Dear Toto Readers,
I tend to use special days such as this to review where I have been and rethink where I wish to go. I then use the day after special days like this to ignore that rethinking and return to my highly prized habits of yesteryear. Not that change is impossible. Change is inevitable. Control is impossible, at least for me. So last night I made my New Year Resolutions and this morning I broke them, or at least all but one of them.
The one I have not as yet shattered is my commitment to trying new on-line networking projects. So I have opened a Linked-in account, and started a Twitter series of, dare I say it, daily tweets. I am too old for this.
I have no idea what these tools are supposed to do for me, or how I can use them to feed my messiah complex, but I am inviting you to link with me on Linked-In and follow me on Twitter. The second is the more interesting: At least once each day I send out short (140 characters or less) proverbs of my own making called "Jaded Wisdom". If you want to see just how brilliant and brief I can be, log onto www.twitter.com and sign up to get these faux pearls of genius.
In addition to my bald effort at self-promotion, I want to thank you all for reading and commenting on this blog. It is, as most blogs are, a labor of love and ego. Chances are I would write and publish it even if no one read it, but the fun of it is in knowing that you are reading it and hearing from those who choose to comment on it.
I hope 2009 is a constructive year for each of you.
Shalom,
Rami
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10 comments:
Shalom Rav,
Seth Godin's post today is wonderful as usual.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/01/happy-new-year.html
Let's make it a good year not only for ourselves, but for others as well.
Biv'racha,
Jordan
Hey Rami,
Happy New Year. I look forward to those faux pearls!
Question: Remember when you went up on the mountain with your Rebbe and he/she gave you stuff to think about over the next year? I can't find the blog...but the 4 questions were intriguing.
I thought it might be interesting for you to evaluate the coming year according to those 4 questions. I would evaluate my coming year accordingly, but I can't find the blog and don't actually remember the details of what was suggested. ;0) I simply remember thinking, "Can't wait until Rami tells us how all that is going." AND I am tired of waiting...so chop chop.
Anyway, that was rambling. Hopefully you remember...or that your Rebbe does not read your blog!
Thanks in advance.
Shalom Patti,
Here it is:
http://rabbirami.blogspot.com/2008/07/four-questions-for-jewish-fall-holy.html
Biv'racha,
Jordan
Just saw your blog for first time tonight...regarding a discussion question of 'why did Jesus have to die'...didn't know if you could review my answer on the blog of that ..so I will post here for you.
God is pleased with obedience more than sacrifice that is why he wanted and did finish sacrificial offerings for ever by accepting Christ's own death and sacrifice...here is my post answer. Pls accept in kindness...I found your blog because my dog Toto passed away yesterday and I just happened to google when did Toto the dog die? and found your blog ...amazing!
I just read your question...Jesus had to die in order to live. t was necessary for him to pass thru death unto life to overcome satan and receive the authority over death. Two things had to happen to overcome the corruption of the earthly priesthood. A new Temple that would be a forever temple to God and a new priesthood that would never again pass away. Christ being the son of David in the Davidic lineage fulfilled the Kingship role and receiving the mantle of priesthood passed on from John the Baptizer to Christ (as John was in the line of Aaron as High Priest) carried the mantle of priesthood over to Christ Jesus (Yeshua) as being the next High Priest (the washing of the priesthood upon service started with Moses washing Aaron and his sons)..and therefore the prophecy of "thou art a priest forever in the order of Melchisadec" was a result of Melchisadec having both title roles of High Priest and King of Salem....Christ being now both King and Priest could therefore now offer sacrifice to God (being the last sacrifice to offer up and would replace forever the offering of animal sacrifice which God really detested over time)...and Christ could also be the sacrifice at the same time. But most important was that it must be a death that would fulfill prophecy and result in an 'eternal forever priesthood'...therefore it was necessary for Christ to die in order to live and receive the mantle of Heavenly High Priest and as the New Temple that God hath made and not man. It was necessary for Christ's blood to be of the Holy Spirit and not the seed of man so that his blood would be perfect and without blemish. Abel's blood cried out to God for vengeance....Christ's blood cried out to God for forgiveness....the work was finished at the cross at Golgotha....and the prophecy of Daniel 7: 13, 14 had been completely fulfilled on that day when Christ ascended to heaven as reported in Acts, chapter 1 and confirmed by Stephen who saw 'the son of man' seated in power in a vision before he was stoned to death.
hope this helps...took years for me to understand it...and God's Spirit is the Teacher.
I won't bother to argue with most of Thanksgiving1st's post, because this is a matter of faith or belief, and it is useless to argue that. I don't believe the whole premise, including the general idea that God would punish us for not being perfect.
The one thing I could never understand is this lineage of David business. If Joseph was not JC's real father, then where does the lineage come from?
