The Chosen Few

Who are the Chosen Few?

When I was about ten years old, I attended a Baptist Church.  While there, I heard some adults talking about being part of the Chosen Few.  So, I asked them what that meant.

They explained to me, that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) had chosen a few people for salvation, before they were born.  These He chose were called, "The Chosen Few".

They went on to explain, that it did not matter what the Chosen Few did, or how they lived their lives, they were predestined to salvation.

So I asked, did not that also mean, that everyone else was the Unchosen Many?

While my question made them uncomfortable, one of them finally said, "yes".

He went on to explain, that since many people were not chosen for salvation, the Father of Truth had chosen them for damnation, before they were born.  It did not matter what the Unchosen Many did, or how they lived their lives, they were predestined to damnation.

It turned out this idea was not limited to a single small town church in Arkansas.  This idea is a central part of the doctrine of a wide-range of large denominations in the United States and else where.

I even encountered a Southern Gospel group at Silver Dollar City named, "The Chosen Few".  This doctrine of The Chosen Few is so ingrained in American, European, and Australian society, that the term has been applied to many secular music groups, works of many secular music groups, numerous outlaw motorcycle clubs, and a book on the history of Jewish education.

So, where did this doctrine of The Chosen Few come from?

Some people will point to Abraham (Abram).

Did the Father of Truth choose Abraham at random?  Did He choose Abraham regardless of what Abraham did?  Or was there some sort of acceptance criteria for Him choosing Abraham?

The Father of Truth did choose Abraham (Nehemiah 9:7).

He called Abraham to leave his own country, separate himself from his extended family, separate himself from the house of his father, and go to the land of Canaan, which he had never seen (Genesis 12:1).

So, Abraham left his own country with his father to go to Canaan, stopped in Haran, and stayed there until his father died (Genesis 11:31-32).  Abraham then went into Canaan with his nephew Lot (Genesis 12:4-5).  Then Abraham separated himself from his nephew Lot (Genesis 13:8-12).

Abraham answered this call, because he had faith in the Father of Truth (Hebrews 11:8-10).

The Father of Truth called Abraham to continue dwelling throughout the the land of Canaan as a nomad (Genesis 13:14-17).

So, Abraham began dwelling in the land of Canaan as a nomad at Hebron (Genesis 13:18).  Later, he moved south to Gerar (Genesis 20:1).  Afterwards, he moved around in the land of the Philistines for a long time (Genesis 21:34).  Then he moved to Beersheba (Genesis 22:19).  Finally, he was back in Hebron, when Sarah (Sarai) died (Genesis 23:2).

Abraham answered this call, because he had faith in the Father of Truth (Hebrews 11:9-10).

The Father of Truth called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-2).

So, Abraham took his son Isaac to the land of Moriah to offer him up as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:3-10).

Abraham answered this call, because he had faith in the Father of Truth (Hebrews 11:17-19).

So, Abraham was chosen, because he was faithful to answer the call that the Father of Truth gave him (Nehemiah 9:7-8).

Not even the call to Abraham was given at random, or for some mysterious reason.  Abraham was chosen to be called, because he met some acceptance criteria.

Abraham was called, because the Father of Truth knew that Abraham would command his children and household to walk in all of His ways for all of their days (Genesis 18:19).  Abraham was chosen to be called, because he had already answered the call to walk in all of His ways for all of his days (Genesis 26:3-5).

Abraham absolutely was not chosen for anything, regardless of what he did.  In every way he was chosen, because he answered the call by doing what he was called to do.

Some people will point the original Twelve Apostles of Truth.

Were the original Twelve Apostles of Truth chosen at random, or based on some mysterious criteria?

The original Twelve Apostles of Truth were chosen to be called out of those, who had already answered the call to be disciples of the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) (Luke 6:12-16).

Afterwards, Judas Iscariot was rejected as an Apostle of Truth, because he turned from doing what he had been called to do (Acts 1:13-16).  Since he was no longer one of the few chosen to be an Apostle of Truth, someone else had to be chosen to replace him (Acts 1:17-20).  So, two more among those, who had already answered the call to be disciples of the Man of Truth, before the call had been given to the original Twelve Apostles of Truth, were chosen to be called to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:21-23).  The one, who had answered the call to be a disciple with his whole heart, was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the original Twelve Apostles of Truth (Acts 1:24-26).

The original Twelve Apostles of Truth were chosen, because they answered the call to continue with the Man of Truth in his many temptations during the days of his ministry (Luke 22:28-30).

The original Twelve Apostles of Truth were not chosen, regardless of what they did.  They were chosen, because they answered the call by doing what they were called to do.

Some people will point to Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka Paul).

Was Paul the Jew chosen without regard to what he did?

Paul the Jew was a chosen by the Man of Truth to bring the Good News to the Gentiles as well as the people of Israel (Acts 9:15-17).

Paul the Jew answered the call as soon as the Man of Truth gave it to him (Acts 9:3-6).  Three days later, Ananias the Jew was sent to him (Acts 9:8-12).  He confirmed that Paul the Jew had been chosen by the Father of Truth, three days after Paul the Jew answered the call given by the Man of Truth (Acts 22:12-15).

Paul the Jew answered the call to go to the Gentiles in Cyprus with Barnabas the Jew  (Acts 13:1-4).  He answered the call to go to the Gentiles in Macedonia with other workers (Acts 16:9-12).  He answered the call to be a Apostle of Truth to the people of Rome (Romans 1:1-7).  He answered the call to be an Apostle of Truth to the people of Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:1-2).

Paul the Jew answered the call to be an Apostle of Truth by working harder than anyone else to spread the Good News (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).  He had persecuted the Called Out Ones (the church), because he had been separated from birth to be zealous for the Father of Truth, but he changed his direction when he answered the call to bring the Good News to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:13-16).  He kept doing what he was called to do until the day he died (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Paul the Jew was not chosen, regardless of what he did.  He was chosen, because he answered the call by doing what he was called to do.

