Do we really live by the Scriptural culture?

Believing in and serving the Almighty is not an add-on to ones life. I have heard very many people say that one should put the Almighty first in ones life, then I reply, “WHAT… as if He could be second!!!” The fact is that The Almighty and His instructions for us have to guide us in every single aspect of our lives. It has to become our culture to live by every single Word that comes from the mouth of the Almighty.

The Scriptures have to become our way of life and way of thinking in everything that we do, it should become our culture. The majority of people in this world belong to some religious organization of some kind. The largest religion in the world today is undoubtedly Christianity by far. When I hear or read about this fact, the words of the Messiah that comes to mind is found in the book of Matthew, “Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide – and the way is broad – that leads to destruction, and there are MANY WHO ENTER IN THROUGH IT. Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT” (Mat 7:13-14)

With the words of the Messiah in our thoughts, would one want to be part of the majority (the many)? The Messiah made it very clear that this is a matter of life and death. Should we not pay more attention and study to test everything in order to prove it true so that we follow the truth that leads to life? If we do not do so, then we are simply putting our own lives and the lives of our families into the hands of other people.

Let me use a practical example quick. I have two uncles, the one is a middle class worker and the other is a rich financial expert who makes a lot of money from the stock market. One day my middle class uncle asked my rich uncle to invest some of his hard earned money on the stock market for him so that he too could have some extra cash. My rich uncle agreed to do so and took his money to invest.

Now my uncle, that gave his hard earned money, trusted my other rich uncle because he was his own brother and believed he had his best interests at heart. What happened is that because my rich uncle was not investing his own money, he was not too worried about it and sort of forgot to look after his brother’s investment. In the end, he made a loss with his brother’s money. Now it was not because he did not care about his brother, but simply because he was more interested in making more money for himself or simply because any loss of that investment would have no effect on him directly.

This example has exactly the same principle as mentioned above. Are you putting your life in the care of other people, who in the end are more worried about their own lives and “forget” to look after your “investment,” namely your life? That is why it is written that we are to test everything in order to prove that it is right. We are responsible for our own salvation and therefore need to study the Scriptures for ourselves in order to know what is righteous and what is not. We then have to change our lives to the extent that it is perfectly in line with the Word/Instruction of the Almighty. “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה (YHWH)” (Mat 4:4). He is the only one who knows what is best for us.

Now, whenever someone, who is walking in the ways of the Scriptures and teaching the ways of the Almighty, encounters a Christian, they are usually accused of the following, “you are trying to Judaise me and the other people.” But is this statement true? Absolutely not!!!

Judaising someone is teaching them to follow Jewish traditions and teachings. There is a difference between Judaising and Scripturalising the belief/faith. Although the Scriptural way of life very much resembles that of what the Jews do in many ways, it is not exactly the same in the sense that the Jews (at least the Rabbinics) have many extra laws and “interpretations” of certain passages. But does it make everything they (Orthodox Jews) do incorrect? Certainly NOT.

Let us look at a few things that are different between the Orthodox Jewish faith and the Scriptural faith. Then we will look at the Scriptural faith and compare it to the Christian faith to see if that meets the Scriptural requirements.

A few Jewish traditions that are not Scriptural:

1)   Men have to wear a “kippa” (yarmulke) on their heads.
2)   Not allowed to eat meat and dairy in the same meal.
3)   Not allowed to have a blue thread in the tzitzit (Scripture requires us to wear tzitzit with a cord of blue in it)
4)   Have a set worked out calendar instead of watching for new moon (but only differ by a day or so when there is a difference)

Now let us look at a few things that are required by Scripture, that the Christians do NOT observe:

1)   Wear tzitzit (tassels) on the four corners of our garments (Num 15:38-40, Deut 22:12, Mat 9:20, 14:35-36, Mark6:56, Luke 8:43-44)
2)   Keep the Sabbath (Christianity does not keep the Sabbath) (Hebrews 4:9, Mat 24:20, Ex 31: 13-16, Isa 56:1-2, 58:13-14, 66:22-24, Deut 5:12, Ex 20:8-11, Jer 17:22 etc)
3)   Circumcision, which is an eternal sign of the Covenant given to Avraham (Christianity does not believe in circumcision) (Eze 44:9, Jer 4:4, Gen 17:10-14, Ex 12:43-44, Luke 2:21)

