, a correct understanding of this Scripture helps to place the above issues in their proper perspectives.
We are faced with THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK OF MAKING THIS CLEAR TO THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE DESIRE TO STUDY DETAILS, and THOSE WHO DEMAND A MORE SCHOLARLY EXPLANATION. We hope this presentation will meet the needs of everyone. For those who dislike details, please make an effort to "hang in there;" for we believe the results will be worth while.
FIRST: A Synopsis of John 4:5-26:
Verses 5-6: Jesus and His disciples traveled from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north, and stopped on the way at a water well outside of Sychar, a town in Samaria.���
Verses 7-8: A Samaritan woman came to the well for water. Jesus asked for a drink.
Verse 9: The woman wondered why Jesus talked to her because she perceived He was a Jew, and Jews shunned Samaritans.
Verse 10: Jesus told her that if she knew the gift of God and Who was speaking to her, she would ask Him for living water.
Verses 11-12: The woman didn't comprehend what He meant. She noted that He had no container with which to draw water, and besides, did He think He was greater than her forefather Jacob who dug the well and drank from it?
Verses 13-14: Jesus told her that the water from the well would not satisfy thirst indefinitely, but the living water He gave would produce eternal life.
Verse 15: The woman still didn't comprehend, but was eager for such water that would prevent her having to come back to the well repeatedly. She wanted to reduce her work load.��
Verses 16-18: Jesus told her to� fetch her husband, but she confessed she had no husband, whereupon Jesus acknowledged she told the truth, for she had lived with five men and the present one was not her husband.
Verses 19-20: The woman immediately perceived that Jesus was a prophet because He knew the intimate details of her life. Defensively, she then appealed to her religion and her forefathers, contrasting her beliefs with those of the Jews who worshiped at Jerusalem, and ascribing to Jesus the religious beliefs of the Jews.
Verses 21-24: Jesus disavowed His connection with either Jewish worship at Jerusalem or Samaritan worship at Gerizim, and said the hour was near when no one would worship at either place. He said she didn't comprehend what she worshiped, and that "we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews." He said the hour had come when true worshipers would worship God in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him. He said God is spirit, therefore whoever worships Him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Verse 25: The woman said she knew Messiah was coming and He would show them all things.
Verse 26: Jesus then told her that He was the Messiah.
MANDATORY CONSIDERATIONS FOR A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING: A superficial reading of this passage of John's Gospel will not suffice to render a correct interpretation. We must study it very carefully.
In Verse 9 the Bible doesn't state that Jesus was a Jew. The woman ASSUMED He was a Jew. We're not told why she assumed this; perhaps it was because she knew He was traveling FROM Judea to Galilee.
The Bible often records the statements and opinions of the people in it, but their statements are not necessarily true unless the text is clear that God agrees with them, or that the statement is given to them by God. An obvious example of this is when Calaphas the High Priest accused Jesus of blasphemy. (Matthew 26:65)
Note also in verse 9 that the Bible doesn't say that the Samaritans hated the Jews, but that the woman said the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. The Old Testament and history tell us that the Samaritans were a mixture of the tribes of Israel with outsiders and that is why the Jews shunned them. It was primarily the Jews who were the snobs, although the Samaritans were not guiltless.
It is obvious that Jesus was not snobbish - He was not only passing through their land which the Jews would not do (and He would not walk in Jewry because the Jews sought to kill Him John 7:1) - but was conversing with one of them, another act forbidden by the Jews. This tells us that JESUS DID NOT PRACTICE THE RELIGION OF THE JEWS in this matter.
Verse 10: Jesus initiated a "witnessing" situation in which He offered universal salvation to the woman. He was doing His Father's business by giving an open invitation to a non-Jew to become a child of God. He was contradicting everything the Jews believed about Messiah.
Verses 11-12: The Samaritan woman considered herself a descendant of Jacob who was the patriarch of all the 12 Tribes of Israel. She thought of Jacob as a great man. She considered herself to be as true to the laws of Moses as the Jews, maybe more so. She was partly correct, for the Samaritans did not practice Rabbinism as the Jews did.
Also the Scriptures attest that the Jews only gave lip service to the Laws of God as given to the Israelites by Almighty God: "For had ye (Jews) believed Moses..." (John 5:46) Thus we have it that the Jews did not believe Moses, nor did they teach the people to obey God Laws, they taught them to observe the Tradition of the Elders (which later became codified as The Talmud) which is totally opposite.
