Written By A. Marie Cole, Edited By Sheryl Major, March 21, 2019
What if Jesus’ words, “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them” (Mark 13:9) were true? How about, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1st Timothy 4:1) or, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9)? If you are a Christian, you very likely believe these verses are absolute truth. Thankfully, as Christians we know that, “…this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison …” (2nd Corinthians 4:17)
There is an ideology growing in today’s Church that warrants, at the very least, a closer look. Pastors and ministers quote verses like Psalm 122:6 that says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!” They use this verse to excuse everything Israel does and often declare that anyone who says a word against the policies of Israel is touching the apple of God’s eye. They forget that the same can be said of the Church.
We are indeed, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and we are to follow Paul’s example given in Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” Paul prays this because it doesn’t matter what bloodline you claim, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one, not even the Jews, comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Bearing these things, our prayers and love for the Jewish people, in mind, let’s examine some rabbinical teachings that might be considered the teachings of demons as stated in the aforementioned 1st Timothy 4:1.
Rabbinical Judaism is based on the idea that God not only revealed the Law in the Written Torah or the Books of Moses, but He also revealed the Oral Torah to the seventy elders that went up on the mountain with Moses in Exodus 24. The Oral Torah became Pharisaical Judaism which, in turn became the Rabbinical Judaism we know today.
The main authoritative and central text of Rabbinical Judaism is the Talmud. Wikipedia says the Talmud is the “primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and Jewish theology.” A closer look at the Talmud reveals that it is fundamentally different from the Torah as revealed to Moses and is the very teaching that would cause Jesus to call the Pharisees hypocrites and liars.
Matthew 23 (vss. 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, and 29) records the seven woes of the Pharisees as declared by Jesus:
1. They taught about God but didn’t love Him. They would not enter heaven and would prevent others from entering as well.
2. They sought converts to their dead religion making the converts twice the sons of hell as they were.
3. They taught that an oath sworn by the temple or altar was not binding but if sworn by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar was binding. They misplaced the sacredness, likely because they could point to their gifts as proof of their holiness.
4. They taught the law but didn’t practice the most important aspects of the law. They focused on the trivial like tithing spices but denied the weightier matters like justice, mercy, faithfulness to God.
5. They presented themselves as “clean” but were dirty on the inside, full of greed and self-indulgence.
6. They portrayed themselves as exemplary keepers of the law but their facades of righteousness hid their wickedness.
7. They professed a high regard for the prophets of old and claimed to be different than those who murdered them. But they were in fact, the same as the persecutors and murderers of the prophets.
It was the observance of the Talmud that would cause Jesus to call those who did so, serpents and a brood of vipers.
The purpose of this article is not to investigate the full contents of the Talmud, though many Christians would be shocked by it. The purpose of this article is to expose one portion of the Talmud that is becoming more and more prevalent and is likely to affect every single person in the world. The danger in the Talmud to Christians is The Noahide Laws.
Rabbis say the Noahide Laws are seven laws that were established at the time of Noah and therefore apply to all humanity as opposed to the Covenant of Moses which was just for the Jews. These laws are:
1. Not to worship idols.
2. Not to curse God.
3. To establish courts of justice.
4. Not to commit murder.
5. Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
6. Not to steal.
7. Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.
According to Wikipedia, “Various rabbinic sources have different positions on the way the seven laws are to be subdivided in categories, but the general consensus is that the seven laws are broad categories containing within them many subdivisions and further divided into specific laws. The comparison is between the ten commandments as well as the other 603 specific laws, to seven Noahide laws and a much larger (but not specified) number of detailed laws.”
Therein lies the danger. We Christians all would agree that idolatry is sin. But what if the worship of Jesus is considered idolatry? By the way, most rabbis say it is.
The seven Noahide laws include the establishment of a court system in all lands. This court system is the same as the Sanhedrin of Jesus’ day. This ruling body determines what is idolatry and what isn’t. They would also determine the penalty for breaking the law but, in most cases, the penalty is beheading.
