The Sacrifices Return

In my last post I asked, at the end of the post, “If Jesus was the messiah and his job was to take away the sins of the world and to end the sacrificial system, why is that same system going to be put back in place?” By now most of you reading this certainly know that I don't believe that Jesus was a god or a messiah of any kind but I still asked the question because right there in the bible, the Christian version at that, it makes it very clear that the sacrificial system is going to return in the future, all this can be found in the book of Ezekiel.

The book of Ezekiel is a very interesting book. Ezekiel was a prophet that was with the people in the exile at the time of his visions from G-d. Many people have not read much of it except for a few choice passages such as the “valley of dry bones” found in chapter 37 or the UFO vision in chapter one.

The history of the Christian church even suggests that there were a number of people who didn't want the book of Ezekiel included in the Christian bible because of the visions, like the UFO incident, and because it is worded differently then the other prophets, but I would suggest to you that the real reason can be found in the last part of Ezekiel.

Starting with chapter 40, Ezekiel is taken in vision to Israel, where he is shown the dimensions of the temple that is to be built, as well as it's implements. He is also shown where and when “the prince” as well as the common people would enter and exit the temple and even who would serve as the priests.

Now some might argue and try to suggest that this is nothing more then a description of the 2^nd temple that was built after the exile but that would be wrong.

These descriptions all come after the return of the people of Israel to their ancestral homeland and after the battle of Gog-Magog (see chapter 39) neither of which has happened as of yet. Israel has not returned to the days of King David or Solomon when their nation spread over an area almost the size of the United States.

Now look at Ezekiel 47:1-12

These verses speaks of water that will run from the temple that will into the great sea and all along this river there will be abundant fishing and abundant food growing on those trees and the leaves of the trees will be for the healing of the nations. None of this has happened as of yet so it is clearly speaking of a future time.

The point I am trying to say to you is actually quite simple. The nation of Israel will be restored to it's former and better glory. The temple will be rebuilt and the sacrifices will return. It's all right there in Ezekiel, I didn't make it up.

For the record I asked several pastors what they thought of the passages in Ezekiel. I was told that they had wonderful explanations for it and that they would get back to me. I haven't heard a word.

If Christians would slow down and actually read what is written in the prophets, instead of relying on pastors or, 90 day reading plans, they might actually come to realize that much of what they have been taught isn't even remotely biblical.

I was going to quote large chunks of these chapters to make the point but I am guessing that if you are still reading this that you either have looked for yourself or your about to (and I would encourage you to do so) I am not telling you this for my own benefit, I want you to go and read it and then decide if what is written there is true. If you believe that the bible is the written word of G-d and that the prophets, including Ezekiel, were repeating what G-d told them, then you are going to have to make a decision as to what you believe.

Blessings, Shalom.

G-d The Savior

In my last post, at the end, I suggested to you that the prophets do speak of a savior. I also suggested to you that it's not the kind of salvation, or the kind of savior, as is claimed by the Christian world.

So who then is that savior? It's G-d Himself.

Isaiah 43:3 “For I the Lord am your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior...”

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus said the Lord, the King of Israel,Their Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts..”

44:23-24 “...For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, Has glorified Himself through Israel. Thus said the Lord, your redeemer...”

Isaiah 52: 9-10 “Raise a shout together, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord will comfort His people, will redeem Jerusalem. The Lord will bare His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, And the very ends of the earth shall see The victory of our G-d.”

These are just a few of many verses and passages that speak of G-d delivering the children of Israel and Judah, that much is plain, but what is it that they are being redeemed, or saved from? I can tell you it's not sin. G-d pleads with them to tun from their sins and return to Him but nowhere does it suggest that He forces it upon them or that any kind of bloody sacrifice is going to be needed if they do return to His way. So what is it that He is saving them from? The exile.

Isaiah 43:5-7 Fear not for I am with you: I will bring your folk from the East,Will gather you out of the West; I will say to the North give back! And to the South Do not withhold! Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the end of the earth- All who are linked to My name, Whom I have created, Formed and made for my glory.

Even today , with millions of Jews living in Israel there are still many more living in exile and even many more who don't even know that they are Jewish or at the very least of Hebrew descent, this is what His salvation is all about , bringing all to an awareness of who they are and to bring them back to the land of Israel.

Isaiah 49:12-13 “ Look these are coming from afar, These from the North and the West, And these from the land of Sinim. Shout O heavens, and rejoice O earth! Break into shouting, O hills! For the Lord has comforted His people, And has taken back His afflicted ones in love.”