The Scriptures further attest to the fact that Jesus did not recognize the leadership of the Jews, and that they were not the legitimate rulers of Israel by: "Therefore say I (Christ) unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (because you do not deserve to possess it, as you have no right to it), and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (to the rightful heirs of it)." (Matthew 21:43)
Verses 13-14: Jesus was teaching with metaphors - figures of speech. Living water obviously meant eternal life. He was giving her the gospel of salvation message. Like the Roman Centurion whose servant needed healing (Matthew 8:5-13) and the Canaanite woman whose daughter needed healing (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus demonstrated throughout His ministry that salvation was available to anyone, not just to Jews. He found great faith among some non-Jews.
Verse 15: The Samaritan woman dwelt on worldly things, not understanding that Jesus talked to her of� spiritual things. God's primary concern is with our spiritual condition, but the Samaritan woman repeatedly focused on her worldly desires. You and I often do the same thing.
Verse 16-18: The woman was a sinner but Jesus did not condemn her to hell for that. He was truthful and firm, but kind. This again tells us that He was not a Jew because the Jews, according to the Bible, were exclusivists. They would not have talked to the Samaritan woman, much less have offered her kindness and salvation. Remember the account of the good Samaritan, recorded in Luke 10:30-36.
Verses 19-20: Because Jesus obviously knew the woman's sins, she at once acknowledged Him as a prophet, but human nature being what it is, she retreated defensively into her own mind-set, i.e., that her religion was just as good as the Jewish religion. She inferred that Jesus was like all other Jews, demanding that she worship at Jerusalem.
Verses 21-24: Did Jesus demand that she confirm to Judaism by worshiping at Jerusalem? No, He did not. Instead, He told her that all true worshipers of God would soon worship Him in spirit and truth and that no true believer would worship at either Jerusalem or at Gerizim (the Samaritan place of worship).
WHY DID JESUS USE "WE?": Why did Jesus use the plural we in v. 22? It is important that we turn to John 3:11 and 14:23 for similar situations. In John 3:11, for example, He was talking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus had asked how he could be born again, whereupon Jesus said, "...I say unto thee, WE speak that WE do know, and testify that WE have seen; and ye receive not OUR witness." He used the plural four times, and the situation is closely parallel to the one with the Samaritan woman. His use of WE was much like our editorial WE. Therefore the conclusion that He meant His Father God and Himself.
IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH: What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? For this answer we go to the two great commandments given by Jesus: Love God genuinely and thoroughly (and strive to bring our characters into line with His); and Love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40); treat others as we would like to be treated, commensurate with the principles of the New Testament.
This is the worship that God is seeking. Jesus gave this message to the Samaritan woman and the people of Sychar. He didn't tell her to go to Jerusalem and worship with the Jews; there is no record that He told her to seek out some synagogue OR church to attend. The Jews wouldn't have received her anyway, and He knew that the temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed a few years hence. The change from old covenant to new covenant was now being implemented.
The Samaritan woman and many residents of the town became Christians. Jesus stayed with them two days and taught them.
IS SALVATION FROM THE JEWS?: Now we back up a bit and deal with that troublesome clause in verse 22: "...for salvation is of the Jews." (KJV)
Considering the whole context thus far, did Jesus promote Judaism? It is clear that He didn't. If He didn't promote Judaism, how could salvation be of the Jews? We just learned that He told the woman of Samaria that He was the Messiah, the Living Water. Wouldn't it be a contradiction for Him to tell her that in Him was salvation and then turn right around and tell her that salvation was of the Jews? We know that elsewhere (John 14:6) He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me." What, then, is our answer?
The answer will be found by understanding the entire New Testament, history, and the language of this passage. The preposition OF in the KJV (salvation is OF the Jews), or FROM in several other translations, does not accurately reflect the Greek. The Greek language was far more specific than English when using prepositions.
For example, FROM in English could mean that a person walked from the house, but we wouldn't know whether the person was in the� house and walked out of it, or standing against the outside wall and walked away from it. Not so with the Greek. We would know exactly what happened if the Greek preposition "ek" were used; the person would have been inside the house and walked out of it, for "ek" means OUT OF. And that's the preposition used by the Apostle John when he recorded Jesus' saying that salvation is OUT OF the Jews. We will return to this later.
However, knowledge about this preposition is insufficient for a complete answer to the problem. The next language barrier is the word JEWS. This may come as a surprise to many, but it is impossible for Jesus to have used the word JEWS, for the simple reason that the word did not exist in His time. It didn't arrive on the scene of history until the Greek or Latin Bible was translated into English hundreds of years later, and then it had to evolve into its present form. Here's how it happened.
