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PAGAN SPIN-DOCTORS
by Lew White

By putting the right "spin" on a teaching, the opposite of what we should be doing can easily become accepted. "Doctor" is Latin for "teacher", and "spin" means to "twist", or invent from ones’ imagination. Most of my life I have understood and lived according to all the reasoning you hear in Christian preaching. One day, I crossed over into another realm; but it is not a controlling, evil, money-grubbing realm filled with work, guilt, or the old "spins" found in footnotes and commentaries. Gentiles today in Christendom have an understanding, as I certainly did, that there is a "new" thing going on, and "Jews" can come into it if they accept Yahusha as their Rabbi (Christendom uses another term, but it means the same thing). In truth, it is open to Gentiles to "come in" by grafting into the original fig tree (Israel), to become literal Israelites; the dividing wall is broken down! YHWH promised to make this new covenant, as Christendom correctly calls it, at Yerme Yahu (Jeremiah) 31 -- the first one was at Sinai, commemorated by the commanded convocation called "Shabuoth", or Pente-cost (meaning count 50, for the 50 days between the Shabbath after Passover to the giving of the Torah at Sinai). This giving of the moral law (Torah) defined exactly what a sin is (1 John 3:4); but the CEREMONIAL law, which Paul was faced with explaining as "completed" is confused with the moral right-and-wrong "law" -- thus Peter’s words of warning at 1 Peter 3:11-18. Shabuoth/Pente-cost is a wedding anniversary, when the bride (Israel) promised to obey her husband, and take His Name (Yahudites, worshippers of Yah). The bride broke this covenant, and assimilated pagan ways of the Gentiles, and became a "harlot". The designers of Christendom like Constantine used devices that trace all the way back to Nimrod of Babylon, twisting (spinning) them to mean something different. 2 Pet. 2:2,3: "Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up." They are spin-doctors. The Torah is the "way of truth".

 

The "New Covenant" promised was to be with Israel, and at Jeremiah 31 it is the same Torah, written upon their hearts -- and this happened to the first Nazarenes (120 gathered in obedience) at the Shabuoth (50 days after the Passover) after our Rabbi was slain, and rose from the dead. At this time, the prophesied "new" covenant occurred for the first time. It is happening over and over again as each new convert reaches the point that they stop resisting the Spirit of Yahusha, and accept the LOVE of the Torah. At this point, they become children of YHWH, and show it by the spiritual circumcision we call "baptism". This is explained at 1 Pet. 3:20. All through Acts, Luke records "Sabbaths", mentions Shabuoth several times, and a "Sabbath’s distance"(Acts 1:12), and even the "Fast" (Yom Kippur), but it is not possible to clearly see it all until you "cross over", and convert. Christendom would rather be "free" from the Torah, and follow the bondage of Satan by keeping Babylonian Customs like Sun-day, Easter/Ishtar, the Christmas/Solstice re-birth of the Sun, and eat pigs (see Isaiah 66:17-24). The "new" covenant is with Israel also. YHWH does not change His ways, He has shown us that by His Spirit we CAN obey, and love His Torah. We worship (worth-ship)Him as Creator by resting on the weekly 7th day from sunset to sunset (see Isaiah/Yesha Yahu 66 again). I love His Torah. Paul lived by it, and found it a joy to teach others to live by it. Constantine changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week, in order to "have nothing in common with the hostile rabble of the Yahudim(Jews)". This fulfilled Daniel 7:25. We will keep the Feast of Tabernacles during the Millennial Reign of Yahusha, and any nations who rebel will receive no rain (Zech. 14). It makes no sense that there would be Sabbaths, then no Sabbaths, then Sabbaths again, does it? It only makes sense that a deceiver has changed the way. These warnings are perfectly clear as both letters of Peter explain the coming of heresies, and how those who started them and follow them would be severely punished. Paul described the changes too. Money is not involved in the spreading of the message of the coming Kingdom of YHWH. The message is free. At Acts 20, Paul called the elders together to explain how distorted things would get, and even told them that they should not be a burden, but work with their own hands, and even give to the support of their flock. He told them -- the elders -- that Yahusha Himself said "it is more blessed to give than to receive". This is turned around to exploit the flock today! This "Nicolaitanism" is as old as Catholicism. I believe the message of the Kingdom of YHWH is "REPENT -- for the Reign of YHWH draws near". I sow the seeds of the Kingdom, the Torah (teachings, rules, commandments etc.,.) and explain that they are "living water" (Ps. 1). They are what any rabbi teaches, and certainly our only Rabbi teaches. What kind of rabbi would Yahusha be if He taught us to just believe He is our "saviour", while we ignored the so-called "OLD" covenant Torah? The ceremonial law (animal sacrfices) is completed -- "it is finished" -- and the law that we were "under" and "was against us" is taken out of the way, by Yahusha’s cruel death. THAT is the ‘law of sin and death’, because we had the death penalty over us until Yahusha finished it once for all. But, we live anew in His life by the power of His resurrection, our own trusting in it enables us to obey joyfully the moral laws of the Kingdom. He has delivered us from sinning, because His Word (the Torah) lives in us!

