Let's Go Camping!

What is the best way to go camping?

I love to go camping.  Some of my happiest days were spent living in a tent.

Sometimes, I went camping carrying nothing with me but a knife.  I could use the knife to make a shelter, start a fire, and make tools for foraging for food and catching fish.  (My brother David could one up me and not even take a knife.  He could make one from flint.)

I could make a comfortable bed using fallen leaves over a spot of soft dirt.  All I needed to keep insects away was some freshly cut cedar branches.

My hygiene needs were not hard to take care of.  I could go behind a bush to relieve my self.  I could dig a hole, take a squat, wipe with a large leaf, and then bury what came out.

In northwest Arkansas, it was not hard to find a clear pool in a running stream to bathe in.  I could also wash my clothes in that clear running stream, and then hang them on a tree branch to dry.  Sometimes, I would take a shower in a waterfall of a clear running stream.

Likewise, it was not hard to find clean drinking water.  The water at the top of these clear running streams was always safe to drink.

Of course, I mostly did this type of camping in fair weather.

In colder weather, I always took a lot more than a knife.  While I could build a shelter in the Winter, including a snow house (igloo) if there was snow, it was a lot harder than camping in the warmer weather.  If there was snow, then I needed pots and pans to melt the snow for water.  I had to bring in food, because there is very little food that can be foraged in the Winter.  I also make sure that I had a sleeping bag.  Of course, all of this stuff required a backpack to carry it in.

Most of the time, I went camping with a bunch of other men and boy in tents.  Sometimes, we would even camp in bunkhouse like we did at Camp Rudy.

Whenever I went camping with women, like my mother or my wife, we had to camp somewhere with a bathhouse and restrooms.  The needs of women are much more complicated than those of men.

 

Perhaps, that is why only men refer to some place that is thirty miles from the nearest indoor plumbing, as "The Great Outdoors".

In fact, one time I went camping with my wife and her entire family near Branson, Missouri.  This camping area was unusual in that we rented a small wooden hut with beds to sleep in.

Obviously, not all seasons are equally good for camping.  In the Ozarks, there is always the chance of being rained on during your entire camping trip in the Spring.  In the Summer, it can get uncomfortably hot, and you have to contend with bugs, snakes, and other wildlife issues.  In the Winter, it can be uncomfortably cold, and you have to deal with snow and ice.

The best season in the Ozarks is the Fall (Autumn).  The bugs are dying down, the nights are cooling down, and the rain showers are often short, when they occur.

The best part of the Fall is from the Fall Equinox to about five weeks later.  The bugs are pretty much gone, it is still warm enough to do things during the day, it is comfortable at night, and the cold weather has not moved in yet.  Whenever this time of year comes around, it makes me want to say, "Let's go camping!'.

I am not the only one who feels that way.  The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), who created this optimum time for camping, has made a celebration that revolves around camping for a week during this time of year.  He is saying to the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him), "Let's go camping!".

This celebration begins the fifteenth day of the month (close to the first full moon), of the first month whose fifteenth day occurs after the grape harvest is over in Israel (Deuteronomy 16:13).

(The grape harvest ends about the time of the Fall equinox.  The grape harvest can end a week earlier, if a year has ideal conditions like it did in 2017 AD.  However, there is no way to know if this rare event will occur in time to set the first month.  The first month must be determined before the grapes have even blossomed.  So, the first month of the year must be determined based on the normal end of the grape harvest.)

This celebration is called Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) (Leviticus 23:34).  People go camping for a week (Leviticus 23:41-42).

This camping is unusual in that it was not meant to be done out in the wilderness.  It is meant to be done in the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) whenever the Temple is standing there (Deuteronomy 16:15-17).

Although only men are required to go camping in Jerusalem, women and children are encouraged to come as well (Deuteronomy 16:14).  The more complex needs of women and children are not a problem - since they are camping in a city!

The Rabbis have many traditions about how this camping trip is to be conducted, both in the land of Israel and outside of the land of Israel.

First, they have requirements for the Sukkah (booth) that people are to live in during this urban camping trip. A Sukkah must meet the following requirements:

It must have three walls.  It must have at least 16 square cubits (about 48 square feet or 5 square meters) of floor space.  It must have a S'chach as a roof.

The walls must be at least two cubits high (about 3 feet or 1 meter).  The walls must be rigid enough to have minimal movement in normal winds.  The walls must form right angle corners.  

The S'chach must be made of organic material that was not processed for a different use.  It must be thick enough to provide more shade than light in the Sukkah.  It must allow at least some of the stars to be seen when looking up through it at night.  It must allow rain to come into the Sukkah.   At least part of the s'chach must under the open sky.

The final requirement is that it be inspected by a Mashgiach (supervisor), usually a Rabbi, who will stamp it with a Hechsher (seal of approval aka Kosher mark), if it meets all of the requirements.

Second, people are required to spend at least part of each day in the Sukkah, usually at least eating a meal in it, unless it is raining.  People are not usually required to sleep in them.

Third, people are to treat the first day of Sukkot as a Sabbath, as well as the day after the camping ends - the eighth day.

Fourth, people are to treat the other days as Chol Hamoed (literally 'the appointment sand", but commonly referred to as "weekday holiday" or "secular holiday") which are considered half-holiday days.  Some work is permitted, particularly work that applies to keeping the festival, while other work, like doing the laundry, is not.  Going to work for pay is permitted, if the worker cannot take vacation.

Also, there is an extra Aliyot ("going ups") of reading of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) in the synagogues during a Chol Hamoed.

Fifth, when the one of the Chol Hamoed is the weekly Sabbath, then the usual prohibitions of regular work apply like any other weekly Sabbath.  However, the order of the synagogue service is different than regular Sabbaths.  Also, the Sabbath meal (Oneg) is eating in the Sukkah.

Sixth, every day, except the Sabbath, the Four Species must be waived.

The Four Species consists of two parts:

The first part is a Lulav usually made by binding together a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm tree, two branches with leaves from a willow tree, and three boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree.  The Lulav is bound together by strips of another palm frond that form a Hadasim.

The second part is the fruit of a citron tree, called the Etrog.  The Etrog is considered particularly holy, and will sometimes be kept in a silver casing called an Avarot, or a glass box.  Some Etrogs are examined with a jeweler eyepiece for flaws, like diamonds.  An exceptional Etrog can cost $500 or more.

Of course, a Mashgiach must inspect the Lulav and Etrog and place a Hechsher on the Lulav to show that they meet the requirements.

The Four Species are then used in a ceremony, called the Na'anu'im.  The Lulav is placed in one hand, and the Etrog in the other. Then a blessing, called the Shehecheyanu, is recited.  After that, the Lulav and Etrog are brought together, with both pointing away from the holder in the same way that they pointed away from the trees, from which they were taken.  Finally, they are gently shaken three times in each of the four directions (north, east, south, west), then upward and downward.

The Na'anu'im is part of the Synagogue services. It is accompanied with making a circuit with everyone carrying their Lulavs and Etrogs around the synagogue in a processional while reciting the Hashanot prayers.

The Na'anu'im can also be done in the home or Sukkah of an individual as well.  It is not done at all on the weekly Sabbath that falls during the Chol Hamoed.

