The last day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I have discovered a list of conjunction times and can now count the months from their conjunctions, making today the last day of the month. Hooray.

I have often wondered what it means to pray "in Jesus' name," not really thinking that it means to just say those words at the end of a prayer. I also don't think it means praying according to יהוה's will. Otherwise Jesus would have said, "From now on, when you pray, only pray according to יהוה's will." (I'm not saying we aren't supposed to pray in יהוה's will, just that it's not the issue at hand.) But I have an idea. I am sure I am not the first to have it because it makes a lot of sense.

What would it mean if someone said to you, "Come with me - in the name of the King"? It would mean that this order comes as if from the King. It is as if the King had spoken it himself. He has given this man the authority to ensure that the King's will is done. Now, if we are to pray in Jesus' name, our prayers are heard as if they had come from Jesus - right? And is there a single prayer Jesus prayed that was not answered? He states that he could have prayed for angels to come and immediately rescue him from his bloody fate. Presumably they would have. This would have been in contradiction to his Father's will, which is also presumably why he didn't pray it.

So when we pray, if we are praying correctly, it will be answered. I do not recall a single instance where Jesus tried and failed to heal someone. He had a 100% success rate, even when the subjects had no faith. (such as Lazarus.) They were healed because Jesus had the authority to do those things because it had been given to him by the Father. The ability to pray in Jesus' name then appears to me to be a transfer or a delegation of authority. In other words, I would guess that the miraculous works of Jesus would be multiplied by twelve after his resurrection. This was accomplished by the giving of the Holy Spirit and it was prophesied by Jesus that the apostles would do greater miracles (collectively, it seems) than the Messiah himself.

My question is, where has that power gone? Lots of people claim to have that same Spirit and they say they are praying in Jesus' name but I never met anyone with the success rate Jesus had. All of his prayers were answered. Was this responsibility (and therefore method of prayer) delegated only to the Twelve?

Permanent Link

The twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I received a printout from Dr. Wallach's company today. It details the amounts of each mineral present in his "Majestic Earth Minerals." This is all I need to find where I stand in the controversy surrounding his product.

MEM advertises 19,000 mg of organic colloidal minerals in each liter. A liter lasts about a month. However, 12,075 of these milligrams are sulfur. Hmm. What comprises the remaining seven thousand? First of all, 1490 mg of aluminum (which is toxic). Uh-oh. Carbon, sodium, chloride, yttrium, silicon, and nitrogen comprise more than a gram. I've never heard of "dietary yttrium." There is probably a reason for this.

However, let us see if MEM contains sufficient amounts of the truly essential minerals. Iron and zinc are both necessary for human life, and MEM contains quite enough of these - more than 100% of the RDA, but not so much that it would poison someone. We're off to a good start.

What about calcium and phosphorus? 140 mg of calcium spread out over a month is nowhere near the required gram per day, and phosphorus - of which one gram per day is also required - appears in such a small quantity (5 micrograms in one month's supply) that it might as well not have been listed. We find the same disappointment with magnesium and manganese. At 370 mg and 14 mg per month, there is simply not enough of these essential minerals in Dr. Wallach's product.

What about the trace minerals - the minerals we only need micrograms of? Copper, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, and iodine are present in MEM - but it will only give you 10% of the copper you need daily. The rest of the essential trace minerals are present in such small quantities that the daily dose includes less than one half of one percent of what is necessary for human life. Dr. Wallach talks a good game, but this single sheet of paper invalidates every piece of advertising he prints! How anyone can order this product knowing the true mineral content is really beyond me.

MEM is derived from humic shale. I wonder how it would work as plant fertilizer?

Permanent Link

The twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

The Scientific Method works like this: First, a scientist makes observations about the world around him. Then he forms a hypothesis. He then performs many controlled experiments to see if his hypothesis is correct. If the data collected from the experiments contradict his hypothesis, he revises his hypothesis. If they reinforce his hypothesis, good for him. Science does not always work this way. Archaeology, biology, and several other fields assume the theory of Evolution. If the data contradict this hypothesis, the hypothesis is not revised. Science is acting like Religion.

As far as I can tell, most Christians who care enough to learn about the fundamental doctrines of their faith will screen everything through those doctrines. This means that when they read a passage, no matter what it says, it will not affect their world-view, their hermeneutic, or their system of theology. Rather, contradictory verses are taken out of context and explained or ignored. Most scholars will not change their opinion, even in the face of clear evidence, especially if they have published something and would have to go back and retract it. There are a few true scholars who are happy to revise their opinions based on the Scriptural evidence when they are confronted with it. In this respect, Religion could learn a thing or two from Science.

Heresy, orthodoxy, anathema, excommunication - science has adopted these concepts as well. "Intelligent Design" is a heresy. Any scientist who believes that the government had a hand in the 9/11 attacks is anathema. Proponents of free energy, faked moon landings, 300 mpg cars, or eating apricot kernels are in danger of excommunication. This has nothing to do with experiments, observations, and data.

In stark contrast, many modern Christians are starting to see the value of the Scientific Method. If they think they have faith and have been regenerated, but see no desire in their heart to do good works, the data do not confirm the hypothesis. If they say they love יהוה but do not obey His commandments, they have disproven their theory and must reconsider. The younger generation especially is fed up with the lifeless religion of their fathers and would rather have something that works. This accounts for the infiltration of psychology, New Age methods, et cetera into Christianity. I would think that if an honest, thinking man follows his doctrinal system perfectly and finds from experience that it just doesn't work, all the Bibles in the world wouldn't convince him otherwise - but dead faith still characterizes so many Christians. Sadly, someone who tries Transcendental Meditation and finds that he gains the ability to predict the future is going to have a hard time abandoning his new powers. In this respect, the children of darkness are smarter than the children of light, but only in this world do they receive any benefit from their evil deeds.

"Faith" is a nice word that is used to cover up this truth, but "faith" doesn't mean believing in spite of the evidence. People don't have faith in Yeshua the Messiah because he failed, but because he succeeded in fulfilling the prophecies written of him. Even if they did not believe because of the words, they could at least see his works and believe. "Faith" shouldn't be used to patch up holes in one's doctrinal system. Rather, true faith in יהוה's holy Word should lead us to throw away that which is in contradiction to it and embrace the truths we find therein and let them shape us instead of trying to shape them.

Galatians 5:19-25. "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

Permanent Link

The twenty-first day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I have obtained employment at a local outdoor education camp. I'm going to learn a heck of a lot about camping, surviving outdoors, making fire and cooking, archery, et cetera. It's a good way to get in shape and I'm going to be able to apply a lot of this stuff, I think, if things get bad during my lifetime.

There has been an increased level of spiritual activity here. We are having trouble sleeping and everyone is more irritable. I can feel the "presence" of something that hates me, that wishes my death. It gets much stronger as I write about it. May my Father protect me. Today there were a lot of "chemtrails" in the sky, the kind that spread out and turn into clouds. And for some reason my eyebrow has been twitching like mad. I don't know but it might be connected with the increase in UFO sightings. Or maybe we have attracted some attention by devoting ourselves to obeying the Torah.

I have been having many dreams as well. I dreamt that I bought two ounces of gold bouillon. I had another dream that I bought a pistol. In yet another, I watched war break out on the Korean peninsula in the depths of winter. I think there are many more that I just don't remember.

I am slowly replacing the Grape Nuts and Cream of Wheat with even better foods - flax seeds, organic oranges. I eat peaches and nectarines just to get the kernel. I tried a grapefruit; the juice was sweet and delicious but the fruit was bitter. So bitter I had to spit out the last few wedges. My stomach was starting to hurt.

