Another 'holiday' with Pagan Roots

 Quote:

In America, it’s believed that the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, but this was not the first time people gathered to give thanks for the Autumn harvest.  In fact, people have been celebrating the harvest for millennia and our Thanksgiving meal is just a modern incarnation reflecting these ancient celebrations of autumn abundance.

Harvest celebrations were also important during Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Pagan times. In Britain these traditions evolved into a holiday called Harvest Home. Historically, the date of Harvest Home differed each year as it was celebrated when all of the autumn crops were finally harvested. The final cartload of food was paraded through the town and a big Harvest Supper was celebrated among the villagers.

In addition to Harvest Home, a separate religious holiday called the "days of thanksgivings" was practiced in the Church of England, in which people set aside one religious day of their choosing to "give thanks to God." We get the name “Thanksgiving” from this Christian tradition, while the feasting commonly associated with Thanksgiving largely derives from the Harvest Home celebrations.

Luckily for us Americans, our harvest Thanksgiving celebrations were never commandeered by the church and as such they remain pretty Pagan to this day.

Here in America, a lot of our imagery around Thanksgiving shows a shared meal between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. It could be said that this rosy view of our first Thanksgiving meal together is largely misleading and helps to obscure the many atrocities the colonists committed upon the Native Americans. The Native Americans, like the ancient Pagan peoples of Europe, understood the importance of honoring and respecting the harvest. And during the first American Thanksgiving that took place in 1621, the Native Americans paused to give thanks to many spirits and deities that aided in the bountiful harvest.

Symbols

There are three key symbols that are common to Thanksgiving celebrations: the cornucopia (aka the horn of plenty), the turkey, and corn. All these symbols were viewed as very important among Pagan societies. 

Let’s begin with the Cornucopia, an important symbol in ancient Greece and Rome. This symbol goes back to a story from Ancient Greece where a goat pulled off his horn and offered it to the God Zeus. This was a magic horn that would refill indefinitely with food and drink ensuring that Zeus would never go hungry.  

The Cornucopia was also incorporated in statues and money across ancient Rome and was often used in representations of the goddess of grain Ceres and the goddess of luck Fortuna.

The Turkey, the centerpiece of the American Thanksgiving dinner. Many Native American tribes view Turkey as a symbol of fertility and abundance. As a totem animal, Turkey reminds us of the importance of our relationship with the land as the land is the source of our nourishment and sustenance. Turkey feathers are also viewed as especially important and are used in ritual wear and in smudging ceremonies. So when we eat Turkey at Thanksgiving we are celebrating & honoring the connection we have with our sacred land and the animal spirits.

Corn is often used as a symbol to represent Thanksgiving. Corn, also called maize, was a key staple crop among the Native Americans and it played an important role in their spiritual beliefs.  In some tribes Corn itself was seen as a spirit and often it played a role in ceremonies. 

Spiritual and Physical

The question I was asked: 

Did God create the angels after His own image?

 

My first answer, without further study of Scriptures, would be 'no', because He specified 'man' would be made in 'Our image, Our likeness'.  "Our" would include the existing angels along with Yahweh, as they are similar beings, of the same Spiritual substance. 

Genesis 1:26 = Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness

Verse 27 = And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created them.

 

It seems the angelic realm has existed with God prior to the earth age yet we do not know if they were created or were naturally part of His Spiritual Realm.  What we know for certain is both Yahweh and His Host exist in the Spiritual realm and us mere humans do not have a full understanding of what this means.  Our day will come.

Hebrews 1:14 = 

Are not the angels ministering spirits 

sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

 

Here is a distinction I've never paid attention to before.  Read Genesis 5.

This is the record of Adam's line.  When God created man He made him in the likeness of God, male and female He created them.  And when they were created He blessed them and called them Man.   When Adam had lived 130 years he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.

Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of Yahweh and His heavenly host.  When physical man began to procreate they were in his human image.  

This might be why we need to be born again.... 

•John 3 ~ I tell you that unless a person is born again from above he cannot see the Kingdom of God... unless a person is born from water and the Spirit  he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

We have been born from water = a physical birth.  Now we must experience that Spiritual birth and it doesn't come from being baptized.  It comes from reading and studying and being in fellowship with other set apart believers as we seek Yahweh and gain understanding via His Spirit.