Seventh, there are various other ceremonies that are not celebrated everywhere, but they usually are celebrated in Jerusalem. These include the Hakhel, held when Sukkot is at the end of a Sh'mita (Year of Release), the Simchat Beit HaShoevah, and the Hoshana Rabbah.

Is this really what the Father of Truth meant when He said, "Let's go camping!"?

The point of living in a Sukkah is to remind people that the descendants of Israel had to live in a Sukkah during their many years of wandering in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:41-43).

People slept, ate, played, worked, had sex, and gave birth in a Sukkah during this time.  They lived in a Sukkah through all four seasons.  They lived in a Sukkah through all kinds of weather.

A Sukkah obviously did not have one open side and leaky roof!

So what did a Sukkah look like?

The Hebrew words used do describe a Sukkah in the Book of Truth (The Bible) give a pretty good idea.

The Hebrew word "Sukkah" literally means, a booth made from interwoven leaves and branches.  The Hebrew root word that it comes from, is used to describe the dwelling place of wild lions.

A Sukkah was like a primitive shelter that is built when you go camping carrying only a knife.  Long, slender, and supple branches or vines are used to lash together thicker branches to form a basic frame.  More branches were lashed to the frame to form walls and a roof.  An opening was left in one wall to allow entrance into the shelter, and a door is formed that opens upward for that entrance.

The Sukkot, that they live in the wilderness, are also called, "tents" and "tabernacles" (Numbers 24:5).  The Hebrew word translated as "tents" literally means a nomad tent - a tent with walls and a roof made of thick cloth or animal skins that can be disassembled quickly for travel.  It is used numerous times of The Tabernacle, which had walls and a roof made of these materials that could be disassembled quickly for travel.  The Hebrew word translated as "tabernacles" is the same word used of The Tabernacle itself.

So a Sukkah had the same basic structure and shape as The Tabernacle.  It had a frame made of interwoven leaves and branches that was covered by thick cloth or animal skins.  These walls were on all four sides with an opening in the front wall to allow entrance into them.  They were rectangular in shape.  Their roofs were practically flat.

So, a finished Sukkah resembled a game booth at the arcade of a carnival.

If each Sukkah was the same height and width, then they could be organized in rows, the backs of two rows facing each other, to form a Sukkah block.  (The length of the Sukkah in the front could vary according to how many people lived in it.)  This would help each Sukkah in the Sukkah block to be made more stable by the other Sukkot in the block.  These Sukkah blocks could be spaced to put a street between blocks on all four sides.  Finally Sukkah blocks and streets could be arranged to form a Sukkah city.  There could be spaces scattered throughout a Sukkah city where the livestock could have been kept at night, similar to city parks.  This might have been the arrangement of the camp of each tribe of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 1:52).

These booth shaped tents are what the people of Israel lived in during their time in the wilderness, when the Father of Truth told them, "Let's go camping!".

During Sukkot people are to gather four types of branches with leaves (Leviticus 23:39-40).  The best way to understand these four types of branches with leaves is to examine the Hebrew words in the list (Leviticus 23:40).

The first type was to be a fruit bearing bough of a highly esteemed tree.  Most of the branches from qualifying trees would not have fruit on them, since Sukkot begins after the fruit harvest is over (Leviticus 23:39).

The second type was to be the palm of a palm tree.  The idea of "the palm of a palm tree" is that the palm branch is to be wide open like a human palm with the fingers spread out.  (Hence the name "palm tree".)  No specific type of palm tree is given, so it could be a date palm or any other kind of palm tree.

The third type were to be a branch covered with smaller limbs that have dense interwoven foliage. Although branches of a myrtle tree would meet these requirements, these branches do not have to be from a myrtle tree to meet these requirements. These branches could be from any tree that has these types of branches, like an elm tree or a pine tree.

The fourth type was to be a branch of dark wooded trees with braided branches found near places were streams flow at least part of the year.  Although willow trees meets these requirements, they are not the only tree to do so.  Poplar trees also meet these qualifications, particularly the black poplar. (The black poplar is so named due to the darkness of its wood.)

What are people supposed to do with these four types of branches on Sukkot?

They are to use these branches to make a Sukkah (Nehemiah 8:14-15).  It is worth noting that olive branches were the fruit bearing boughs of highly esteemed trees, pine branches were the branches with covered with smaller branches and dense interwoven foliage, and that branches of thick trees were also used to build each Sukkah (Nehemiah 8:15).

So there is nothing in the Law of Truth about having a ceremony with the Four Species.  In particular, the citron tree, which bears the Etrog, is never even mentioned in the Book of Truth.  This fruit tree originated in Babylon, and was brought into the land of Israel after the Babylonian exile, just like the ceremonies involving the Four Species.

In fact, the Na'anu'im is a modified re-enactment of the processional that the Babylonians performed to honor their idols during their harvest festival in the month of Tishrei.  The wording and explanation of the symbolism was changed to point to the Father of Truth, instead of Tammuz, similar to many of the rituals of Christmas and Easter, that are "Christianized" Pagan rituals.

So, this ceremony is actually contrary to the Law of Truth. The Father of Truth does not want the Children of Truth to worship Him with the same rituals that idolaters use to worship their idols (Deuteronomy 12:29-31)!

Not only that, people are to dwell in these booths during Sukkot, like the people of Israel did in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42-43).  People are to sleep, eat, play, work, have sex, and give birth in a Sukkah during this time.  This is what the Father of Truth means, when He says, "Let's go camping!".

The other customs were added by religious professionals over the centuries.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with a few of them, it is inherently wrong to treat any of them like they are part of the instructions given in the Law of Truth for Sukkot.  No one has the authority to add commandments to the Law of Truth (Deuteronomy 4:1-2).

The only ceremonies commanded during Sukkot revolve around sacrifices at the Temple (Numbers 29:12-38).

The only commandments concerning Sukkot, besides those involving the Sukkah, are these:

The first day is a Sabbath when people are not do their regular work and congregate together (Leviticus 23:35).  Then they are to gather the four types of branches on this day (Leviticus 23:40).  Lastly, they are to use those branches to build their Sukkah on that day, so that Sukkot are everywhere in Jerusalem, including the courtyard of the Temple (Nehemiah 8:15-16).

After a Sukkah is built, then people are to live in their Sukkah for the next seven days and nights (Leviticus 23:42).

People are bring their tithes from the fruit harvest season, rather fruit or money, to the Temple at Sukkot (Deuteronomy 14:22-25).  No man is to show up empty handed at Sukkot (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).

People are to use part of those tithes to buy whatever they need to rejoice during Sukkot (Deuteronomy 14:26).  They are to use part of those tithes to make sure the Levites have whatever they need to rejoice with them (Deuteronomy 14:27). They are to make sure that everyone, including widows, orphans, and foreigners, are able to have whatever they need to rejoice with them (Deuteronomy 16:13-14).  Everyone is to spend the days of Sukkot rejoicing (Deuteronomy 16:15).

After people have spent seven days and nights rejoicing in their Sukkah, then the eighth day is another Sabbath when people are not to do their regular work and congregate together (Leviticus 23:36).  The Sabbath of the eighth day marks the end of Sukkot, just as the Sabbath of the first day marked the beginning of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:39).  This Sabbath is the end of the sacrifices at the Temple for Sukkot as the grand finale of those ceremonies (Numbers 29:35-38).