I should mention that I used to have severe heartburn (GERD), and I was allergic to fresh fruits and vegetables. I acquired this allergy at college. I think it came from a combination of cafeteria food, junk food, and Prilosec. It got to where putting uncooked fruit or vegetables in my mouth would cause pain; chewing and swallowing them hurt my mouth, throat, and stomach terribly. Once I found out that it was the fruits and veggies, I never, ever ate them. But my health deteriorated on my junk food diet and eventually I resolved to get into shape and take my health seriously. I dieted and exercised for three months. At the beginning I could not even run a mile. For the first month, Alive! multivitamins, green powder shakes (with one banana), pea protein, soy milk, and quinoa were the only things I ate. For the second month I started mixing in fruit with the quinoa. For the third month I started eating small amounts of meat and cheese. At the end of the third month I ran seven miles, and ate a one-pound burger at Ruby Tuesday's. (I was hungry enough to down a whole order of dumplings and a large dessert as well.) I have not experienced GERD or food allergies since. I really do need to start exercising again, though.

Permanent Link

The twentieth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

Dr. Joel Wallach claims that the essential minerals required for the human body to function are no longer present in the soil in sufficient quantities to produce vegetables and fruit that contain the amounts needed for humans to consume in order to live healthy lives. His opinion is hotly contested by the medical community; he has his own special page at QuackWatch. I do not know if he is correct or not. I will ascertain this for myself by eating copious amounts of his supplement products and seeing what happens. However, if it is true, I know why it is true.

Three thousand five hundred years ago, יהוה made it clear how He expected His people to dispose of their waste. Squat-and-bury. This is the only Biblical method of waste disposal. There is a very simple reason for this: minerals which are extracted from the soil by plants and consumed by humans are then excreted in solid and liquid waste (and in sweat) and returned to the soil. Currently the vast majority of solid waste is transported out of this nutrient cycle and into landfills and oceans and septic tanks.

The result? Mineral-deficient soil, and mineral-deficient crops being kept alive by fertilizer, and foods devoid of the minerals we need to live healthy, productive lives. If Dr. Wallach's supplements work as advertised, I will be even more assured that failure to return the nutrients in fecal matter back to the soil, through burying and composting our solid and liquid waste, is a sin and we are paying for it. Literally paying for it. A bottle of Dr. Wallach's minerals is eighteen dollars.

As soon as I have my own property, I will be implementing the Humanure Handbook. I hope that after a few years I won't need to supplement anymore, as my plants will contain all the minerals I have excreted. I will have my own very tiny mineral cycle.

Permanent Link

The seventeenth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

If you are one of those who are convinced that the primary purpose of public schools in the United States is not to create a class of citizens too stupid to pose a threat to those in power, I would encourage you to try to pass this exam within the time limits indicated. ("Passing" today may indicate a grade of 60% or higher. I do not know if this has changed since the exam was first written.) If you can pass this exam, you are ready to enter High School. If not, you will be repeating the eighth grade.

I was talking with my mother about patriarchy and she brought up a situation which she believed to be in her favor - that of the daughters of Zelophehad. Zelophehad had five daughters and no sons. As a result, when he died, he had no legal heir. Moses pleads their case before יהוה, who says, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father's brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.'"

It is notable that a daughter was apparently not considered a legal heir until this event. Even after this, a daughter would not have an inheritance if she had any brothers. However, what if a daughter gets an inheritance from her sonless father - is she then free to carry on business as the head of her own household? (First of all, from what I understand, marriage was nearly a societal requirement in the ancient world. If you do not produce children, you do not contribute to the vitality of your tribe or your nation. You have no sons to send to war or to carry on your name, and no daughters to bear the next generation of children.)

Numbers 36 finishes the story. Prominent relatives of Zelophehad complained that Mannasseh's land would be unfairly given to another tribe if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from another tribe. The land would not then be able to be properly restored in the year of Jubilee, but would remain in possession of another tribe forever. The solution is found in verse eight: "Every daughter who comes into possession of an inheritance of any tribe of the sons of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the sons of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers." So when a woman with an inheritance marries, if the husband were from another tribe, it appears that the land would unlawfully change hands. But then, if the woman marries her kinsman, would not the land lawfully change hands, and all she owns belong to him? This was my first conclusion, and I believe it to be incorrect.

We cannot take these two passages outside the larger context. Scan Proverbs 31 and you will see that a good wife will work, make money, and use her earnings as she sees fit. Women therefore could and did own their own property and use it as they pleased. Men can take heart at this - it appears that the woman in Proverbs 31 has used her own time, effort, and property to ensure that her whole family (including him) are abundantly fed and clothed! I would consider this superior to a woman who is constantly in need of money from her husband, though the writer of Proverbs considers the kind of woman he is describing to be rare indeed.

It seems then that Zelophehad's daughters themselves would have been brought into the tribes of their husbands (as women take on their husbands' surnames today). The women would then have their own capital from which to enrich their household instead of being slaves as many men would like to think (in fact, many women owned their own slaves, including Sarah, who called her husband, "Adon"). Men likewise are directed in 1 Peter 3 to honor their wives as fellow heirs (not always a popular message), even as their wives according to Ephesians 5 must submit to their husbands as they would submit unto the Lord - an even less popular message.

Permanent Link

The fifteenth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

In Exodus 20, it is recorded that יהוה gave the Ten Words from the top of Sinai in Arabia. Directly afterward, when the people ask Moses not to let יהוה speak to them anymore, יהוה tells Moses to tell the Israelites His specific instructions for sacrifice: "You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you." So far there is no change from the old ways in which, it seems, sacrifices could be made in any location in which יהוה caused his name to be remembered. The result was a blessing as long as a few simple rules were followed: an altar had to be made of earth or uncut stones and there were not to be steps leading up to it.

In Exodus 24, the covenant is confirmed. "Moses wrote down all the words of יהוה Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to יהוה. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar." Here nonspecific Israelites (to me it looks like it must have been representatives from each of the twelve tribes) made sacrifices on an altar at the foot of Sinai. Moses sprinkled the blood on the altars and on the people. Nothing wrong yet.

In Leviticus 1, the procedure now involves the Tent of Meeting. The burnt offering is still slain by its owner but the blood is sprinkled and the suet burned on the altar by a priest. The Israelites are still at Sinai. What has changed? The Tabernacle has been built and the priests ordained. What happens when no one knows who is a Son of Aaron anymore? What happens with no Tent? Should we build one? Why or why not? We don't have Moses' blueprints, that's for sure, and we don't have nearly enough gold to make the implements in the way they are described. Would not יהוה have provided the material possessions necessary for its construction if we were expected to build a Tent? He certainly provided for the Israelites.

In Leviticus 10 is recorded the first record I could find of a post-covenant infraction of the sacrificial ordinances. Nadab an Abihu - Aaron's sons - are consumed with fire for burning incense the wrong way. Their fire was "Strange," that is, profane. It didn't come from the altar. The thing that hits me hardest is that the commandment concerning the specific circumstances which must surround the burning of incense does not come until Leviticus 16, even though the command to build the altar and make the incense was given in Exodus 30. Apparently ignorance is no excuse even when the command has not yet been clarified. This is one reason I think waiting and studying is better than jumping in headfirst when sacrifices, or even the burning of incense, are concerned. We know we will be all right if we wait for the command of יהוה, just like Nadab and Abihu didn't. Can we take Malachi 1:11 as permission to burn incense and offer offerings right now? I don't think I'd take the chance just yet, after reading this passage.

