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YWGO
Part 2 Continued (Final)
How did it change and what was it replaced with?
The system of worship in the early church was rooted to Israel’s Hebrew writings, not pagan tradition. When the New Testament speaks of the word of God or Law, It is referring to the TANKH writings called the Old Testament. All the New Testament writings are based on them. The NT had not been written at this time. The assembly used many Hebrew ancient writings to live by and prove Yeshua’s(Jesus) fulfillment of them and His diety.
*Daniel 7:25 refers to the Anti-Messiah speaking out against Elohim and changing Moedim- “times and Seasons”. We know that John noted that the antichrist spirit was already at work in the early church (1 John 4:3).
Israel replaced Elohim’s customs, got “off His schedule”, and suffered His wrath.
(Isaiah 1:2, 53:4-12; Isaiah 54:10). Many of the same ancient philosophies that seduced them seduced the early church out of the Moedim.
Isaiah 2:6 KJV
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and [are] soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
Spirits and False prophets of ancient times influenced Israel away from their Covenant relationship. Many of them were from Israel’s own people, while others were sent as a test to draw out their true behavior.
- Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:21-22
- Numbers 12:1-16, 16 chapter & 22 - 24 chapter
- 1 Kings 22:19-23
- Isaiah 8:20
- Ezekiel 13: 6, 14:9, 20 chapter
- Jeremiah 23rd chapter, Jeremiah 26:1-19 & 28chapter
Yeshua “warned” that false prophets would come to do the same thing to His church. He warned His own disciples not to repeat the same behavior of ancient Israel, the false prophets, and the Jewish traditionalists of His time (Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 24:10-13, 24 & Luke 6:26).
The Apostolic writers further noted for the church:
Acts 20:29- 30 NET BIBLE
I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truth to draw the disciples away after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace.
Romans 6:1-2 NET BIBLE
What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 7:7 NET BIBLE
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I14 would not have known sin except through the law.
II Thessalonians 2:3-8 NET BIBLE
For the appeal we make does not come from error or impurity or with deceit, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others, although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
II Timothy 4:2-4 NET BIBLE
Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort4 with complete patience and instruction. For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.
*II Peter 2 chapter-Behavior of false prophets and their judgment.
Jude 1:4 NET BIBLE
For certain men have secretly slipped in among you – men who long ago were marked out for the condemnation I am about to describe – ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
I John 2:18-19 NET BIBLE
Children, it is the last hour and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.
*The Apostolic writers in the later part of the 1st century were already seeing an attempt to convert the early church from its Israeli roots and spiritual identity. Other factors played a part in the dis-association of its original personality.
There were many events that acted as driving forces for change in the early church.
• Original church started out as a Judeo-Gentile sect of Israeli believers in the Messiah and commandments. They were seen another sect of the Jews and worhipped in the synagogues.
• They were rejected by some Jews, yet tolerated by others.
• Jewish Traditionalists infiltrated church and tried to mix Gospel message with circumsion and other doctrines were not Apostolic teachings from Yeshua.
• Believers were persecuted by Anti-Yeshua (Jesus) religious Jews and the Roman government.
• Messianic (Christian) believers did not partake in Jewish Bar-Kova revolt, nor believe He was Messiah.
• Many Judeo-Gentile Christians sided with Gentile Christian authority,while others were absorbed into other Jewish sects.
• Martyrdom of its original leaders and faithful caused a vaccum of spiritual leadership for younger followers.
• Greek-Roman culture and anti-Semitic leaders took over church.
• New leaders broke with Israel’s Bible based customs and thought.
• Many Greco-Roman philosophers from wealth and power entered the church.
• New religious thought, business, and government models of Christianity formed.
• Mixed idol worship and philosophy came from Gentile traditions.
• New theological movements formed.
• Power struggles over philosophical theology occurred spawning new sects.
• Many Christians from original Apostolic tradition kept Hebrew thought and beliefs.
• Christianity became a State religion by Emperor Constantine.
• New Roman Bishops of Constantine enacted laws that forced Sunday and pagan Sun God calendar on the new integrated Christian theology.
• New worship ceremonies and thought mimicked pagan traditions.
• Constantine tried to unite His Empire under a mixed religious system.
• Later Emperors like Justin revived paganism, further intermixed the New Religion and persecuted the church.
More important is the fact is that the basic tenants of Torah commandments practiced in a “Jewish way” was “now wrong for Christians” under Constantine’s reign. A confusion between the Pharasitic Talmudist traditions and basic Jewish Heritage of God’s word that related to the Old Testments fulfillment by Yeshua and practice was confused. This was a “false legalism charge that criminalized” the first church’s original Hebrew calendar practices for everyone.