So, this is what the Father of Truth means when He says, "Let's go camping!".

It is truly the best way to go camping, because everyone can participate!

His instructions for keeping Sukkot are very different from those of the Rabbis. Today, the instructions of the Rabbis prevail in Jerusalem, but His instructions will prevail when the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) is using the Law of Truth to rule the world from Jerusalem, and the people of Israel are walking in his light (Isaiah 2:1-5)!

The return of the King will be right after with the final harvest of the Tribulation.  In the aftermath of the Tribulation, the River will flow and bring the waters of salvation.

His reign will move the world closer to the end of all troubles.  It will be like the day of new beginnings for the human race!

The Man of Truth will conduct the greatest camp meeting ever!  It will be a real Jamboree!

Not only will all of the people of Israel celebrate Sukkot in Jerusalem, but so will all the Goy (Gentiles) (Zechariah 14:16).  If any of the Goy refuse to go camping in Jerusalem during Sukkot, then their land will get no rain for the next year (Zechariah 14:17).  The Man of Truth will not be fooling around when He says, "Let's go camping!" (Zechariah 14:18-19).

I long for the day when he says to the whole world, "Let's go camping!".

The Man of Truth came down from Heaven to live as one of us (John 1:14).  He lived in a Sukkah on this earth like every persons lives in - a body is only temporary and not eternal (2 Corinthians 5:1).  He understood our desire to no longer live in a Sukkah, but to live in a body that would be a permanent home (2 Corinthians 5:2-4).  He understood that our bodies are like a Sukkah - they are lived in for a while and then taken apart (2 Peter 1:12-14).

So, the Man of Truth died and rose again, so we could become a new kind of person, that will live in a permanent home, instead of a Sukkah (2 Corinthians 5:14-17).  Because of that, one day the Father of Truth is going come down to Earth to camp with the Children of Truth forever in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2-4)!

Everyone who has come into the House of Truth will be glad when the Father of Truth says, "Let's go camping!".

You can come into the House of Truth and be glad on that day as well, because the Man of Truth came to be savior of the entire world (John 4:41-43).  The Father of Truth sent him to die in the place of those who broke His commandments, and raised him to life, so they could be saved by his life (Romans 5:6-10).  You will experience that salvation, if you surrender control of your life to the Man of Truth, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10).  Everyone can come into the House of Truth, rather or not they are part of the people of Israel (Romans 10:11-13).

Come into the House of Truth!

A Feast Without Food

How can there be a feast without food?

The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) announced His Feasts of Truth in the wilderness (Leviticus 23:4).  However, everyone is to fast on the sixth feast, Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) (Leviticus 23:27-29).  So, Yom Kippur is a feast without food.  How can this be?

This apparent paradox is resolved when you look under the covers, instead of looking only at the surface.

First, a little history about the word "feast".

Festival originally meant "a holy day".  The word "feast" came from  the word "festival" and originally had the same meaning.  A holy day was usually celebrated with the community gathering to eat special foods associated with the holy day.  So, the word "feast" came to mean people eating food together to celebrate a holy day.  Overtime, the word "feast" came to mean people eating together to celebrate any event.

So, when Hebrew was first translated into English, the English readers understood that the Father of Truth was announcing His Holy Days in the wilderness.

The Hebrew words make this plainer.  There are two Hebrew words usually translated as "Feasts" in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law).  The paradox disappears when you translate these words with their more literal meanings in modern English.

One word is "chag" and it means a feast.  It is the word used of the three times a year when the men of Israel are to gather before the Father of Truth for a feast in Deuteronomy 16:16.  This word is always used of celebrations where people gather together to eat.

The other word is "moed" and it means an appointment.  It is the word used of when Israel is to set aside certain days of the year as holy to meet with the Father of Truth in Leviticus 23:4.  This word means "a holy day", when used in the context of meeting with the Father of Truth.

The words "holy day" have been contracted together to form the word "holiday" in modern English. So, Yom Kippur is not a feast without food.  It is a holiday without food.

What is fasting on Yom Kippur about?

The commandment for observing Yom Kippur is to afflict your soul, whether you are a Jew or a Ger (a Gentile living among the Jews as part of the Jewish people) (Leviticus 16:29-31).

The Rabbis teach that people are forbidden to do five things on Yom Kippur in order to afflict their souls: eat food, engage in sex, wash their bodies, anoint their bodies with anything, and wear leather shoes.

For this reason, the traditional greeting in the days leading up to Yom Kippur is "Tzom Kal", which means "have an easy fast".

The Rabbis teach that afflicting the soul is just part of the atonement process of Yom Kippur.  People also need to do three other things as well to make things right between the Father of Truth and themselves: pray, repent, and perform Tzedakah.

Although Tzedakah commonly translated as charity, that is not really accurate.  It literally means "righteousness".  There is no idea in Rabbinic thinking of doing something good for someone in need to show them love. (Charity literally means "love".)  Instead, you do something good for someone in need to show that you are righteous.  You give to the less fortunate to show that you are obeying the commandment of the Law of Truth to do so.  You are doing justice to those less fortunate when you do something good for them.

For many Jews, Tzedakah begins with the Kapparot ceremony in the evening that begins Yom Kippur, where a chicken is waived over peoples heads.  The waived chicken is then killed, and the meat is given to someone who is poor.  (Sometimes money is waived instead, and it is given to someone who is poor.)  This shedding of blood, or money substitute, is thought to help atone for the sins of the giver.

In similar manner, there are elaborate synagogue services, where people publicly participate in prayers (Kol Nidrei, Ma'ariv, Mussaf, Mincha, Ne'ila) from the Mahzor (prayer book), T'shuva (Repentance), and Vidui (corporate confession of sins).

In the Kol Nidrei, all personal oaths and pledges made until the Yom Kippur service of the following year by the participants, are declared null and void.

The Avodah (Remembering the Temple service) completes atonement according to the Rabbis.  This is a long series of public prayers (Mussaf), studies of the rituals of the High Priest, recitations of these rituals, and people lying prostrate.  The whole idea is that people are participating in the Yom Kippur Temple service, by doing these thing in remembrance of the service, as if they were actually there.  People lay prostrate at various times during the Avodah, because people did this when the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) was being manifested at the Temple on Yom Kippur.  So, the Rabbis teach that the sins of the people are atoned for, as if they were actually there, when the High Priest performed the rituals of Yom Kippur in the Temple.

The Rabbis teach that during Vidui, all people are declared cleansed of their sins, because they made public confession of them as a group in the Ashemnu and Al Cheyt confessions.

Does the Book of Truth (The Bible) teach that fasting on Yom Kippur, and all of these other Yom Kippur traditions, really atone for sin?

In the Book of Truth (The Bible) afflicting the soul is only associated with people not eating and not engaging in sex with their spouse.  People afflict their souls when they fast (Isaiah 58:3).  When they fast, then they also refrain from engaging in sex with their spouse (1 Corinthians 7:2-5).

More than that, the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) explicitly says that the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) are to wash and anoint their bodies when they fast (Matthew 6:16-18).

The Book of Truth says nothing about not wearing leather shoes.  (The Rabbis allow shoes made of other materials to be worn.)

