In case you were wondering where the Furry Curry has gone off to, here is an excerpt from an essay by one who said it better than I could:

"An early victim of collapse is the sense of normalcy. People are initially shocked to find that it's missing, but quickly forget that such a thing ever existed, except for the odd vague tinge of nostalgia. Normalcy is not exactly normal: in an industrial economy, the sense of normalcy is an artificial, manufactured item.

"In Russia, normalcy broke down in a series of steps. First, people stopped being afraid to speak their mind. Then, they stopped taking the authorities seriously. Lastly, the authorities stopped taking each other seriously. In the final act, Yeltsin got up on a tank and spoke the words "Former Soviet Union."

"In the Soviet Union, as this thing called normalcy wore thin due to the stalemate in Afghanistan, the Chernobyl disaster, and general economic stagnation, it continued to be enforced through careful management of mass media well into the period known as glasnost. In the United States, as the economy fails to create enough jobs for several years in a row, and the entire economy tilts towards bankruptcy, business as usual continues to be a top-selling product, or so we are led to believe. American normalcy circa 2005 seems as impregnable as Soviet normalcy circa 1985 once seemed.

"[The sense of normalcy] was, and is being brought down in the late Soviet Union as in the contemporary United States, through almost identical means, though with different technology. In the Soviet Union, there was something called samizdat, or self-publishing: with the help of manual typewriters and carbon paper, Russian dissidents managed to circulate enough material to neutralize the effects of enforced normalcy. In contemporary United States, we have web sites and bloggers: different technology, same difference. These are writings for which enforced normalcy is no longer the norm; the norm is the truth - or at least someone's earnest approximation of it.

"So what has become of these Soviet mavericks, some of whom foretold the coming collapse with some accuracy? To be brief, they faded from view. Both tragically and ironically, those who become experts in explaining the faults of the system and in predicting the course of its demise are very much part of the system. When the system disappears, so does their area of expertise, and their audience. People stop intellectualizing their predicament and start trying to escape it - through drink or drugs or creativity or cunning - but they have no time for pondering the larger context."

-Dmitry Orlov, "Post-Soviet Lessons for a Post-American Century"

The Furry Curry has stopped intellectualizing his predicament.

The tenth day of the ninth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

The future seems so bleak for this country which has rejected the Torah. I can't help put think this is how the people of Israel must have felt under Rehoboam. Those who disagree with the federal government's increasing power and the increasing abuse of that power talk of revolution as if it were waiting to strike this country as a smith's hammer on a sword, shaping the government back into its original Constitutional paradigm. Others speak of Ron Paul and his "r3VOLution" of a different kind - the scaling back of government bloat, spending and bureaucracy, and a return to the days when individual liberty meant something. Still others say that eventually the great patriots in the Armed Forces will cease to take orders from an increasingly despotic regime. Others have a more pessimistic outlook - that the inhabitants of this country are either too lazy, too ignorant, or both, and will never vote for change because they do not know what needs to be changed or that the two-party system as it stands today amounts to little more than a front for an organized Globalist crime syndicate, and will never rise up to protect their rights through civil disobedience, revolution, war, or armed conflict. Now, I ask you: Where were the great lights in Germany who revolted against Hitler's bloody Reich? No - Hitler was the revolutionary! He was the radical voice for change and the hope of the German people. Now where were the great lights in Russia? Stalin had them shipped off to forced labor camps. Later, Solzhenitsyn was exiled and his ideas, thoughts and writings were anathema simply because he made the gulag system public knowledge. The world lauded him with a nobel prize - but it also lauded Stalin before him with Time's Man of the Year award, twice. And as for the army - where was China's patriotic young soldier? Piloting the tanks in Tienanmen Square.

The American people are asleep. They have been asleep for a hundred years or more. What sane people would allow the government to confiscate privately held gold bullion? Yet we see from the demise of von NotHaus's Liberty Dollar that things have not changed, it is today as it was in 1933. What freedom-loving nation would fight wars overseas to maintain global hegemony? Or is freedom only for the fortunate who are within its borders? And even then, only ostensibly - we are no longer a free people here. Nor are we a safe people. I do not think we would be content to exile our own Solzhenitzyn. We would "render" him to a prison in Eastern Europe and torture him to death. Nor do I think we will ever see our own tyrants for who they are nor attempt to dethrone them, any more than the German people rose up en masse against Hitler. What is left but for our own government to declare us heretics, extremists, terrorists, and to send the tanks after us as well? Where will the public outrage be? -- But by then the people will already be convinced that their freedom, liberty, security and safety will be secured upon our deaths! Because now, dissent is traitorous, seeking the truth is fanaticism, and distrust of government is support for the enemy. Of course. One of the greatest reasons to have a war is that wartime propaganda is so effective, and an outside threat can be a catalyst for change of the worst kind.

But the few who are reading, listening, and learning the truth now will be deprived of their voice and of their source of information - the Internet's "alternative" news can only be marginalized for so long, and then it must be either usurped or destroyed - and from then on, no one will know what has happened to us, and those who know, will not care, and those who care, will be the next ones dead or in prison. And if you think it could never happen here, think of what Hitler would have done with nanotechnology, and think what Stalin would have done with ECHELON. The potential for the abuse of government power has never existed to this extent at any time in history, and the sheer power available to those who would seize it is unmatched in history as well - power over billions of people. Babylon, Egypt, Assyria and Greece could never have dreamed of it, though they would have made use of it. It will only get worse as technology develops further.

Is it too late to repent? I don't know - is it ever truly too late? Perhaps, for any practical purpose. In that case, I only hope to share the fate of Baruch, and be rewarded with my life. But if only the people would see their sins and repent. From the way the Bible ends, though, it appears that the worse things get, the more people hate YHWH and his perfect Law. And it is that hate which got us into this situation to begin with. There is nowhere to go from here but down. The Old Republic is over in all but name. It has been dying for decades. Welcome to the American Empire. We earned it.

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The ninth day of the ninth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

The Torah has some great benefit passages. If you keep the Law you will reap great rewards. You won't get sick, your wives and cattle won't miscarry, you will experience increase. However, during times of great turmoil, when the nation finds itself under the Penalty Clause, those who still fear YHWH are not always subject to great increase and prosperity. For example: Baruch, in Jeremiah chapter 45. "Thus says the LORD the God of Israel to you, O Baruch: You said, 'Ah, woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.' Thus you are to say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land. But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh," declares the LORD, "but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go."'"

This is a historical truth, but I believe it also to be a parable for our time, for "Baruch" is the man who delights in the Law of YHWH, and "Baruch" is the man who fears YHWH according to Psalms 1 and 128. So those who fear YHWH in these apocalyptic times may not find themselves like Abraham was, a patriarch with scores of cattle and tents and loads of silver and gold. They may find themselves like Baruch - just getting by, but surviving. This also confirms what the Messiah said, when he spoke to his disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Consider the tumultuous times the disciples were about to face - the persecution of the Nezarim, and the failed revolt against Rome. We, too, are coming upon tumultuous times and I think these words are for us as well. Do not worry about where your next meal will come from, even as the economy collapses and men and women are tortured for speaking out against tyranny. Do not worry about what you will wear, as the dollar's value withers and the basic needs of life become scarce. For if we are Baruch - blessed - because we fear YHWH and obey His commandments, we will have our lives as our reward in all the places we may go. And even if not - if we should not be spared - we have treasure in Heaven which will be given us in the Resurrection.

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The sixth day of the ninth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

A little update for those who may still be alive and watching out there. A busy season has ended and now I have a bit of time, again. So, as I was reading in Malachi, I saw where our Father said: "'A son honors his father, and a servant his master Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. "But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts. "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts. "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you. For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD of hosts. "But you are profaning it, in that you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.' You also say, 'My, how tiresome it is!' And you disdainfully sniff at it," says the LORD of hosts, "and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?" says the LORD. "But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King," says the LORD of hosts, "and My name is feared among the nations."

