At long last, the promised commentary on Jake's blog. Jake wrote so many interesting things I needed a month to digest them. Here goes:
2787-10-14 Jake is using Hillel II for determining the New Moon dates because that is what his assembly is using. I approve of this decision. Since I am not under the authority of an assembly, I feel free to determine the New Moon by the conjunction, which I feel is required for certain verses in the Psalms to be true and correct.
Good point about the Jews calling the months by pagan names, but not using the name of Jehovah. The Jews are in as much error as the Christians. I get frustrated by Messianics who leave Christianity then go ga-ga and hang on every word coming from the Rabbi's as if it were more profound than the writings of Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Some even put up mezuzah on their doors and wear tefillin. For the record, I feel both Augustine and Thomas were brilliant teachers of false doctrine.
2787-10-17 Bad association spoils useful habits, but one can't pass judgement without hearing both parties out. When a plant is young and tender, it must be shielded, but a mature oak tree can stand up to some rough weather. So it is good to see you at a point where you can read Christian literature again, confident that God will separate for you the jewels from the junk. Noone today has the complete picture; we can find diamonds of information in the most unlikely place. Even in Christian writings!
2787-10-19 The Narnia novels by Christian writer C.S. Lewis are great. I especially liked the scene at the end of the last book, where everyone was being taken up to the next, better world. The dwarves were so bitter at having been deceived that they would not let it happen again. They hid from the end of the world in a stable. They were given fine clothes and sumptuous food, and they only saw rags and dung. There was beautiful singing, but they only heard animals braying and growling. They were shown a doorway to a bright, happy world, but they only saw a dark cave full of red eyes waiting to eat them. It is the nature of the human mind to see what you expect to see. Pray we don't miss the things God wants us to see. If we expect him to be good, we will see the good things he has provided. If there is badness, it will pass.
2787-10-20 You have a good insight that Torah is meant to be lived out in a community. In my area, a heresy has spread like wildfire; cleanshaven men are hiding their tzitzis by tucking them inside their garment. They insist that the tzitzit are for themselves, not for the people around them. But the Hebrew text is fairly clear; the tzitzis are for YOU plural; all of us.
2787-10-24 I concur with you about the sad state of astronomy at our universities. They are so busy teaching the myths of Big Bang and billions of light years that they don't teach you the simple things like how to observe Mars, Mercury, Venus, or the phases of the moon. They forget to mention that it is impossible to calculate even four years ahead where the planets will be located, or even a month ahead where the new moon will be sighted. People assume that our astronomers know a lot more than they do. Ancient astronomers didn't calculate; they observed and recorded.
Good article on Ritual Uncleanness.
2787-11-05 Good thoughts on the continuing validity of sacrifice. I disagree with Avraham Yehoshua on the Trinity, but he wrote two articles on the sacrificial system which are simply astounding. They really clarified it for me, and show how it was never done away with. In private email however I found out that he doesn't kill a Pesach lamb. How can he write such words of truth and not realize it? Here are the articles: The Mosaic Sacrifices and the Blood of Jesus and Sacrifice in the New Testament. Our main points of agreement are that the sacrifice of Jesus was of an altogether different type from the sin offerings that were done in the temple, and that the apostles and disciples happily continued to offer blood sacrifices even after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven.
2787-11-10 Good commentary on the Line of Seth versus the Fallen Angels interpretation of the Nephilim in Genesis. I especially liked your links, which I'll reproduce here: Mischievous Angels or Sethites?, by Chuck Missler. Actual skulls of Nephilim match Egyptian paintings in uncanny ways. Museum shows bones of a fourteen foot tall giant Nephilim. On the topic of Nephilim (the product of genetic engineering) the mass deaths of honeybees has been traced to genetically modified corn crops. The altered genes are getting into bacteria that in turn kill the bees.
2787-11-11 I was going to write an admonition to you about relying on the book of Jasher, but instead I found this webpage. It honestly discusses the issues with the book of Jasher, but also concludes that the book of Jasher is genuine. I will finish reading the pro-Jasher arguments on the Jasher website before commenting further.
2787-11-14 Good commentary. Enjoyable read.
2787-11-24 Good commentary on applying the scientific method to our religious observance. If we have faith and salvation, we can expect certain results. If we don't see the results, honesty compels to admit we don't have what we thought we had. Most Christians instead blind themselves and pretend they have what they are told they should have. It is aweful to be fooled into thinking you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the authority and blessing and leading of God when you really don't.
2787-11-27 Thank you for exposing Dr. Wallach and his micro-nutrient business. Torah teacher George Gordon is a big fan of his. If we eat kosher, organic foods and get a lot of physical exercise, we should be in good shape. Too many sedentary people look to diet to solve problems which are caused by their idleness. Did you know that anal fissures are caused by weak stomach muscles? Bleeding crap isn't fun, but it is one of the penalties for sloth.
2787-11-30 Congratulations on getting back to using the conjunction! VERY GOOD question about "where has the power gone"? Pentecostal preachers starting with John G. Lake 120 years ago, down to Benny Hinn today, claim lots of miraculous healings. But they all have detractors who say that the healings were faked, unverifiable, or otherwise problematic. Marjoe made a documentary movie explaining how the Pentecostal preachers did their magic show. Could it be that the power is now diffused over a population of billions? Both Christiand AND Jews are so blind, is it possible we aren't pure enough to see the full flowing power of the Separated (Holy) Spirit? I grieve for those former Church of God members I see careening out of Christianity, hanging onto the Messiah, but hanging onto every Jewish tradition and custom as if it was some sort of great wisdom from an angel.
Thats all for now; good luck with your new job Jake.