No one is made righteous by public acts of Tzedakah.  The Man of Truth said, that people should give to the less fortunate in secret, instead doing it publicly in order to show how righteous they are (Matthew 6:1-4).  No one is brought closer to the Father of Truth by giving to take of people in need, unless they do it out of charity (1 Corinthians 13:3).  This is the entire point of this commandment of the Law of Truth (1 Timothy 1:5-8).  The Children of Truth are to show love to other people, so other people can understand the love that the Father of Truth has for them (1 John 3:16-18).

There are no sacrifices for sins involving chickens in the Law of Truth.  It is the blood of a bull and a goat that are offered up by the High Priest in the Temple to cleanse people of sin on Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:27-30).

There is no giving money to the poor to atone for sins in the Law of Truth.  The only money that could help atone for sin was the half-shekel contribution of each grown man to help pay for the expenses of the Yom Kippur service in the Temple (Exodus 30:12-16).

It is not praying in unison from a prayer book in a synagogue service that makes a person right with the Father of Truth.  People must turn from their wicked ways, and seek His face to walk in His ways, if they want Him to hear their prayers (2 Chronicles 7:14).  He does not hear the prayers of those, who do not do what He says is right (Proverbs 15:29).  He only hears the prayers of those, who do what He says is right (1 Peter 3:10-12).

The Man of Truth said, that people should not be standing in the synagogue to be seen by other people, when they are praying (Matthew 6:5).  They are not use vain repetitions from prayer books, like idol worshipers do (Matthew 6:7).  They are not to put on a pretense with long prayers in public meetings, while oppressing other people the rest of the time (Matthew 23:14).

The Man of Truth said, that people need to be alone with the Father of Truth when they pray (Matthew 6:6).  This is how he prayed (Matthew 14:23).

The heartfelt prayers of those, who do what the Father of Truth says is right, get answered in powerful ways (James 5:16).  Eliyahu (Elijah aka Elias) got powerful results, because he did what the Father of Truth said was right, and made heart felt prayers when he was alone with the Father of Truth (James 5:17-18).

There is no nullifying oaths and pledges for the next year on Yom Kippur in the Law of Truth.  It commands that whatever vow proceeds out of the mouth of a person, that they are to perform it (Numbers 30:1-2).  Only the vow of a woman could nullified by a man who had authority over her, like her father or husband, if they did so on the day they learned of it (Numbers 30:3-8).  However, an unmarried woman, who did not live under the roof of her father, could not have her vow nullified by anyone (Numbers 30:9).

A righteous person does forbear to do what they promised, even if their promise proves to be hurtful to them (Psalm 15:2-4).  If people make an oath to the Father of Truth, then they had better do what they promised (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6).

In like manner, the Man of Truth said to not make oaths where people swear by anything, but to simply keep their promises at all times (Matthew 5:33-37).  He said that they had better keep their promises, no matter what they swore upon, because they made an oath to the Father of Truth (Matthew 23:16-21).  A person simply needs to do what they promised, without making an oath (James 5:12).

There is no atonement for sins by rehearsing the atonement rituals in the Temple on Yom Kippur.  The High Priest must place the blood of the sin offering on Yom Kippur, for atonement to be accomplished (Exodus 30:10).  The High Priest must perform these rituals, in order for them to cleanse people of sin (Leviticus 16:30).  The life is in the blood, and blood is required for atonement (Leviticus 17:11).  There is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).

It is not confession of sin that cleanses people from sin.  In the Law of Truth, when a person confesses of their sin, they had to make an offering to the priest, so they could be atoned from their sin (Leviticus 5:5-13).  In like manner, the sins of the nation had to be put on the head of the Azazel (goat of escape aka scapegoat) by the High Priest on Yom Kippur, after confession of these sins was made, so the nation could be cleansed of these sins (Leviticus 16:20-22).  If a person trespassed against the Father of Truth and confessed their trespass, then they had repay the person they did wrong to, plus a twenty percent penalty, as well have a ram sacrificed for their trespass (Numbers 5:6-8).

Confession of sins must be personal, complete, and absolute in order for people to be forgiven.  They must admit to both their own rebellion and the rebellion of their ancestors to the Father of Truth (Nehemiah 1:6).  They must admit the full extent of their sin to the Father of Truth to be forgiven (Psalm 32:5). 

Confession of sins of a nation (ethnic group) must be personal, complete, and absolute in order for the nation to be forgiven.  The nation must admit, that it has rebelled against the Father of Truth to receive forgiveness (1 Kings 8:33-34).  The nation must admit, that it deserves the punishment, which their sins have brought upon them, to receive forgiveness (2 Chronicles 6:24-25).  The people in the nation must admit to the rebellion of their nation, as well as their own rebellion, to obtain forgiveness (Daniel 9:20).

People must turn from their sins after confessing them to be forgiven.  They must not only confess their sins, but turn from their sins to be forgiven (1 Kings 8:35-36).  They must only only confess their sins, but be willing to return to walking in the ways of the Father of Truth to be forgiven (2 Chronicles 6:26-27).  Their confession of sins must be accompanied with separating themselves from those, who influence them to sin (Nehemiah 9:2).  Confession of sins will not bring forgiveness, unless those sins are forsaken as well (Proverbs 28:13).  Confession of sins must be accompanied with the evidence of repentance (Matthew 3:6-8).  Baptism in water only brings forgiveness of sins, if it is accompanied by repentance and confession of sins (Mark 1:4-5).

So, it is certain that fasting on Yom Kippur, and observing all of the Rabbinic traditions, do not make atonement for sin.  This is came from the Babylonian Talmud.  It is just another example of Rabbinic Distort.

So, how were people cleansed of their sin when the High Priest performed the Yom Kippur rituals in the Temple?

Kippur literally means "covering".  It comes from the same root word as the Kapporeth that covered the Ark of the Covenant.  This common root word means "to cover".  (Kippur and the root word are the same word in the original Hebrew alphabet.  This can be seen if you ignore the vowel points and cantillation marks for both words.  These did not exist in the time when the Law of Truth was given.)  So, on Yom Kippur, literally "the day of covering", the High Priest could only make a covering of sins for another year in the Temple.

The High Priest had to first make an offering for his own sins with the bull (Leviticus 16:6).   He had to enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of the bull to cover the sins of himself and his house (Leviticus 16:11-14).  Then the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a goat to cover the sins of the people of Israel (Leviticus 16:15).  After that, the High Priest had to cover the sins that had polluted the Temple, by the people coming into it with their sins, which they had committed after the previous Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:16-19).  Only then was the Azazel led into the wilderness to carry the sins of Israel away from the people (Leviticus 16:20-22).  Finally, everyone involved in the covering process had to clean up the mess and themselves (Leviticus 16:24-28).

The High Priest after the order of Aaron was no more sinless than the rest of the people of Israel (Hebrews 5:1-4).  The High Priest could not even take away his own sins, so he had to bring in blood every year on Yom Kippur to cover them up as well as the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:7).

The truth is the Father of Truth never needed the blood of bulls and goats to be satisfied, but has always desired repentance to bring salvation (Psalm 50:7-15).  If the blood of bulls and goats could have removed sin, and made people perfectly righteous, then there would have not been a need to keep offering them year after year on Yom Kippur (Hebrews 10:1-4).  These sacrifices could never take away sins, but only cover them up (Hebrews 10:11).

So, the people were never completely cleanse of their sins by the High Priest performing the Yom Kippur rituals in the Temple.