Now. I have heard several interpretations of what Paul meant by "The Lord's Table" when he wrote the following: "I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons." Many say he refers to the Eucharist. Of course Messiah was speaking of the yearly Passover when he said to celebrate it in His remembrance. So the bread and the wine at Passover is equated by Paul here with animal sacrifices. We know this because he uses the terminology "the table of the Lord" which was very specifically in the previous passage to refer to animal sacrifice. "The nation Israel" is contrasted with the Gentile believers in Corinth who are not sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. Their participation in the Passover, though, is equal in status to (and would normally be accompanied by) sharing in a blood sacrifice to YHWH. Obviously you cannot sacrifice to our Father and then turn around and sacrifice to Molech or a goat demon. Combined worship is not allowed.

Why does Paul leave out the most distinct and obvious part of the Passover - the lamb? I am guessing because the uncircumcised were not allowed to eat a Passover lamb, and Paul encouraged those who were uncircumcised to remain so. Why? I still cannot tell.

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The fifth day of the seventh month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

On the first night of fasting I had two dreams. In the first, I got the distinct feeling that my enemy was watching me. It makes a little sense considering the beginning of the fast is basically a commencement of battle (not a declaration or war - it was declared long ago). In the second, I saw Christian commentaries and literature with the word "ISHTAR" emblazoned across the front of each.

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The twentieth day of the sixth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

If Stephen Collins is correct and British Israelism's basic tenets can be proven, it makes sense to continue the sacrifices. Think about it. When you read the Sinai address to the Israelites, you can almost hear the Almighty preparing the legal base for sacrifice outside the country for the multitudes of Ephraimites and their brothers of the tribe of Manasseh when he states that wherever they find themselves, wherever He causes His name to be remembered, sacrifices are allowed as long as a few simple rules are followed. Of course יהוה foresaw the demise of the nation Israel twenty-seven hundred and twenty-nine years ago. This information would then be directed especially at us (since the infant nation was immediately given further restrictions on sacrifices in the land within the national jurisdiction, a jurisdiction under which we no longer find ourselves).

The basic premise makes more sense to me now than it ever has. Can we be so naive as to pretend our great British heritage was neither foreseen nor prophesied by the ancients? It almost seems as if ancient prophecy only makes sense if you accept the basic premise of British Israelism. The Anglo-Saxons have indeed conquered much of the world. However, I have not personally analyzed the proof for the British Israel hypothesis, so I don't officially endorse it or build upon it. It's definitely worth study and consideration.

The scary part is, יהוה uses the enemies of Israel to judge them. We can see Russia and China coming to power. They are not friends of יהוה, any more than the Babylonians and Assyrians were. However, they may be given power to uproot and destroy us because we have not followed the Torah. You had better be prepared.

Now. I would bet Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were Torah observant. They followed, obeyed, and loved the law of the Most High God. Therefore they were granted very lucrative positions in the new government and were protected from the various executive decisions which otherwise would have resulted in their bloody demise. I can only hope that as America declines from prominence, יהוה will look after those who love His law and love His ways and have not set His word aside. I believe firmly that He will.

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The eighteenth day of the sixth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

This just popped into my head and I wanted to write it down. The pre-tribulation rapture is nothing more than a board to prop up the antinomian structure. Anyone who has studied to any degree can tell you that Revelation appears to be a very "Hebrew" book in its structure and content. It even dares to say that only those who keep the commandments of יהוה will be let into the Kingdom. This, along with the vast and terrible punishment to be meted out, is very serious, heavy stuff. So naturally it's advantageous if none of it applies to Christians. Only to jews and unbelievers. Isn't that great? So when it says you have to obey the commandments to enter the Kingdom, well of course it's a different dispensation and we don't really have to listen to that. Some of them even write off the teachings of the Messiah in the same way. He wrote in and to a different dispensation. What a load of crap. No wonder the eyes of the Christians will be blinded in the last days. Only those who obey יהוה will understand. Daniel 12 says the wicked will not understand, but the wise will. The wise fear and obey יהוה, the wicked act lawlessly. The way is narrow and those who find it are few! But I call out with a loud voice to anyone who still has their ears unstopped, repent, for wicked and evil days are coming, and few will be saved, but those who trust in יהוה and obey His commandments will endure.

As I was driving to work last week I received a bit of something from יהוה. Not much. Actually, all I got was a really terrible feeling connected with the future of this country and this planet. What is coming is going to be worse than you can possibly imagine. You might envision it as a far-off supernatural outpouring of wrath that doesn't concern you because you're going to be zapped out beforehand. But you had better begin preparing yourself. The seven foolish virgins had no recourse when the bridegroom came. They weren't expecting it so they weren't prepared. You had better buy some oil now while you still can. I am not going to sell you mine!

People think I write out of anger or in a divisive spirit. All I am saying is what the prophets said. יהוה hates it when you disobey. He is going to judge you. He is going to hold you personally responsible for every pig you eat. He is going to ask you why you thought it was appropriate to celebrate pagan festivals and give his ways no credence at all. Those who do not obey him will not be allowed in the great city. They will be burned up. We will tread on their ashes. This is not a popular message. Why do you think they killed the prophets? Because they were stone hearted jews who didn't know Jesus? Don't be stupid any longer! The prophets were killed because they pointed out the evil that lies in men's hearts and told them of the consequences of that evil. For that, all who in these times do the same thing will be called haters of men. We will be charged with hate crimes and hate speech and יהוה will rescue us out of the hands of our accusers. But even if not, I will not serve your gods and bow down to them. I will not forsake the word of יהוה or his faithful testimony of truth. His reign is eternal and above all heavenly and earthly powers. My GOD will totally destroy this "new world order" of oppression, usury, humanism and materialism. And if you're still around and you want to survive then you will have to obey Him.

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The sixteenth day of the sixth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

The Furry Curry recommends George Gordon's School of Law. George Gordon teaches the Mosaic Law. Ted has had a link to his website in his Reference Library for quite a while. However, I finally in the past week or two have had the time and opportunity to listen to his archived radio programs. The wonderful thing about George Gordon is that he takes concepts I have been struggling with ideologically and puts them into terms that actually make it very easy to apply the Mosaic Law to them. For example, I have thought for years that insurance was a government-enforced organized crime syndicate. Gordon will show you how this is true and bases his contentions squarely in the law of יהוה. I have not found a broadcast yet that wasn't worth listening to. If I had the money I'd be attending his school right now. Unfortunately I'd have to accumulate quite a bit of gold to make that possible. Other topics he covers include Social Security, the income tax, usury, Passover, circumcision, idolatry, Christianity, and many many others.

One of his notable assertions is that the Bible is a book of geopolitics. I like this concept. When the God of Abraham revealed himself to the Israelites at Sinai, he gave them laws. Economic laws based on private property and individual responsibility, laws to establish the judiciary, laws for mental and physical health - laws for all criminal and civil matters along with their consequences were all established firmly and forever by יהוה and given to Moses. יהוה states that we should obey his law instead of the laws of the gentiles and pagans. So who do we worship? יהוה, or Columbia? יהוה, or Mithra? יהוה, or Ba'al? Choose ye this day. If you're not sure whom you are serving ("worshipping"), just check and see whose laws you follow. If you have declared yourself free from the Law of יהוה, then why call him your Sovereign (lawmaker)?

Think of it this way. During the period of the Judges, the Israelites would go back and forth between serving יהוה and serving the gods of the nations around them. When they started serving another god, they got taken over by another nation. Doesn't that just make sense? The other nation had been serving that god longer and their god took the Israelites because they started worshipping him instead of יהוה. Then when the Israelites repented and changed their ways and obeyed the law of יהוה, he restored them and they were again able to reap the benefits of serving the Most High God. On the other side of the coin, a Moabite such as Ruth could cease to worship the gods of Moab and instead obey the law of יהוה. She also becomes entitled to the benefits even though she is not a natural born citizen.