 

A Christian pastor on the radio once remarked, "if Christians stopped observing the things they do that originated in pagan worship, they would be left with absolutely nothing to do." Then, he went on to explain that it doesn’t matter to YHWH that we -- human beings -- re-invented pagan customs to apply to Him now! This is the "pig" who after washing, returns to the mud (pagan customs), and the "dog", returning to what it vomited up (2 Pet. 2:22). The Babylon that Yahusha commands us, "Come out from her, my people, that you not share in her sins" is Christendom -- the Mother of Harlots -- the Harlots are the daughters of Catholicism; Baptists, Calvinists, Lutherans, etc.,. Of course, the customs originated in Babylon, under Nimrod. How many people living today know that the "Christmas Tree" custom is a symbol of Nimrod, the re-born king of Babylon? Or that wreaths and branches represent him, curved into sun-circles? There is no religion in Scripture -- founded by Yahusha -- that is anything like Christianity. I’ve searched for it. In fact, Yahusha did not "found" anything new, but only said "repent", and repeatedly corrected the Torah teachers for having set-aside the Commandments, observing the traditions and teachings of men in their place! The first Nazarenes, both natural Yahudim and converts, observed the entire Torah(moral law) with great zeal(Acts 20:21). Scripture records no condemnation of anyone for observing Sabbath, avoiding blood and strangled food(Acts 15), or Passover keepers! There is not a whisper of Easter, eggs & rabbits, Christmas, Santa, Sun-day, popes, nuns, monks, giving money to "spread the Gospel", Halloween, indoor "altars", holy water, statues, halos, steeples, bells, sacraments, wreaths, votive candles, Christmas trees, or anything you see in Christianity. You could drop it all, and just with Yahusha, start over. You would learn His religion, not Constantines’. I’m not judging people here, but the customs we have embraced, stemming from paganism! People have to be willing to wake up, and at the risk of being hated by everyone for shunning cherished customs, love YHWH enough to keep His Commandments, and hold to the Testimony of Yahusha: "Repent -- for the Reign of YHWH draws near!"

 

how i woke up to the lies

 

I’m almost 49 Earth orbits old as I write this. I was raised as a Roman Catholic. I recognized early the authority over me: my parents, teachers, government, the "priests", the "pope", and ultimately, a Creator - pretty much in that order. I had no idea what His Name was, nor even realized He had one, other than "GOD". Trained in Catholic schools by "nuns", I was taught to talk to the dead "Mary", and lots of other dead; I eventually became an "altar boy", assisting the "priest" in conducting what is called "Mass". I did this for years, studying Latin and pondering all the mysterious behavior, symbols, garments, and terms carefully; wondering what they meant, where they originated, etc.,. We were taught to avoid all contact with "non-Catholics". Regular "dispensing" of "grace" through the "7 sacraments" was literally the only program we lived by.

 