So, how can people be cleansed of their sin at all, when there is no Temple and no High Priest after the order of Aaron?

These rituals could only provide a temporary covering of the sins of people each year until a better priesthood should arise, that could make people perfectly righteous (Hebrews 9:9-10).

There was another High Priest, before Aaron was born as a descendant of Abraham (Abram), named Melchizedek (Melchi-Tzedak aka Melchisedec) (Genesis 14:18-20).  The entire Levitical priesthood, where Aaron was High Priest, was in the loins of Abraham, when Melchizedek was High Priest (Hebrews 7:9-10).

The Father of Truth promised to raise up another High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:2-4).  He promised this, because a High Priest after the order of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, could never make any one perfectly righteous (Hebrews 7:11).

The Man of Truth is that High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5-10).  This High Priest after the order of Melchizedek came from the tribe of Judah (Yahudah) (Hebrews 7:13-17).  The Man of Truth was made a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek with an oath, unlike the priests after the order of Aaron (Hebrews 7:20-22).  The Man of Truth remains a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek forever, unlike the High Priests after the order of Aaron, who only served until death (Hebrews 7:23-25).  Since the Man of Truth is sinless, he did not need to offer up animals as a sacrifice for his own sins year after year, like the High Priests after the order of Aaron, but as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, he was able to make a one time offering to cleanse other people of their sins completely, by offering himself up as a sacrifice (Hebrews 7:26-28).

The Man of Truth as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, has entered into the Holy of Holies beyond the veil (Hebrews 6:19-20).  He went into the Holies of Holies of the Temple in Heaven, that the Temple on Earth was patterned after (Hebrews 8:1-5).  The High Priest after the order of Aaron, only went into the copy Temple on Earth (Hebrews 9:1-7).

The Man of Truth did not enter into the Holy of Holies in Heaven with the blood of bulls and goats, but with his own blood (Hebrews 9:11-12).  This blood was able to cleanse people of their sins completely (Hebrews 9:13-14).  The Man of Truth only had to enter the Holy of Holies in Heaven one time, because his sacrifice is able to take away the sins of people completely (Hebrews 9:24-26).  This sacrifice was able to make people perfectly righteous (Hebrews 10:12-14).

Since the Man of Truth, the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, has made atonement to make people perfectly righteous, as foreshadowed by the Yom Kippur rituals performed in the Temple, by the High Priest after the order of Aaron, then fasting on Yom Kippur as never been about atoning for sin.

So, what is fasting on Yom Kippur about?

Fasting is about mourning a disaster (2 Samuel 1:12).  It is about mourning a disaster that sinning against the Father of Truth has brought about (Nehemiah 1:3-7).  It is about mourning a disaster that is about to happen (Esther 4:3-8).

Fasting is about mourning out of sorrow for sin and repenting (Joel 2:12-13).  Fasting and mourning are useless without repentance (Zechariah 7:5-10).

Fasting is about the Children of Truth mourning, that the Man of Truth is not with them on Earth today (Matthew 9:14-15).

This fasting is about the mourning of Israel on the day, when the Father of Truth brings his judgment to completion at the end of the Tribulation (Amos 8:8-10).  It is about the mourning of Israel in repentance, when they see the Man of Truth, whom they pierced, coming to save them from certain annihilation (Zechariah 12:9-11).  It is about the nations of the Earth mourning, when the Man of Truth comes to destroy those, who seek to destroy Israel (Matthew 24:29-30).

The Father of Truth has raised the Man of Truth from the dead, so that all people can be certain that this day of judgement is coming (Acts 17:31).

The Man of Truth, the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, is returning to complete the judgement of the Tribulation, and to complete the salvation of the Children of Truth (Hebrews 9:27-28).

The Grapes of Wrath will soon be trampled.  This world will submit to the Man of Truth in total surrender at the end of the Tribulation.  So, the Children of Truth say, "Bring it on!".

The Children of Truth eat the Breakfast of Champions on Yom Kippur, because it is the fastest way to victory!

It is only the blood of the Man of Truth, that can cleanse people of sin, and make them perfectly righteous (1 John 1:5-7).  It is only by confessing our sins to the Man of Truth, that we can be cleansed of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10).

So, make the Man of Truth your king, because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  So come into the House of Truth, have your sins taken away, and this will be your day of atonement (1 John 3:1-5). 

Come into the House of Truth!

Happy New Year?

When does the New Year begin?

Soon, most Jews around the world will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah.  Rosh Hashanah means, "the head of the year".  This holiday is called that by the Rabbis, because they say that it is the first day of the civil year.  In fact, they recognize four different New Year days throughout the year.

The first day of Tishrei is New Year Day for civil affairs.  It is the first month on the Rabbinic calendar.  It is the main New Year Day for determining the dates of almost everything, including when the number of the year is incremented.

The fifteenth day of Shevat is New Year Day for the trees.  It is the fifth month on the Rabbinic calendar.  It is used for determining if a tree is old enough for its fruit to be eaten.

The first day of Nisan is New Year Day for the rule of kings.  It is the seventh month on the Rabbinic calendar.  (The eighth month in a leap year.)  It is used for determining how long a king has ruled, renting houses, and the fulfillment of vows.

The first day of Elul is New Year Day for the cattle.  It is the last month on the Rabbinic calendar.  It is the day when all cattle pass under the rod, so that one out of ten can be given as a tithe.

The traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting is, "l'shanah tovah".  This literally means, "to a good year".   So, strictly speaking, people do not literally say, "Happy New Year" on Rosh Hashanah, but the sentiment is similar.

This greeting is a shortened form of the longer traditional greeting of "l'shanah tovah tikateiv v'tichateimu".  This literally means, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year".

In similar manner, people eat apple slices dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah to express their earnest expectation to be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

The reason for this is the writings in the Talmud.  The Talmud is composed of two parts.  The first part is the Mishnah, which is oral traditions of the elders that were finally written down to preserve them during the fourth century AD.  The second part is the Gemara, which is the analysis and commentary of the Mishnah by various famous Rabbis.

The Rabbis teach from the Mishnah that there are three classes of people on Earth - The Righteous, The Wicked, and The Unsealed.  According to them, on Rosh Hashanah the fate of The Righteous is sealed to be written in the Book of Life forever, and fate of The Wicked is sealed to be blotted out of the Book of Life forever.  They teach that very few people fall into either category on Rosh Hashanah, so most are part of The Unsealed.  They say, that The Unsealed have until Yom Kippur to repent and make amends with other people, so that they will be counted righteous enough to be granted a good year.  They call this period, when The Unsealed have an opportunity to repent, The Days Of Awe.  They claim that being granted a good year, is to give The Unsealed another chance to be counted as one of The Righteous on the next Rosh Hashanah.

So, instead of wishing people a "Happy New Year" on Rosh Hashanah, you wish people to be inscribed and sealed for a good year.  More to the point, you are wishing that they are not found to be one of The Wicked on Rosh Hashanah, so that they may repent enough to inscribed and sealed for a good year on Yom Kippur.

However, does the Book of Truth really support this tradition of wishing people "l'shanah tovah" on Rosh Hashanah?

Some have maintained that Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the agricultural year in the Book of Truth.