So, where did this doctrine of The Chosen Few come from?

The Man of Truth did say, that few were chosen (Matthew 20:16).

However, the few were chosen out of the many, who were called (Matthew 22:14).

Twice, this is the point of a parable that the Man of Truth told.  In order to understand the point of these parables correctly, we have to examine the actual parables.

The first parable is the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).

The parable begins with the vineyard owner calling people to work in his vineyard early in the day, and a few people answering the call (Matthew 20:1-2).  It continues with many more people being called to work in his vineyard throughout the day, and a few of them answering the call (Matthew 20:3-5).  Lastly, the vineyard owner gave a final call to work in his vineyard, when the workday was almost over, and a few people more answered his call (Matthew 20:6).  When the workday was over, it came time to pay the workers in the vineyard, those who answered his call first, were upset that they were not paid more than those, who answered his call last (Matthew 20:7-12).  The vineyard owner explained, that he could give those, who answered his call last, the same wages as those who answered his call early, because it was his to give (Matthew 20:13-15).

So the point of the parable was, that the Father of Truth could give the same salvation to the few, who answered His call by doing what they were called to do, whether they answered His call early or late.

The second parable is the parable of the royal wedding (Matthew 22:2-14).

A king prepared a feast for the wedding of his son, but those he called refused to come (Matthew 22:2-3).  He called them a second time, but they were too busy with their own business to answer his call (Matthew 22:4-5).  Some of them even attacked the messengers, so the king destroyed them (Matthew 22:6-7).  Then the king extended his call to everyone, who was willing to come (Matthew 22:8-10).  Lastly, the king found someone at the wedding that was not wearing a wedding garment, so they were thrown out of the wedding and punished (Matthew 22:11-13).

So the point of the parable was, that the Father of Truth would give salvation to the few, who answer His call by doing what they were called to do, and are clothed with the righteousness given to everyone, who answered His call.

So in both parables the Chosen Few are those, who answered the call of the Father of Truth, by doing what they were called to do.  They were chosen, whether they answered the call early or late.  Everyone was chosen, if they answered the call, and put on the righteousness that He provided.

There is absolutely nothing in these parables about the Chosen Few being chosen before they were born, regardless of what they do.  Indeed, many of the Chosen Few were only chosen, because other people did not answer the call.

So, where did this doctrine of The Chosen Few come from?

The same people that teach this doctrine of the Chosen Few, also teach several related doctrines, like eternal security.  While these doctrines are related, they are not the same.  For example, the doctrine of the Chosen Few came from a different source than the doctrine of predestination, even though the two doctrines are related.

These doctrines have been taught by many of the greatest teachers of Christianity among the Gentiles.  In their teachings, the Chosen Few in modern times are Gentiles like themselves.

The great irony of this is, that the people of Israel are actually called the Chosen People (1 Chronicles 16:13).  If anyone is the Chosen Few, then it is the people of Israel (1 Chronicles 16:16-19).

Yet, many of these same people, who refer to themselves as the Chosen Few, teach that the people of Israel have been replaced as the Chosen Few, because they did not answer the call to follow the Man of Truth!  This is completely hypocritical!

The fact is that the Man of Truth is first and foremost the Messiah of Israel!

These Gentiles sought to be the Chosen Few, instead of the Jews.

Where did the Jews get this doctrine of being the Chosen Few, regardless of what they did?

This doctrine came from the same source as the customs the Rabbis use in celebrating the last four Feasts of Truth.

The Rabbis started saying, "Happy New Year" at the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), because the Babylonians did this.  They adopted Babylonian customs for atonement on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), instead of it remaining simply a feast without food.   They adopted Babylonian harvest festival rituals, instead of building Sukkah in the manner prescribed by the invitation of "Let's go camping!" for the Feasts of Tabernacle (Sukkot).  They adopted the customs of the wedding of Tammuz and Ishtar as the customs of Simchat Torah, instead of truly rejoicing in Torah on the eighth day assembly (Shemini Atzeret).

The kings and priests of Babylon taught that they were the Chosen Few, regardless of what they did.  This was essential to the rule of Hammurabi when he issued his code.  The Rabbis then applied that same concept to the Chosen People, to teach that the Jews were the Chosen Few, regardless of what they did.

Most of the people of Israel came to forget, that being chosen came from answering the call to do something.  They forgot that being chosen was for a purpose, and that it has always been about the Gentiles.  They came to believe that they were the Chosen Few, and it did not matter what they did.

One of the reasons that Paul the Jew wrote the epistle to the Romans was to refute this doctrine, that the Jews were the Chosen Few, regardless of what they did (Romans 2:3-5)!

Everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, will be chosen for salvation or damnation, based on whether or not they answered the call of the Father of Truth to obedience (Romans 2:6-10).  Jews were never chosen for salvation, regardless of what they did, and Gentiles were never chosen for damnation, regardless of what they did (Romans 2:11-16).  Jews were never chosen for salvation, regardless of what they did (Romans 2:17-25).  Gentiles were never chosen for damnation, regardless of what they did (Romans 2:26-29).

The call of 9-11 in Romans is a call to repentance.  It warns that if people do not continue to answer the call of obedience, then they will not continue to be chosen for salvation (Romans 11:20-22).

Those who adopted this doctrine of the Chosen Few from the Rabbis, and modified it to apply to the Gentiles, are proud and know nothing, for their teaching is contrary to that of the Man of Truth (1 Timothy 6:3-5)!

No one is so special, that the Father of Truth chooses them, regardless of what they do (Romans 12:1-3).  It is extremely prideful, to say that you are part of the Chosen Few, regardless of whether or not you answer the call to submit to the Father of Truth (James 4:6-10)!

This doctrine of the Chosen Few did not come from rightly dividing the Word of Truth.  It is another example of the partial deception.

This doctrine of the Chosen Few is not part of the Doctrine of Truth.  This doctrine of the Chosen Few is part of the Doctrine of Lies.