However, during these events and ordinances, they had not yet departed from Sinai, and if you recall, our Father stated, "You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you." How can this liberal statement be replaced by the more restrictive system before they have even gone anywhere? No one has ever gotten the chance to offer offerings "in every place" since that statement was issued! Not to mention the numerous "tentless" and "priestless" offerings which I pointed out days ago. Perhaps the message of Nadab and Abihu is as simple as "don't mess with the holy stuff."

I'm going to keep studying this, though, and hopefully I'll find something.

Permanent Link

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

Ted's recent article, "Pentecostal Origins in Jewish Kabbalah," answers and raises a lot of questions for me. His premise is that יהוה did not create the world, as it were, "in the blink of an eye," but that He employed the legions of "angels" at his disposal to create the Universe and all that is within it. According to Job 38:7, the "Sons of God" shouted for joy. Incidentally, יהוה asks a curious question of Job in this passage: who laid the cornerstone of the earth? All of the questions around it are rhetorical - the point is, Job doesn't know. Job wasn't there. But of course Job have known that יהוה created the world. Perhaps someone else laid the cornerstone, by His direction, following His blueprint. Who knows. It's an interesting thought.

Anyway, the Sons of God were there for the Creation and it seems possible that they were the agents who carried out the Divine Word. What else would they have been created for? If they did participate as יהוה's tools, it would explain the Nephilim. I think it was Ted who pointed out to me: how else would the Watchers have acquired the technology to manipulate genetic information so precisely as to create hybrid species? (Incidentally, do the Sons of God also have a DNA blueprint from which to get their half of the hybrid? If they didn't, they'd be the only non-viral organism I am aware of that didn't. Of course, this raises other questions; if they are corporeal, why can't we always see them? And why some people and not others at the same place at the same time, like Elisha and his servant?) But if they were the ones who "built" the animals to begin with, they would indeed be familiar with whatever technics were used, and would have been able to recreate the process. Without the basic materials, or the ability to generate matter, perhaps they were limited to screwing around with what had already been created.

At first, Isaiah 44:24 was a problem for me. In it, our Father says, "I, יהוה, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone." When it first came to mind I thought that יהוה must have done all the work personally. But that's not what the verse says. It's just talking about stretching and spreading - whatever that means. Perhaps He is keeping it all from collapsing in on itself. Besides, we know He wasn't alone or by Himself during the creation, from Job 38.

1 Chronicles 6:10 also applies here. The Temple is referred to as "the Temple that Solomon built." How did Solomon build the Temple? With his bare hands? No - by the words of his mouth, which carried authority. His workers built it using the materials that had already been acquired and arranged for this task. And think about the sequence of events - יהוה created light, יהוה saw light, יהוה declared light good. Perhaps He was inspecting his own work, but I can almost see Him inspecting the work of the angels. "Yes, good job. It's just what I had in mind."

It's all very interesting. Why shouldn't the universe have been created using high technology - technology so far advanced that it seems to us to be miraculous or magical? Are miracles superadvanced "divine science"? Do they bend established laws in predictable ways? Do they utilize interdimensional machinery? If only we knew more - but יהוה made it clear that we don't know, and we're not going to know (at least not yet) who was involved or how any of it happened. In fact, we're so stupid that a bunch of us still believe we all got here by random chemical reactions.

Permanent Link

The thirteenth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I organized the old entries in a more sensible way, sorting them by month instead of dumping them all in a huge html file. Harder to search, but no-one accessed entries.html that often anyway. Reorganizing my old entries was a neat experience. I think I have learned quite a bit since starting Furry Curry and it's embarrassing to read some of my older writing. I'm sure in time what I write now will be embarrassing. I think it's a growing process for me. I have been at times lax in making sure of my sources, at other times too quick to pass judgment, and at still other times too dogmatic about issues that are up in the air. But hopefully the resulting fallout - even if it's just me being embarrassed - makes me more careful as a writer, as an amateur researcher, and most importantly as a child of יהוה. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a prophet and have everything I say be the perfect unadulterated truth. I wonder what it was like to write something down and to know that the words themselves were divine? I think we will be better off once we have some prophets. I hope they're on their way.

A kind reader alerted me to the magnesium deficiency in my diet that may be causing my heartbeat to skip. I purchased some magnesium-rich foods and I'll be heading out to find a good supplement soon. There is a GNC not too far away, and a small health food store even closer.

I watched a movie about Esther tonight. It was a bit strange, though, and deviated from or embellished the Biblical account where it was convenient. Interestingly, while Haman's ancestry was pointed out (a big plus), Mordechai's was not. Haman was a descendant of King Agag the Amalekite, whom Saul failed to kill as per יהוה's instructions. But just as Haman lived as a result of an act of disobedience by King Saul, Mordechai was the descendant of an act of mercy by David hundreds of years earlier. According to Esther 2:5, Mordechai was descended from from Shimei, a relative of Saul, who cursed David and threw stones at him; David, a Judah-ite, took the throne from Saul, a Benjamite - and I probably wouldn't like the guy who took the throne from my family either! But David, instead of following Abishai's advice and killing Shimei, spares him, saying, "Perhaps יהוה will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day." And indeed, good came of it. The Jews of Persia were spared.

Permanent Link

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

I have spent the last twenty days eating three to four meals a day, trying to keep myself full so I will put on a bit of weight. I have gained about a pound. I have not been eating any sweets, and I eat very few processed foods (the worst I had was deli meat, with sodium nitrite, which I shall probably never eat again.). Mostly I eat Cream of Wheat and Grape Nuts with fruit and every day I try to have a meat dish of some kind, sometimes with vegetables. It feels like I'm eating too much, and it's a diet high in carbohydrates, but my weight gain was minimal. Of course, I wouldn't gain weight even if I ate multitudes of ice cream bars and drank lots of root beer (something I have tried in the past). At any rate, I still have crazy heart skipping almost every day, especially when I am nervous or anxious, and especially in the evenings.

Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the dead, he is the most miserable of all men. Why? He was the ultimate Torah Observant Christian. Don't the blessings of Torah come to those who keep it? Wouldn't Paul have enjoyed a long, prosperous life because of his strict adherence to the Law, and because of his zeal for the Word of יהוה, and because of his preaching about Messiah? So why would he be miserable if he were wrong about Christ, if the blessings of the Torah were naturally tied to its observance?

What if one man in an entire country observed Torah? Would he have a prosperous life, or would he be ostracized by his people? Would the societal ailments that come with lawlessness - poverty, sickness, crime, corruption - fail to affect his life as a result of his obedience, or would they affect him as well? After all, you don't have to drive a car to inhale car exhaust. Lot is a perfect example - he was the only righteous man in Sodom, but he lost much because of the unrighteousness around him. We are all affected by the actions of others, and the national curses - for example, corrupt government - affect all those under that government, even the children of יהוה. Every time one man killed another with a gun, we were driven a little closer to the point where it was harder for all of us to get guns. Because of the irresponsible use of heroin and cocaine, the potentially beneficial opium and coca plants are illegal. Sin has consequences on a national and, it seems, even a global scale, and we are not protected from all of those consequences. I have never taken heroin, but because of the sins of others, I am not permitted to drink opium tea.

We are the minority. We are in the Diaspora. If an entire society observes Torah, there will be peace and harmony, success and abundance. Individual Torah observance brings many blessings - observe יהוה's address to Joshua in the first chapter of his book - but national Torah observance brings exponentially greater blessings. So even though Paul was blessed to obey יהוה's Word, he suffered because of the unbelief of the rest of the world - and indeed, so did the Messiah. We are said to be joint heirs with the Son of יהוה - if we suffer along with him. So, like Paul, I must learn to be content in any condition, and reliant upon the hand of יהוה to meet all of my needs. And someday, Israel will be ruled by יהוה's Appointed One, our Lord. There will be a perfect Torah-observant society where everyone eats of their own labor and builds their own houses and can leave great inheritances to their children. Everyone will be held responsible for their own actions, and in that day no one will be able to say that their teeth are set on edge because their fathers ate sour grapes. Until then, maybe all we will ever be able to do is try to obey as much as we can and pray for the insight and ability to obey more.