However, it is the end of the feast of the ingathering that marks the end of the agricultural year in the Book of Truth (Exodus 23:16).  This is the last of the three times in the year when people were required to come to bring their offerings to the Father of Truth (Exodus 34:21-23).  It is plain that the feast of the ingathering is Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) (Deuteronomy 16:13-16).

Sukkot ends on the twenty-second day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:34-41).  The seventh month counting from Nisan as the first month, is Tishrei on the Rabbinic Calendar.

The Sabbath year, when no one is to sow or reap crops, begins after the end of the sixth agricultural year - when the grape harvest has been gathered in (Leviticus 25:2-4).  This is the Year of Release, when everyone is released from debt at the end of the Sabbath year (Deuteronomy 15:1-2).  Everyone that has been indenture as a servant to pay off their debt, is to be furnished with everything they need to have a fresh start (Deuteronomy 15:12-14).  It is for this reason, during Sukkot at the end of the seventh year, everyone is to be instructed out of everything in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so they can be successful when the next agricultural year begins, right after Sukkot ends (Deuteronomy 31:10-13).

So, the agricultural year begins on the twenty-third day of the seventh month (Tishrei) in the Book of Truth.

Some have said that the agricultural year begins on first of Tishrei, because that is the month when the Year of the Yubal (Jubilee) begins.  However, the Year of the Yubal actually begins on the tenth day of the seventh month of the seventh Sabbath year (Leviticus 25:8-10).

So, there is absolutely no basis in the Book of Truth to call the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei), "Rosh Hashanah".  However, there is another day that the Book of Truth calls, "Rosh Hashanah".

The phrase "Rosh Hashanah" does appear one time in the Book of Truth.  It is the fifth and sixth words of Ezekiel 40:1 in the Masoretic text.   (Remember that Hebrew is read right to left.)

However, "Rosh Hashanah" here is is not the first day of Tishrei, but the first day of Nisan as clarified later in the same passage (Ezekiel 45:18-21).

It is called this in accordance with the commandment in the Law of Truth, that the beginning of the month when Pesach (Passover) is kept, is to be the beginning of the year (Exodus 12:2-11).   It is the month of Abib (Aviv) that is to observed as the head of the year (Deuteronomy 16:1).  The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) continued to observe Nisan (Abib) as the first month of the year, after the captivity in Babylon was over (Esther 3:7).

It is rebelling against the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) to call the first day of Tishrei, the head of the year, instead of calling the first day of Nisan, the head of the year.

What is more, the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) is actually called by a different name in the Book of Truth.  It is called Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets) (Leviticus 23:23-25).  The first day of the seventh month is literally called, the Day of Alarming.

So, it is violating the Law of Truth to call first day of Tishrei, "Rosh Hashanah" instead of "Yom Teruah".

The Rabbis got this rebellious practice of calling the first day of the seventh month on the calendar of the Book of Truth as the first day of the first month from the Babylonians.  The Babylonians called this the head of their year.  It was used for determining the days when they had feasts to honor their idols, and made sacrifices to their idols. 

Even before the exile to Babylon, the people of Israel had learn to call the seventh month, "Ethanim", from the Canaanites (1 Kings 8:2).  The Canaanites started their year on the first day of Ethanim, and celebrated it as the rebirth of Baal each year.  They also got their religion from Babylon before the time of Abraham (Abram).

People should especially avoid greeting each other with "l'shanah tovah" on the first day of Tishrei.  Instead, they should obey the commandment of the Father of Truth to not work on this day, congregate together, and sound the alarm on the shofar (horn) (Numbers 29:1).

The entire concept of the fate of people being sealed on the first day of Tishrei, if they were righteous or wicked enough, comes from the Babylonian religion.  In like manner, the idea that people can be inscribed and sealed for a good year, also comes from this idolatrous religion.  The Book of Truth teaches that it is how you end that matters, and your fate is sealed at death.

Celebrating "Rosh Hashanah" on this day with the practices learned in Babylon, instead of celebrating Yom Teruah with the practices taught in the Law of Truth, is no better than celebrating Easter with the practices of the Druids, instead of wishing people "Happy Firstfruits!", while celebrating the practices taught in the Law of Truth.  The Mensch Who Killed Christmas, would also kill Rosh Hashanah.

The Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) is behind this deception!  He has inspired this Rabbinic Distort to put the Feasts of Truth in the wrong order, to be called by the wrong names, and to be celebrated in the wrong way.  He knows, that when the Feasts of Truth are celebrated correctly and in the right order, that they form The Greatest Play Ever, which clearly tells the story of the Messiah of Israel.

The Father of Truth has sent the Messiah of Israel, so that the day of salvation has come for everyone, who will accept him as their savior (Isaiah 49:6-8)!  The time to repent is not during the Days of Awe, but now, because the Father of Truth has raised the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) from the dead, so all people can be certain that they will face His judgment (Acts 17:30-31)!  Today is the day, for you to come into the House of Truth and be saved (2 Corinthians 6:2)!

It will be a happy new year for you, every year of your life, if you will come into the House of Truth, by making the Man of Truth your king, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!

Predestination

Where did the idea of predestination come from? 

Predestination is the idea that people have a predetermined eternal destination.  Since their eternal destination is predetermined, there is nothing that they can do to change their eternal destination. 

If their predetermined destination is salvation, then they will be saved.  They are destined to do whatever actions are necessary to be saved. 

If their predetermined destination is damnation, then they will be lost.  They are destined to do whatever actions are necessary to be damned.

Many people point to Romans 8-11 in the Renewed Covenant as their source for this idea.  They point out that the word "predestinate" is actually used in two verses of chapter 8 (Romans 8:29-30).  Yet, are these chapters really about predestination?

Chapter 8 (Romans 8) is mostly about the work of the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) in the life of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him), and the depth of love that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) and the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) have for them.   

Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) begins chapter 8 with a proclamation that the Man of Truth has made it possible for people to fulfill the righteous demands of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), by following the leading of the Spirit of Truth, instead of being ruled by the desires of their flesh (Romans 8:1-4).  He goes on to explain the people can only be subject to the Law of Truth, by being in pursuit of the Spirit of Truth (Romans 8:5-8).  He continues to explain, that the Spirit of Truth gives the Children of Truth the power to overcome the desires of their flesh (Romans 8:9-13).  He then proclaims, that it is following the leading of the Spirit of Truth, which makes people part of the Children of Truth (Romans 8:14-16).  He further explains, that the Children of Truth will be given resurrected bodies, because they have been given the Spirit of Truth (Romans 8:17-25).  He goes on to explain, that the Spirit of Truth helps the Children of Truth overcome their weaknesses, and intercedes on their behalf when they pray in tongues, so they can carry out the will of the Father of Truth (Romans 8:26-27).  He continues to proclaim, that everything will work out for the Children of Truth, because the Father of Truth is for them, so they can carry out His will (Romans 8:28-31).  He then offers as proof of this, that the Man of Truth died and rose again for this very purpose (Romans 8:32-34).  He concludes the chapter by telling the Children of Truth, that nothing can separate them from the love of the Man of Truth (Romans 8:35-39).

It is really strange to point to chapters 9-11 (Romans 9-11), since they have nothing to do with predestination, but are about the people of Israel.