Thank you Jeff...pleased to greet you! I am always thankful that there are people like myself and you who come to these forums to share and learn (as we each have something good to contribute) and I am very pleased to discover this blog that Rami has started as I am new at using blogs and I hope that each of us will enjoy what each posts whether we agree or disagree.. Like going to a picnic where each brings a covered dish and some don't like eating hot dogs and some do! Of course if you know how to make a good tasting potato salad most will spoon that up...then there are usually some who would comment that the person who made it forgot to put pickles and onions in it.
Only with theology discussions some don't make it to the dessert table..unfortunately. But if we did try to make it pleasant for each other though there may be different ways to look at things...we really could make for a good fellowship online.
The Lord God Almighty had made a covenant with Israel and Moses as the spokesperson (Numbers 36:13). In that covenant there were 'forever' promises given to the Aaronic priesthood (Numbers chap.18).
The Aaronic priesthood broke covenant and could not keep the covenant (many failed attempts and so be that it became only a one sided covenant and God was not pleased...Malachi 1,2). So an entire new covenant (Jer.31: 31 - 34..distinctly specifying that it would not be like their existing covenant v.32) was planned and exercised by the Lord GOD Almighty to remove the Temple system and the existing earthly priesthood system (which would eliminate the forever promises given to the Aaronic priesthood by establishing an entire new system)...but He had to make a way for an Eternal everlasting Temple of worship and a eternal priesthood to be the liason with those of mankind that would enter the New Covenant. This is what the Jews that believed in Christ found when they searched the scriptures (read Hebrews 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 of NT).
The existing Aaronic priesthood carried the continuance of the priesthood by the bloodline of their relationship to Levi (thru Aaron) but that did not make them perfect and eternal. So it was necessary for GOD to establish a bloodline of His very own and introduce His Son as both King and Priest (in the order of Melechisadec who had two title roles) and also create an eternal way for the Temple and Priesthood to always be forever and the need was to establish this New system with authorite over 'both' heaven and earth.
As the Holy Spirit had divinely made the first 'adam' and established mankind's flesh and blood system.....The Holy Spirit came upon Mary (a virgin) and established His seed in her womb to bring about a 'perfect, without blemish' blood in His son Jesus (Yeshua). If you google the info about the placenta in its perfect mode (normalacy) you will see that the blood of the fetus is determined by the father and not by the mother. Of course these days many pollute the placenta wall with chemicals and such and sometimes the mother's blood has been involved ...but I beleive The Holy Spirit knew what He was doing and He created a baby with His own HOLY seed and was not polluted by any generation bloodline. This makes the blood shed at Golgotha by Christ most indeed 'the Holy blood of the Lamb". (this also defeats the book fiction of Holy blood, Holy Grail regarding Mary magdelene).
By impregnating Mary who became the wife of Joseph (of the line of David)(Matthew, chap. 1) then Jesus the Christ became the adopted son of Joseph, which gave him access to the throne (but at that time Herod was king and would not have allowed any son of David's to occupy the throne). So by process of adoption Christ was the rightful heir to the throne and since God had already said that that the line of Judah was the rightful Kingship then it would fit the plan for Christ to be the eternal King as the plan was to raise Him from the dead and make Him the eternal King forever.
(fulfillment of Daniel 7: 13, 14).
But what about the change in the priesthood...there had been nothing said of the priesthood changing from Aaron to Judah...so it was necessary to establish the New Covenant with the same King also the same Priest to rule over the New Covenant....(which again is why Christ is likened to Melchisadec as Melchisadec had been the only one reportedly who held both mantles of King and Priest). But this eternal Priesthood and Kingship was not just over Jerusalem or Israel anymore....GOD had also elevated the status of the TEmple, the Priesthood and the Kingship to be over both Heaven and earth.
Therefore the woman Mary's
womb was used to bring forth the seed of the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of the Living GOD. The flesh was of mankind but the blood was determined by the FAther in Heaven. And it is the blood that gives life to the flesh. To sing "Holy is the Blood of the Lamb" is true as it is not tainted by mankind's original blood. God's own software improvement of His own plan for mankind.
I know that this requires faith to fully interpret and understand what I am writing about... and I don't expect anyone or everyone that reads this post to fully comprehend what I have written, though it would be nice. Jesus said to search the scriptures to read of Him so pls do look up the text references I have given.
I am here to share wisdom and "not to dispute" but to give freely what I have received....though I am also human and do appreciate a reasonable discussion of intelligence. It is helpful to use the scripture references in making statements such as the above so I have left some there.
Yet I also researched the function of the placenta when I was concerned of the media's craze over Holy Grail, Holy Blood and was fascinated to find that the placenta wall filters out the blood so that the fetus blood does not mix with the mother's blood and vice versa...yet there have been cases where the placenta wall was not perfect because of the environment it was subjected to. This is why some take RH shots to overcome a blood mix problem before the delivery.
