The Good News of

July/August 2003

Volume 4, Issue 46

 

Remember The Commandments And Never Forget

 

?Beware that thou forget not the Lord, , thy God, in not keeping his commandments,?And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord, , thy God,?I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish? (Deut. 8: 11, 19).

 

          In the past, Israel forgot the commandments of , and, subsequently, for our forgetfulness, caused us to suffer a severe punishment, which ultimately caused us to perish. 

 

          Perish is documented in The Oxford Universal Dictionary, copyright 1955, on page 1475, as ?to incur ?spiritual? death.?  The effects of our ?spiritual? death--in being without the commandments of --brought an end to our relationship with and connection to .  In His mercy, has sent His Son, , to return us to His commandments, judgments, laws, and statutes that our ruinous condition might be reversed and our spiritual life restored.

 

          In that we are being restored to our God, , when we observe the next three festivals celebrated in Israel--The Memorial Blow-ing of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and our Twenty-Third Annual Feast of Tabernacles/Holy Convocation--we are, in fact, showing forth our remembrance of the commandments of and demonstrating that we shall never forget them.          

 

The Memorial Blowing of Trumpets: Sundown September 15, 2003 to Sundown September 16, 2003

 

          ?And spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto ? (Leviticus 23:23-25).

 

          According to Random House Webster?s College Dictionary, copyright 1999, on page 826, memorial is defined as, ?something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a holiday; commemorative.?  On page 1043, preserve means, ?to keep alive; make lasting; protect or spare.?  Therefore, The Memorial Blowing of Trumpets was designed by to keep alive, in the memory of the children of Israel, the importance of keeping the laws of  . 

 

          This commemorative event, a Sabbath and holy convocation celebrated each year, makes a lasting impression upon the minds of those who abide therein.  The observance of this day should cause us to reflect on a time when we, the children of Israel, were without the laws of and, as a direct result, suffered terrible destruction.  In contrast, today, we have much to celebrate on this ?holiday? (holy day), for our Messiah, , has come teaching us the laws of , which is the only force that can protect and spare our lives from any evil that the Blowing of Trumpets might give warning to.

 

The Day of Atonement: Sundown September 24, 2003 to Sundown September 25, 2003

 

          ?Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls? For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people? it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings? (Leviticus 23:27, 29, 31).

 

          The Day of Atonement is celebrated by Hebrew Israelites as one of our high holy days.  This solemn occasion brings about a serious and pensive state of mind, for it requires us to remember our sins of breaking the laws of ; a day that must be observed by physical affliction (fasting) but, yet, it is still a celebration. 

 

          The Day of Atonement is an act of charity and mercy demonstrated by our Father, , to us.  Only the giving of His Son, , surpasses this immense blessing.  Through the teachings of His Son, , we have come to know and understand the importance of this day and the immeasurable opportunity it brings.  This one day, out of 365, has been set aside for all who put their trust in and desire to be perfect as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48).   And it also offers an opportunity for the faithful to be forgiven by for the breaking of His laws since the last Day of Atonement.  We must offer, as a sacrifice, one day, wherein no physical food or drink is taken into the body.

 

          The affliction caused by the lack of physical food is overridden by the joy that comes with knowing that this one day of sacrifice is all that requires in exchange for His mercy of cleansing us of our sins.  This entire day is spent consuming spiritual food--the word of , which enlightens, renews, refreshes, and compels our minds to be at one mentally with the divine will of  . 

 

Feast of Tabernacles/Holy Convocation: Sundown September 29, 2003 to Sundown October 6, 2003

 

          ?Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord, .

          On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, : on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, : it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein (Leviticus 23:34-36).

          And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

          ?because the Lord thy God, , shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice? (Deuteronomy 16:14-15).

 

          Join us in the celebration of our Twenty-Third Annual Feast of Tabernacles/Holy Convocation, as we will sing high praises unto and rejoice in the place where He has chosen to place His name, which is at the elegant Delta Centre Ville in beautiful Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 

 

          If you have not made plans to keep the Feast of Tabernacles/Holy Convocation, and would like to attend, you may download our Feast Package at: www.yahwehbenyahweh.com.

 

The Mark of The Beast: 666

Part One

 

In this segment, we will introduce a series of study on ?The Mark of the Beast: 666,? taken from Revelation, Chapter 13, verses 16 through 18, which reads:

 

          ?And he (the beast) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

          And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

          Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.?

 

          This scripture is, admittedly, one of the most cryptic and enigmatic revelations in the Bible.  This mysterious puzzle has left many people perplexed as to its meaning and symbolism.  They ask questions like, ?Who is the beast? What is the mark of the beast? What is the number 666?  When will we see this mark take effect?  And, how will this mark be issued??  The events of the Bible are, indeed, real and this prophetic event is rapidly racing toward us, as will be proven in this study.  So, let us start to gather the pieces to this puzzle by first identifying the beast.  

 

          Referenced in The Cassell Concise Dictionary, Revised Edition, copyright 1998, on page 125, the beast is ?Antichrist?; on page 57, Antichrist is ?an opponent of Christ.?  Therefore, we can confirm, irrefutably, that the beast who will issue this mark, number 666, will be an opponent of Christ, meaning one who is against Christ.  Who is Christ? 