John 4:23 ~ But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, indeed. Yahweh seeks worshippers as these. For Yahweh is Spirit, and those who worship must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

 

John 14:16 ~  And I will ask of my Father and He will give you another Redeemer who will be with your forever. The Spirit of Truth, he who the world is not able to receive because it has not seen Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for He dwells with you and He is in you.

 

John 15:26 ~ But when the Redeemer comes, he whom I will send to you from the presence of my Father, the Spirit of Truth, He who proceeds from the presence of my Father will witness concerning me.

Did Noah have Seven Laws?

No, Noah did not have a separate set of Laws.  

That idea appears only in the Talmud

and not in Yah's Instructions 

which were given to all mankind. 

📖

Some folks think that Noah had a separate set of 'Laws from God' and refer to them as the Noahide Laws of which they claim there are seven of them.

That idea appears only in the Talmud and not in Yah's Instructions which were given to all mankind. The Talmud was composed many years later.

Basically, these are the seven 'laws' which Judaism applies to Noah:

•Do not profane God’s Oneness in any way.
•Do not curse your Creator.
•Do not murder.
•Do not eat a limb of a still-living animal.
•Do not steal.
•Harness and channel the human
•Establish courts of law and ensure justice in our world.

How many of those can you relate to the original 613 'laws' from Yahweh? Or even the Ten Commandments most of us are familiar with? 

 

Religious leaders sure seem to think they are more important than any of us when they 'take from' and 'add to' the Word of God.

 

The Noahide Laws are a product of man's imagination, Jewish tradition and religious power trips.

Quote: The seven Noahide Laws are not explicitly listed in the Bible. Instead, they are derived according to the Talmud‘s interpretation of Genesis 2:16 given to Adam, and Genesis 9:4-6 given to Noah. The Talmud is a “Jewish literary collection of teachings, laws, and interpretations based on the Old Testament Torah. It has two parts, the Mishnah and that Gemara.

Yahweh was never about religion

 

One God, One Faith, One People who abide by Yahweh's Owner's Manual = Scriptures, especially Genesis through Deuteronomy where we learn His Instructions for all mankind. Once we learn His Instructions, the rest of Scriptures seems to show us how to apply them to our lives accordingly.

 

I do not encourage the use of the talmud nor do I support folks who use it as a teaching guide. 

 

Rabbis believe

 "Without an oral tradition some of the Torah's laws would be incomprehensible"

and this is simply not true. 

As we continue to read and study Yah's Instructions, it is His Spirit that reveals the truth and teaches us how to apply His Word to our lives in today's world. The talmud provides insight to the 'Jewish mindset' (not the Hebrew mindset) via the early rabbinic system (the beginnings of Judaism = a religion). It is a collection of writings that covers 'Jewish law and tradition', setting Yahweh aside.

 

Rabbis believe we cannot understand "Torah" without 'oral tradition' and that is simply not true. They were guilty of putting a 'fence around Torah' back in day and many religious leaders have followed suit. My main point is to advise caution when it comes to the traditions of man. When we continue to read and study Scriptures daily, His Spirit will reveal the Truth wherein we gain knowledge and understanding, without the influence of traditions or man's opinions about "God". 

 

Y'shua called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because they transgressed against the Commandments of EL by way of their traditions which later became recorded in the Talmud. This is a big reason why I do not recommend using the Talmud in an attempt to teach, shed light or verify the Word of Yahweh.

 

 

Upper Rooms

I recently found out that there seems to have been the discovery (years ago) of the 'upper room' mentioned in Scriptures in regards to where Yahshua ate with his Apostles the evening before he was executed.  I do not know how anyone knows the location because it was not given in Scriptures.... it's all guess work and probably a money making tourist attraction.  This makes me think of Yahshua overturning the tables at the temple where folks had been selling oxen, sheep and doves alongside with the money changers.  "Do not make the House of my Father a house of bartering".    

In modern day Jerusalem folks shouldn't pick any old place and give it a 'holy' name, then include the place with tour guides.