Jeff, just reread your post and I don't see where I posted anything about God punishing us for not being perfect. Rather God presented His work in Christ to overcome our imperfectness at being able to to come to Him in worship and fellowship. Christ had to die to be raised up in the the eternal form and He lives. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith...and eventually as a believer we also must go from death to life or be raised up like Elijah (who was alive in his body when he ascended) or Moses (whose body was never found). GOD placed His own Spirit in His own Son to overcome the transition and to present the 'forever' perfect sacrificial blood to not only seal the New Covenant but to be the 'forever' without blemish offering for all those who come to Him to obtain a relationship of grace and truth.
I don't know of any other plan to pass from death into life eternal...and I accept God's plan of His Son because I received the truth when the Holy Spirit was sent to reveal those things to me. I did not know that Christ was real even in my early 40's...and since I did not beleive prior to receiving these truths then I surely had no other way to understand. I spent years trying to find out who our Maker is (without any strong Biblical background) only to be frustrated until I found that Christ is the perfect answer to fit in with the truths of the Bible. Perhaps that is why He calls Himself the 'Way' as I am satisfied that He is. My life improved so much more in wisdom and understanding when I submitted to the knowledge of Christ. But it is not up to us to force ourselves to believe. Christ said, 'Many are called, few are chosen'. So if any are being called....don't resist like Korah did against Moses...for you never know when your time of calling will end. Rather come humbly to Jehovah GOD and ask him if Daniel 7: 13, 14 has been fulfilled in Christ....asking him to include you in revealing these things by sending the Holy Spirit. Jesus quotes in Luke 11 that whoever asks for the Holy Spirit will receive of Him (but ask humbly not in mockery...for then you would not receive as the one thief on the side of Christ did mock the Lord and did not enter into paradise as the other thief surely did...the example of the two thieves at the cross with Christ is a real understanding of what fruit do we wish to bear in leaning truth...and we stand to be chosen with this knowledge)
The whole notion of God's bloodline is a bit odd, I think. Does God have blood? And, as Jeff pointed out, since the Davidic line would come from Joseph rather than Mary, and since Joseph is not Jesus' father, then Jesus cannot be of Davidic descent. On the other hand, having God as your Dad beats having David as a great great great great grandfather any day.
My concern here is that Thanksgiving1st is hoping to make some converts here. I doubt that will happen. I for one am so far removed from the literalist position on the Bible that the comments, while interesting, are in now way compelling.
Lastly, the idea that the Jews (what TGFirst is calling the Aaronic Priesthood) broke their covenant with God and God had to replace them with the New Covenant people (Christians) is of course offensive to Jews and many others. Again I don't believe in a choosing god, a god who makes babies with anyone, let alone humans, a punishing god, or a god who needs blood (that of cows or that of his son) to placate his anger and assuage his desire to burn people in hell for all eternity. Whatever happened to God is love?
thanks...
Question: Did Moses have a right to the throne of Pharoah? As he was not the blood descendant but surely was the adopted son of Pharoah's daughter. Had Pharoah have liked Moses he could indeed have made him pharoah.
Did Joseph have a right to oversee the Egyptians as co-ruler of Egypt? As he was not the blood descendant to the throne yet he was adopted into Pharoah's family (and of course had married Pharoah's daughter).
Here we have examples of Kingship authority by being placed into the areas of Kingship rights and not by bloodlineage.
And Joseph is our example of God's righteousness in bringing about a situation for one man who was at odds with his own family and certainly suffered much...yet God had allowed Joseph to encounter those conditions only to raise him up above all the rest and for the good for the Hebrews and for the Egyptians. And then he used Joseph to rule over them all!
Why the suffering to get one man in the right place only to elevate him higher? because God has a spiritual enemy whom we refer to sometimes as the devil, the satan.
Why does God have such an enemy? I don't know...but Jesus did mention that there was war in heaven and that the violent were trying to take heaven by force (so there is a report of such a battle...and we do know that God and satan had their challenge with each other in using Job (if we want to believe that story as true) (and if we do then we also must recognize that satan has powers also like GOD but we are told that satan is not as powerful as GOD...yet even Christ was concerned over the violent trying to take heaven)(Christ even tells us that he had a vision of satan falling like lightening to the earth...a clue that satan was being cast out of power in heaven and being thrust out to the earth). Certainly if satan is responsible for the evil on planet earth then we know he is still on earth (but NOT IN HEAVEN anymore)..but the battle field is still evident.