This doctrine of the Chosen Few is based on another doctrine, that the original Chosen Few, composed of Jews, was replaced with a new Chosen Few, composed of Gentiles.  This doctrine of the Chosen Few did come from the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost)!  This doctrine of the Chosen Few came from the Spirit of Anti-Jewism!

So, how is there any such thing as the Chosen Few?

The Chosen Few are those, who have the evidence of faith in their lives from answering the call!  It is how people end that matters! 

The fact is the Father of Truth has never been a respecter of persons, and chooses people of every ethnic group (nation), who answers His call to walk in all of His ways for all of their days (Acts 10:34-35)!  He chooses to save both Jews and Gentiles, who answer His call (Romans 10:11-13)!  He desires for everyone to answer His call to come into the House of Truth, so they can be part of the Chosen Few (2 Peter 3:9)!

It is not complicated to become part of the Chosen Few.  You just have to complete the One Step Program.  That is the simplicity of the Gospel.

If you will answer the call to make the Man of Truth be lord of your life, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, then you will be part of the Chosen Few (Romans 10:9)!

Come into the House of Truth!

 

For Such A Time As This

Why were you put on this Earth?

"For such a time as this" is a frequently used expression.  It occurs often in books and movies.  Occasionally people use it in real life especially when they find themselves in a crisis.  Yet many people do not know where this phrase came from and fewer still understand the circumstances that lead up to this phrase being uttered.  Only when you understand those circumstances and the context of when this phrase was spoken can the depth of this expression truly be appreciated.

The best place to start is with who spoke and what went on in his life up to the moment that it was spoken.  The man who spoke it was Mordecai (Mordekay) the Jew in the capital of Persia called Shushan.

Now in order to understand the circumstances of Mordecai the Jew you have to start with what caused the Jews to be in the capital of Persia in the first place.

If you are not sure where Persia is then a little geography and history might be helpful.  Persia was a country on and off many times throughout history and was even on maps until 1937.  In 1937, the British broke Persia up into the three modern countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The south central part of Iran is called Elam and that is where Shushan was located (Daniel 8:2).  The Elami (people of Elam) are also known as the Persians.  The main part of Persia was renamed Iran (pronounced "Ar-on") after the Aryans (pronounced "Ar-ee-ons") who came in from the north before the British left.  The Aryans are descendents of the ancient Medes who came from Madai.  This is all important background to know as you shall soon see.

A little explanation of Jews is also in order.  The descendents of Abraham (Abram), Isaac (Yitzakh) and Jacob (Ya'acob aka Israel) were called Hebrews when they went into Egypt.  They came out of Egypt and went into the wilderness with a mixed multitude of Gentiles from other nations.  In the wilderness the Hebrews and Gentiles were given a single law by the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) that bound them together into one people called Israelites.  Years later the kingdom of Israel split into two smaller kingdoms and the southern kingdom was called Judah.  The people of Judah, including those who moved there from the northern kingdom, were called Jews.  The distinguishing mark of a Jew was circumcision to show that the man so marked was party to the covenant that Abraham had made with the Father of Truth.   It is important to know why all of this happened.

Now the Hebrews and a mixed multitude of Gentiles were taken out of Egypt by Moses (Moishe) so the Father of Truth could bring them into the land that He had promised to Abraham , Isaac  and Jacob (Exodus 33:1).  Yet none of those who came out Egypt went into the Promised Land, that includes modern Israel, because they did not follow the Father of Truth wholeheartedly except for Caleb and Joshua (Yah'shua) (Numbers 32:11-13).  Still He sent the next generation of Israelites into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:8).  Even then He only gave the Promised Land to the Israelites at that time because the Canaanites were so wicked (Deuteronomy 9:4-6).  The only reason He made a covenant with the Israelites in the wilderness was so He could fulfill His promises to Abraham , Isaac  and Jacob (Deuteronomy 29:10-13).  If the Israelites did the same things as the Canaanites then He would also drive them out of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 29:25-28).  Yet the Father of Truth would bring the Israelites again back into the Promised Land to live there forever once they decided to obey Him wholeheartedly (Deuteronomy 30:1-5).  The Father of Truth would not be able to use the Israelites to fulfill His promises to their fathers until they were willing to keep their part of the covenant (Deuteronomy 30:17-20).

Moses told the Israelites that they would start turning from the Father of Truth as soon as he was dead (Deuteronomy 31:26-30).  Moses sang by the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) that the Israelites would turn from worshiping the Father of Truth to worship Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) because they would forsake Him (Deuteronomy 32:15-18).  Moses sang that when the Israelites did this that the Father of Truth would consume them off the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 32:19-25).  In fact, the only reason that the Father of Truth would scatter the Israelites instead of destroying them completely was His concern for the Gentiles (Deuteronomy 32:26-27).  He would bring terrible judgments upon the Israelites so that they would come to know that He is the only living God there is (Deuteronomy 32:36-40).  Yet the song of Moses finished by saying that in the end the Father of Truth would bring destroy all who hate Him and bring the Israelites back into the land as He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob so that they would rejoice with the Gentiles who love Him (Deuteronomy 32:41-43).

The centuries passed and everything that Moses sang about began to come to pass in phases.  First King Solomon (Shlomo) began to worship other gods besides the Father of Truth (1 Kings 11:4-8).  So the Father of Truth decided to give ten of the twelve tribes of Israel to someone else after King Solomon died (1 Kings 11:9-13).  He sent Ahijah (Achiyah) the Prophet of Truth to tell Jeroboam (Yerob'am) that he was going to given those ten tribes after King Solomon died because of King Solomon worshiped other gods besides the Father of Truth (1 Kings 11:31-34).  This northern kingdom was called Israel and it would be a secure place for the Israelites to live in if they would only keep the covenant that was made with their ancestors in the wilderness (1 Kings 11:35-38).  The southern kingdom was named Judah, after the tribe that King David was from, and its inhabitants were called Jews (2 Kings 16:1-6).