The Anti-Semitic Bishops influenced Constantine to make changes for all of the Christian practices. He was very instrumental in putting out government edicts that set up a reformed mixed pagan worship system, changed the day of worship to Sunday, replaced the weekly calendar of week for Christians with Greco-Roman gods, and chose texts for Bible for the early church.
The website: HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, 4th Edition, http://dedication.www3.50megs.com/historyofsabbath/hos_eight een.html noted that: COUNCIL OF LAODICEA 343 and 381 A.D “CANON 16--On Saturday (the Sabbath) the Gospels and other portions of the Scripture shall be read aloud.”
Later the book notes that around 386 AD, the “day of the sun” was changed to “Lords day” by church leaders to rid it’s pagan roots, but later returned to it former name by the 5th century of Sunday to represent Christ’s resurrection.
Therefore, at the “same time” of the changes; the early church still records that the 7th Day (Sabbath was a worship day). Currently, the Catholic Church and other 2nd Century model churches still perform a Saturday evening service traced back to the time.
The Romanized Bishops appointed by Constantine, even set rules to further divide the early church from celebrating the Bible feasts and Sabbath. They actually replaced the original Bible calendar from the early church by instituting a “law of excommunication” for believers if they did not keep the new Roman Sun God and Babylonian Easter worship schedules (The HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, 4th Edition also noted that canon 29, 49, and 51 outlined these facts).
These Westernized councils were like curtains that went down on a stage. By the end of the show “Christianity” ended up very different. Therefore, any believer in Messiah not wanting to be apart of this new system was "excommunicated as an apostate or seen as a Jew.
A Lion Handbook, The History of Christianity, notes that the churches in Asia still followed the Passover celebration and resurrection of Christ. They were accused by the Church leaders of Judiazing and labeled as “Fourthteenther’s , meaning the 14th Day of Nisan “Passover”. The book further mentions that Christianity became spiritually damaged as a State Religion when church leaders became confidants of emperors. It was known as the fall of the church from Apostolic purity.
Although the Gentile Church complained that the Torah system of Original Christianity and Jewish Oral traditions was too strict and prevented faith in Messiah, The New Gentile Church:
1. Adopted a more aggressive theocratic Oral traditional system filled with many forms Greco-Roman systemic theology that taught abstract thought in making up your own concepts of Elohim like the Golden calf (Exodus 32). It lead to pagan worldviews of God, spawned mixed religious views with the Bible, questioned faith with rational, rather than faith with reason. Therefore, counterproductive to the goal of Salvation in Yeshua. On the contrary, the Hebrew thinking of the Bible presents God and His word as is, without changes, and promotes a faith realm, and challenges the believer to change their world view to a spiritual one lead by God.
2. Taught the Bible in an anti-Jewish thought process, in contrast to Yeshua being Jewish and not against the Law.
3. Created worship where they prayed to statues and pictures (icons) just like pagan traditions.
4. Focused on power, wealth, worship in buildings (temples) and government control of every believer bearing Christ name. Obviously, this was not the Gospel.
5. Changed Yeshua Ha Mashiach (YHWH, Son of God, Holy Spirit), “Jesus the Messiah” to “IEOSUS KRISTOS” a more Greek form and personality. The whole meaning of the “He” who comes in the “Name of Lord” and being “saved by His Name” is obscured without the Hebrew definition.
This subtle and later aggressive take over of Judeo-Christianity caused many denominational and spiritual issues that we have today.
What is this mixed religious system?
During the post-flood era, historically, the exact type of worship system that was mixed with ancient Israel and the early church seems to link back to the “Tower of Babel”. Biblically, many refer to “Nimrod” as the suspect whom fashioned those systems of self worship religion, human sacrifice, idols, and the Sun worship. He had a one world religious system and government. The worship of Baal and other pagan deities, such as Easter and other polytheistic rites appear to be traced back to that point in time.. The Bible notes that there was a confusion of languages and diaspera around the world (Genesis 11:1–9). This appears to be why similar worship styles and common pre-flood stories are part different cultures. In (Genesis 12), we later find Abraham being called out of the Babylonian area where all this took place.
Ancient Israel was warned not to learn pagan thought, cultural lifestyle, nor their religions (Duet. 12:28-32). As a result of them not heeding God’s warning, they converted to mixed pagan worship and suffered His wrath. Many similarities can be seen in the behavior of ancient Israel and the Christian Church. Many secret organizations still practice these ancient rites and try to recruit Christians. Only a (remnant) in each generation obeyed and followed the commandments of God. They kept themselves from Babylonian religious practices and conversion.