Proof of this can be found in this quote from the Jewish Encyclopedia; “In the elaboration of these seven Noachian laws, and in assigning punishments for their transgression, the Rabbis are sometimes more lenient and sometimes more rigorous with Noachidæ than with Israelites. With but a few exceptions, the punishment meted out to Noachid for the transgression of any of the seven laws is decapitation, the least painful of the four modes of execution of criminals (see Capital Punishment).” Jewish Encyclopedia.com (emphasis is the author’s).
Wait! Doesn’t the book of Revelation say that Christians will be beheaded for the witness of Christ? Indeed it does.
Look again at the verse mentioned at the beginning of this article, Mark 13:9, “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.” Jesus could have said places of worship. He could have said, where people gather, but He said, synagogue.
Auburn University put together a website listing links to articles concerning the Noahide Laws. The following quote can be found there as an introduction:
“The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Noahide Laws in legislation which was passed by both houses. Congress and the President of the United States, George Bush, indicated in Public Law 102-14, 102nd Congress, that the United States of America was founded upon the Seven Universal Laws of Noah, and that these Laws have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization. They also acknowledged that the Seven Laws of Noah are the foundation upon which civilization stands and that recent weakening of these principles threaten the fabric of civilized society, and that justified preoccupation in educating the Citizens of the United States of America and future generations is needed. For this purpose, this Public Law designated March 26, 1991 as Education Day, U.S.A.” “Articles Concerning the Seven Laws of Noah and Related Concepts,” Compiled by Auburn University. Last modified: Thursday, 30-Sep-2004, 14:42:29 CDT.
The United States already has legislated the Noahide Laws. They passed the House and the Senate and were signed into the body of American law by President George Bush, Sr., way back in 1991. Do you recall the first time you heard a president or any elected official, for that matter, say the words, “New World Order?” It was, for most people, from the 1991 State of the Union address by President George Bush, Sr. Is the fact that President Bush signed the Noahide Laws into effect and the fact that he was the first president to publicly push the New World Order coincidental? It can be assumed the answer is no.
This article in no way is meant to encourage anti-Semitism. It is intended to offer the Church information. This information is intended to cause Christians to study the Word.
Yes, we love Jews, but we love Muslims, too. The religious system of one of these peoples is likely to be the one established by the Antichrist as the religion of state. But, consider the fact that we already have national laws in place for one of these systems. Consider also that the battle of Gog of Magog as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 might, if fought before the Tribulation, remove Islam as a force in the world. This would open the way for the Antichrist and the new order of the Noahide Laws.
A message sent by Pope Benedict to the Jewish community on the eve of Passover, 2008, calls for solidarity and unity between Christians and Jews. But even more startling is the fact that the United Nations has a non-governmental organization (NGO) called The Institute of Noahide Code. Again, the United Nations has a Noahide Code Department. This is what is written about it:
“The Institute of Noahide Code is a UN-accredited NGO dedicated to spreading awareness of the Seven Noahide Laws, which all peoples of the world are obligated to follow. It takes its guidance from the inspiring vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who understood the inherent power of these laws to unite the nations of the world.” “Uniting the United Nations with Seven Noahide Laws Diplomats, Delegates, and Emissaries Gather at UN Headquarters for ‘One People, One World’ Conference.” UNITED NATIONS, New York (June 10, 2013). (Emphasis is the author’s).
Christians, let us study the Word of God. Let us pray for the salvation of Israel and that they would recognize their Messiah. Let us, as Jesus tells us, “…be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
As Jesus says in Revelation 2:9, “There are in this world those who say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan.” Could these Noahide Laws be the very thing Jesus was referring to? Because immediately after saying this, He says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer.”
There is a terrible time coming upon the world, but Jesus offers us the blessed hope of eternity with Him. Life is like a vapor (James 4:14). We do not know what tomorrow will bring. We are all eternal beings. The question then becomes, where do you want to spend your eternity? If you are not a Christian, please watch the video, “What Must I Do to be Saved,” or email me at areasoningtogether@gmail.com. I would love to talk to you about Jesus. If you are interested in Bible study, you can visit my blog, A Reasoning Together.
NOTE: Words of Jesus are in red. All Bible verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and are from Bible Hub. Many other translations and study tools can be found there.
No comments:
Post a Comment