Yet Jeroboam did not believe the promise of the Father of Truth so he built golden calves and established his own feasts to keep the Israelites from returning to the Father of Truth (1 Kings 12:26-33).  So the Father of Truth announced that the people of the kingdom of Israel were going to be carried away into captivity and scattered beyond the Euphrates River for their idolatry (1 Kings 14:15-16).  Centuries later the Assyrians removed the people of Israel off the Promised Land and scattered them beyond the Euphrates River to the cities of the Medes and other places (2 Kings 17:5-6).

The Israelites had done the wicked things that the Canaanites had done (2 Kings 17:7-12).  The Father of Truth sent the Prophets of Truth to warn the kingdom of Israel to keep the covenant that their fathers had made with Him in the wilderness but the kingdom of Israel would not heed the warning to not do what the Canaanites had done (2 Kings 17:13-17).   So the Israelites were removed off of the Promised Land just like the Canaanites had been removed (2 Kings 17:18-23).

Yet the kingdom of Judah in like manner did not heed the warning of the Prophets of Truth to keep the covenant that their fathers had made with the Father of Truth and to not do what the Canaanites had done (2 Kings 17:13-15).  The kingdom of Judah did not learn from what happened to the kingdom of Israel but did the same kind of things most of the time (2 Kings 17:19).

However, King Hezekiah (Chizqiyah) sought to keep the covenant that was made in the wilderness so the Father of Truth removed the kingdom of Judah out of the hands of the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:1-7).  In fact, the Father of Truth killed the entire army of Assyria that came to siege Jerusalem and then the king of Assyria was killed in own capital city (2 Kings 19:35-37).  Still King Hezekiah reminded those few Israelites who remained in the land of the northern kingdom that if they would return to the Father of Truth then He would return to them and bring the captive Israelites back to the Promised Land (2 Chronicles 30:6-9).

Even after Judah was delivered from the Assyrians the next King of Judah, King Manasseh (Manasheh), caused the kingdom of Judah to return to doing what the Canaanites had done (2 Kings 21:1-3).  He even put idols in the Temple (2 Kings 21:4-7).  In fact, he caused Judah to become even more wicked than the Canaanites instead of keeping the covenant that his ancestors had made with the Father of Truth in the wilderness (2 Kings 21:8-9).  So the Father of Truth announced that since Judah had done worse than the Canaanites that he would do worse to them than he had done to the Canaanites so that they too would be removed from the Promised Land (2 Kings 21:10-15).

Many years later Josiah (Yo'shiyah) became king of Judah who also did everything he could to turn the people of Judah back to the Father of Truth and away from idols (2 Kings 23:22-25).  Yet this could not prevent the punishment that the Father of Truth had announced against Judah for doing worse than the Canaanites (2 Kings 23:26-27).

King Hezekiah had been told that the Babylonians would one day come and take everything to Babylon (2 Kings 20:16-18).   So the Father of Truth sent the army of Egypt at the end of the reign of the last king of Judah who love Him to bring about the beginning of the end of the Assyrian Empire at Carchemish (2 Chronicles 35:20-21).   So the Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple were destroyed, and the surviving Jews of Judah were scattered beyond the Euphrates River by the Babylonians (2 Chronicles 36:14-21).  The Babylonians had taken over the Assyrian Empire after they dealt a death blow to finish off the Assyrian Empire by attacking Carchemish a second time (Jeremiah 46:2).

The Father of Truth spoke through Jeremiah (Yerimayahu) the Prophet of Truth that the Babylonians would hold the Jews captive for seventy years and then the Babylonian Empire would also be destroyed (Jeremiah 25:10-12).  As long as the Jews were scattered among the Gentiles they were to pursue the good of whatever city they were in (Jeremiah 29:4-7). [The Hebrew word "shalom" translated as "peace" means more than just not having war.  It literally means "The peace that comes from being whole - nothing broken, nothing missing, nothing extra and nothing out of place".  So the Jews were to seek after the good of that city in providing whatever was keeping it from experiencing shalom.  This is why Jews have built so many hospitals, museums, parks and the like in every city where Jews have been scattered.]  If the Jews would then turn to seek the Father of Truth at the end of the seventy years then He would return them to the Promised Land from every place that they were scattered (Jeremiah 29:10-14).  The Father of Truth said that the universe would be destroyed before He would allow the Jewish people to be completely destroyed (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

At the end of the seventy years the Father of Truth wrote on the wall of the palace of Babylon with His own hand that the Medes (descendents of Madai) and the Persians (descendents of Elam) would unite to take over the Babylonian Empire (Daniel 5:24-28).  That very night Darius the Mede killed the king of Babylon and took over the Babylonian Empire (Daniel 5:29-31).  Daniel then became prime minister over the entire new empire under Darius the Mede because he sought the good of the place where he was at (Daniel 6:1-3).  As soon as Darius the Mede began to rule over the former Babylonian Empire Daniel understood that the seventy years of captivity were over (Daniel 9:1-2).  So he turned to seek the Father of Truth by confessing that the Jews were in captivity because they had not kept the covenant that their ancestors had made in the wilderness (Daniel 9:3-16).  He sought the Father of Truth so that He would forgive the Jews and return them to the Promised Land from being scattered as He had promised (Daniel 9:17-19).  So the Father of Truth sent Gabriel the Angel of Truth to assure this Prophet of Truth that He would indeed return all of the Jews that were scattered across the Earth to the Promised Land but the process would not be completed until after the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) died for their sins and the seven year reign of terror by the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast) comes to an end (Daniel 9:20-27).

Hundreds of years earlier the Father of Truth had spoken by Isaiah (Yeshayahu) the Prophet of Truth that he use a man named Cyrus to cause the cities of Judah to be inhabited by the Jews and to lay the foundation of the second Temple (Isaiah 44:24-28).  This Cyrus would be a Gentile king who would send the Jews back to the Promised Land to rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:1-13).  This is the same Cyrus the Persian whose reign marked the end of Daniel serving as prime minister (Daniel 1:20-21). This empire that had replaced the Babylonian Empire was the Mede-Persian Empire that is more commonly known as the Persian Empire because it was ruled by Persian Emperors like Cyrus the Persian after Darius the Mede died (Daniel 6:28).