4)   Observe the Mo’edim (appointed times and feasts) as written in Lev 23 (Christians keep pagan holidays instead.) See – Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, New Year, Valentines day etc.
5)   The Name of the Almighty is (יהוה) and is His Name forever (Ex 3:15). (Christianity substitutes it with the names of pagan idols) See – God, Lord.
6)   Eating kosher foods only. (Click here to learn more)

The Jews do all of the above as it is required by the Scriptures, but Christians do NOT.

Now let us look at a few things that Christianity holds to as true doctrine, but is not at all Scriptural:

1)   The Trinity. (Click here to understand why this is not Scriptural.)
2)   The Law being done away with, lawless. (see – Mat 7:21-23, 24:12, 2 Cor 6:14, 1 John 3:4, 2 Thess 2:3 and 9, 2 Peter 3:17, Romans 2:12-13, 3:31, 7:12, John 14:21, Rev 12:17, 14:12, 22:14, 1 John 3:10, Mat 13:41-43, James 1:22)
3)   Faith without works, which is the keeping of the Torah (see – James 2:14-26, Romans 3:31)
4)   Only have to believe in “Jesus” to be saved. (Mat 10:22, 24:23, Mark 13:13, Click here too)
5)   The cross is a Christian symbol. (but is it Scriptural? Click here to learn more).

6)   Forgiveness of adultery… “he who is without sin, cast the first stone”

There are so many more that I could mention here, but I am sure that you get the point now.

The fact of the matter is that the Faith of the Scriptures is a Hebrew faith. The father of the eternal covenant is Avraham, to whom the Almighty made the covenant with. Christianity claims to be “sons of Abraham” and yet, they do not resemble Abraham in any way. Avraham was called an “Ivri” (Hebrew), where Christians follow a Roman religion.

Are we really trying to Judaise people? No… in fact, we are trying to Scripturalise people. The fact that someone who starts living according to the Scriptures might seem to look like a Jew or act like a Jew in many ways (in the eyes of the world), is because the lifestyle of the Jews are based mostly on the Scriptures. In fact, the Jewish nation is identified by the Torah, but most of them also follow extra laws that comes from the Talmud which was written by the Sages.

Christianity claims to be followers of the Messiah, but one thing that they simply cannot grasp is that the Messiah was and is a Jew (Y’hudi) and held to everything that is written in the Hebrew Tanakh. He lived according to the Scriptures and taught that we need to follow in His footsteps. I still remember a time when the church made arm bands that had the letters, “WWJD” written on them for the youth to wear. Those letters stood for, “What Would Jesus Do.” The wearer of the arm band would wear it as a reminder to do as “Jesus” would do in any situation. This was ironic as none of them ever did as the Messiah did or would do, for the simple fact because they had no idea what the Messiah would do in the situation because Christianity does not teach the true Messiah.

The fact of the matter is that Christianity has taken what is Scriptural and replaced it with other Westernized, Roman traditions of pagan cultures and religions.

Do you want to belong to the Hebrew faith of the Messiah and all His followers… or do you want to be a part of the Western Roman religion that has rejected the Scriptures in favor of their own personal teachings (doctrines) that are not at all Scriptural?

I am a Jew who follows a Jewish Rabbi who is my Messiah who teaches us to follow the Torah in every way.

Definition of Marriage and Adultery

There is a huge argument going on about what is considered adultery or not, within the community of believers. The reason for this argument is that some, ‘so-called’ believers cannot control their fleshly lustful desires and need to justify their adultery by twisting Scripture to seem as though it is acceptable what they are doing. The Scriptures are very clear in defining what marriage and adultery are and cannot be debated.