There is more than one mention of an 'upper room' in Scriptures but the 2nd most famous one is where the Apostles gathered.  

It is not so much where these rooms were located but what's important is the events that occurred in them.  Folks have glazed over the lesson in order to adore the physical things.

Quote from Israel Advantage Tours: This structure has been regarded as the traditional site of the Last Supper since the fourth century AD.

According to scripture, the Upper Room is where the Last Supper took place and where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1–20). It is where the disciples gathered in fear after the death of Jesus. Jesus appeared in this room on two occasions after the Resurrection. It is here He showed Thomas the wounds in His body. It is where the 120 believers prayed on the Day of Pentecost. The Bible tells us that tongues of fire appeared to them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages (Acts 2:1-4). At this place the church of Jesus Christ was born.

I can barely read this without clenching my teeth together 😖  Let me tell you why.

No where in Scripture is the location of the 'upper room' where the passover meal was eaten ever revealed.  Yahshua's instructions for his disciples to make preparations for this meal are found recorded here, which I have lightly paraphrased. Please read from your bible when you have time:

•Matthew 26:18 - Go to the city to a certain man and say to him, "Our master says his time has arrived.  With you and his disciples he will observe the Passover"

•Mark 14:13 - he sent two of his disciples telling them, "Go into the city and there you will meet up with a man who is carrying a vessel of water.  Follow him. Where he enters say to the master of the house, Our master told us to ask where is your guest house so we may eat the passover meal..... he will show you a large upper room that is furnished.  Make that room ready and prepare our meal there....

•Luke 22:8 - Yahshua sent Peter and John to go prepare the passover meal.  Verse 10 - When you enter the city you will meet up with a man carrying a skin of water.  Follow him, and where he enters say to the master of the house, Our master says 'Where is the lodging house where we may eat the passover meal'.  He will show you a certain large upper room that is furnished.  Prepare there.

All God has told us is this is an upper room where His Son observed the Passover meal with his Apostles.  We do not know the location of this place other than it was in the city of Jerusalem; nor do we know who owned it, but it was a house and not the tomb of David.  Back in the day, an upper room was "a roof chamber built above the main house, usually for the purpose of leisure."

 

After this passover meal was eaten, Yahshua and his disciples took a walk to the Mount of Olives. The sun has already gone down, so according to Yahweh's perfect timing, it is now the 15th day of this month (still dark), this also being the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.

The other famous upper room is where the Apostles gathered after the resurrection of Yahshua.   Again, we read it is in the city of Jerusalem where they were staying but not a specific address.  We do know it was seven furlongs from the Mount of Olives which is about 7/8 of a mile. (Acts 1:12)

What is Salvation

Definition from the Webster Dictionary-

• deliverance from the power and effects of sin
• liberation from ignorance or illusion
• preservation from destruction or failure
• deliverance from danger or difficulty 

What has Yahweh told us about being delivered from sin, liberated from ignorance, preserved from destruction and delivered from danger? 

Deuteronomy 4:35- YHWH has clearly demonstrated that He alone is God and there is none beside Him - He is God in heaven above and on earth below - there is no other. Observe His laws and commandments that it may go well with you and your children. 

Is baptism necessary?  Has the Church really distorted what is means to be immersed? Baptism is a physical portrayal of a spiritual reality. Yahshua was killed, placed in a tomb then raised by God.  Before this, before he started his ministry, Yahshua was immersed by John in the the Jordan River which was when he received the Spirit and authority of his Father.  And prior to this event, in the old testament days, personal cleansing and purity were important. "Ritual purity was mandated in order to enter the tabernacle or temple, before making a sacrifice, and for receiving the benefit of a priestly offering". 

 

In Exodus 19:10–11, God commanded Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day Yahweh will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." This is the first time God commanded the people to wash themselves and it was in preparation for entering His presence. Similarly, in Exodus 29:4 God commanded that Aaron and his sons be washed with water in preparation for their service as priests. These men would be mediating in God's presence on behalf of the people and this symbolic washing was necessary for them to be ritually clean.  