Paul the Jew begins chapter 9 with a heartfelt cry for the people of Israel, who have been called to make the way of Father of Truth known to the world (Romans 9:1-5).  He then proceeds to explain that even though all were called, not all were chosen, because many lived after the flesh, instead by faith in the promise of the Father of Truth (Romans 9:6-9).  He then uses the Law of Truth to show, that the Father of Truth promised before either son was born, to cause Israel to rule over his older brother (Romans 9:10-12).  He then proceeds to quote a Jewish Prophet of Truth, to show that Israel indeed came to be preferred above his older brother Esau (Romans 9:13).   He then goes on to show from the Law of Truth, that the Father of Truth had mercy on the people of Israel to fulfill His promises concerning Israel (Romans 9:14-16).  He then continues to use the Law of Truth to show how He raised up Pharaoh and then hardened his heart to fulfill his promises concerning the people of Israel (Romans 9:17).  He goes on to explain, that the Father of Truth knows how to motivate people seeking their own will, to do their part to carry out His will (Romans 9:18-23).  He then quotes Jewish Prophets of Truth to show, that this process of being chosen for salvation by answering the call to live by faith in the promise of the Father of Truth, works exactly the same for the Gentiles and the people of Israel (Romans 9:24-26).  He then quotes another Jewish Prophet of Truth to show, that a remnant of Israel was chosen for salvation (Romans 9:27-29).  He ends this chapter by explaining that the rest of Israel was not chosen, because they did not answer the call to live by faith in the promise of the Father of Truth (Romans 9:30-33).

Paul the Jew begins the next chapter with his heart felt desire for the people of Israel to be saved (Romans 10:1).  He explains, that the problem is that most of the people of Israel have sought be righteous by their own efforts to obey the Law of Truth, and have missed the point of the Law of Truth, which is that the Man of Truth is the only means of righteousness (Romans 10:2-4).  He then quotes the Law of Truth, to show it says, that it is impossible to be saved by keeping the Law of Truth, since people would have to do it perfectly every day of their life to be saved (Romans 10:5).  He then quotes the Law of Truth further, to show it says, that salvation comes from believing the Word of Truth (Romans 10:6-8).  He then quotes the Jewish Prophets of Truth to prove, that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by exhibiting faith in the Word of Truth by making the Man of Truth their Lord (Romans 10:9-13).  He proceeds to further quote Jewish Prophets of Truth to prove, that the Good News is the Word of Truth, which must be believed for the people of Israel to be saved (Romans 10:14-15).  He ends the chapter by quoting both Jewish Prophets of Truth and the Law of Truth to prove, that most of the people of Israel were not chosen to be saved, because they refused to answer the call to live according to the Word of Truth (Romans 10:16-21).

Paul the Jew begins the last chapter by explaining that the Father of Truth has not cast away the people of Israel as a group (Romans 11:1-2).  He then quotes another part of the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) to show that there has always been some of the people of Israel, who answered the call to live by faith in the Father of Truth (Romans 11:2-4).  He goes on to explain that those, who answered the call to live by faith in the Father of Truth, did so by accepting His gift that enabled them to do so, while the rest of the people of Israel tried to do so in their own strength (Romans 11:5-7).  He then quotes the Original Covenant again to show, that rejecting His gift has caused the rest to be unable to answer the call (Romans 11:8-10).  He then proceeds to explain, that although most of the people of Israel were not chosen yet, the day is coming when all of the people of Israel will be chosen, so that the Father of Truth can bring everything good thing to the world, which He had marked out before to bring through the people of Israel (Romans 11:11-12).  He goes on to explain to the Gentiles, that when all of the people of Israel are finally chosen, that it will bring salvation to the entire world (Romans 11:13-15).  He then warns the Gentiles, that the people of Israel serve as living proof that the Father of Truth will only choose the few, who answer the call to live by faith in Him (Romans 11:16-22).  He then tells the Gentiles, that any of the people of Israel, who change their minds and answer the call, will be chosen again (Romans 11:23-24).  He clarifies that the day will come, when all of the people of Israel will answer the call, and be chosen to be saved, because the Father of Truth will not repent of calling the people of Israel to live by faith in Him (Romans 11:25-29).  He ends the chapter by proclaiming that people of Israel will answer the call, through the Gentiles answering the call, because that was always the plan of the Father of Truth (Romans 11:30-36).

So the consistent theme in Romans 8-11 is, that anyone, who answers the call to follow the leading of the Spirit of Truth, live by faith in the Father of Truth, and make the Man of Truth their Lord, will be chosen to be saved.  These chapters are not about anyone being predestinated to do anything.

So, where did the doctrine of predestination come from?

Some people use a passage from Romans 8 as proof that some people were predestined for salvation:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30).

We will examine this passage closely, now that we have went over the context of this chapter.  In the context of this chapter, them are those who follow the leading of Spirit of Truth, instead of the desires of their flesh, so that the Spirit of Truth enables them to be subject to the Law of Truth.  This obedience to His commandments shows that they love God (1 John 5:2-3).  So all things do not work together for good to those who are the called according to his purpose, regardless of what they do, but only for those who answer His call, by following the leading of the Spirit of Truth in obeying Him out of love.

Next, some basic understanding of the Greek words translated as "foreknow" and "predestinate" is in order.

In four hundred years, the meaning of words in English sometimes change.  So, even if a translation was accurate it was when it was made, that does not mean that generations later, people will get the same meaning the translators originally intended.

For example, the word "nephew" used by Paul the Jew (1 Timothy 5:4).   Today, "nephew" means son of a sibling of a parent, but in the 1600s it meant son of a child of the parent.  When you take a peak under the hood to examine the Greek word translated as "nephew", you find that it indeed means "a descendant".  So, while the translation was accurate at the time, the original meaning is lost unless you look under the hood.

The literal meaning of the Greek word translated as foreknow is "to know before".  It does not necessarily mean to know before an event occurs, for Paul the Jew uses this Greek word to describe how many Pharisees knew him before he started following the Man of Truth (Acts 26:5).

The literal meaning of the Greek word translated as predestinate is "to mark out the boundaries before".  It is a compound Greek word made from two Greek words, "pro" and "orizo".  The Greek word "pro" means "before".  The Greek word "orizo" means "to mark out the boundaries".  It is where the English word "horizon" comes from.

So, the Father of Truth knew before He gave the call that there would be people, who would answer His call.  Therefore, He marked out the boundaries of the call, before He ever called them.  This is the idea that the translators were trying to convey over four hundred years ago.  The words they chose have taken on a different meaning since then.

Of course, those whom he did predestinate could not know the boundaries that He marked out before giving the call, unless he also called them.

The certainty of this can known by examining another group that the Father of Truth did the exact same thing with - the people of Israel.  This is why there is a long discussion about the people of Israel in Romans 9-11.

The Father of Truth marked out the boundaries of the call to Moses (Moishe), before He sent Moses to give His call (Exodus 19:3-6).  Moses then gave His call to the people of Israel (Exodus 19:7).  The people of Israel agreed to answer the call, by doing what they were called to do (Exodus 19:8). 

Later, Moses reminded the people of Israel of the call, which they had agreed to answer (Deuteronomy 5:1-6).  However, the people of Israel did not have a heart, which was willing to do what they were were called to do, so the Father of Truth could not give them everything within the boundaries that He had marked out, before Mose gave them His call (Deuteronomy 5:27-33).