How does this tie in today? Listen to the radio broadcasts and figure that out for yourself.

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The twenty-second day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I added a bit of "flair" to the right side of my page... no worries, they're not ads, nor is any money changing hands (unfortunately). There was a hole on the right side of my page so I stuck some buttons over there to express myself.

How many churches sing the song "I am a Friend of God"? Read the lyrics; it starts out well: "Who am I that You are mindful of me?" But it degenerates into sheer self-worship: "I am a friend of God" repeated over and over and over. First of all, Abraham is the only person I know of who was considered a friend of יהוה. The Apostles were friends of the Messiah, which is pretty good, but I don't know if it affords the same status. Furthermore, since when are songs of praise supposed to be about us? Singing the verse and chorus through just once will have you repeat one of two first-person singular pronouns a total of ten times. The song is not about יהוה or His mighty deeds or His mercy and love. It's about US and what WE feel and what WE perceive and what WE want. This is why I will never play it at my assembly. It represents much of what is wrong with modern Christianity.

I've been trying to figure out if יהוה plays favorites. It has always seemed to me as though he did. People like Abraham and Israel seemed to get away with quite a bit, while others were killed instantly for single sins. I used to assume that יהוה treated all men equally, and that those who were disfavored were cast out for other reasons that we could not know, but that would make sense to us if we did. But is that a realistic notion or just one that we borrow from our "democratic" society in which all men are supposedly created equal? Could it be just an extension of the mindset that יהוה is just a set of rules, a being who is so rigidly defined that he cannot even change his mind? And if יהוה favors some, how does one become favored? Obedience? Prayer? Or is it, as a hyper-Calvinist would say, predetermined with no rational basis?

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The twentieth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I need to read more about primitivism. How does our Father feel about the thousands of chemicals, organic and inorganic, that we produce as byproducts and prime products of our great industrial complex and then proceed to leave in the public air and waterways? They certainly don't, on the whole, help the ecosystem survive with the diversity and abundance it once had. Is it bad stewardship? It makes things easier for us; is it slothfulness? Or is it diligence, for allowing one man to do what it once took many men to do? But manpower is an incredibly, potentially infinitely renewable resource; you can always make more men. We don't know how to make oil.

Plastic doesn't go away, at least not that I know of. You can toss it somewhere and it will break into smaller and smaller pieces, until the pieces are so small we can't see them. But they're still there and they can make it into the water. Should we go back to using glass, paper, and metal? Or is de-industrialization a dead end? I always hear about third world countries and how they are constantly dealing with famine, pestilence and disease. I used to think it was because they didn't have the infrastructure to produce like we do. But what if it is simply a result of their disobedience? Certainly Israel was not in such a predicament when they followed יהוה. They were constantly taken care of. But if this is correct, our technology will eventually be useless, because we also are ignoring many of the laws of יהוה.

It's one of those quandaries which are difficult to solve through experimentation. It's not like I can just go build a yurt and live in it. I'd have to witness an entire society which practices woodworking, metallurgy, and the other ancient disciplines which made "civilized" life possible millenia ago, while at the same time obeying the laws of יהוה. Would they come up with cleaner, better alternatives to our current methods? Would they advance past our technology level? I always pictured the World to Come that way. Great technology - "miraculous," as it were - would be that which does the amazing and impossible, but without destroying the earth. Would Israel have done this if she hadn't whored after other gods? Or was יהוה just waiting for this period of time to allow certain technologies to be revealed? I wish I knew. Even the technology which the Nephilim and fallen angels use pales in comparison to what יהוה used to create the universe and whatever is beyond it (at least, this is what I gather from Enoch's account). And the angels are capable of amazing feats. Just look at what "UFO's" can do. Reports mystify me of machines with organic skin which perform maneuvers which defy the laws of physics as we know them. Could we discover how to build them? Or does it have to be taught, shown to us by a higher intelligence?

There are so many questions with no answers. So few people even seem to be asking them.

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The nineteenth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

The IFB college I used to go to had a vast number of rules. There were two peculiar things about these rules; first, they were not Biblically based. Second, the school held the position that once their students graduated, even if they did not adopt the school's position on hair length, music, et al., that the student should come up with his own standards and stick to them.

It's very sickening but this is what happens when we get away from the Torah. Our Father's laws are perfect; our laws are not. But when we desert the Torah we come up with our own laws. It's a natural consequence; we were made to be law-abiding creatures. Even atheists practice religion. They have rules by which they live, whether they realize it (or choose to admit it) or not. The problem is, people building their lives on these manmade religious rules and customs are committing some serious sins. First, and most egregious, they set aside the Law of יהוה in favor of their own traditions. Yeshua upbraided the Pereshim for this constantly. I have gone over this many times. Their problem was not that they were too focused on Law. It was that they neglected the true, loving, freedom-bringing Torah in favor of their own life-stifling traditions. Independent Fundamental Baptists do the same thing. So do the rest of humanity.

Second, they are building their "houses" on foundations of sand. The Torah is a rock. It is a solid foundation we can build our habits and lives upon. Manmade laws have no entrenched foundations. They were not instituted by the Creator and are subject to constant change and reinterpretation. They are imperfect and full of loopholes. They attempt to soothe and placate guilty souls instead of convicting them and leading them to the knowledge of their true sinfulness. People who reject Torah will never know how sinful they are. People who embrace it know the depths of their depravity very well, for the Law accuses us daily. The grace of יהוה is therefore incredibly precious to us, as His statutes and ordinances are precious.

The funny thing is, these same people call us Legalists for upholding the perfect Law of Liberty. They have far more laws and rules than we ever will. The Torah brings freedom from oppressive government and unnecessary legislation. The Jews ruined this; the "case law" which eventually, supposedly, evolved into the Jewish oral law was added on and totally defeated the purpose of having a simple Godly law system. The same problem exists in this country. Additionally, the Congress continues to pass hundreds and thousands more laws. Eventually every man will be a criminal and we will all be at the mercy of the State. This is well known among serious students of history because it has happened before. The Torah, however, is sufficient. There is no additional legislation needed. It reminds me of a few European towns which are experimenting with signless roads with only two traffic rules: yield to the right, and don't block traffic. With so few rules, liberty abounds and everyone still gets to go where they need to, unlike in America where you can break a hundred laws in a minute and now even know it. Same with the Torah. With so few statutes (compared to our monolithic law code), the citizens of a Torah-observant society have an incredible amount of liberty. And with the legal system Moses organized under Jethro's advice, there would be a quick and easy way to settle any dispute.

But the nations of the earth have all rejected the Torah and they will all pay for it. We in America are already starting to reap the consequences of ignoring יהוה for so many years. The few who are left who truly believe and obey can only pray for repentance to be granted to the rest. Perhaps the best we will get is shelter from the coming storm. Either way, may יהוה's will be done.

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The fourteenth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

"Pope" Clement's epistle resounds with me. He quotes Scripture often, and applies it contextually. He also shows himself to be very familiar with the Apostolic writings. He reaffirms and upholds the commandments of God and of Messiah. Ignatius, on the other hand, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's hard to believe this man was really a disciple of John. He was a contemporary of Clement but his writings have such a different emphasis and color to them than the Apostolic writings. Paul and Peter touch on the idea of submission to the established authorities, but Ignatius goes so far as to say that Christians should do nothing without the bishop, and should not call anything good except that which the bishop has already called good. He equates the relationship between congregant and bishop to that of Christ and the Father - absolute obedience and total reliance. Where, I ask, is this found in the "New Testament"? Ignatius also spurns the Sabbath day established by יהוה at the beginning of Genesis. He also consistently refers to Jesus Christ as his God (the Apostolic writings universally refer to him instead as the Son of God). It is not difficult to see his disdain for the old Judaism and the implementation of the Catholic system in his writings, which strikes me as being very odd during the first century when the Jerusalem church was still being ruled by a Jewish bishop. There is so much Catholicism in him that my first instinct was to wonder if even his "authentic" letters are really authentic. His works are well known to be adulterated and many are pseudepigrapha. I wondered if we had failed to realize the extent. Catholic scholarship of the past fifteen hundred years has had much to gain by proving Ignatius authentic, as he is in many ways their first voice and earliest advocate... Nevertheless, seven of his epistles are regarded by modern scholarship as authentic, and I know not enough to try to disprove them. As it would seem, he really was the early beginning of a long, painful march away from the faithful practice of the very early Messianics.