I believed and attempted to obey the 10 Commandments, as the Catholic system designed them; (they removed the 2nd one pertaining to images, and made the 10th one into two, to retain "10"). At about age 11 or 12, I remember how I loved to cut the lawn, and while in the middle of doing this one "Sun-day", I realized that it was "Sabbath", when work was forbidden. For the first time, I wanted to obey the mitzvah to cease work, and knew that the Creator saw me working -- but He also knew my heart (or conscience) was burning inside me. I finished, and justified it because I was obeying my father. Years passed. Then I found myself in the U.S. Air Force, unable to attend "Mass", as I had been taught was obligatory. Finding the opportunity finally, I went to a Catholic Mass, thinking I was fulfilling my "obligation". At the end of it, the "priest" announced that because this Mass was being said for a newly-wedded couple, and was not a fulfillment of our weekly obligation, I pondered why. Having been an "altar boy" for many years, I figured it out: There was no money collection taken up! I felt betrayed. For the first time in my life, I saw the "Church" for what it really was. A business. I stayed away from them all, but I knew that the Creator was real. I never doubted, but I studied many disciplines in order to prove it to myself that the things I believed were really true. I studied evolution theory, Astronomy, Cosmology, Biology, and Physics. I could see that much knowledge only revealed there was much more to learn. The more I learned, the more I realized that the scope of knowledge in totality was just an infinite, unending ocean to fathom; and behind it all, was the Creator. Then, in my 35th year on Earth, my wife put a copy of the Scriptures in the bathroom (you know, with nothing else to read around). For the first time, I read the prophet "Isaiah", and I had no plan as to where to start -- but it was chapter 53. A light came on in my mind, and I knew there was a mind behind the words that was alive, and I knew the words were talking about Someone I had with me all along, and now He wanted to introduce Himself to me. I was so overwhelmed, I took a long look at the book itself, and wanted to know how it had been put together, and by whom. So, I naturally read the Preface -- in it I found the word YHWH, the Personal Name of the Creator. He really was introducing Himself to me. Words cannot begin to describe what happened to me then. This Name, as He wrote it Himself in stone at Sinai, is the "paleo-Hebrew" or ancient Hebrew seen on the Isaiah scroll on display in Jerusalem. Since it was considered too special to throw away a scroll because this Name was written on it, worn-out scrolls were buried in clay jars. This one word, "YHWH" written in paleo-Hebrew, is the only reason we have the "Dead Sea Scrolls".

 

The mind of the flesh cannot submit to the Torah, and actually hates it. It must be written upon your heart by Yahusha -- He circumcises those who the Father calls, but they have to take the step of choosing to obey Him -- Acts 5:32.

 

The spin-doctors will have a great deal of trouble refuting this, but it is Acts 15 which records the decision of the Nazarene Jerusalem Council for how Gentiles are to begin conducting themselves, to become part of Israel: James (Ya’akob) said;

 

"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to YHWH. Instead we should write to them, telling them to

 

(1) abstain from food polluted by idols,

(2) from sexual immorality,

(3) from the meat of strangled animals and blood.

"For Moses(the Torah) has been preached in every city from the earliest time, and is read in the synagogues on EVERY SABBATH." Acts 15:19-21. Kosher means without blood, and of course, a "clean" animal, as even Noah knew. The vision of Peter at Acts 10 was about Gentiles, not food! Mark 7, where Yahusha explains why His students do not need to wash their hands, is upholding the Torah, and correcting the Pharisees and Torah teachers for observing the "traditions of the elders". Qabbalistic traditions had developed that required one to wash his hands when he awoke, before taking more than a few steps! It was believed that demons (unclean spirits) inhabited a person when they slept, and upon awakening, these spirits clung to the fingertips. Yahusha was challenging these "traditions", not declaring "all foods clean". This is placed in italics in many translations, because it is not in the original text itself, but placed in the margins by the "spin-doctors" of antiquity. If you have asked YHWH for the truth, He will reveal it to you. The key of knowledge is His Name. "Everyone who calls upon the Name of YHWH will be saved;"

(Joel/Yah el 2:32). 2 Tim. 1:24 is the advice for teaching and correcting others in the knowledge of the truth, and I hope this is being received in the spirit of helpful criticism, not resentment.

Here are the eternal laws of the Reign of YHWH:

The 10 Commandments

1. I am YHWH your Elohim. Have no other before My Face.

2. You do not bow to images.

3. You do not bring the Name of YHWH your Elohim to naught.

4. Remember Shabbath, to keep it set apart.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You do not murder.

7. You do not adulterate.

8. You do not steal.

9. You do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You do not covet your neighbors house, wife, servants, ox, ass, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.

Love never fails. Love YHWH by keeping His Commandments. With Yahusha, they are easy -- find one you don’t like, and email/mail me explaining what it is, and list your reasons for disliking it. I wager that you won’t find it. Rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness!

Love, bro. Lew

If you would like to have a copy of my book, "Fossilized Customs", I would be happy to send one to you. If possible, send $4.00 per book, but if you cannot afford it, I will be glad to send it anyway. You can reach me by email at:

strawberryislands@worldnet.att.net

 

or write to me at:

Lew White, 2325 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205-2120 - USA

 

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