WHO WERE THE JUDEANS?: Judeans were inhabitants of southern Palestine, the area called Judea (Judaea). This was where Jerusalem and the temple were located. Judea is the same as Judah, and Judah was the tribe of Israel that was allocated that geographical area when all twelve tribes conquered the inhabitants of Palestine in about 1400 B.C. The patriarch of the tribe was the fourth son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, and Isaac was the son of Abraham. Jacob, who had been renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28) by God had twelve sons, each of whom was the patriarch of a tribe of Israel, each of which received a portion of the land of Palestine. God had already planned that the "legal" lineage of Messiah would be through Judah, for in Genesis 49:10 Moses wrote: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."����
The Tribe of Judah was the largest of the twelve and the most influential. It had the place of leadership. God simply said that it would continue in this position until Shiloh, Who was Messiah, came Messiah would then take the leadership and receive the allegiance of the people. We now know that Jesus Christ's legal linage was traced through Judah back to David and to Abraham, and those who believed on Him gave Him their allegiance in fulfillment of the prophecy quoted above. He took the scepter from Judah.
At the time of Christ's ministry, mixed blood existed in Judea. Not all of its inhabitants were descended from Judah. Many were Edomites, descendants of Esau. However, the Edomites had submitted to circumcision in about 130 B.C. and therefore became co-religionists with the Judahites, who by then were practicing Rabbinism which had been developed during the exile in Babylon.
Some Judeans (were Jews), therefore, were those who practiced the religion which Jesus clashed. Rabbinism was a conglomeration of the context of the Old Testament, Babylonian mysticism, and human rationalizations, it is referred to in the New Testament as the "Tradition of the Elders," (Matthew 15:1-3) and is known today as Talmudism, or Judaism. Its rulers were entrenched at Jerusalem at Judea.
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JESUS WOULD NOT WALK IN "JEWRY": We see in the King James Version that Jesus would not walk in "Jewry" (among the Jews or Pharisees) any longer because the Jews sought to kill Him. (John 7:1) The English word "Jewry" is "Ioudaias" (Judean) in Greek, but modern translations no longer use "Jewry." For example the New American Standard Bible (NASB) sates: "And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him."
It is unfortunate that we have not been taught the exact truth about these expressions. What this verse simply means is that those who practiced the religion head-quartered at Jerusalem wanted to kill Him. Actually, the King James Translators had the right idea - they recognized that "Jewry" was the religion of the Pharisees, and not that of the Israelites.
In our time most people think of the Jews as the people of Israel but that's not correct. An Israelite was one who had descended from Jacob/Israel and who practiced the moral, civil, and ritual laws given by God to Moses. In Jesus' time the Jews may or may not have descended from Jacob/Israel, but they practiced Rabbinism. Jesus fulfilled all things given by God to Moses, whereas the Jews held on to the shell only, and have been trying to take back the birthright their father Esau sold to Jacob/Israel.
In a yet more faithful version (paraphrase) of the New Testament, we could render that portion of John 7:1 this way: "...He was unwilling to walk in Judea, because the Rabbinate was seeking to kill him."
ANTITHESIS OF CHRISTIANITY: Today, the term "Jews" should denote those who adhere to the "Talmud," the bible of Rabbinism, although many Jews are secularists. In any case, the beliefs of Jewish leadership are the antithesis of true Christianity. We can see this antithesis operating from ancient times right up to the present.
For example, Gershon Mamiak, in the June/July 1989 issue of "Midstream," a Jewish publication, praised Caiaphas the High Priest and his colleagues for condemning Jesus. He said: "Their rejection of Jesus' teaching is one of the glorious episodes of Jewish history." (The Two Trials of Jesus, pp. 29-32)
This statement by Mamiak might be construed as genocidal Christian-bashing, the reverse of what Jewish leaders think is anti-Semitism. If someone were to say that Hitler's rejection of the Jews was one of the glorious episodes of Gentile history, all hades would break loose in the mass media and that person might even be sued.
An apology would be demanded and probably received, just as in the case of the Rev. Bailey Smith of Oklahoma, who several years ago said that God does not hear the prayers of Jews. He became, overnight, unbearably controversial; the media just wouldn't let it rest. He finally recanted and "joined" them.