At first it seems unthinkable that after Messiah's ascension and the death of the original Apostles, the "Church" would immediately descend into apostasy and rejection of God's law with few exceptions for two thousand years. It should not be surprising, though. Read Genesis. The first recorded human being born on this planet killed his brother. Read Exodus. Almost immediately after the giving of the Torah, the Israelites refused to enter Canaan and had to wander in the wilderness until the cowards and unbelieving were all dead. Read the book of Judges. Immediately after each Judge died, all Israel returned to their idolatrous ways. After a few centuries of that, as recorded in the books of the Kings, יהוה raised up David, a good king who led Israel in the ways of Moses. This lasted for less than eighty years as his son apostatized and the kingdom was split up. A succession of kings, none of whom were as faithful as David, let Israel and Judah to their downfalls. These are only a few of the notable examples. Is it any surprise that after the coming of the Spirit and the writing of some very important books, just as before, the entire operation was immediately sabotaged? It is the way things happened all throughout the Scriptures. It is a pattern we should not be surprised to see repeated.

Our consolation? There has always been a remnant. The vast majority was never truly faithful. Only the few who were chosen by יהוה were ever faithful to the covenant. So it is today. Many are called, but few are chosen. Narrow is the path, and few there are who find it. There aren't even that many truly searching for it. It seems like those who are expecting Christianity to conquer the world and bring in the Kingdom of יהוה were not paying attention to the Scriptural precedent. Nothing good ever happens without the intervention of יהוה Himself. It always just gets worse and worse until judgment comes. Now when the Son of Man returns to pass this next huge judgment, will he find any faithful on the earth? Would he have asked that question if the billions of professing "Christians" counted for anything?

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The thirteenth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

There is a large segment of the Christian population that is horrified by the idea of reinstating animal sacrifice. Their doctrinal presupposition is that Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and there are no more to be made. Many find the idea of animal sacrifice morally offensive, which shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the whole concept. They ignore or unsatisfactorily try to explain away Acts 21, in which Paul completes a Nazarite vow and pays for the sacrifices involved. I would like to further traumatize these Christians by making known to them the fortieth and forty-first chapter of Clement's "first" (and only genuine) epistle to the Corinthians:

"These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behoves us to do all things in order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings and service to be performed, and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him. Not in every place, brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered, or the peace-offerings, or the sin-offerings and the trespass-offerings, but in Jerusalem only. And even there they are not offered in any place, but only at the altar before the temple, that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest and the ministers already mentioned. Those, therefore, who do anything beyond that which is agreeable to His will, are punished with death."

Scholars debate over the date of the writing of this epistle. It is usually placed either just before the destruction of the Temple or a few decades later, at the end of Clement's life. The fact that the present tense is used throughout this chapter is evidence to me that the Temple was still standing, but even if it were not, I see this present tense as the most startling aspect of this passage. Clement is advocating animal sacrifice after the death and resurrection of Christ. He advocates following the ceremonial law of יהוה decades after Christ supposedly did away with it. To hear critics of Torah observance try to explain Paul's actions in Acts 21 gives me a headache; they simply do not understand the historical context enough to come up with a sane explanation. But even those Dispensationalists who say, in effect, that the period of time Paul lived in was transitional and allowed for some Torah observance and some Grace, are going to have trouble with Clement coming along a few decades later and still observing that if you sacrifice an animal, as long as you do so within the parameters defined in the Torah, you are within His will and have not sinned.

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The twelfth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

When someone in a position of ultimate authority abuses that authority, it is ultimately יהוה's responsibility to see that justice is done. But to what extent can we try to remedy the situation? For example, a king has authority to tax the people. But what can be done about an oppressive king who takes all the possessions of his people? Is it even unjust? Joseph helped Pharaoh appropriate the property of the Egyptians during the seven years of famine. Can we make a moral judgment on his actions? All I can think of is that a king of Israel is not supposed to accumulate wealth for himself, at least not certain kinds of wealth. Either way it seems to run contrary to the spirit of Torah, which is to use your resources to actively love others, not solely for self-improvement.

What of a father who mistreats his children? Who will act on their behalf? In my experience, fundamental Christians and Messianics tend to act like the father cannot make wrong choices when it comes to his children. They wouldn't say it outright... but with the exceptions of sexual and physical abuse, I have always gotten the impression that we are supposed to believe that a father can make any ruling he deems appropriate regarding his child. But even slaves according to the Torah must be set free if they are mistreated. So what about children, who are above slaves? It doesn't seem like we should ignore someone who is doing a piss-poor job of raising his children. It seems like it would cause too many problems in the long run, because the whole society is going to have to deal with the fallout of the child who was improperly raised.

On a similar note, I am sorely grieved by the tendency in the Christian world to lift up women while demeaning men, especially in the marraige relationship. My own pastor falls into this trap sometimes. It permeates American culture to a huge extent and the modern church has swallowed it up. Passages like Ephesians 5:22-24 and 1 Peter 3:1-6 are glossed over at best and reinterpreted at worst, while passages like Galatians 3:28 are used to support the view that authority in the household does not rest squarely on the shoulders of the patriarch. Usually it is argued that our culture is different from that of the ancient near east, so our rules should reflect the customs of our nation. This is an anti-Torah view. It destroys God's chain of command. It's a totally mindless hermeneutic. It causes confusion, distress, and a lack of initiative on the part of men. I have no doubt that this retarded mindset is also contributing to the rise of violence toward women, especially in pornographic fantasies. If men were given their proper place as the rulers of their households, I don't think the desire would have to be suppressed and twisted into something sick.

Lastly, there is a difference between authority and control. It is impossible to control another human being completely. Authority entails responsibility more than anything else. Those in authority are not put there for their own benefit, but for the benefit of those under their authority, to watch over their souls, to protect them and to teach them. All three paragraphs above would never have to be written or discussed if people in authority would recognize that they are not supposed to be the benefactor of the authority that has been delegated to them. People seek to turn authority into power and control. It is our fallen nature to do so. The solution? We must learn to be humble leaders who do not seek our own desires. We must learn to love. Why is it so hard? I see so very little love. Everywhere I look there is utilitarianism, pragmatism and materialism. Even in the church. Our hearts are getting so cold. Most of us have totally missed the whole point. We must learn to love. The vast majority of people I have met do not even know what love is. But without it there is no point in having a church, or claming to be a child of light, or in living at all. We must learn to love.

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The tenth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

Does the localization of government power affect the way יהוה deals with a nation? After all, the Scriptures have plenty of stories about how an entire country was affected based on the decision of the monarch. Our federal government currently usurps most of the power that should have been granted to the states and local governments. Therefore, יהוה is more likely to look at the United States as a whole. As a whole, it is a very sinful place full of moral disease and filth.

What if power were decentralized? Defederalized? What if the states had the power originally granted to them by the Constitution? What if the federal government gave up all that did not belong to it? Would יהוה be more likely to deal with the states individually? Here is what I am thinking: If the righteous gathered themselves in a single state, in one location, would that location receive the blessings of יהוה? Or is it better to have us spread out like we are? It seems like the few thousand in Elijah's day who did not bow the knee to Ba'al were unknown to him, which suggests that they were spread out and acting sort of "incognito." I'm trying to reconcile the notion that the children of light just put up with oppression and incopetence in government and pray for change, and the way of Phineas who bypassed the whole system, acted as judge, jury, and executioner, and received יהוה's full blessing for it. Either way, though, the freedom to enact Godly legislation at the local and state level without interference and oppression from the Federal government will only come if we elect Ron Paul. I just wish we all lived together in a community where we could enforce the Torah on a broader scale.