Joshua 1:7-9. "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for יהוה your God is with you wherever you go."

Permanent Link

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

Nephilim Update: The Book of Yasher, as it goes about listing Esau's descendants, contains an interesting story about "Yemim." Here is what it says, in Chapter 36:28-35. "...this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. And while he was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them. And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and while he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still. And afterward about a hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there. And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and those animals came and mounted and rode upon those asses, and led them away, and they went away to this day. And one of those animals approached Anah and struck him with his tail, and then fled from that place. And when he saw this work he was extremely afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city. And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives."

Perhaps Anah was a talebearer, or the account is inaccurate. It certainly is strange. But his adventure is recorded in the Torah, in Genesis 36:24, with one sentence: "These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah-- he is the Anah who found the yemim in the wilderness when he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon." Yemim appears to be another word that, as far as I can tell, no one is really sure how to translate. I also think it is slightly interesting that the place where Esau's descendants settled is called "Edom," which is just on the other side of the Wadi Zered from Moab, from where came the two "Ariels" that Benaiah slew many years later. I still don't know what an "Ariel" is for sure.

Perhaps they were little Mermaids...

Permanent Link

The tenth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

Note: After posting, I was instructed to look at the Hebrew for 1 Chronicles 11:22. The Hebrew word is "Ariel," Strong's #739. The literal reading looks looks like "Lion of God."

Why can we not wear a garment made of mixed fabrics? Why can we not sow a field with mixed seed? Why can we not cross-breed similar species to create hybrids?

Ted Walther posted an article some time ago entitled "The Scapegoat is Cain." It contains the idea that the Law is a sort of commentary on Genesis. Whether or not this is true, I think I have an idea as to in what part of Genesis the kilayim - that is, the anti-mixing laws - could have had their origin.

Genesis 6 contains the following narrative: "Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.' The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." Some people think the "sons of God" comprise the "Righteous Line of Seth" (who all perished in the Flood save Enoch and Noah, by the way) who mated with heathen women. Others say it is a group of rulers. But when a man and a woman mate, is the offspring a Nephilim? Read the account of the post-Flood ("and also afterward") Nephilim, given by ten scared Israelites in Numbers 13:32-33: "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Chuck Missler has a lot to say about the competing interpretations of Genesis 6. It's worth reading.

The Book of 1 Enoch (quoted by Jude) has a lot to say about this time period. Enoch chapter 7 is basically a parallel passage to Genesis 6. According to Enoch, "The Watchers" came down and mated with women. They also taught mankind witchcraft, the use of certain dyes, how to make battle equipment, how to select and refine precious stones, and the application of makeup (a particularly abhorrent practice which is still with us). These Nephilim also variously "sinned against" or "injured" birds, beasts, and reptiles. The Book of Yasher, 4:18, is more specific: "the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other."

On that note, another strange account appears in 1 Chronicles 11. Verse 22 states, "Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day." "Lionlike men" is a strange phrase. It literally reads "lion men." It's fun to read the various translations of this verse as no one seems to know what a lion man is. Perhaps they haven't yet been made familiar with the Great Sphinx. And speaking of Egyptians, these pages have some interesting pictures. The Egyptians have a multiplicity of gods with part-human part-animal features. The Greeks have their legends of half-man half-god "Heroes." Are these fictional events or heavily embellished oral histories?

So, why can't we mix fabrics, seed, or animals? Perhaps it is a reminder of the abhorrent deeds of the Watchers and the Nephilim. What implications does this have for genetic engineering? Gene therapy? Cross-species organ and tissue transplants? I think there is more than an arbitrary set of rules here.

Permanent Link

The eighth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

There are so many voices screaming at us. The major media outlets, the people we interact with, our friends and families all have something to say. But everything we hear is strained through our own filters. I don't know how often we really genuinely apprehend another person's holistic perspective; we may try to understand things from their point of view, but it seems to me that the entirety of another human being's experience will often be so different from ours that there is no way to understand exactly where they are coming from. I like to jokingly use the example of "Christian College" students (not to be confused with "Christian" college students) - people who have generally had certain principles so drilled into them that there is little hope of seeing them change their minds about anything which remains near the center of their noetic web. However, it may unfair to categorize people at such a young age; I think people are about thirty years old before they have really set their world-view into cement. After all, I was a "Christian College" student for several years, and so much has changed since then that I am hardly the same person.

People must realize that the state in which they find themselves is, in that respect, no different than the state of the person they disagree with. It is as difficult for our enemy to see our opinions for what they are - many times, crafted lovingly from hours of research and based on sound principles of reasoning - as it is for us to see their opinions for what they are. I disagree with abortion, but that does not make it necessary for me to dehumanize and demonize its proponents. Neither will I spend all of my time reading anti-abortion literature. It might be useful for me to read an article I agree with if it will enhance my understanding or bring new knowledge into my purview. I think, though, that it is much more useful to read the arguments of those I disagree with. They are far more likely to tell me something that I have not yet heard. I may find that even though I have learned how to refute their arguments, I have never really studied the foundation on which they base their beliefs. I think it must be far better to have a good idea of where someone is coming from and counter their argument from scratch than to memorize a pre-produced polemic against their belief system.

This is why I can rail on the dispensationalists - because I went to their schools, learned their "proof-texts," and believed in their doctrines for years. I studied dispensationalism from the inside and I know how weak the system is. I used to be lawless, to the extent that I thought murder must also be all right - as long as one is led by the Spirit to murder. For if the Law is dead, the whole Law is dead, and if we are led by the Spirit alone, the Spirit may lead us to do anything. Why else would the Spirit replace the Law? Of course, now I know better. But all I was doing was taking the doctrine of anomos to its ultimate conclusion.

To conclude, I was browsing old entries and I found I had unwittingly created a new word: Anomia.

Anemic: Lacking vitality. (From the blood disorder "Anemia.")

Anomos: Greek, meaning lawlessness. From a, against, and nomos, law.

Anomia: A lack of vitality in the Christian church as a result of throwing out יהוה's Law - His permanent definitions of right and wrong.

Permanent Link

The sixth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I had wanted to watch Aaron Russo's new movie for some time, so I was pleased to see it on Google Video. I also still like to watch Terrorstorm once in a while.

It's difficult to know what to do about government actions when they are illegal. Do we have to obey, so to speak, "illegal laws"? Or laws that are not written down, but are enforced with authoritarian methods? After all, my country was founded by men who seceded from England for taxation without representation - a situation we have found ourselves in again, as our "representation" was bought years ago.

What happens when the tool for enforcing the law, breaks the law? To what degree, if at all, can a Torah-observant follower of Messiah practice civil disobedience in order to reclaim Constitutionally guaranteed rights?

I still don't think revolution is the answer. Repentance is. But I don't see either happening in this country anytime soon. America was a great project for the rich who wanted to become richer - and it worked, they did. Satan knows that widespread moral depravity will stave off God's blessings and empower his own servants, which is why depravity is peddled on every street corner in America. The populace is simply not informed enough to know what to revolt over, and I don't know if they ever will be. There are so many drugs to keep them occupied - television, pornography, movies, music. Why worry?

The advantage our fathers had is that they had somewhere to go. They were no longer in England. They could cut ties with the mother country. We cannot do that in this country without going to war, a war which would certainly be lost, unless in case of a military coup. And I am not sure I would like to see things move in that direction.