So Cyrus the Persian made a proclamation in his first year as Emperor that any Jews who were willing and able could move back to the Promised Land to rebuild the Temple now that the seventy years of exile were over (2 Chronicles 36:20-23).  When Cyrus the Persian did this many Jews went back to the Promised Land while those who could not go assisted their efforts with offerings (Ezra 1:1-6).

After Cyrus the Persian died then Ahasuerus the Persian, who went by the title of Artaxerxes (great king), became the new emperor (Ezra 4:3-6).  The Jews were then accused of being disloyal to the Persians and planning to take over everything on their side of the Euphrates river (Ezra 4:11-16).  So Ahasuerus put a stop to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple as long as he ruled (Ezra 4:17-24).

Shortly after this, Ahasuerus the Persian threw a large party that lasted for six months in Shushan (Esther 1:1-4).  During this party, Vashti, his queen refused his command to show off her beauty to his drunken guests (Esther 1:10-12).  So she was banished from Shushan so that someone better could be found to take her place (Esther 1:15-21).  Then Ahasuerus the Persian issued a decree for beautiful young virgins to be brought into his harem so he could pick a new queen (Esther 2:1-4).

Among the Jews who were unable to return to the Promised Land was Mordecai the Jew who lived in the capital of the Persian Empire called Shushan and worked in the palace (Esther 2:5-6).  He had raised up an his orphan cousin named Hadassah who was known to the Persians as Esther who was taken into the harem of Ahasuerus the Persian (Esther 2:7-8).  Esther was chosen as the new queen by Ahasuerus the Persian (Esther 2:16-17).

(Esther is a variation of the word "Easter" and has the same meaning.  Esther and Easter both mean "goddess of fertility" or "sex goddess" in their original languages.  "Easter" was called "Asherah" by the Canaanites.  It was worshiping Easter that caused the Jews to be exiled from the Promised Land in the first place.  The Asherah poles, which could be called Easter poles, are where May poles also came from.  Most of the customs of Easter, like hiding eggs, come from the practices associated with worshiping this sex goddess that the Persians called Esther.  Hadassah could not have gone by a more appealing name to the Persians.)

Mordecai the Jew then saved the life of Ahasuerus the Persian when he sent a message to Esther who in turned warned Ahasuerus the Persian of the plot to kill him that Mordecai had overheard (Esther 2:21-23).

However instead of rewarding Mordecai the Jew for saving his life Ahasuerus the Persian promoted Haman the Agagite to be the new prime minister (Esther 3:1).  When the Ahasuerus the Persian demanded that everyone bow down and give reverence to Haman the Agagite then Mordecai the Jew refused to do so (Esther 3:2-4).  This made Haman the Agagite so angry that he was determined to not just kill Mordecai but all of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire (Esther 3:5-6).  So Haman the Agagite told Ahasuerus the Persian that the Jews were out to cause him trouble throughout the Persian Empire and that the Jews must be destroyed on a certain day (Esther 3:8-9).  So Ahasuerus the Persian let Haman the Agagite create a law that all of the Jews in the Persian Empire were to be killed by anyone who hated them at the end of the year and had it published throughout the Persian Empire (Esther 3:11-14).

Now to understand why Haman the Agagite (descendent of Agag) took such drastic action we need to examine the history of his family and their people.

The Amalekites were among those who rebelled against the king of Elam (Persia) in the days of Abraham (Genesis 14:4-7). (These are not to be confused with the descendent of Esau who lived in the valley of Mount Seir on the east side of the Jordan river valley hundreds of years later (Genesis 36:12-16).)  Then the Amalekites attacked the Israelites when they were in the wilderness (Exodus 17:8).  So the Israelites fought back against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:10-13).   Then the Father of Truth said that He would destroy the Amalekites off the face of the Earth (Exodus 17:14-16).  The Amalekites lived among the Canaanites west of the Jordan river valley in the southern end of the Promised Land when the ten scouts gave their evil report (Numbers 13:27-29).  The Amalekites defeated the Israelites who tried to possess the Promised Land after the Father of Truth said that they would die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:40-45).   The Father of Truth has said that the king of the Israelites would be exalted over Agag the king of the Amalekites (Numbers 24:5-7). He said that even though the Amalekites were the first to form a nation they would be destroyed off the face of the Earth (Numbers 24:20).  The Amalekites had attacked the weakest of the Israelites, the faint and the weary who lagged behind, because the Amalekites did not fear the Father of Truth so the Father of Truth told the Israelites to wipe the Amalekites off the face of the Earth after they took possession of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).

When Israel finally had possession of the Promised Land and a king then Samuel (Shmuel) the Prophet of Truth told King Saul (Shaul) that it was time to destroy the Amalekites completely (1 Samuel 15:1-3).  King Saul destroyed all of the Amalekites that were in their capital city except for Agag the king of the Amalekites (Samuel 15:1-3).  So Saul was rejected by the Father of Truth as being fit to be king of Israel because he did not kill Agag the king of the Amalekites (Samuel 15:17-23).  The Father of Truth said that he would choose another man who would do his will to replace Saul as king of Israel (Samuel 15:27-29).  Then Samuel the Prophet of Truth killed Agag the king of the Amalekites (Samuel 15:32-33).  Since King Saul had not killed Agag right away and had left off destroying the Amalekites then the Amalekites remained even in the days of King Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:41-43).  Haman the Agagite was the descendent of Agag the king of the Amalekites that Samuel had killed so he was the enemy of the Jews (Esther 3:10). 