I am fascinated with the concept of gold and silver forming the basis for both ancient and future currency. Depending on how literally one takes the prophecy of the Apocalypse, the metals will return again to prominence; I believe Revelation 18:12-13 lists the economic priorities of the satanic Babylonian kingdom of the end times in order from most to least important: "The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men." However, afterward when the judgment of יהוה comes, according to Ezekiel 7:19, "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity." So it seems to me that in the future, gold and silver will be extremely valued, and then when things get really bad they will have no value. At some point the wise decision will be to exchange gold and silver for commodities like food and water. Of course, our Father knows what we need and will be happy to continue providing for us. But smart economic decisions are also recommended by the Almighty. (The smartest being to transfer wealth into the Kingdom of Heaven which lasts forever.) Some would also argue that "gold and silver" are an idiom for any instrument of currency. Looking at the history of fiat and the recent bull market in the precious metals market, though... makes me wish I would have sunk everything into metal about seven years ago.

Either way, though, we will be fugitives at some point. The world is going to hate us for following the laws of יהוה. Therefore electronic currency which can be easily "frozen" or confiscated might be unwise. (The latest horrible EO from our President allows for the confiscation of all property by the Treasury dept. for some very vague and undefined crimes.) Things one would be able to use in a black-market barter system would be much more appropriate. Gold and silver just happen to have the small size and large relative value that make them easy to use as currency. It's not too hard to trade a cow for some grain, but it is hard to stock up on cows or grain in this age, depending on where you live. (They are also both perishable.) A good amount of gold or silver, untraceable, unknown, hidden away on one's property, might be useful in such a situation. More useful than "federal reserve notes" at least. I only wish I could afford those kinds of investments. One measly troy ounce of gold is now worth $685.

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The ninth day of the fifth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I unwittingly attended a pagan church service this week. My cousin was married at her residence and the ceremony was born of the occult and dedicated to the earth, sun, moon and stars. At one point in the ceremony the attendees were to get up and pour a ladle of water on a newly planted tree; the tree symbolized the new family which was created that day. I did not participate. I knew my father was telling me that it was improper to participate in a ceremony that honored false gods. It always makes me happy to know that He is looking out for me and warning me against doing things wrong. More and more I hope that His voice becomes clearer and His will becomes clearer to me.

I am finally home from work. The summer was difficult but I believe it was intended to be a growing experience for me. Postulating and writing are fine, but real world experience working and living with people in a stressful, high-energy setting is great training. I hit the wall at the end of the fifth week; my father ensured that I was put on cleaning duty for a week to regain my sanity. I made a few friends. He had them enter my life for a reason. I am not really sure what it is. I just hope that also becomes clear to me.

It's easy to think that because miracles and prophecies are not so commonplace, יהוה is not as active as He used to be. But I believe that He is. Scientists tell us that our moods, feelings, and even actions are in part dictated by chemicals - serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. They tell us the weather is determined by pressure systems whose movements are predictable based on the factors that cause them to move and expand. They tell us that signs in the heavens are various named and categorized astronomical phenomena which we can study, predict, investigate, and maybe someday prevent. We think we know so much. What happens when one adopts the mindset that יהוה is responsible for these things? What happens when we reject the Platonic dualism that divorces "spiritual" from "physical"? Just because we can see it happening - just because we can see the neurotransmitters, the asteroids, and the jet stream - doesn't mean יהוה is not completely in charge, just like He always has been. The things we can see were placed there by Him and they operate according to His laws. He is active, all around us, showing us and speaking to us. We're just not listening. We're too wise in our own eyes. We think we have it figured out.

I think I am starting to be less confused about the way יהוה would have us to walk. This is what I have come up with this week: I know I have sinned tremendously and that I fall very short of the holy standard, the Law. But I had thought for many years that I was so far fallen that I could never be an effective messenger. I thought that I was still too far in sin and too far from holiness to be able to accomplish the work of my father. I see now that this was a deception. Part of it became obvious when I was working at camp this summer. It is an evangelical Christian camp, so I thought I would be working with others who were at least seeking to do what was right. But there was so much sin, sleeping around, and irresponsible behaviour. I do have things in my own heart that I find reprehensible, but seeing my life in contrast to the lives of those around me, it became clearer to me that יהוה was actually working in me and that I have made progress in my struggle to be holy as He is holy. I know that I cannot put myself above anyone else, and that's not what I'm trying to do. But David was able to boast, "I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law... The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law." It truly brings joy to realize that I have a new heart that inclines after יהוה. It truly brings satisfaction. May יהוה deliver me from falling into the pit of pride and arrogant self-righteousness. We must all be humble before Him. We are but dust, we are all sinners in need of mercy. But He is great and His law is great. I just hope He continues to work in me and help me become the person I should be.

It is my sincere hope that updates can continue regularly now that I am not constantly at work.

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The eighth day of the fourth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

Body odor is directly related to diet as well as genetics. People in Korea smell different than Americans partly because of the kimchi and other foods they consume. I know a Korean who was adopted at a young age. He doesn't have a noticeable smell, partly because it is masked by American grooming habits, and partly because he eats the same things Americans eat. I have been postulating that eating a healthy, Torah-observant diet would change "body odor" to something less offensive. I am not one hundred percent sure yet, but I do smell differently now than I ever have. A simple layer of rock salt is enough to mask any odor I produce for at least forty-eight hours even under hot, humid, outdoor conditions.

There seem to be more people stumbling across this page. My plan is to continue updating once a week for the next four weeks, and then get back on a regular schedule. I do not return home from work except on the weekends for this current stint of work. I hope to find a better paying job - I have saved every penny (literally) for the past four months, worked very hard, and have really very little to show for it.

As for the Torah "movement" - I still believe יהוה is waking people up to the reality of its eternity. Many accept it, most reject it. I am also still wondering about the greater lights of the other faiths that claim to worship יהוה - Judaism and Christianity. Especially men like Jonathan Edwards and George Meuller - men on whose lives the divine hand seems to have rested. It seems that men have had truths revealed to them by יהוה and miracles performed on their behalf, even though they rejected His law. Perhaps their eyes were just not meant to be opened that far. It reminds me of the Kings of Israel. None of them were as faithful as David was, and it was only for his sake that He prolonged the kingdoms of Israel and Judah so long. But some of them walked in the ways of יהוה halfway; while following some of the Law, they refused to take down the high places and continued to walk in some of the ways of Jereboam. Where is their place in what the Jews call the "World to Come"? Where do they stand in the Kingdom? In the same way, after Messiah, many come who believe in Messiah, reject idols, but misinterpret the law, and do not recognize the identity of the true Messiah. It is one of those questions that I have to think about, since I no longer recognize such a strict dichotomy between the old saints and the new. Who is greater? The father, or the son born to him? Are any of us greater than Abraham, our father in the faith? He never uttered the name of his master, the Son of God who was to come. Not to minimize the work of Messiah or the importance of faith. I just have so many questions. I wish I had a clearer idea of exactly how יהוה deals with individuals, after having believed so long that all one has to do is give intellectual assent to a few statements of doctrine.

The adversary has attacked our fellowship. It is quite disillusioning. The infighting and grievances are exactly what Paul kept writing against in his epistles. I am not sure why it is so hard to reconcile petty differences. I wish the hand of יהוה would come wipe away all of our sins and bring us to repentance and reconciliation. It seems too hard. And yet those of other faiths put us to shame. Muslims have no problem conducting multiple murder-suicides for their god and yet we cannot simply show love to each other for the sake of ours. It sickens and disturbs me. Are there any who follow after יהוה? Are there any who will teach us the whole truth? Are there any who walk as Messiah did?