It is truly a sad state of affairs, that we have bought for ourselves with indifference and sin.

Permanent Link

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

I have decided to reckon the Gregorian "last updated" according to the Gregorian midnight-to-midnight day, including the time just because I can.

A very good question was brought up to me after I posted the "Clean and Unclean" article: How did Israel observe the Levitical sacrificial system of Leviticus 1-7 once they entered the land and were separated from the Tent of Meeting? We know they met together three times a year for the Festivals, but what did they do for their sin offerings, burnt offerings, peace offerings, and guilt offerings? Even after the Temple was built, there doesn't seem to be a way for everyone to make the journey to Jerusalem every time they required a sacrifice for sin. However, Leviticus 17 permanently forbids any animal sacrifice not made at the Tent of Meeting.

The same is said of the Passover sacrifice. In Deuteronomy 16:5-6, יהוה forbids the sacrifice of a Passover Lamb in any town except that place where יהוה establishes His Name. However, I see no reason to believe that the Passover sacrifice requires a Levite or a priest, or that it is sacrificed at the Temple. During David's reign, according to 2 Samuel 24:9, Israel and Judah numbered 1,300,000 war-ready men. Even if there were five warriors per household, even giving a full twenty-four hours in which to conduct the sacrifices, that is still three sacrifices per second. I think each family must have sacrificed their own Passover Lamb, as it had been ordained in Exodus 12. The only thing that changes in between the Exodus and the issuance of Deuteronomy is the location.

What about now? Is Jerusalem still the place that יהוה has established His Name? I think so. The Prophets and Revelation concur in calling Jerusalem the Holy City. But what do we do in the Diaspora? Does Malachi 1:11 apply to us yet - can we burn incense and offer offerings in any nation? If not, what do we do until Zechariah 8 is fulfilled in its most final sense? Or, even when Israel was in their land, what enabled Samuel - an Ephraimite, not a Levite - to perform a sacrifice in Bethlehem in 1 Samuel 16? What enabled David - of the tribe of Judah, not a Levite - to make sacrifices every six steps on the way to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 20:29? Under what pretense did Elijah the Tishbite offer his famous sacrifice on top of Mount Carmel - a sacrifice that was undoubtedly accepted and pleasing to יהוה? None of these were offered at the Tent of Meeting or the Temple, nor were they offered by the sons of Aaron. Are these violations of Leviticus 17? If they are, why did יהוה accept them? If they are not, why not?

Permanent Link

The fourth day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

Something just occurred to me. The Apostolic Writings speak of the former prophets, how they saw many things but were not aware of everything (Eph 3:4-5, Luke 10:4, etc.) though they testified of it. They knew of Messiah but the Messianic prophecies are not always clear and they do not always fit their context. We should not be surprised at this. Moses was the last man who would talk to יהוה face to face, with clear words. Orthodox Jews will even tell you that Moses saw all of the Prophets and the Writings before they were written - he knew it all in advance. But the Torah only says, in Deuteronomy 34:10, "Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom יהוה knew face to face." And, in Numbers 12, יהוה says, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, יהוה, shall make Myself known to him in a vision; I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, he is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of יהוה."

Does not Paul substantiate this? For he says, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." I had always thought that Paul was kind of like Moses - that he saw everything, so he could write down some kind of perfect doctrine for the brand new lawless Church. Of course there is no such thing. Our assembly is the same assembly that has always been. Just because we are wild olive branches, grafted in, does not mean we are any different than those branches which were cut off, and someday those will even be restored.

So what of Paul? He counts himself as being among those who see through a glass, darkly, while in the World to Come, we shall see face to face. This is the same language Orthodox Jews use to describe the way the prophets see, compared to the way Moses sees. You can find this in the Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 49B. We know the Talmud was not completed until centuries after Paul wrote. However, so many traditions were passed down orally that apparently Paul was familiar with this concept before it was written - or else he contributed that bit of understanding himself (let's not forget what a Pharisee Paul was, until the day of his death).

Isn't it wonderful that we shall see as Moses saw? And even more clearly, if it is possible. יהוה does not owe us any favors; as his sinful, rebellious creation, all we have earned is death. But He will let us see Him and His Word clearly - face to face. And He will be our God, and we will be His people. And all you have to do is repent and believe.

But the lesson I really take from this is that while we must understand Scripture within its context to apprehend its meaning (there is no private interpretation), there are some things יהוה has hidden within the writings. He has told us this Himself; for Solomon says in Proverbs 25:2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." There are many things which have already been written but are not to be illuminated until their proper time has come. When that time comes, I wonder if it may appear as though passages are being interpreted outside their context, just as it appears so when the Apostolic Writings interpret the Prophets. I think it must literally take a supernatural understanding to be able to do this. But I also think there are some among us who will someday receive that understanding, even before that great Day of יהוה comes.

Permanent Link

The first day of the eleventh month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

Eating healthy has been going very well. Organic eggs and milk along with simple, bland cereals made from wheat, barley, and yeast - nothing else - form the staples of my diet. I don't crave sugar anymore - but I did lust after a brownie today. I declined just because I thought it would reduce my appetite for healthier foods. I had been eating so much, so often, and doing so little, that I thought I would be packing on the pounds by now, but I still weigh exactly the same, just short of eleven stone.

My former method of ingesting capsaicin - a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper at a time in a swig of green or echinacea tea - will not work any longer. Eating a whole teaspoon at once (when I first got the pepper) was a mistake and my body's "permanent nausea" reflex kicked in. As a result, pure cayenne pepper is on that short list of foods that will forever make we want to throw up (along with "strawberry shortcake milkshakes" and ice cream with Amarito). Tonight I put a quarter teaspoon of cayenne in with five eggs and that's going much better. Oddly enough, they're not very hot, but I can still taste the distinct "cayenne" flavor.

Tonight I had the best chicken ever consumed by man - or by this man, at least. I concocted a recipe and ran with it, even though it had entirely too much of this and entirely not enough of that, and it turned out so delicious that I want to eat it at every meal for the rest of my life. Eating healthy can be sumptuous. Seriously. Nothing I have ever put in any microwave holds a candle to that simple recipe. It was like restaurant food, except better, because of the satisfaction of having invented it myself, and because I knew I wasn't eating artificial gunk crap.

I hope to begin an exercise program of some sort very soon. It's contingent on finding a job (after which I will get a book on weight training, some dead weights, voice lessons, something pretty for my girlfriend, and perhaps some precious metals). I'd hate to injure myself by doing it wrong.

I think for dessert I will have milk and honey.

Permanent Link

The twenty-ninth day of the tenth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

It looks like the Internet as we know it, along with blogs and alternative news, might be going away in the next few decades. I get all of my news from the Internet - both from mainstream and "alternative" sources. But if the current style of government prevails, all dissenting voices will eventually be silenced. Yes, this is totalitarianism, and no, I have no idea if it will really happen. It's just being postured, just like war with Iran, just like microchipping all babies and immigrants. These things are waiting in the wings, slowly entering the national consciousness, being dripped out in diluted quantities by the media, until the government thinks it can spring the final product on a decaying Congress for enforcement on a deluded public.

But what of the alternative media? They are decidedly against government control, shadowy government dealings, and unnecessary regulation. They speak loudly against the hateful atrocities of the United States government, whether real or imagined. Many compare Bush's government to the Nazi regime or other totalitarian regimes, and demand his impeachment and the total replacement of the corrupt power structure in all three branches of government. But the alternative media seems to me to have its own sinister agenda. Read this quote from Goebbels: "The German people is an enslaved people... One has taken all sovereign rights from us. We are just good enough that international capital allows us to fill its money sacks with interest payments. That and only that is the result of a centuries-long history of heroism. Have we deserved it? No, and no again!" Compare this to the rumors of an International Banking Conspiracy draining our bank accounts through inflation and deflation controlled by the privately-owned Federal Reserve System, or collecting huge interest payments on our national debt (both of which I believe are really happening).