Verses 19-22 “As for your ruins and desolate places and your land laid waste- You Shall soon be crowded with settlers,While destroyers stay far from you. The children that you thought you had lost Shall yet say in your hearing, The place is too crowded for me; Make room for me to settle, And you will say to yourself Who bore these for me when I was bereaved and barren, exiled and disdained, By whom then were these reared? I was left all alone and where have these been? Thus said the Lord G-d ; I will raise my hands to nations And lift up my ensign to peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosoms, And carry your daughters on their backs.”

Over and over again and again, the theme is the same, not just in Isaiah but throughout the prophets. The people have rebelled against G-d and, as forewarned they are punished for their rebellion,but in “the latter days” G-d Himself redeems them from the four corners of the earth and brings them back home and back into an eternal covenant with Him.

You see how simple all this is when you see it in context?

Still, I am sure, there are some of you who doubt this finding, that's fine because I want you to do your own search anyhow. The biggest mistake I have ever seen is the people in the churches and I would dare say even the synagogues just blindly following what they have been taught because it's tradition.

Now for those of you who don't believe any of what I have shared I do have a question for you; If Jesus was the messiah and his job was to take away the sins of the world and to end the sacrificial system, why is that same system going to be put back in place?

Shalom.

God Is Straight Forward

I am sure that most of you at some point has heard it said that G-d works ( or moves) in mysterious ways. Usually this is in reference to something miraculous, good or bad ,that happens that no one was expecting.

I know someone, who shall remain nameless, that was supposed to be on a plane going from Miami to Boston. The car that he was in, heading to the airport, broke down, and he had to get a cab to finish the journey. He was just late enough to the airport that his flight had left without him only a few minutes before and he had to take another flight. The plane that he had been scheduled to be on crashed and all but two people on board were killed, and one of them died a few days later.

Some might suggest G-d moved in a mysterious way to save that man, yet many more died. Were they any less worthy of life? No, I think G-d is much more open and blunt.

I have also heard the term used for the bible,especially the prophets, with people, usually in three piece,expensive, suits and mega churches, trying to suggest that there are hidden meanings or things that can't be understood by someone unless they are a brain surgeon and can dig out all the nuances of the scriptures.

I would say that there are a few things, such as “a wheel within a wheel” in Ezekiel that is kind of hard because the prophet is trying to describe something that is quite beyond his expertise in describing. Or sometimes the descriptive nature of the wording can get confusing,especially when the prophet is writing in such a way that might be more familiar to the listener of his day, but for the most part the scriptures are fairly straight forward and mean exactly what it says, G-d Himself says so.

Isaiah 42:9 “See, the things once predicted have come,And now I foretell new things, Announce to you ere they sprout up.

Isaiah 43:12 “ I alone foretold the triumph And I brought it to pass; I announce it, And no strange G-d was among you. ….”

Isaiah 44:8 “ Do not be frightened , do not be shaken! Have I not from of old predicted to you? I foretold and you are my witness.”

Isaiah 45:19 “I did not speak in secret, At a site in a land of darkness; I did not say to the stock of Jacob. Seek me out in a waste land. I the Lord who foretell reliably, Who announce what is true.

Isaiah 47:10 “I foretell the end from the beginning , And from the start, things that had not occurred...”

Isaiah 48:3, 5-8 “I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.... Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, My images brought them about;my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? “From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today So you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew of them.’ You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ears have not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.”

One thing that is clear from these passages is that G-d is blunt and speaks right to the truth of the matter. He made it clear to Israel what would happen to them, for good or bad ,going right back to the days of Moses and He did just as he said. There was nothing hidden or mysterious about it.

So with G-d speaking so bluntly, and full filling prophecy just as fore told, why would He now decide hide, what would arguably be the most important of prophecies ever?

Why would he hide His “ plan of salvation” in obscure passages, that most would scan right over or even worse never hear or read in the first place?

By suggesting that it's hidden in obscure passages that can only be understood by those who study the deep mysteries and assign meanings that just aren't there or are taken out of context you are condemning billions to hell and you make G-d out to be a tyrant and a liar. Look at the this verse;

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

G-d told them then that His laws and ways were not difficult and, as the passages I shared earlier make clear, He proclaims things though the prophets and they come to pass. Nothing hidden,just straight out truth. Nothing mysterious about it.

In all fairness there is a savior mentioned in these passages but I don't believe that it means what many think it does, but that's a subject for the next post.

Shalom.