Some people use the terms, Babylonian worship system, Babylonian mystery Religion, and Greco-Roman Church to denote integrated forms of idol worship and theological philosophy used in them. It was known in ancient times that if a person “identified” or aligned their life with the pagan calendars, and practiced rites of a certain deity; then their whole life would reflect what the deity was about. The Hebrew Gospel of Yeshua does not teach this doctrine.
Eddie Chumny, Rabbi notes in the Elijah Message video that ancient King Jeroboam brought back Golden calf worship and substituted the Biblical holiday from the 7th month to the 8th month (1 Kings 12: 28-32 & Exodus 32:4-6). He outlines other scriptures that describe Baal worship and Israel (Judges 2:11-13, 2 Kings 10:20-28, 22:3, & 23:5). In esscence, this ancient worship system mixed itself with worship of Israel’s Torah worship of Elohim. Eddie notes that they Israel:
• Practiced mixed Baal worship in the 1st Temple
• Set up Ashtarah(Ishtar)Easter trees near the alter
• Offered sacrifices and burnt offerings
• Celebrated festivals
• Worshipped the Sun
He further describes Christianity becoming mixed with the same type of system and mindset where they mixed and substituted the early church worship system and calendar with the identical mixed Baal worship system that took over ancient Israel. While some claim to preach the Gospel, they also keep the pagan worship calendar. In summary, People are worshipping in a bi-polar way like ancient Israel’s Baal worship.
Like King Jeroboam, Emperor Constantine and the Greco-Roman Bishops took over and aligned Yeshua’s assembly with a pagan Sun God system of worship and calendar. This does not correlate with Apostolic beliefs. In essence, their decisions gave way to a “different religious identity” for Christianity that created later spiritual crisis. Many new generations of Greco-Roman Church leaders tried to change the name of Sunday to “Lord’s day” and other ceremonies to mimic the morality of Christ. However, changing the name of the characters does not remove the worship style it came from or its effect on the Gospel. This issue caused many generations of Church reforms to get back to a 1st century model of the Gospel. D. Thomas Lancaster outlined in his book Restoration: Returning to the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus, 2005, that violent persecution broke out several groups of reformers seeking their Hebraic roots heritage of original Judean- Christian faith.
It is interesting that God called:
• Abraham out from the idol worshipping community of the Babylonian area.
• Israel’s first (assembly) out of Pagan Egypt.
• New Testament Early Church (Kahal) out of the world system.
• End time Church in Revelations out of a “Babylonian church”. (Rev. 17:4-6)
*Note: Israel was given over to Babylonian incarceration because they returned to Abraham’s forefathers ways and mixed their faith (Joshua 24:14-15).
It is obvious that the same “ancient Babylonian religious system” has been at work against believers of God Most High “Elohim”, His commandments, and His Salvation plan, since post-flood times. The whole spiritual strategy has been to cause believers and unregenerated mankind to miss their “appointment with God”; where they don’t walk in His prophetic “words of redemption and regeneration in His Name-Yeshua”. Many believe that Constantine’s church model and others throughout the centuries have been developing into the Babylonian system that will be part of the Anti-Christ’s “one world” religious system and government (Revelations 17:13).
People for centuries have missed their appointment with God (Elohim) to be saved. How? By aligning themselves with the pagan calendar, worship styles, and philosophy; instead of the original Gospel of Yeshua. Messiah warns believers about leaven (Luke 12:1 and Matt. 16:12). A small amount leavens the whole of a product. Yeshua also warned the church not to fall asleep and stay vigilant of His Return. Why? Because He knew the church would get “off schedule”(Luke 12:38, Matt 24:36-51).
Conclusion
Israel was given God’s calendar, not a pagan one. The early Church followed the “Moedim” to ascertain the foreshadowing of the Messiah’s 1st and 2nd return (Colossians 2). It was changed, by “self appointed” leaders to a pagan god calendar. Think about it, today in Modern times, “Christians” base their daily life, traditions, keeping of time and lifecycle off of Babylonian Sun God worship. They even celebrate Easter, as the Resurrection of Christ…...while not correlating it with the Passover Feast.
The later Gentile Church, clearly did not keep the Apostolic traditions passed down to them (1st Cor. 11:2 , 2 Thess. 2:15, & 2 John 1:8 ). After Yeshua refined His early church doctrine away from the extreme view of Jewish traditionalists that obscured His fulfillment of the Old Testament; a new Greco -Roman system was forced on the early church that cut off it’s Hebraic roots. Many people have been confused and spiritually dysfunctional for centuries by the intergenerational dynamics of the mixed pagan worship system. They are “off schedule” from their original Judeo/Christianity identity. They have taught a Greco-roman legal and liberal re-placement philosophy instead of the biblical based Gospel connected to Isreal. It has caused many historical church reforms to try to get back to the original Gospel.