Let us define what marriage is according to Scripture

“For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). Notice here that the Scripture talks about flesh. Marriage is a physical action that binds one person to another and makes them one flesh. Even though marriage is also a spiritual bond, sex is the mechanism of marriage. “Do not deprive one another except with agreement for a time, to give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And come together again so that Satan does not try you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor 7:5). One is not considered to be married, according to the Scripture, without sealing, or consummating, the contract by having sex for the first time, where there was proof of a woman’s maidenhood through her blood revealed on the sheet.

Marriage is then clearly defined as a physical and spiritual binding of a man and a woman to become one flesh, and to be faithful to one another, until the event of death.

“And I say to the unmarried (not divorced) and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am (unmarried), but if they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Cor 7:8-9). So it is better to stay unmarried, but if you cannot control your physical need for sex, then it is better to get married before you commit adultery and burn. Once again we see that marriage is a sexual bond created between a man and a woman.

Let us now define what adultery is according to Scripture

Adultery is when a third person (whether it be a man or a woman) comes in between the bond created between a man and his wife, by laying with them (sexually). This is Hebrew thought and is so recognized in the Torah. “And a man who commits adultery with the wife of another man, who commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor: the adulterer and the adulteress shall certainly be put to death” (Lev 20:10). Adultery is clearly shown to be a death sentence. It is not a forgivable sin, this is because it is an evil act and all evil must be banished from the midst of the true believers. Most churches do not teach this and even allow it to continue in their congregations.

Let us have a look at what the Messiah defines as adultery:
“And it has been said, ‘Whoever puts away his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
But I say to you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the matter of whoring, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a woman who has been put away commits adultery” (Mat 5:31-32)

“And I say to you, whoever puts away his wife, except on the ground of whoring, and marries another, commits adultery. And whoever marries her who has been put away commits adultery.” (Mat 19:9)

So what He is saying is that any woman, and not only those who have already whored, who is divorced, MAY NOT re-marry. In fact, the Messiah teaches us that if ANY divorced woman remarries, then she is committing adultery, and so is the man who marries her. “He who commits adultery with a woman lacks heart; He who does it destroys his own life” (Proverbs 6:32).

You see, once a man and a woman are joined in marriage, they are bound for life. Not even a paper or letter of divorce can break the bond that was created in the physical and spiritual act of marriage. All that happens when a woman is issued with a letter of divorce, is that her husband is putting her away because they are not able to live together anymore. This does not give her the right to re-marry again, except if she re-marries her husband again.

The divorce letter was allowed because of the hardness of the hearts of the people. It is not a letter of a ‘reversal of marriage’, but rather that they cease from living together in order to prevent strife and even sin within the household. A wife is joined to her husband until the day of her husband’s death, even though a letter of divorce has been given to her in her hand and they are no longer living together.
“And Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it right for a man to put away his wife?” – trying Him. And He answering, said to them, “What did Mosheh command you?” And they said, “Mosheh allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away.” And יהושע (Yehoshua) said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this command.  “However, from the beginning of the creation, Elohim ‘made them male and female.’  ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh,’ so that they are no longer two, but one flesh  “Therefore what Elohim has joined together, let man not separate.” (Mar 10:2-9).

“Or do you not know, brothers – for I speak to those knowing the Torah – that the Torah rules over a man as long as he lives? For the married woman has been bound by Torah to the living husband, but if the husband dies, she is released from the Torah concerning her husband. So then, while her husband lives, she shall be called an adulteress if she becomes another man’s. But if her husband dies, she is free from that part of the Torah, so that she is not an adulteress, having become another man’s” (Rom 7:1-3). In this marriage covenant, the woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives (1 Cor. 7:39). The marriage "bond" is a lifetime covenant commitment, and Elohim holds people to the commitment they made, even if later they try to break it.

A woman may be "bound" to one man, but "married" to another man! The "bond" refers to the marriage covenant that Elohim holds you to. "Marriage" refers to the relationship you are living in as recognized by civil law and society. The two may be the same, but not necessarily. In the case of adultery, the woman is "bound" to one man but "married" to a completely different man!