Probably most Jews depend upon their rabbis for knowledge of the "Talmud" and its interpretation, just as most Christians, unfortunately, depend upon their Judeo-Christian teachers and other teachers for explanations of the Bible. And it is certainly true that practically all Christians are ignorant of Rabbinism-Talmudism, better known as Judaism. This is why they still think of Jews as the people of Israel and vice versa.
THE LION OUT OF JUDAH: Let us return now to our original question: did salvation come from the Jews? What did Jesus mean when He made that statement?
First let's look at Matthew 2:6: "And thou Bethlehem, in the land Juda [Judah], art not the least among the princes of Juda [Judah]: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."
Matthew quoted from Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament which was a Messianic prophecy: "And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Juda [Judah]; yet out of thee shall one come forth to me, to be a ruler of Israel; and his goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity."
As you can see, it predicted that Christ (Messiah) would come out of Bethlehem of Judah. The Greek preposition "ek" is used, just as John used it to record Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman. Messiah, our salvation, was to come "out of" the land of Judah.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the magi came searching for Him, King Herod inquired of the chief priests and scribes about the birth place of Messiah. They told him that the prophet Micah had predicted that it would be Bethlehem. That's why Herod then had all the male infants in Bethlehem two years old and under killed.
Now look at Hebrews 7:14: "For it is manifest that OUT OF Judah [Judeah] has sprung our Lord..."
Finally, the book of Revelation refers to Jesus Christ as the Lion OUT OF the Tribe of Judah. (Revelation 5:5) He is the One who triumphed over Satan and death, the One who will return to judge the world.
With all these facts in mind, the only reasonable conclusion I can reach regarding Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman is that in reality He was saying to her: "You don't understand what you worship, but we (Father & Son) understand, because salvation comes OUT OF Judah. I am the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Messiah Who was foretold by the prophets. I will give you eternal life if you believe on me."
We believe that anyone who studies these Greek Scriptures in the Gospels of John and Matthew, knowing that they link with Old Testament predictions, and also links them to the book of Revelation, will see that this makes sense and avoids contradiction and confusion.
It is faithful to the Old and New Testament contexts, to the Greek and English languages, and to history. it shows that salvation came out of Judah in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, AND NOT FROM THE JEWS. And if one will reflect carefully on it, it explains many religious, political, and social errors of our time.
SOME CURRENT CONSIDERATIONS: There has been an enormous onslaught of disinformation fed to the public about the "special status" of the Jews. The nation's foreign policy in the Middle East has been dominated by special consideration for the Jews. Billions of dollars of our taxes have been wasted in support of "Israel," in spite of the unconstitutionally of doing so. Such support is unconstitutional because our government is not supposed to favor one religion over another.
It is maddeningly ironic that Christians have been forced to support the Rabbinic religion and the atheists of� "Israel," while our own children were for many years barred from religious meetings on the campuses of our public schools. This condition has come about largely due to the efforts of Jewish organizations in America.
The anti-Christ system has been quite successful in molding public opinion via the mass media. Although Hollywood has been the worst offender over the years, currently we see many TV productions such as "scientific" documentaries, "historical" docudrama and others which also miseducate the public and form mistake opinions.
Much propaganda is placed right in the scripts of entertainment programs where people least expect it, and cultural patterns and mannerisms exert strong influence on the viewers. Thus they are brainwashed.
Sadly, Christians are not immune to this deception. Matthew 24:24 tells us that Satan will, if he can, deceive even the elect. We see telltale evidence of this deception not only in the Christian community's overt acts, but also in its unconscious habits, even sometimes in the casual remarks of ministers and television preachers. Many of them have "bought" error from the world via its mass media, and have rejected truth from unpopular sources. We've known of evangelical churches to enthusiastically permit an anti-Christ personally to speak from their pulpits, while rejecting a genuine Christian who wanted to correct the errors being taught by the former.
This mass mind-set created by the media is indicative of the condition of the world just prior to the second advent of Jesus Christ as depicted in numerous Bible passages, such as Daniel 7:25, 2 Peter 3:3-10; Jude 1:6-18; and Revelation 17:3-18, 21.
Jesus commanded us to: "...Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4)
Many Christians have succumbed to some of those sins, one of which is regurgitating anti-Christian disinformation, or being silent about some truth that might hurt their reputations. They shun some of their brethren who are telling them the truth because those brethren are thought to have spiritual halitosis.
This was written in defense of Christian beliefs, not as a polemic against Jews or Judaism. Only God can judge the human heart; we have no desire to assist Him in that matter. We hope you will see the intense importance of this information and will ACTIVELY help distribute it.