One of the lies that I think will surface in these last days is the idea that the "power of God" rests in us in some diluted form. Because יהוה has not been as active as he was in the days of the Kings of Israel or in the days of the Messiah for the past two thousand years, and because of the vast increase in man's power and knowledge (though he has forgotten those things which are truly powerful and important), it will be easy for people to believe that somehow God's Power has been given to them or otherwise reduced and that they can successfully fight against him. I have seen this myth surface in several different ways in different forms. It is at least one of the possible tools waiting to deceive the masses. Somehow they will be convinced that they can fight against יהוה. This is another reason that I think many "Christians" must have the wrong god in mind. The entire world will be fighting יהוה, and there are two billion "Christians" who would presumably not turn on their deity so easily. I wish I could see more clearly how that is going to play out. Somehow billions are going to be deceived. Maybe they already are.

That's it for this week. Another five and a half extremely solid days of work ahead.

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The second day of the fourth month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

Furry Curry recommends The Revival Hymn.

Furry Curry also recommends voting for Ron Paul. As far as I can tell, his constitutionalist principles are closer to the Law of יהוה than any other candidate's philosophy. By trying to eliminate the parasitic bureaucracy, he may make it easier for citizens to build their own houses and grow their own food without harassment or oppressive taxation or usury.

Once my workload lightens I want to get back to writing. I don't even have time to craft a permanent link for this entry. On a happy note, this month the saturday-sabbath and the Lunar Sabbath coincide, as far as I can tell.

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The seventh day of the second month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I had dinner with a prominent Hebrew Roots scholar the other night. He teaches that the Law is good and that we should celebrate the Levitical feasts and keep the food laws. However, he is clean shaven and does not wear tassels. When asked why, he said that as far as those laws are concerned, he is a regular Christian. As far as I can tell, people like this are a distraction. One might argue that they appeal to mainstream Christians by preaching a message which is more palatable to them. But the message has always been the same. Repent. People who buy this man's teachings will stop short of the real truth and will not repent of their sins, because he does not even put in the minimal effort required to wear tassels. They may be lulled into a false sense of security. For every great truth there are great counterfeits. Once you buy the counterfeit you are far less likely to buy the truth, because you have to admit that you made a mistake in the first place. The children of light have no problem admitting this, which is why I don't think Hebrew Roots scholars are a danger to us in that respect. However, they create followers who look like us in some respects but who are not adhering to the whole Word of יהוה. The counterfeits will look closer and closer to the real thing as the adversary tries to squelch this movement, distracting as many as he can.

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The second day of the second month in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

The advanced technology of the dead high cultures could not save them. What makes us think it can save us? We are not eternally "progressing ever forward." Eventually we will fall into obscurity. Our greatest technology will be meaningless, either because something infinitely greater will arrive, or because the forces that are tearing apart our society will eventually succeed. Yes, there will be airplanes, but no one will be able to afford the gas, and eventually no one will be able to fly them, and after that they will be converted into something useful, like shelters, and a thousand years down the road they will be legends. יהוה has ways of humbling a society so that their best accomplishments are brought to nothing, because they do not do things His Way. We certainly are in that position and are ripe for the day of judgment. Read the prophets. So many judgments against so many rebellious, pagan nations. We are just another of those nations. There are no exceptions. No one gets a free ride. No nation escapes יהוה's judgment unless they repent, and only for as long as they repent.

Things are going to get very bad here. How will the remnant be protected? I know the Messiah said, not to worry about food and drink and clothing. The nations all seek after these things, and the Father knows we have need of them. We will be taken care of, either miraculously or through careful planning. It doesn't matter to me which one.

People say I am very opinionated. I think that is a funny way to describe me. יהוה also has very strong feelings on many issues. Again, read the prophets. Trying to see the world the way my Father does, and trying to judge righteously, means I will also have very strong opinions. For example, there are some things that are not food. Why change my opinion on that when יהוה has made it very clear what is the truth? Returning to a Torah-submissive lifestyle entails a return to solid principles. We are not like the chaff which is driven in all directions by the shifting winds. We have a firm foundation. We building our houses on the rock.

"Christian Liberty" in its popular form is the liberty to do wrong. I do not have this liberty. Christian Liberty as it is correctly taught is the freedom to do יהוה's will. This is great if you know what His will is. Again - read the prophets! Read the Torah! Read the sayings Yeshua, and then Peter, James, and John! And once you have it drilled into your head, try to figure out what Paul was talking about. He would not use his letters as a foundation for teaching, but Christians do. His foundation was the Messiah. The Messiah upheld the Torah in every way. It's so very simple but everyone tries to complicate things with strange doctrines.

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The twenty-seventh day of Abib in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

Regarding a recent incident involving clairvoyance being used against one of our sisters here, I do not wish to say too much. However be aware that the eyes and ears of animals may at any time be used by men, servants of the adversary, to watch and listen to the children of light. At this point I have no reason to believe that Ecclesiastes 10:20 is not speaking literally. Do not be surprised if at some point you sense that the soul of an animal is being overpowered and possessed by another spirit.

Regarding a very simple matter of hermeneutics, a thing may be called by two words and still be the same thing. Hebrew poetry is absolutely famous for its chiasms. Parallel sentences such as those found in chiasms need synonyms in order to avoid being dry and pointless. Job 7:11, Isaiah 26:9, and Luke 1:46-47 are good examples of these chiasms. It is essentially the same thing being said twice. The authors are not speaking of a trichotomy of man. It probably never even occurred to them that these passages would be interpreted in that way. Without sane hermeneutics we will fall into many similar kinds of traps. This one is fairly innocuous. Others are not,

Matthew 25:14-30 records the parable of the talents. Two of the slaves "traded" with their money. They must have made wise investments. 100% returns are notable even after a "long time." The third slave hid the money in the ground. He was cast into outer darkness. Now, many today (notably, those who know that the world economy is going to fail as a result of יהוה's coming judgment; this would render paper currency, stocks, and bank accounts worthless) invest in precious metals. The value of gold in USD has risen almost fifteen percent in the past year. That is a pretty good investment, but someone buying and storing gold is essentially burying their money in the ground. Gold's value is only rising relative to the USD because the dollar is in a downward slide and has been for years. Gold will never multiply itself. It will never make more gold. The two good slaves doubled the amount of hard currency - that is, currency backed by or made of precious metals - they had. If I am reading the passage correctly and my conversions are accurate, the first slave turned 375 pounds of silver into 750 pounds. 375 avoirdupois pounds is around 308 troy pounds; at twelve troy ounces each and at a price of $14 per troy ounce, this is approximately the equivalent of getting $100,000 from $50,000. Not bad.

The principle, though, might lead to the opposite action in this economy (meaning that ownership of PM's would be wise stewardship) because of the vicissitudes of our fiat currency. It could be argued that investing in the stock market is a fiscally irresponsible choice compared to physical ownership of precious metals. Look at the numbers - gold and silver have outdone the DJIA by quite a bit in the past few years. So unless the value of one's stocks is increasing more rapidly than inflation devlaues the dollar, the investor is losing money regardless of what the charts appear to say. In this economy, certain commodities are doing better than the average stock portfolio for several reasons, one being the devaluation of our currency. You could hardly argue that someone who illegally hoarded $20 "Double Eagle" gold coins through the Great Depression and sold them today would have made a fiscally irresponsible choice, with a return of over 3,000%.

It is just a parable, but I still find it interesting that breaking even isn't enough. The slaves were expected to accumulate wealth on behalf of their master. I wish I had the insight to be able to work with money that well. I wonder if יהוה would grant me the wisdom. Then again, would it help me? What did it do for King Solomon?