That is why a woman is guilty of adultery if she is married to another man. Adultery, by definition, refers to sexual intercourse between two people, one of whom is bound by a marriage covenant to somebody else.

This woman is an "adulteress" because she has been joined in a marriage covenant with one man, and Elohim holds her to that covenant for life. But she is having sexual relations with another man, and that, by definition, is adultery.

Note that anytime she has sexual relations with a man other than her scriptural mate it is adultery - as long as her first companion is living, the passage says. Whether she has just a single act of intercourse, or has an "affair" involving a number of adulterous acts over a period of time, or whether it is a second marriage to another man - in any case every time she has sexual union with another man the passage says she is guilty of adultery.

This is "adultery" because the woman is Scripturally committed to have the sexual union only with one man as long as he lives, but instead she is having it with another man. This is why it is proper to refer to the second marriage as "adulterous" or "living in adultery," just as it would be if she were living with him but not married to him (Col. 3:5-7). “And to the married I command, not I, but the Master: A wife should not separate from a husband. But if she is indeed separated, let her remain unmarried or be restored to favour with her husband, and let a husband not send away a wife” (1 Cor 7:10-11)

Now what happens when a married couple, who are in their second marriage, comes into the faith? Well, the Torah teaches that we are only guilty of sin once we know that we have sinned. Also, we cannot be held liable for things that were done before entering into the faith, but once in the faith, then it is absolutely forbidden and considered to be an unforgivable sin. Anyone who does come into the faith, repents of all previous sins, by turning away from doing them again.

But didn’t the Messiah forgive a woman caught in adultery and said to the people, “he who is without sin, cast the first stone”? Well in fact, NO, the Messiah did not forgive a woman caught in adultery. In fact, the story being referred to here is John in John 8:1-11. The fact of the matter is that John did not write it as that story never happened. It was added into John’s writings by an anti-Torah scribe who wanted to justify adultery and to coin the evil phrase “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” It is used by millions of Christians to justify their sins and not be judged. It is pure evil. You can read more about it here: http://scripturaltruth101.blogspot.com/2011/03/woman-of-john-8.html

May we all strive to stay pure and clean in the eyes of the Almighty so that we may have the hope of everlasting life. 

The Woman of John 8

Later Greek manuscripts inserted additional verses into John 7:53 to 8:11 that tell a story of a woman caught in adultery. This story does not appear in either the Peshitta or the four earliest Greek manuscripts. Most Christian scholars are honest enough to acknowledge that John did not write this. Many opine that one of John’s “disciples” must have written it and inserted it later.

The KJV records verse 7:53 as: “And every man went unto his own house.” The narrative is as follows:

“1. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and he taught them. 3. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with [his] finger wrote on the ground, [as though he heard them not]. 7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9. And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:1-11 KJV).

Why would someone insert this story into the book of John? Firstly, this narrative is a fundamental proof text for Christians to prove that "Jesus" forgives adultery with no consequences to the offender. For Christians, "Jesus" says “go and sin no more.” Therefore, the woman was, in fact, guilty as charged but her sin was without consequence. If she had been falsely accused Y’hoshua would not have said “go and ‘sin’ no more.” Bringing an accused person publicly before Mashiyach for judgement is extremely perverse and shameful. There is no co-accused, no husband, no credible witnesses, and we have no idea whether or not those making the charges were even the ones who caught her in the act! It is written in such a way that the reader automatically feels sorry for the victimized woman. It’s impossible that the woman be judged, because the basic criteria are entirely nonexistent. In reality, Torah requires that both parties involved in adultery be brought up on charges together and in the presence of their accusers, as well as with any witnesses and the elders of the community, none of which was done here (Leviticus 20: 10-21).