Goebbels again: "These days anyone has the right to speak in Germany — the Jew, the Frenchman, the Englishman, the League of Nations, the conscience of the world, and the Devil knows who else. Everyone but the German worker. He has to shut up and work. Every four years he elects a new set of torturers, and everything stays the same. That is unjust and treasonous. We need tolerate it no longer. We have the right to demand that only Germans who build this state may speak, those whose fate is bound to the fate of their fatherland." Does this sound familiar? If Goebbels were speaking in America, of our current situation, from the mouth of a Jeff Rense or an Alex Jones, how many people would get behind him?

Who will be our Goebbels? Who will go before us to pave the way for the next Hitler? Will the current system of government be overthrown? Because if it is, I don't see any hope for us. This nation has abandoned the laws of יהוה. All it can expect from its government is corruption, because the whole nation is corrupt. Only by repentance, not revolution, will America be restored. Without repentance, things will get worse and worse, and yes, there will be war on the North American continent.

Permanent Link

The twenty-seventh day of the tenth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

It has been posited by many Messianics who style themselves as Torah Observant that the laws of clean and unclean have no relevance in this age, because there is no temple, and the practical result of ritual uncleanliness was the inability to offer sacrifices. However, there are a few passages which I think hint that there is a deeper understanding, or at least a more practical application, of these laws. After all, they're not useless - יהוה didn't make them because he thought menstrual blood was "icky" or because He was afraid of catching a disease from the corpse of an unclean animal. He made the laws for our good that we might remain alive. Their specific reasons are unknown to me. I think it probably has to do, as many have said, with the prevention of the spread of disease. But whether or not that is the case, these laws deserve a closer look.

Read the rest of the article here. I'm glad to be writing things that are a bit longer, and have more of a point to them, even if it means I go slightly longer between updates.

Permanent Link

The twenty-sixth day of the tenth month in the 2728th year of our dispersion.

I am using, as Ted suggested, the date of our dispersion as the starting point for measuring the years, as it can be historically pinpointed and marked the beginning of an era that has yet to end.

Western Humanism is still with us. I am still surprised to see how a man-centered philosophy of life still pervades even the Messianic movement. It is much easier to see when one looks at the pagan religions. Devout Moslems are so devoted to their god Allah that they pray five times a day, scrupulously (reminiscent of Daniel, who prayed thrice daily even when it was against the law). They believe so strongly in their religion that they integrate it into their state, and even now in countries with secular governing authorities, Moslems are using their own law to settle disputes outside of court. This is exactly what Christians are supposed to be doing in accordance with 1 Corinthians 6.

Compared to Islam, Christianity seems so apathetic. Many Christians have "devotions" once a day and will pray over meals, but the extent to which Islam pervades the life of the Moslem makes the Christian's "Christianity" look almost laughable. Of course I am speaking of mainstream Christianity. There are many "hardcore" sects of Christianity which are equally stringent and equally dogmatic, and even within the mainstream watered-down type of Christianity there are many very devoted individuals. The problem is, they get their rules and regulations (or else their lack of rules) from traditions, not from the Scriptures. They adhere to the commandments of men while discarding the commandments of יהוה. In this respect they are hardly better than the Moslem as far as their practice. Indeed, the devout Moslem comes closer to Torah observance than most Christians ever will.

This lax religion is the end result of the humanistic philosophy which has been shaping Western culture for centuries. The idea that one's whole life - in totality of deed and purpose - is devoted to deity-worship seems misguided and antiquated to most of us. We are used to seeking our own pleasure (as long as we remain within some arbitrary guidelines picked out of the Apostolic writings). Even the Messianic movement suffers from this disease of humanism. We are asking the questions, "What do I have to do to be Torah observant?" "What must I change in order to align myself with יהוה's will, and יהוה's Word?" This is a start, and it is better than nothing, but it does not carry us far enough.

Here are the questions we should be asking: "What else can I possibly do?" "What else can I jettison from my life that is holding me back from יהוה?" "What can I do to show my love and devotion for יהוה?" The Bible has many answers to these questions, but people are not finding the answers because they are not asking these questions. If all you want is to justify your current practice, you will find something in the Bible to justify it if you look hard enough and consult enough translations. If all you want to do is change your outward appearance so you can join a club and call yourself a believer, you will find many directions to help you do so. If all you want to do is continue to gratify your flesh but you are seeking to escape eternal damnation by pledging alleigance to יהוה, you have missed the point.

Permanent Link

The twenty-fourth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I hope everyone got the chance to read the article I posted a few days ago. I thought it especially interesting how closely Jereboam's words mirror those spoken by many misguided pastors and teachers today.

When I was a freshman in college, I took an astronomy class. In that class, I learned nothing but pagan science - the life cycles of stars, how the universe began, the vast distances between stellar bodies, the earth revolves around the sun. I did not learn any of the constellations, or how to use the stars to find my way, or how to use the stellar bodies to mark the time, or anything of any value at all. So, I am learning the constellations. Many of the Stars retain their ancient Arabic names. I am learning these as well. So far I can draw three constellations, as well as find them in the sky and name all of their named stars: Orion, Ursa Major, and Gemini. I am now working on the Pleiades.

I hope to have the night sky memorized before another year passes. Arranging the icons on my desktop into the shape of the desired constellation, and renaming them to reflect the names of the stars, is a very effective method. Once I know my way around the celestial sphere, I'm going to see if I can move on to more practical things - finding directions easily, knowing the seasons, and finding the planets. It's pretty exciting. I think rote memorization will help keep my mind in shape as well.

I have been avoiding sweets but eating good healthful meals. My heart is doing much better, only skipping five times a day or so. I hope I have found and fixed the problem. I'd like to put a few more pounds on, though, before I fast again.

We have decided to quit our Sunday service in favor of a Saturday service, beginning the last Saturday in March. It will be a nice late afternoon affair. Much better. I can't wait.

Permanent Link

The twenty-first day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I had been forgetting to update my Gregorian date... not much use if I forget to update it, is it?

My pastor had an idea as to why my heart may have begun its rebellious beat-skipping - that I had not been eating enough. And, it has been slowly dawning on me, that one or two sporadic meals a day is not sufficient, and that my lack of regular eating may account for several of the problems I've been facing. It's not like I am anorexic - just not hungry. A BMI of 18.7 puts me barely within the lower regions of "normal weight," so I do not think I am in any serious danger. However, I have put a moratorium on fast days and have purposed in my heart to eat at least thrice daily until I feel I am in better health.

Ironically, I acquired three boxes of "Grape-Nuts" because they had no sugar added, and proceeded to eat two bowls yesterday and two bowls today before I found out that eating two bowls of Grape-Nuts per day is actually a weight-loss plan. And here I was feeling full and happy. For supper I ate a hamburger, with all of the fat squeezed out of it that could be squeezed out of it, on Ezekiel bread with organic Bleu Cheese dressing. It was delicious and the dressing is a great low-sugar substitute for ketchup/mustard/mayonnaise and it tastes a heck of a lot better and it goes great with beef, chicken, and turkey.