 

One must be 'ritually clean' in order to come into the presence of Yahweh.  In our day, His Son Yahshua is the way to the Father and by accepting his shed blood of the renewed covenant we become born again of the Spirit.... one publicly displays their commitment to the Creator and exhibits they have the testimony of His Son by being immersed. 

1 Peter 3:21

And you also, by a like figure (Noah) are made alive by immersion (not when you wash your bodies from filth, but when you confess God with a pure conscience and by the the resurrection of Yahshua the Anointed One, who is taken up to heaven and is on the right hand of God and Angels;  and authorities and powers are subject to him.

 

 In Ephesians 2:8 we read it is by God's grace we are rescued (saved) and this is because of our faith in Him.  This gift of His is the life of our souls if we follow in the Way of Yahshua. We don't take any credit for ourselves as all praise belongs to Yahweh.  The good works we do are the same we have learned from His Son so no one can boast about themselves and what they have done out of their own pride and arrogance. (Please read Ephesians from your own copy of Scriptures when you have time).

What it boils down to is our salvation depends on two things: Faith in Yahweh and acceptance of His Son's shed blood of atonement.

The origin of being 'baptized in water' is from thousand of years ago, before Jesus walked this earth, as the ritual of purification of oneself by immersion in water.  The faithful would immerse themselves in a 'mikveh bath' before entering the temple.  Some of these 'baths' have been uncovered in Jerusalem at the foot of where the temple stood.  In today's world we see the results of man's imagination making baptism into something mandatory, and not something one does by choice.  When we choose to be baptized it is a physical act representing our faith in "putting off the old man and turning our hearts toward praise and worship of Yahweh God".  It is an act of faith not an act of being saved and immediately 'filled with the holy Spirit'.  Remember, the Apostles were not filled with His Spirit until after 3 years of being taught by our Messiah, and then ten days later they received His Spirit as promised by His Son.  They had been in training, being prepared to receive Yah's Set Apart Spirit.

Why Blame Yahweh?

So many times I have heard people blame God for their own misfortunes. Yet, it is our own behavior that affects our existence.

If those complainers really knew God, whose name is Yahweh, they wouldn't blame Him but come to terms as to why things aren't working out the way they want; and then change for the better.  

If we read Scriptures we learn what our Father said from the beginning. The Father's Set of Instructions are the same teachings brought to us by His Son, whose name is Yahshua; and it was Yahshua who said if we don't believe in the writings of Moses how could we believe in him?

The Bible is one complete book consisting of Yahweh's promises, His covenant, and the Renewed Covenant sealed by the blood of His Son.

We are instructed not to eat flesh with its life-blood in it (Genesis 9:4); not to partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood (Leviticus 17:14); and a third time we are told: the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh (Deuteronomy 12:23) pour it on the ground like water.

And in reading the following we discover Yah's Covenant truly is Everlasting.

Blood of the Covenant: 

Exodus 24:8 - Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh now makes with you concerning all these commands." 

Blood of the Renewed Covenant: 

Luke 22:20 -  And likewise also concerning the cup, after they had eaten supper, he said, "This is the cup of the renewed covenant in my blood which is shed for your sake."

Life is in the blood.
Life is the Blessing and Death is the Curse.

Deuteronomy 30:19 - I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life if you and your offspring would live by loving Yahweh Elohim, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and long endure.

 

Two of the Most Appropriate Warnings

• Colossians 2:8 

Beware lest any man rob you by philosophy, or by empty deception, according to the teaching of men and according to the principles of the world and not according to Yahshua the Anointed One. 

 and

 • 1 Timothy 6:20

 ....be careful of that which is committed to you and shun vain words and the oppositions of false science for they who profess it have strayed from the faith.

 

These verses also tie in with 1 John 4:1 

..... do not believe all spirits but discriminate among spirits whether they are of Yahweh, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 

Every spirit that confesses Yahshua the Anointed One has come in the flesh is a Spirit of Yahweh.  

 

The false messiah is already in the world and has been since John wrote these things, but if we are children of Yah we have overcome them because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  

 

Who is in us?  

The Spirit of Truth who comforts us.  This same Spirit comes from Yahweh which His Son gave us.