Mordecai the Jew would not bow to Haman the Agagite because of the Father of Truth had said that that the king of the Jews would be exalted over the king of the Amalekites.  So when Haman the Agagite learned that Mordecai the Jew would not bow to him because he was a Jew then Haman the Agagite saw an opportunity to get rid of the Jews as his ancestors had tried to do in the wilderness.  Haman the Agagite played on the suspicions that had already been planted in the mind of Ahasuerus the Persian against the Jews by those who had accused the Jews of Jerusalem of seeking to cause trouble to Ahasuerus the Persian on their side of the Euphrates River eleven years earlier.  So Haman the Agagite got Ahasuerus the Persian to issue a genocide decree against the Jews without really looking into the accusations of Haman the Agagite first.

Now when Mordecai the Jew learned of the decree to annihilate the Jews throughout the Persian Empire then he and all of the other Jews started mourning, fasting and weeping in sackcloth and ashes to seek after the Father of Truth for deliverance from the plan of Haman the Agagite (Esther 4:1-3).  When Esther sent her attendant to see why Mordecai the Jew was mourning then he sent word back that she had to go to Ahasuerus the Persian and get him to rescind the genocide decree (Esther 4:4-9).  So Esther sent back a reply that she could not appear before Ahasuerus the Persian unless he summoned her because the penalty for doing so was death unless he held out his scepter and he had not summoned her in the last 30 days (Esther 4:10-12).  So Mordecai the Jew sent back a reply that the Jews would be delivered some other way if she did not take any action but she and the house of her father would be destroyed if she did nothing (Esther 4:13-14).  Mordecai the Jew ended his reply by asking Esther if she was not made queen for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

Now the significance of that famous phrase "for such a time as this" can be fully appreciated.  Everything that had happened from the day that the Father of Truth promised Abraham to give the Promised Land to his descendents until the day that Esther had been made queen had all lead up to this moment.

The Father of Truth had prepared a solution before there was ever a problem.  If the Father of Truth had not made His promise to Abraham then the Jews would have perished in the wilderness.  If the Jews had not rebelled against Him over and over again then Mordecai would not have been in Shushan.  If Vashti had obeyed the commandment of Ahasuerus the Persian then he would not have vanished her from Shushan and went looking for a new queen.  The Father of Truth had given Esther a well formed and beautiful body that Ahasuerus the Persian would find pleasing so that he would select her as queen.  If Esther had not been queen then Ahasuerus the Persian would not have been warned of the plot on his life.  If Mordecai the Jew had been able to return to the Promised Land then he would not have been in the palace to over hear the plot to kill Ahasuerus the Persian.   If Esther had not been orphaned at a young age then Mordecai the Jew would not have raised Esther.  If Mordecai the Jew had not raised Esther then she would not have pass on his warning that saved Ahasuerus the Persian from the plot on his life.  Everything that had happened in the life of Esther had prepared her to be the solution to the problem of Haman the Agagite getting Ahasuerus the Persian to sign a decree of extermination against the Jews.  She had came into the kingdom for such a time as this.

The only question that remained was what was Esther going to do about it?  Was she going to play it safe and rely on her position as queen to keep her safe while the other Jews were exterminated?  Or was she willing to lose everything, including her life, because she had became queen for such a time as this?

Esther replied to Mordecai the Jew that he and all the Jews of Shushan should fast for the next three days while her and her maidens did the same thing (Esther 4:15-16).  Then she would go before Ahasuerus the Persian uninvited even if it meant her death (Esther 4:16).  Esther chose to risk it all for the sake of her people because she understood that she had come into the kingdom for such a time as this.

During those three days of fasting she received a wise plan from the Father of Truth.  Instead of pleading with Ahasuerus the Persian immediately she asked him and Haman the Agagite to eat his favorite foods and drink his favorite wine with her (Esther 5:1-4).  When the party was over Ahasuerus the Persian promised to give her whatever she wanted but she replied that she wanted them to come for another party then she would tell him (Esther 5:5-8).  (This would give her time alone with the king in his bed chamber to remind him why he chose her as his queen.)  The next evening at the end of the second party, when Ahasuerus the Persian was highly pleased with Esther, she asked the king to save her, Mordecai, and all the Jews from the plot of Haman the Agagite (Esther 7:1-6).  When Haman the Agagite went to plead with Esther for his life Ahasuerus the Persian thought he was trying to rape her so he had Haman the Agagite hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai the Jew (Esther 7:7-10).  Then Ahasuerus the Persian made a decree throughout the Persian Empire that the Jews and whoever loved them could destroy everyone that hated them on the day that Haman the Agagite had chosen to exterminate the Jews (Esther 8:3-14). So on the very day that Haman the Agagite had chosen for all who hated the Jews to kill them instead all who hated the Jews were killed by them and those who loved them (Esther 9:1-16).

You see Haman the Agagite had been clever in his plot to destroy the Jews but the Father of Truth was even more clever in His plot to destroy those who hated the Jews like the Amalekites.  Mordecai the Jew was the bait in the trap that the Father of Truth had set but Haman the Agagite had not recognized it.  His blind hatred of the Jews made it certain that he would take the bait.

Haman the Agagite had not known that Esther was a Jew because Mordecai the Jew had commanded her to not let anyone know this when she was taken into the harem of Ahasuerus the Persian (Esther 2:10).  He did know that Esther would continue to do whatever Mordecai the Jew commanded her to do even after she became the queen of Persia (Esther 2:20).  Haman did not know that the gallows that he thought that he was building to hang Mordecai on were really being built for himself to be hanged on (Esther 5:9-14).  He did not know that the king would have trouble sleeping after he was done with Esther and would be reminded that Mordecai the Jew had saved his life without ever being rewarded when he came to ask for permission to hang Mordecai the Jew (Esther 6:1-4).  He could not see that his plot was certain to bring about his own demise because Mordecai the Jew was a Jew even though it was obvious to others (Esther 6:13).  Haman the Agagite had not know that Mordecai the Jew was closely related to the Queen of Persia for not even her husband Ahasuerus the Persian knew that his queen was a Jew until after Haman the Agagite was hung upon the gallows he had made for Mordecai the Jew (Esther 8:1-2).  Haman the Agagite did not know that the Father of Truth would use a Jewish woman who the Persians called Esther to turn the heart of Ahasuerus the Persian to becoming the enemy of every enemy of the Jews (Esther 8:3-8).  Haman the Agagite had not known that the Father of Truth had brought Mordecai the Jew and Esther into the life of Ahasuerus the Persian for such a time as this.