And now, as I settle down with a glass of Leelanau Cellars' "Great Lakes Red," I contemplate employment prospects. I'd love to be a writer or a musician or a teacher, but it looks like I will be working something a bit less - I don't know - fun. But I know that יהוה has plans for me and I have made my request to Him for income. Even if this coming year is a Sabbath year and I won't be able to plant, I will have plenty of things to do with steady income. I envision silver trumpets, a shofar, and perhaps home recording equipment. Mostly, though, I want to give and save. I'll have to budget pretty strictly if I want to buy property anytime soon. But once I do, I hope יהוה will bless my efforts and I will be able to turn that capital into real income.

I wonder if potential employers Google the names of their applicants. If they do, and you are one of them, I hope you do not discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. I swear I'm quite capable and I catch on quickly if I'm well-taught. Try me - give me a task.

Seriously - why don't more employers do that? Any applicant worth hiring would be willing to perform a series of tasks or an hour's worth of work to demonstrate their ability, their willingness to work, and their attitude. A short interview and a resume are rather silly ways to determine what good someone is going to do for you. Just have them do something for you. Test their aptitude. Why not? If they want the job, they'll be happy to follow through, and you'll get a chance to see them in action. Anyone with half an ounce of grey matter and an Internet connection can write (or forge) a good resume and learn how to ace an interview. But there's no website that can help them do real work. Just raw talent, ambition, and ethic. And isn't that kind of what you're looking for to begin with?

Permanent Link

The twentieth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

Today and yesterday my heart has been acting up. It repeatedly appears to stop for a bit and fibrillate, then return to its normal schedule. It is accompanied by a very slight pain in my chest. I wonder what new evil has befallen me, and why?

What if my heart stopped tonight, in my sleep? Have I done all I could to advance the Kingdom of יהוה? No... Have I made peace with everyone I have wronged? No... Have I kept short accounts with those who have wronged me? Not nearly so short as I should have. Have I loved יהוה with all of my being? No... What about my neighbors? No.

There is much to learn, but there is so much more to do. I'm beginning to realize that much of what I have been focusing on is - excuse the wording - masturbatory. I am trying to bring myself into a more accurate knowledge, a more Biblical lifestyle. But the commands of יהוה are also outward-oriented and lived out in community. It is these which are the heavier things of the law - justice, repentance, mercy. We say we love יהוה until we are forced into a position where we learn that we do not truly love our neighbor - then we realize with a shock that we cannot love יהוה unless we can love our neighbor. They go hand in hand.

Having to stare at my own ugliness - not just imperfection, but seemingly the opposite of perfection - is a great reminder of the mercy of יהוה. For though I love His statutes, I have been rebellious in my flesh for my whole life. Thank יהוה for the Messiah, our expiation. Otherwise I would be condemned to death. And death is still and will always be what I deserve. יהוה has decided in His mercy and lovingkindness not just to spare my life, but to raise me up as a joint heir with His own perfect son. In spite of all I have done. It is rather amazing. And the gratitude which results from this extreme benevolence is - you guessed it. Obedience. Obedience to יהוה's teachings and commandments, His Torah. And this is the response He is looking for. I am grateful that He has at least taught me that much. Now I hope He will teach me how to better live out the weightier matters of the Law from a sincere, changed heart.

Permanent Link

The nineteenth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I wanted to comment tonight on my writing style. When I was a college student, I was encouraged by more then one professor to write papers in a certain way; that is, not to write "In my opinion" or "I think" or any such thing, but just to write what I thought, because my name was at the top of each page and of course who else's opinion would it be but mine? This is how I write at Furry Curry. I just write what I think. I don't want anyone to think that I am sitting here claiming to be the Fountain of Truth or anything. I am setting thise things down so I can get them straight in my head, and to invite discussion, and to provoke thought. Whenever you see the "Furry Curry" logo at the top of the page, that is my disclaimer. "This is what I think; make of it what you will." My opinions are not constants. There are two constants I can think of, that I know will never change as long as the world stands. These are יהוה Himself, and by extension, His Word. Judge everything you hear (including the Apostolic Writings) by the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (that is, the "Old Testament"). This is exactly what the Bereans did according to Acts 17:11. They would not even have believed Paul, had he contradicted the Tanakh.

Of course, where I can substantiate what I say with the opinions of others or with Scripture, I sometimes do. More often I do not, simply because my purpose is not to prove anything, just to advocate repentance. By modern standards, Paul didn't keep very good endnotes; you have to know the Scriptures to know where he is getting his quotes from. (By the way, you would also have to be familiar with the Targums and the Oral Torah [later codified as the Mishnah]. From what my pastor has been telling me, Paul drew on more sources than most of us care to know.)

I have been reading C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia again, just for fun (I needed a bit of fiction). A quote from one of the books was very interesting to me. Many of the Narnian animals are sentient, but some are not; this prompted one of the children to wonder, "Wouldn't it be dreadful if some day, in our own world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you'd never know which were which?"

Permanent Link

The eighteenth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I would like to introduce you to the work of Pastor John Rodgers. He pastors a very small church in a very small town in the middle of nowhere, Michigan. But his heart is to seek out the things of יהוה, to conform to His Torah, and to labor in יהוה's field, יהוה's building. His teachings definitely amount to much gold, silver, and precious stones. If there is any justice, his reward in the World to Come will be greater than mine, by far.

The Sermons of Pastor John Rodgers, in low-fidelity mp3 format.

He addresses many of the "problem verses" - those which have been misinterpreted from Paul's letters in order to propagate false antinomian doctrine. He stays within the historical, grammatical, cultural context and he sticks to a completely exigetical, verse-by-verse format. As a side effect, he spends more hours each week at his job than many full-time wage-earners in this country, and he does it for next to nothing. May יהוה bless him greatly.

I should note that Michiana Calvary Fellowship - John's fellowship and mine - does not endorse everything you will read here at Furry Curry. I would be considered a bit radical. However, that is my goal - to explore areas most people do not wish to consider, to question doctrines that are held as too sacred to question, and to speak clearly as to what needs to be changed. To do these things properly, I think one must be a bit radical.

If you see a passing resemblance between MCF's web page and mine, it's probably just your imagination. Though I really should get around to creating a left-side border, at some point. It looks so empty over there... Sometime this week I'll probably get to it. I have some more pressing issues to deal with at the moment.

Permanent Link

The seventeenth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

For quite a while after discovering the Torah and what יהוה's true religion is supposed to look like, I avoided Christian publications. Everything from C.S. Lewis to Max Lucado was off my reading list. And I think I know why. Religious books are almost always polemic. They have an agenda. Of course, there is hardly anything written anymore that does not have an agenda, history and science and everything you can imagine is tooled to drill a certain perspective into your head and leave it there. But, as Marx said, "Religion als Opium des Volkes." All of the skewed history, falsified science, and government bungling will slide down the throat, as it were, with America's spoonful-of-sugar God. And this God is what is most often peddled in modern religious writings. They are all keyed to different personalities; some play on emotions, some appeal to intellect, but all are selling equally powerless religions.

"No," exclaims the modern Protestant youth group members and Christian college students, "Christianity is not a religion!" I imagine that these are children who have never read George Washington's farewell address or do not agree with it. "Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ." So in this relationship we talk to Jesus, he doesn't usually talk back but we "feel" in our "feelings" the Spirit leading and that's pretty much what we follow? This is not a relationship. It's a drug. And it really works for lots of people, and that's why it's so huge. But it's not the truth. It's the most potent lie ever devised, and it gets its potency from hanging its every quirk of doctrine on a proof text somewhere in the Bible.

Yes, we must have a relationship with the Most High God through his messenger and ambassador and son, Jesus Christ (as he is called in English). This is the relationship. He is to be your God, and you are to be one of his people. He is to be your Lord, which means he owns all of you and all of your possessions and you are a serf. He is to be your King, which means you do everything he asks of you without question or complaint. In fact, if you know his will, there is no way you will wait for him to ask you. (We don't have Kings and Lords in the United States so this can be difficult to understand.)