 

          In the same reference source, on page 256, Christ is ?synonymous with the Hebrew Messiah.?  Webster?s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, copyright 2000, on page 260, also defines Christ as ?the Messiah whose appearance is prophesied in the Old Testament.?  According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition, copyright 2000, on page 855, Messiah is ?a leader who professes to be a savior and liberator.?  Thus, from these facts, we can deduce that there is only one who has made an appearance on Earth professing to be the Hebrew Messiah, the Savior and Liberator of the world, and that is .  Therefore, we are factually validating that the beast [Antichrist] is opposed to the Hebrew Messiah, , because He has come to save and liberate the people of Earth from the unjust and wicked rule of the Antichrist, as prophesied in the Bible.

 

          Given that the Anti-christ is an opponent of Christ, The Synonym Finder, by J. I. Rodale, copyright 1978, on page 810, tells us that opponent means the same as ?adversary,? which on page 29 is equivalent to ?Satan.?  Webster?s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, copyright 2000, on page 1274, references Satan as ??the chief of fallen angels.?  In order to determine who Satan is the chief of, we must identify who the fallen angels are.

 

          On the authority of Chamber?s 21st Century Dictionary, copyright 1996, on page 470, fallen by definition is ?having lost one?s virtue, honour or reputation.?  In the same source, on page 45 angel is ?principality and power?; the Bartlett?s Roget?s Thesaurus, copyright 1996, reference number 68.12, identifies principalities and powers as ?the government.?  Hence, fallen angel symbolically represents the government of the United States of America, which has lost its virtue, honor, and reputation and whose chief is described as the beast [Antichrist]. 

 

          The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition, copyright 2000, on page 242, defines chief as ?one who is highest in authority; leader,? while Bartlett?s Roget?s Thesaurus, copyright 1996, reference number 68.3, implies leader as being one and the same as ?president.?  Conclusively, these facts indisputably affirm that the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the highest in authority, is the beast [Antichrist] who is opposed to the Hebrew Messiah, , and who intends to institute the mark of the beast: 666.

 

          In part two, the hidden details to signify this approaching prophetic event will be unveiled.

 

?REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY? (Exodus 20:8)

 

?Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.? (Exodus 31:16)

 

The Shabbath Home Study Guide can be downloaded at: www.yahwehbenyahweh.com

 

Let Not The Sun Go Down Upon Your Wrath (Ephesians 4:26)

 

In our last study of this law, we found that we are commanded not to be favorable toward letting our wrath against another continue after the evening time, or after the setting of the sun.  In this study, we shall continue our research of this law by closely examining the word ?wrath.?

 

Recorded in The New Strong?s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek Dictionary, copyright 1990, on page 56 (#3950), wrath in Greek is parorgismos, and it means, ?rage.?  Encarta World English Dictionary, copyright 1999, on page 1481, defines rage as, ?extreme anger.?  Based on these facts, it is logical for us to deduce that we are being commanded to not exhibit ?extreme anger? towards another person after the evening time or after the setting of the sun.  Question: What is extreme anger?

 

We shall find an answer to this question by first analyzing the word ?extreme.?  Extreme is described in Encarta World English Dictionary, copyright 1999, on page 632, as, ?going far beyond what is reasonable,? while on page 1495, reasonable is equivalent to ?rational.?  On page 1489, rational means, ?governed by judgment, based on reason rather than prejudice.?  In conformity to these facts, we can confirm that if the sun goes down upon our wrath, we are, in fact, allowing our anger for another person to go far beyond what is ?rational.?  Because of being in an irrational state, we are no longer governed by good judgment that is based on reason, but, rather, on prejudice. 

 

Thorndike Barnhart Junior Dictionary, copyright 1974, on page 515, affirms that prejudice is ?an opinion formed without taking time and care to judge fairly.?  The Cassell Concise Dictionary, copyright 1998, on page 1144, also defines prejudice as ?mischief arising from unfair judgment.?  In addition, we have factual proof to validate that if we allow the sun to go down upon our wrath, we are, indeed, giving ourselves the time to form opinions about others, whereas we do not take the necessary time and care to judge them fairly.  Therefore, our subsequent actions cause mischief to arise from our selfish opinions and unfair judgments. 

 

Mischief, is characterized in American Heritage College Dictionary, copyright 2000, on page 871, as ?tendency to cause embarrassment; one that causes trouble or disturbance.?  Even more, our facts substantiate that when we form prejudiced ideas or opinions about others, and do not take the time and care to judge others and situations fairly, due to wrath or extreme anger, we have a tendency to embarrass ourselves, as well as cause trouble and disturbance among others, all because we are not in a peaceful state.

 

We shall now define ?anger,? from the definition of wrath, which meant ?extreme anger.?  On the authority of Encarta World English Dictionary, copyright 1999, on page 2052, anger is ?broadly applicable to feelings of resentment.?  In accordance with The Synonym Finder, by J. I. Rodale, copyright 1978, on page 1024, resent, the root of resentment is tantamount to ?harbor a grudge.?  James, Chapter 5, verse 9, tells us: 

 

?Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:??

 

In our next presentation of Ephesians, Chapter 4, verse 26: ?Let Not The Sun Go Down Upon Your Wrath,? we will continue with what it means to ?harbor a grudge.?

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Book of The Month

 

July: The Widow?s Son Raised

August: As It Was In The Days of Noah

 

The Abraham Foundation

 

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods (Matthew 24:45-47).  We thank all of the faithful contributors to The Abraham Foundation, and we pray that will bless you for doing so.