You see the Father of Truth was able to use Mordecai the Jew and Esther to bring about His plans because they trusted Him even though they could not see everything He was doing.  Mordecai the Jew had continually sought the good of the city of Shushan and Ahasuerus the Persian because the Father of Truth had commanded this through Jeremiah the Prophet of Truth.  Mordecai the Jew had urged Esther to risk everything because he believe the promise of the Father of Truth that the Jews would never be completely destroyed so they could one day inherit the Promised Land as He had promised to Abraham.  Esther was willing to lay down her life to bring deliverance to the Jews because she trusted that the Father of Truth had a plan.  Esther did not let her status as an orphan or as belonging to a despised minority or anything else stop her from trusting the Father of Truth even if it meant losing her life.  She had come to understand that she had came into the kingdom for such a time as this.

You see the Father of Truth in like manner was able to use the Man of Truth bring about His plans.  The Man of Truth was willing to lay down his life to bring deliverance to the human race (Matthew 26:38-42).  The Man of Truth had taken on the human limitations so He had to trust His Father when he died on the cross to fulfill His plan (Philippians 2:5-8).  When we were in slavery to sin like the Jews had been to the Assyrians and Babylonians then we were delivered by the death and resurrection of the Man of Truth because he had came into our world for such a time as this (Galatians 4:2-7).

So the question is what are you going to do?

Like Mordecai the Jew and Esther everything that has happened in your life has been preparing you for a moment that will shape your destiny.  Your life matters and it is not a mistake.

Even though the Father of Truth does not cause tragedies like Esther losing her parents in the lives of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) He does know how to use those things to bring His goodness upon the Children of Truth (Romans 8:28).  You see it does not matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile as long as you are willing to do what the Father of Truth commands you to do like Mordecai the Jew and Esther (1 Corinthians 7:19).

Like Esther and the Man of Truth you must be willing to lose your job, your position in society, your relationships and your property in carrying out your part in the plan of the Father of Truth (Mark 10:28-30).  Like Esther and the Man of Truth you must be willing to lose your life to do your part in bringing about the deliverance of other people from destruction (Mark 8:34-38).   You must be willing to be put out of your congregation or even to die for telling the truth about the Man of Truth (John 16:1-3).  If you do not tell others the truth about the Man of Truth then deliverance may come to them another way but you will perish in Hell (2 Timothy 2:11-13).  You came into your world for such a time as this!

Of course, you cannot tell others about the Man of Truth until you come into the House of Truth.  You must surrender control of your life to the Man of Truth because you believe the Father of Truth raised him from the dead to come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:9-11).  When you come into the House of Truth then the Spirit of Truth will be able to show you the plan of the Father of Truth so you will understand that you have came into His kingdom for such a time as this (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Biggest Food Fight Ever

What is the biggest food fight ever?

A food fight is usually where someone throws food at someone else, and then they retaliate by throwing food back at them.  Eventually someone else gets hit by mistake and throws food at an innocent party who they thought threw food at them.  That innocent party likewise retaliates and the whole thing keeps growing.  Before you know it someone yells "Food fight!" and everyone is throwing food at everyone else.

Food fights are a perennial favorite in movies aimed at people in the middle school to college (12-22) age group.  Food fights often occur in a movie where people in that age group are under a lot of stress and away from home for some reason like summer camp or college.  Sometimes they start because someone snaps under the pressure.  Sometimes they start because a main character needs a distraction while they are involved in something else.  Sometimes they happen by accident.  Sometimes someone starts one because they are just plain bored and want some excitement.  Regardless of the reason the food fight gets started it always ends up leaving a mess.  Usually everyone in the eating area gets punished by having to clean up the mess and then some sort of extra work or something like that even if they did nothing except get hit by some mashed potatoes.

While food fights are meant to be funny and to relieve the tension in a movie there is another kind of food fight that has been going on for a long time that is not funny at all.  In this food fight people suffer real consequences if they are on the wrong side.

This food fight has been going on for thousands of years and has covered the globe.  Everyone on Earth is involved in this food fight whether they know it or not.  This food fight is the biggest food fight ever.  This food fight is between the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) and the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil).  In this food fight the fight is over what is food, that is to say what should be eaten, and what is filth, that is to say what should not be eaten. 

The biggest food fight ever started with some pieces of fruit like so many food fights start. The Father of Truth defined what was food, that is to say what should be eaten, and what was filth, that is to say what should not be eaten (Genesis 2:16-17).   The biggest food fight ever began when the Father of Lies defined food as including what the Father of Truth said was filth (Genesis 3:1-5).  The human race ended up on the wrong side of this food fight when it decided to accept as food what Father of Truth said was filth (Genesis 3:6-7).  The consequences of accepting filth as food was devastating (Genesis 3:14-19).  Eating what the Father of Truth called filth brought death upon the entire human race (Romans 5:12).

However, this food fight was far from over.  The Father of Truth continued to define what was food, that is to say what should be eaten, and what was filth, that is to say what should not be eaten.