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The twenty-third day of Abib in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I found a new Wikipedia article today: Christian Torah-Submission. I find it amazing that this article reflects such a positive opinion on the subject. I can only imagine what will happen when the orthodox Christians get hold of it. In my experience, they tend to guard their "liberty" fiercely. No one can be "holier" or set to a higher standard. I have found that it is very offensive for them to consider the idea that someone else is obeying יהוה to a greater extent and will therefore receive greater favor in this life and in the next; it is much safer if everyone is either hell-bound or heaven-bound. There might be the difference of reward, but they plan on casting all of their crowns at the feet of Jesus anyway. If you were to ask the particularly unscrupulous under-shepherds, though, those who give to the church can expect no end of divine favors...

Days like today, I feel like a grain of sand in the deep blue sea. יהוה is hard at work, moving on a huge scale, preparing to execute His plan, and stirring the hearts of men and women everywhere, and all I can see are the little grains of sand right around me. I wish I knew His plan and His timeline. I wish I knew what to expect. All I do know is that I must repent and obey, and teach others to do so. Many will hear the message but few will truly accept it in their very hearts. That is the way it has always been. Only two adults that were at the foot of the mountain Sinai saying "Yes, Lord, we promise to obey your commandments" ended up making it to Canaan. The rest died because they didn't really believe or care to obey. Life was too much for them. Two out of hundreds of thousands. Perhaps true believers really are one in a million.

I wonder if, later on, we ever really will understand what is going on now. I wish a prophet would come and tell me how I am doing. Perhaps it is selfish to wish for such things. Or perhaps I am just not diligent enough to examine the words that have already been written. I do believe that more information than I could ever dream of is already there waiting for me to discover it. But it is difficult for a twenty-first century technology-dependent sedentary spoiled brat like myself to relate to such an old and such a wonderful book.

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The twentieth day of Abib in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

I have a bit of an extended weekend and I am currently reading Scott Nelson's Yahshua (Jesus) & Judaism vs. Paul & Christianity. Of particular note is the difference between the New Earth and the New Jerusalem, and the distinction between who may enter and eat of the tree and who is left outside (but apparently not cast into hell). Also of note is the fact that grace depends on the law - if the law is not in effect, there is no such thing as grace. Also the re-establisment of a works-based eternal reward system (very different from the televangelist money hawk style eternal reward system). Also the varying degrees of laws (least and greatest). I'd like to comment more on it but if you have discernment, it's better to read it for yourself. It's good reading whether or not you happen to agree with the author's conclusions.

I have heard that extra virgin olive oil (which is healthy) will not do as a substitute for cooking oil (refined, bleached, deodorized rapeseed oil is currently of questionable status in my mind) in baked foods. I put that theory to the test today, and my lunch was very delicious. I am currently trying to find a good substitute for shortening, which is just hydrogenated oils (themselves a substitute for lard and chemically close to animal fat, which is prohibited under יהוה's law; these "trans fats" are responsible for numerous health problems, indicating to me that they are not in fact edible). It would be nice to be able to make pasties (which are kind of like pot pies).

It seems to me like there are a lot of people searching for truth, but as Mr. Nelson noted, everyone has a hobby horse. Everyone has a hang-up. Everyone has an agenda. I am hoping that I will be able to see what detestable things I am still holding on to. For a while I thought that it was presumptuous of me to have a website when I have attained so little and have so far left to go. But there are many on this path and I think it is better if we share what we are thinking about. We all still have a long ways to go but as long as we are ready to admit that, I think we are of some use. I know that I am more equipped now than I was a year ago to fight the battles that need fighting, and יהוה is allowing me to learn and grow more. I am pretty sure that at some point this thing is going to explode, in a good way. But even if not, I am happy to be part of the remnant which preaches repentance.

On capital punishment: Many say that ancient Israel rarely invoked the death penalty. They quote from the Talmud, which says, "a Sanhedrin that effects an execution once in seven years is branded 'a destructive Court.' Rabbi Elizer Ben Azariah said "once in seventy years. Rabbis Tarfon and Akiba said, "If we were members of a Sanhedrin, nobody would ever be put to death." (Makkot 7A) However, this totally negates יהוה's law. He didn't give the nation Israel the choice of whether or not to enact capital punishment. Even if it were interpreted by the Israelites in such a way that capital punishment was rarely or never enforced, this would be a violation of Torah. Those with the propensity to commit the most terrible crimes were not allowed to go on living, influencing others, and procreating.

Numbers 35 lays out the requirements for capital punishment. First, at least two witnesses are required. Second, the avenger of blood must slay the murderer whenever they next meet. (It sounds like the murderer can be tried in his absence.) Third, if it is an accident, the community steps in and rescues the offender and sends him to a city of refuge. Fourth, monetary compensation is never good enough. If murder is not avenged by shedding the blood of the murderer, bloodshed pollutes the land. Is America a polluted land? What are the ramifications of this? Is there anything in this passage or in the rest of the Torah to prevent vigilante-style justice (especially in the absence of a God-fearing justice system)?

Pesach was awesome this year. But I am wondering if we have got our months off, since it seems to be unseasonably cold everywhere. Has our Father given us an extra month of winter? I wonder what the barley is doing.

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The eighteenth day of Abib in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

It is starting to surprise me how little we know about the world. Everything about our lives is compartmentalized. We quickly become familiar with a routine and then no longer think about it. We trust in things we should not be trusting in. It's true that יהוה's children are sheep; we follow blindly. But sheep hear the voice of their Master. Sheep who believe and follow lies have gone astray and need to have their legs broken and be carried.

How many of us have walked long distances, through the land, and watched יהוה's creation in action? Who do we rely on to give us information about what is happening out there? How much do we really see as we are driving on our highways? Who is really paying attention? A hundred fifty years ago, the land I am currently living on was heavily wooded and densely populated with animals - a perfect, resource-full environment. But huge tracts of land were deforested and the trees were burned to provide room for communities. Perhaps we should have learned to work with nature a little better. Ecosystems were fine-tuned by their Designer. They're very adaptive and can take a lot of abuse but eventually they will collapse. And at some point the wild beasts will turn on us. It's already been prophesied.

How often do we consider concepts that we have been taught to reject outright? We tend to live in established paradigms which have trouble letting us see outside their traditional boundaries. Even if we are full of doubt and looking for new concepts, we have not been taught how to think critically or how to properly consider new things - or even how to put these ideas into words. People talk about Orwell's Newspeak as if it were a fantasy, but I'm convinced it becoming a reality. Whether an extension of Babel's curse or the result of a concerted attempt to reduce American vocabulary, I believe the average modern citizen is far less capable of describing the most important truths in his regular tongue than the citizen of two hundred years ago. The meaning has been sapped out of important words.

The Internet is a paradigm all its own. It is the huge sandbox that all the world's children can play in. It is the Matrix. Places like this are allowed because they are buried by all the garbage. You will find diamonds in this rough, but the most important things are hidden. יהוה has hidden them. Why? Because otherwise, everyone would believe and repent...

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The sixth day of Abib in the 2729th year of our dispersion.

Work is going very well. However, it has not left me much time to do anything else. There are some things I can write about, though.

There is no substitute for rigorous physical activity, outdoors in the beautiful sunshine. My mind feels very fit, partly because I spend my days hiking about. Exercise is also a wonderful antidepressant. I haven't felt this well in a long time, and when I'm not at work, I miss it. יהוה said, "By the sweat of your face you will eat bread." Ted told me a long time ago that accepting a curse was better than fighting against it or trying to work around it.

Second, there is no substitute for real food. For one week I gave up my healthy plant-heavy diet for cafeteria food. I didn't touch any unclean meat but the quality of the food was awful and my body felt it. I'm back to eating plenty of good stuff now and that combined with the exercise I'm getting makes me feel like I'm riding on clouds much of the time. (Not all the time, though.)