Finally, Moses rebuked the people of Israel for turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, to everything they had seen the Father of Truth do and had heard Him say (Deuteronomy 29:2-4).  Moses reminded them of everything that the Father of Truth had done to start bringing about everything, which had been marked out in the boundaries of the call, which He had given to them through him (Deuteronomy 29:5-13).  Moses warned them to not vainly imagine that they would not be destroyed, if they did not do what they were called to do, just because they were given the call (Deuteronomy 29:19-21).  Moses said, it would be apparent to everyone, that they were not chosen to gain everything within the boundaries marked out for the call, because they did not do what they were called to do (Deuteronomy 29:22-28).  Therefore, they were given the call, so they could be chosen for answering the call, by doing what they were called to do (Deuteronomy 29:29).

So even though, all the people of Israel were called, only the few, who lived by faith in the promises of the Father of Truth, were chosen (Romans 9:4-8).  Many were not chosen, because they did not do what they were called to do (Romans 10:19-21).  The majority refused to see what the Father of Truth had done for them, and refused to hear what He called them to do (Romans 11:7-10).  However, the day is coming, when all the people of Israel will stop refusing to see, will start doing what they were called to do, and will be chosen to gain everything marked out by the boundaries of the call (Romans 11:25-27).  The Father of Truth marked out the boundaries of the call to the people of Israel, before He gave the call to the people of Israel, and He will not take back that call, even though only a few of the people of Israel have been chosen, for doing what they were called to do, until this day (Romans 11:28-29).

So, it is certain that these verses do not support any idea of the Father of Truth predestining people to do anything. 

So, where did the doctrine of predestination come from?

Yet some might say, is not the Father of Truth predestining every single descendant of Israel on earth to be saved in the future?  The first thing to notice is they will all be saved after the Man of Truth drives out disobedience from them to cause their sins to be taken away (Romans 11:26-27).   This is a process that is only understood by digging into the Original Covenant that Paul the Jew is quoting.

First, the Father of Truth will gather every descendant of Israel together, so they can live in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 30:3-5).  This will even include those descendants of Israel, which have had their ancestry hidden from them (Psalm 83:3-4).  The gathered descendants of Israel will first be taken into the wilderness, where every single one of them, who refuses to do everything within the boundaries that He marked out before, will be destroyed (Ezekiel 20:34-38).

So, all rebels will be removed from the descendants of Israel (Isaiah 27:9).  The Man of Truth will come to rule over all of the remaining descendants of Israel (Isaiah 59:20).  So, every descendant of Israel left on Earth will be saved, because they will all do everything within the boundaries that He marked out before (Isaiah 59:21).

So, the Father of Truth has predestined a process for the group of all descendants of Israel on Earth to be saved in the future, but has not predestined any individual descendant of Israel to be part of that group.  They will decide their own destination by either choosing to do everything that is within the boundaries that He marked out before, OR by choosing to refuse to do everything that is within the boundaries that He marked out before.

It will work the same way with the Gentiles.  The Father of Truth has predestined a process for all of the Gentiles on Earth to be saved in the future. 

When every descendant of Israel is saved, then it will begin an era of peace and prosperity for the entire world (Romans 11:12).  When every descendant of Israel is saved, then it will save the Earth from dying off completely and bring it back to life (Romans 11:15).

The Man of Truth will bring about bring about the end of all wars, when the Gentiles answer the call of the boundaries that His Father marked out before (Isaiah 2:2-4).  He will bring peace between nations and prosperity to every person, when the Gentiles do everything within the boundaries that His Father marked out before (Micah 4:1-4).

The Gentiles will enjoy the benefits of the Man of Truth reigning over them, with the help of the Children of Truth, for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6).  The Gentiles will be given the opportunity to rebel against the Man of Truth, so that every single one of them, who detests doing everything within the boundaries that His Father marked out before, will be destroyed (Revelation 20:7-9).

So, all rebels will be removed from the Gentiles (Revelation 20:10-15).  The Man of Truth will continue to rule over all of the remaining Gentiles (Revelation 21:5-6).  So, every Gentile on Earth will be saved, because they will all do everything within the boundaries that His Father marked out before (Revelation 21:24-26).

So, the Father of Truth has predestined a process for the group of all Gentiles on Earth to be saved in the future, but has not predestined any individual Gentile to be part of that group.  They will decide their own destination by either choosing to d everything that is within the boundaries that He marked out before, OR by choosing to refuse to do everything that is within the boundaries that He marked out before.

So, the Father of Truth has not predestined anyone to salvation or damnation.  He lets all people determine their own eternal destination (Romans 2:6-11). 

There can be no doubt about this.  The Father of Truth did not make the Chamber of Horrors for the punishment of people, so it is certain that He did not predestinate some of them to go there (Matthew 25:41). 

So, where did the idea of predestination come from?

The earliest record of the idea that the Father of Truth predestinated people was in first century Judaism.

Josephus wrote that the Pharisees and Essenes believed that the Father of Truth ordered all human events.  The Essenes believed that people had no choice in these events, while the Pharisees believed that people still made their own choices, and the Father of Truth used those choices to bring about His will.

The belief of the Essenes were tied to their belief in pre-existence.  This was an idea that many Jews picked up from the Babylonians during their exile in Babylon.  This idea of pre-existence was, that deeds which they had done before their birth, caused fortune or misfortune in their current life.  

For example, they believed that sin committed before birth, could cause a person to be born blind (John 9:2).  The Man of Truth completely rejected the idea of pre-existence (John 9:3).

The first Gentile reference to the idea that the Father of Truth predestinated people was from Origen during the third century AD.  The doctrine of predestination by every theologian afterwards, up to the time of John Calvin in the 1500's AD, can be traced back to his original doctrine of predestination.

His doctrine, like that of the Essenes, was also tied to the idea of pre-existence.  More specifically, he taught that human souls were created sinless, became sinful, and then were placed in human bodies.  Their eternal destination was already determined by the choices they made before they were born.

Origen was well trained in Greek philosophy and mythology.  In particular, he prescribed to Predeterminism.  Predeterminism was the philosophy that all human choices and actions were predetermined before people were born.  It came from belief in the Three Fates of Greek mythology.

So, the idea of predestination is based on the very same philosophies and vain deceit that Paul the Jew warned the Children of Truth to avoid (Colossians 2:8).  It is founded in the very idolatry that the Gentiles were called to leave behind (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Everything from idolatry is from the Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods), therefore the Children of Truth of Truth should have nothing to do with anything that comes from idolatry - like predestination  (1 Corinthians 10:19-21).

Ultimately, the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) is behind every lie that predestination was built upon (John 8:44)!

This idea of predestination did not come from the Father of Truth!  

The Father of Truth sent the Man of Truth into this world, so people could come into the House of Truth, and change their eternal destination to salvation (John 3:16-17)!  He did not predestine any to a destination of damnation, for He desires for all men to come into the House of Truth (2 Peter 3:9)!

The Father of Truth is commanding you to come into the House of Truth, because you are determining your eternal destination by your choice (Acts 17:30-31).  You can change your eternal destination to salvation, by making the Man of Truth ruler of your life, because you believe that He raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9)!  You will determine your eternal destination, so come into the House of Truth (Revelation 20:11-15)!

Come into the House of Truth!