He is to be granted sovereignty over every area of your life; what you are permitted to eat and drink, what days you esteem as holy, how you arrange your calendar, how and where you use the bathroom, who you associate with, who you marry, who you honor, how you spend your time, and anything I've missed. And if he has spelled out specific instructions you are sure going to obey them. This is the relationship you are to have with the Father through Yehoshua HaMoshiach. Marvel at the grace you have been given, that you have even been allowed to live in rebellion this long, and repent of your lawless deeds!

This is the agenda, and this is why it would have been so dangerous for me to read Christian literature while I was still in my infancy as a lover of Torah: Christian literature is designed to lead one away from true observance to יהוה's Torah and into a deluded, happy state long enough to tide one over until one needs to buy another Christian book. Very convincing arguments and emotional appeals and stories and all you can think of, just to cover up the real simple truth. Obey יהוה. You will have success. Love him and believe him, and the one he has sent, and you will have a place in the world to come. All of your relationship problems, anger problems, bitterness problems, lust problems, depression problems, do not need separate books to address them. They will not be healed by years of therapy. They will not be fixed by Rick Warren or John Piper. They require immediate and rapid repentance.

Of course, now I am back to reading all I can read, because discernment is rapidly built up when the Torah is the foundation. I no longer swallow all I read and revel in the emotional high. So, now that I have the antidote, I can handle the poison, and sift out that which remains which is good - because there still remains some truth in these writings. It just needs to be very carefully evaluated.

Permanent Link

The fifteenth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I attempted to update last night but my computer overheated and I lost my entry.

Life is looking increasingly like a video game or a movie. Lost ancient technology? A dystopian future where the year-marker has been forgotten? Brainwashed masses being fed stories by a corrupt church and a corrupt state? But this is our life. This is planet Earth. This is what happens when the whole world ignores (or dismisses, or reinterprets) the Torah. I wonder what will happen when we start obeying?

When I first saw the movie, "The Matrix," many years ago, I walked away with the distinct feeling that it was all true. And, of course, it is, just not in the way I imagined. Not that we aren't living in a digital simulation - it would seem that we are. But even within our tangible existence, the most important knowledge - that concerning יהוה and His ways - is hidden, and the masses have no idea what is really going on. This is the meaning behind Malachi 3:18. "So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." Even though the immediate context would almost suggest that this event is concurrent with the end of the age, I am confident that it is currently happening. As we turn back to the Scriptures and away from pagan science, pagan philosophy, and pagan theology - which men today use to stop up their ears against hearing the truth - we will be able to distinguish between the true servants of יהוה and the wicked.

The distinction is, of course, obvious throughout the Scriptures. Yet, it has been hidden for centuries, glossed over by "our learned divines." Those who obey יהוה are righteous, and those who do not are wicked. Those who obey are the wheat, those who practice lawlessness are tares; and as we learn once again to distinguish good and evil based on the Torah, the eyes of those who refuse to see become even more darkened, even to where many Christians will proclaim that the Moslems are their brothers just because of their monotheism.

Yes, the distinction is blurry right now, because there are many true children stuck in Babylon. They have been comfortable in Babylon but they are growing restless, and when they hear the truth they will apprehend and love it. This is sweetness. But there are hundreds of millions more professed Christians who will hear the truth and reject it, and reject the Torah, and reject יהוה, and remain in Babylon, eventually to fight against יהוה and kill his servants, and this is bitterness in my stomach. Would that all men would bring themselves under יהוה's authority, that they would believe Moses' words, and then believe Messiah's.

Permanent Link

The fourteenth day of the tenth month. Year unknown.

I have decided for now to count the days as Hillel II did, and not from the conjunction as I am unable to see whether the sun or the moon rises first (and because my fellowship is using Hillel's feast dates). Also, it is currently the tenth month because the first month is Abib in which Pesach is celebrated, and not Eitanim (T*shrei) as is celebrated by modern Jews and in which is their Rosh Hashanah (new year) celebration. I do not call the months by their current "Hebrew" names as they are derived from the pagan Babylonian names. Numbers will suffice. And finally, for the names of my permanent links I will for now remain with the Gregorian numbers to make life easier for anyone on the Gregorian calendar who wishes to use them.

A few months ago I read that the capsaicin in cayenne pepper was an herbal remedy for circulatory and digestive problems. I also read that it potentiated other herbs. I decided to test it when I had a sore throat, by drinking a tincture of green tea and cayenne pepper. I was cured almost ridiculously quickly. I have since read that it is an irritant and unhealthy, but it will be difficult to convince me of that anytime soon, as my experience was so positive. I have since ordered several pounds of organic cayenne at 90,000 heat units for a very reasonable price. I also ordered a pound of cut and dried echinacea. We'll see what it does for me, if anything.

Third, I was struck when I realized that יהוה's name is not said by the Jews, but they call their months after pagan gods. It is exactly the opposite of the Torah - do not let the names of pagan gods be heard on your lips, but call on the name of יהוה.

Permanent Link

January 2, 2007

I would like to find out what year (from creation) it actually is. If I do, I will be moving to the Biblical calendar. יהוה made it clear which month was to be the first month. I didn't celebrate the pagan new year and I hate to commemorate it by marking the dates here in the blog either. For those who would be wondering if the page had been recently updated, I could offer a "Last updated on xxxx/xx/xx Gregorian" notice.

Since high school, I have been periodically attacked by demons. For this reason I usually dismiss anyone who does not believe in the idea of territoral spirits - I was attacked nightly in Utah over an extended period, and never in Pensacola, Florida (which is where I moved to escape); many times in Montgomery, Alabama, and rarely in Japan or Korea. But here in Michigan is the only place I have ever seen them. Not just sensed, or perceived (as happens more often), but seen with my own two eyes. It has happened three times; twice in the past six months. The attacks almost all follow the same pattern.

Sleep paralysis is a fairly well-documented phenomenon in which the body remains paralyzed while the mind is awake. What is seen is the actual surroundings of the paralyzed (plus a few hallucinations); what is felt is total immobility (along with inability to breathe), the sense of dreaming, and often intense fear. I have experienced sleep paralysis many times. Sleep paralysis no longer scares me. It is the presence or absence of the beings that visit me during this time that differentiate between a regular incident of sleep paralysis and demon oppression.

My parents have both seen and heard demons, so I should not really be surprised. They have harassed me and my mother both in the same day - when I prayed that they would no longer be allowed in the room, they whispered to my mother that they were still in the walls. When I first clearly saw the marred, deathly face of a "real live" demon - as I was wide awake in my bed - I was hardly even affected, such had been the extent of my previous experience with the unclean spirits. After hearing pages of the Bible turn of their own accord, seeing lights turn off as I walk into a room, and watching an unclean spirit fly through the window, land on my chest, and begin choking me, among many other experiences, there is little left that will strike fear into this heart.

This morning, I was visited again. A large black silhouette hung over my bed and a sincerely evil presence invaded my dream and invoked sleep paralysis. I cried out in my mind to יהוה, pronouncing it as I have often heard it pronounced, "Yahweh." Then, I tried calling out, "Yahuwah." Immediately the presence left and I was again safe.

I do not know how to pronounce יהוה's name, but I thought I would post this. Whether it means anything or not, I have no idea.

A second miracle happened later, in my car. My stomach was in terrible pain and I did not know why. It worsened and worsened, until my girlfriend said a silent prayer and spoke the words, "Get better" at my abdomen. Within two seconds all of the pain was gone.

יהוה is moving here.

Permanent Link