Third, it appears that my workplace is in fact "haunted," or more precisely, a wellspring of spiritual activity. On my way home from work I actually saw a black shadow - like a floating cloak, but it looked like a hole in space - cross the road in front of me. Other incidents such as the copier coming on randomly and voices in the lodge when no one is there (plus many other eyewitness accounts of strange phenomena) lead me to believe that my workplace is home to several spirits of some variety.

Fourth, I am getting many opportunities to spread what I like to call the "Good News" of the Torah - that יהוה has laid out what is right and wrong and that we are not to depart from it. I am like Spurgeon in that I hope everyone comes to the knowledge of יהוה and His plan and will for them, but I also believe that only those who are called and whose eyes are supernaturally opened will come. Aware that the truth only serves as an indictment to those who hear and reject it, I still plug the festivals of יהוה and the Torah to my coworkers whenever I can.

I am hoping to be able to start updating more often, as I get more used to my job and get a little more free time. I don't have a lot of time to think anymore, but I think I got a lot of theologizing out of my system and ended up with a worldview and belief system that needed to be tested by actual practice. My job now gives me the ideal opportunity to do what I know is right - everything from asking for the two Unleavened Bread sabbaths off to avoiding the ever-present junk food - and to work out the Torah in the environment of actual employment. It's actually harder to rest on the Sabbath when it's one of only two days you can spend in your own home. Of course, being employed precludes trying the Lunar Sabbath out...

I have been wondering exactly how many are in this remnant of true Israel who believes in the Messiah and also keeps יהוה's commandments. I used to think the movement would grow exponentially. But did it ever do that in the past? Or was the whole nation blessed during the times of the good kings because of the few who believed? Would it help if some of us wielded political power and enforced a Torah-based system of government? Or would a grass-roots call to repentance affect a more sincere and lasting change? What can individuals like me do?

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The fourteenth day of the twelfth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I started work last week, and my hours are not really conducive to keeping a regular update schedule. I am off to work before sunrise and back after sunset. I am on my feet hiking around much of the day and consequently my legs are quite sore. But it feels good to be busy.

I was able to see the effect of my diet on my physical performance. Despite having not exercised in a year or more, I had more energy than anyone else during our longest hike. On very little sleep, I was winning at games I don't normally play. Little things like that let me know that all the effort I put into eating the way יהוה would have me to eat, is really paying off.

I am however quite worn out from my escapades out at the nature camp and from very little sleep. So I am going to take the rest of the day and rest. Perhaps I will read a bit.

Interestingly, even though I counted the days from conjunction this month, today (the fourteenth) is the day of the full moon. It's not as early as it was when I used the orthodox calendar but it's still earlier than I expected. I thought it would be on the fifteenth. Oh well - I'll get these months sorted out one way or another.

Interestingly, the camp I am working at appears to be "haunted," or a wellspring of spiritual activity. A lot of people see things and a lot of people hear voices. It's a little creepy. I stayed the night last night and I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary, but several people I know have. This area in Michigan is probably one of the most spiritually active places I have ever lived (along with Utah).

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The fifth day of the twelfth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I spent the past three days finishing Unintended Consequences, by John Ross. It's really an interesting read, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in excessive governmental interference, though it seems far too optimistic. It assumes that people in power would be willing to sacrifice some of that power through negotiation under fire. Not in this country. The State would deploy the armed forces and suspended civil rights indefinitely. As far as I can tell, the legislation is already on the books to allow this, and the vast majority of Americans would sit idly by, as long as they still had American Idol and cheeseburgers.

Rebellion worked in the eighteenth century, I believe, for one reason. It was part of יהוה's plan. If יהוה had not wanted the colonists to succeed against the British regulars, they would not have succeeded. In tracking the history of oppressive legislation, John Ross fails to mention the downward moral spiral which preceded it. Oppressive legislation is passed by oppressive legislators. These legislators had parents who did not teach them the Torah, did not teach them individual responsibility, and did not teach them about יהוה. It took generations to affect this change in our culture and the seeds were planted centuries before the government's systematic abuse of power began. The only hope for this nation is repentance. After that it is יהוה's choice, whether the resulting blessing comes through reform or through rebellion. I would prefer a bloodless solution, but it depends on how our leaders act before יהוה.

Rebellion without repentance would be utter stupidity. We have examples from the Torah of a nation that goes to war without יהוה's blessing. Israel attempted to enter the Promised Land a few decades ahead of schedule and was rewarded with shattering defeat. Again after the battle of Jericho the nation went to war and was routed. How the nation fared in battle depended on the way they had acted before יהוה.

I don't know what's going to happen. Will there be war on this continent? Almost certainly. We cannot remain in this situation perpetually. One thing I have decided, then, is that shooting is something I would rather be proficient in. I will be purchasing a rifle soon. I'd like to be able to hunt my own venison. Venison curry is especially delicious.

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The second day of the twelfth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I think it was in the book Unintended Consequences that I read about the strategy of adopting your opponent's phraseology as your own - to describe an opposite point of view. Usually it is more insidious and less obvious than Orwell's "Ministries" of Truth, Love, Plenty, and Peace.

For example: a Patriot in this country might be considered someone who supports the current government, with its oppresive legislation and taxation, its unabashed rape of constitutional rights, and its lust for money and power. Speaking poorly of the State is Unpatriotic. There are a lot of people who think this way - oppose the State and you oppose the Nation. Of course a Patriot is exactly the opposite. A Patriot opposes the State for the sake of the Nation. And plenty of people realize this. Patriots are the State's natural enemy. But you won't hear the State calling them Patriots. It has to appropriate the word for its own uses because it has a strong positive image in the mind of the populace.

In fact, what if an armed rebellion began in our own country? What if they refused to tolerate any more of our federal government's usurpation of our rights and their confiscation of our property? It would be unforgivable. The resulting conflict would hardly be conventional warfare. In fact, it might resemble the great Rebellion of our own country, against the Crown, in the eighteenth century. Whatever unconventional tactics were used by the Patriots may even be classified as "Terrorism." It doesn't have to be true, it just has to polarize people. The media would win that war all by themselves. People believe what they see on television. That's the sad truth.

Ignorance is said to be bliss. I don't know how much I would disagree with that statement. The more I learn about the state of the world today, the worse it looks and the worse I feel about it. Is the current political juggernaut beyond repair? Will it willingly dismember itself for the sake of its constituents? How and when will the power be returned to the people?

I have been speculating as to the nature of Yeshua's teachings. Perhaps he saw what was coming and gave us the tools to properly deal with it. People think that Yeshua is revealing basic fundamental precepts which underlie the Torah. I don't think this is true. Those precepts are contained within the Torah itself: Love יהוה with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. What if Yeshua is taking the principles of the Torah and applying them to the Diaspora? Surely he saw it coming. From that point on יהוה's people would always be living in bondage to another country, unable to fulfill all of the ordinances of the Torah.

So, in the Torah, seeking justice is preferred. But in a society where no one else is observing Torah, the justice system will not work to the advantage of the poor man. In this case would it be better to let yourself be wronged and let יהוה be your avenger? For example, in the Torah, if someone steals, he is to give back what he stole plus a fifth. But if my hypothesis is correct, in a society where the Torah is shunned, you are to let the man have what he stole and even offer more. יהוה wields the scepter of justice and will personally repay the wronged man.

In the Torah, it is best to get married and have many children. But under certain circumstances - if your Torah observant movement is in danger of being wiped out by an overly zealous State, for example - it is better to remain single. After all, if you are going to be kidnapped and tortured, it is far better if you don't have a wife for them to kidnap and torture as well. I would certainly imagine that I would have a better time of it.

In the Torah, the death penalty is invoked for certain crimes (elsewhere, in Ezekiel, even for usury takers). But in America we cannot stone a member of our congregation. So we confront them Biblically and if they do not eventually respond we remove the leaven.

I don't know how accurate this turns out to be but I think it's an interesting thought.

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