You know we watch Star Trek and such movies and we can clearly understand that we possibly are not the highest intelligence in all the galaxies. So if we happen to be the 'roll out your garden and watch it grow' plan of God's then we cannot do anything about it anyway but learn of Him and hope He will help us understand Him and be accepted.
(Have you seen those commercials yet that have flower and vegetation already in seed form in a carpet like roll that you just roll out in your garden and water and watch grow...that is what I meant).
As far as 'blood'. If you were the man that invented gasoline for automobiles then you clearly would be pleased with your invention. Not many today would want to do with out it. So if GOD likes to talk about blood and even wanted some to pay for their disgusting behaviour towards Him by offering up innocent animal's blood...He only was trying to teach them that life cannot exist without blood and that they should learn from Him. God grew tired of the people offering up animal sacrifices...though at the beginning it might have well been like in Noah's day where the animals were presented as an offering of thanks but even then the animals were not destroyed in vain for the people ate of the sacrifice but not the blood. By the time King Solomon came about...it wasn't just the Jews offering animal sacrifices ...all the pagan folks were also and then it became a contest to how many they would offer in one service. They evidentally were not approaching their Creator with a desire to see what he really wanted...but were doing their best to impress Him with the carrying on of traditions/rituals. To take them from the level of their marketing of the sacrifices (it had become a merchant way of making $) to back to a real way to worship Him in truth and spirit ...then it was necessary to develop a plan to end sacrifice and forever end it. This is why the offering of Christ suits that plan well....and He lives.
As far as GOD wanting a new Covenant to replace/fulfill the Old being offensive to today's Jews....it was spoken by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others and certainly Our Maker has the right to redo/improve His own creation and/or how he communicates with it.
A Christian is supposed to be one that admonishes GOD and his plan, with no regards as to whether they are Jew or Gentile....whereas the covenant thru Moses is stictly for Jews (by circumcicion as evidence of that blood covenant) and those Gentiles that would convert and circumcise themselves...with the man representing the family in covenant as he is the indiv. that is wearing the sign of circumcision....but it was a covenant ONLY for Israel. Yet circumcism of the foreskin has now become a hygenic practice with nothing to do with a covenant with GOD.
It is not a matter of being converted by thinking one would like to be a Christian...it is a matter of GOD choosing to convert someone that HE is choosing. The first covenant included the offspring automatically under ritual services...the Second (New and eternal) covenant includes by faith, repentance, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism. Not all are Chistians by attending church or reading a Bible...only those that have received the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit are true Christians and even they must learn to submit to be acceptable. Elijah had received GOD's Holy Spirit and King David also had the Spirit of the Living GOD...yet that was an annointing upon them (real Star trekky when you think about it....just trying to visualize the impact of such a powerful annointing they must have received) and in the new living way that Jesus describes to the early disciples...He said that the Holy Spirit has been with you but now He will be "in you"...meaning that this was new for GOD to inhabit mankind while they were in their bodies on earth.
No...it is not a matter of me trying to convert anyone. I cannot choose who GOD will choose to be part of Himself. If a man or woman hears his call to come then it is between them and GOD how they arrive at that place.
Acts 2: 47 "....And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." The today's church sometimes has forgotten that it is not up to the individual to have to choose between life and death and force them to believe in Christ...it is that the Lord will 'choose' whom He will save and then that process is between Him and them. Jesus said that no man could come to Him except the Father send them (and by His Holy Spirit being sent to them to reveal the Son).
If we are to speak of the writings of the Bible then we will need to use sentences sometimes from the Bible so I give text references in kindness for researching....not for conversion....on my part. But of course it is GOD who establishes what covenant and to whom He is speaking with if His words are heard thru any of us in our discussions.
Surely those that have studied Torah know that God desired a New Covenant and spoke of it often throughout the centuries. Do they think that He still desires blood atonement? As it states, that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" which is a statement that clearly was referring to sacrifice by the priesthood. How are Jews receiving forgiveness by God throughout all these centuries if they beleive that He will only forgive sins with the atoning blood of sacrifice at the alter which is no longer a practice/ritual in Jerusalem. Did the Jews since 70Ad have a priesthood taking on their sins for forgiveness since then? Did they die in their sins being not forgiven? This is why it is important to desire to know the truth....and if you or others cannot trust the Bible for being truthful....then I guess it is a chancy game...as we did not make ourselves and we as a people on planet earth are not the beginning or the end...we are powerless to make the seed that gives life...but some have found ways to use God's genetic substances in His creation and they have made seed bring forth fruit...but they are not the author of the original seeds of life.
Just wanted to say thank you Rami...for the blog, the books, the laughs, the food for thought. I'm one of those creepy lurkers, but feel now is a good time to come out of the woodwork and give you my regards. Your work blesses my little world on a regular and ongoing basis.
Thanks and Every Blessing!
Dara
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