The statement/question that, “Moses commanded us that such should be stoned” is a leading question. It is not supported in Torah or rabbinical halakha under any such circumstances as recorded. Torah is explicit in the matter of casting the first stone: “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put the evil away from among you” (Deut 17:6-7). Most of the civilized world realizes that a person is to be thought of as innocent until proven guilty, and that a hearing of evidence must precede a conviction and penalties. This inserted story is extremely indecent; the author of this lore makes a serious religio-political statement that juxtaposes his "Jesus" hero against those bad Pharisees…

The story ends with Y’hoshua ducking out of a stoning by the Pharisees. Christians know that Y’hoshua is innocent, but the Pharisees are pictured as picking up stones in a fit of rage to kill him for not condemning the poor, adulterous woman. Christians have been taught to view the Pharisees as hard-hearted, legalistic stone throwers; however, a brief look into Christian history shows the Pharisees are a Sunday picnic compared to the pogroms and massacres of Jews at the hands of Christians. Could it be that such an addition to the Christian Bibles contributed to anti-Semitism?

“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shall you put away evil from Israel” (Deut 22:22). The value of both marriage and human life has been greatly reduced by modern Christianity, which has hardly progressed beyond the Greco-Roman legal system that spawned it. Even in matters of adultery and remarriage, most Christians accept the authority of governmental legislation for divorce. As Scripture says: “…and the earth wondered after the beast” (Rev 13:3). In reality, Mashiyach calls his followers to a much higher standard than what earthly governments have to offer.

The story of the woman caught in adultery is a very sharp contrast to the account of “Ananias and Sapphira” (Acts 5:1-10) who bore false witness regarding a property they sold. In Acts 5, this couple lied publicly in the name of Y’hoshua and was struck down for making a mockery of the true Faith. The woman caught in adultery suffered no consequences; therefore, Christians theologize that she is saved, which also makes them feel better about the adultery in their own churches. Because of John 8, Christian leaders can now teach that adulterers are forgiven and need not make any restitution. There are no consequences in many Christian circles for adultery, which is why when Pastors, Priests and “Reverends” commit adultery and other evil sex crimes, they can continue right along with their “ministries” as if hardly nothing had happened.

“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” is simply theological trickery of Christianity. Every one of us is fallible and has sinned to one degree or another, but Christian theologians spin this to teach that none of us should ever judge sin. This dependency upon church hierarchy to forgive sin popularized Christianity and made the Catholic Church the wealthiest organization on Earth, because everyone knows that it’s tough to go through life without sinning.

This is why it is so important to have Torah written upon the heart. The Word of YHWH offers a deep and beautiful love relationship that is nurtured between the repentant sinner and YHWH, through Mashiyach. The sinner overcomes temptation to sin by recognizing a peer group of equals (Kedoshim) who support righteousness and reject sin. When Torah is written upon the heart the soul becomes servant to Righteousness and recognises dependency upon the spiritual body rather than the institution.

“But I fear, or else, as the serpent beguiled Chawwah (Eve) by his craftiness, so your minds should be corrupted from simplicity towards the Mashiyach. For if he that comes to you, had proclaimed to you another Y’hoshua, whom we have not proclaimed; or if you had received another Spirit, which you have not received; or another gospel, which you have not accepted; you might well have given your permission” (2 Cor 11:3-4). Y’hoshua saves in the Name of YHWH. His Name means the SALVATION of YHWH, which means the sinner must turn to YHWH and change from their sinful ways. Unlike the “Jesus” of the false church system who claims to “save” people in their sins, Y’hoshua taught: “How narrow the door and straight the road that leads to life, and few are they, those that find it” (Matthew 7:14).

Who inserted the story of the woman caught in adultery into the text? Considering the revisions, additions, adulterations and conflicts in the thousands of Greek manuscripts which surfaced since the Fourth Century, we know one thing: the story crept into the text a couple hundred years after Yehochanan (John). Therefore, it’s shameful to suggest that one of “John’s disciples” did it. Many assume that it is reasonable to insert cunningly devised fables into their Bibles that support their religious traditions, yet they continue to refer to their books as “holy.” This simply proves that it is often Christian tradition that has become their “holy” standard, certainly not the love of the Truth.