The food fight continued with meat.  The Father of Truth defined what animals could be used as food and which ones were to be considered as filth before the human race ever began to eat animals (Genesis 7:1-3).  The human race knew what animals could be eaten and what animals could not be eaten more than 500 years before the Law of Truth (Torah) was ever given to Moses (Genesis 7:7-9).  Noah understood that the animals would be accepted as sacrifices were those that could be eaten while the animals would not be accepted as sacrifices were those that could not be eaten (Genesis 8:19-21).  The Father of Truth spelled out exactly what meat was food and what meat was filth in the Law of Truth (Leviticus 11:1-31).  Eating those animals that the Father of Truth said to not eat would defile the eater because their meat was filth (abominable means filthy and disgusting) (Leviticus 11:41-43).  It was this single issue of accepting His definition of meat that was food and meat that was filth that would demonstrate whether or not people were willing to be holy like Him (Leviticus 11:44-45).  People were to only eat meat that He called food and avoid meat that He called filth to demonstrate that they were willing to accept His definition of what was acceptable and what was filthy in all areas of life (Leviticus 11:44-45).   The call to be holy like Him begins with distinguishing between meat that is food and meat that is filth (Leviticus 20:25-26).   Just to make sure everyone understood what meat was food and what meat was filth He told everyone again (Deuteronomy 14:3-20).

The Father of Lies counter attacked once again by convincing those that had been instructed by the Father of Truth to treat meat as food that He had called filth (Isaiah 65:3-5).  It was for this very reason that the Father of Truth would cause them to be consumed by destruction (Isaiah 66:17).  Because they desired to eat what He called filth they were forced to eat that filth as slaves in the land of their enemies (Hosea 9:2-4).   They even started raising animals for meat that He had called filth after He brought them back into their own land (Matthew 8:30-32).  They even rejected the Man of Truth (Yah'shua aka Yeshua aka Jesus aka Mashiach aka Messiah aka Christ) so they could continue to raise these animals to produce meat that His Father had called filth (Matthew 8:33-34).

The food fight even included the blood of animals whose meat that the Father of Truth had said were food instead of filth.  The very first thing that that Father of Truth did when He told the human race to start eating meat was to define the blood of all animals to be filth instead of food (Genesis 9:2-4).  This even applied to the blood of animals whose meat He defined as food (Leviticus 3:16-17).  The penalty for eating blood was death just like eating some kind of filth that contained a deadly poison (Leviticus 7:26-27).  This penalty applied to everyone (Leviticus 17:10-12).  He gave strict instructions to dispose of the blood like the filth that comes out of the bowels when someone uses the restroom (Leviticus 17:13-14).  This applied to all animals - not just those given as a sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:15-17).  It was essential to treat the blood as filth and not food in order for things to go well for people and their children (Deuteronomy 12:23-25).  This even applied to animals whose meat were food that either wild or unfit to sacrifice (Deuteronomy 15:21-23).  This issue of calling blood filth instead of food was so important that two of the things that the Gentiles had to do immediately upon believing that the Man of Truth died and rose again to save them was to avoid eating blood and avoid eating animals that were strangled (because they still had their blood in them) while they could learn everything else that they needed to change in their lives later (Acts 15:19-21).  These were among the things that were necessary for the Gentiles that came to faith to do immediately if they wanted to do well (Acts 15:28-29).

The Father of Lies struck back by convincing people that blood was food instead of filth even though there was an immediate counter move (1 Samuel 14:32-34).  Eventually the Father of Truth threw these people out that treated the blood of various animals as food instead of filth (Ezekiel 33:25).  This is one reason why their blood was given as food to various animals (Ezekiel 39:17-19).

Of course, at the root of the biggest food fight ever is the question of who people would align themselves with.

Those that accepted His definition of what was food and what was filth aligned themselves with Him and ate with Him.  They joined themselves to Him when they sacrificed what He called food and ate that food in His presence (Exodus 18:12).  Those that ate what He called food in His presence were sharing a meal with Him (Deuteronomy 12:5-7).  Doing so was like having a party with the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 12:11-12).  This was even true about eating what He calls food that was not sacrificed in the Temple (Deuteronomy 12:20-22).

However, those that accepted the definition of food that was given by the Father of Lies aligned themselves with the Father of Lies and ate with him.  They joined themselves to the Father of Lies when they joined the Children of Lies in eating what the Father of Truth called filth that was sacrificed to the Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) (Exodus 34:14-16).  This eating of filth offered to the Spirits of Lies was intended to anger the Father of Truth (Numbers 25:1-3).  The filth eaten in the worship of Spirits of Lies even included human flesh (Deuteronomy 12:29-31).  This eating of filth in the worship of Spirits of Lies was designed to make people forget the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 32:16-18).  This is what lead to the Children of Israel being thrust out of the land of Israel the first time (Psalm 106:37-42).  This is why another thing that the Gentiles that come to faith must do immediately is avoid eating anything that is offered to an idol even if they never go to the Temple (Acts 21:24-26).  Those that eat anything offered to an idol are eating with the Spirits of Lies just as surely as those that eat what the Father of Truth calls food at the Temple are eating with Him (1 Corinthians 10:18-20).  Eating things offered to idols was one of the things that caused the Man of Truth to be not pleased with the church at Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-14).  The Man of Truth killed the woman that taught others to eat the filth offered to idols with a painful sickness (Revelation 2:20-23).

However, the biggest food fight ever is still far from over. The Father of Truth will purge from the land of Israel all that have polluted His land with meat that He calls filth (Jeremiah 16:17-18).  Then the Gentiles will abandon their eating filth that is offered to the Spirits of Lies to eat with Him instead (Jeremiah 16:19-21).  The Jews will then only eat what the Father of Truth calls food and avoid what He calls filth because that is what the priests of the Temple will teach them (Ezekiel 44:21-23).  The Gentiles will learn to only eat what the Father of Truth calls food and avoid what He calls filth because that is what the Jews will teach them (Zechariah 8:20-23).  The biggest food fight ever will be over and the Father of Truth will have won.

So what about you?  Who have you let define what is acceptable and what is filth?  Of course, I am talking about something bigger than just food.  I am talking about you entire life.  Who do you let define what is acceptable in your life and what is too filthy to be in your life?

Like every single person on Earth you need to come into the House of Truth and let the Man of Truth define what is acceptable in your life and what is too filthy to be in your life (Ephesians 5:1-6).  You come into the House of Truth when you make the Man of Truth your boss in every area of your life because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-11).

Come into the House of Truth.