This same mixed religious system has already primed millions of hearts and minds for the Anti-Christ’s one world government. Many people mix secret Babylonian rites with Christianity even in the protestant church. Jesus did not promote "secret or public groups" that follow pagan religious rites as part of His Gospel. This deceptive belief system will deceive the world and bring the final judgments of God upon the earth. True believers like our Judeo-Christian ancestors, must pray, read their bibles, know history, and study to show ourselves approved unto God instead of man’s traditions and philosophy. Do not sell your soul or take the mark of the Beast (Matt 16:26 & Rev. 3:16-17). Keep the original faith practice.
It is vital for those “off schedule” to return to Yeshua’s Love, mercy and appointed times. We have to honestly look at ourselves first with God’s word, so that restoration can begin. He has appointed a “Day of wrath” to deal with religious unrighteousness (Matthew 25).
When they changed the times and seasons, the functioning of the church in keeping track of the “times and seasons of Messiah” became confused. It would be easy for one to think Christ would come twice in the future (Pre-trib and other rapture theories), when properly read scripture does not correlate with those outcomes (Acts 3:18-21 & Hebrews 9:28).
The Holy Spirit is calling people to think, re-align themselves with the God of the Bible, strengthen themselves for the coming times, and prepare for their future in His world tomorrow (Olam Haba) ruled by Yeshua HaMashiach. Every believer in Yeshua must ask themselves: Whose Kingdom are we really serving? Mankind’s or Adoni Elohim’s(God’s)?
Yeshua is against the leaven of legalism and liberalism in both Jewish and Gentile Oral religious cultures (Matt. 15:9 & Mark 7:13).  . These variances are the real problem!
They lead to hypocrisy.
Eddie Chumney's Elijah’s Message video points to this problem in ancient Israel and the modern Church. The ancient prophets attempted to point Israel back to their covenant with God. The New Covenant does not allow Christians to practice paganism either.
Anything that obscures the message of the Gospel is sin. Between the two variances is “His Narrow Way” (Matt. 7:14). God doesn’t need help in adding too or taking away from His words.(Duet. 4:2). The Gospel of Yeshua is perfect. God requires that we listen and obey what is already written from the beginning. For the whole Torah (OT &NT) hangs on two laws, Love God with everything and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:34-40). The main focus of Elohim’s love sacrifice for man is His only Son for our sin debts. He calls us to believe, turn from sin and be filled with His Torah Spirit that sets us apart from the world. That is what the Moedim reflect. The Law, the Gospel and the Set apart life committed to Elohim’s schedule.
In these last days (Achrit Haiymin), we all need to make choices to get our lives on the right schedule appointed by Adoni Elohim. An invitation is given by Yeshua to come back to God’s “Schedule”. Don’t miss your appointment and Rest.(Acts 2:38 & *Jeremiah 6:16,17)
********************Jeremiah 16:19**********************************
References
1. NET Bible
2. KJV Bible
3. 4. Restoration: Returning to the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus, D. Thomas Lancaster, 2005.
5. A Lion Handbook, The History of Christianity,1977.
6. http://reluctant-messenger.com/council-of-laodicea.htm
7. 4.HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, http://dedication.www3.50megs.com/historyofsabbath/hos_eighteen.html
8. Eddie Chumney, Elijah Message, 2007
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Posted by YWGO on 2008-10-06 18:13:33 | Rating: | Views: 110
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Amen Brother T/U
I will have to come back to read this word, carefully and digest
Shalom
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Posted by Christianthoughts
on 2008-10-06 19:19:22
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Jesus said that we must repent and be baptized and keep God's commandments and Holy Days. Jesus said that we should love our neighbor and do good things to those who would hate us. Keeping His Sabbaths and Holy Days sets us apart and identifies us as His called out ones to come out of this corrupt world as His servants and witnesses to His soon coming Kingdom with Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords with power and with glory.
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Posted by Rett
on 2008-10-07 16:16:35
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Amen. My prayer is that people will grow and mature in His original words of the Bible,not man's denominational opinions and pagan philosphies. We all have been there and must show love, but speak the truth in a balanced manner in the hopes it gives God a good return for His redemption plan through Jesus Christ(King of Kings and only expressed image). We all must study for ourselves unto the approval of God.It does not matter how many times we read the Bible, we always learn something new. HOWEVER Salvation is the same through Jesus Christ(Yeshua Ha Mashiach).
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Posted by YWGO
on 2008-10-07 20:04:09
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Great Series. I too will have to read this again and try to digest more of this great teaching. I have just come to the realization of the importance of God's appointed times or feast days. And that we must as you have said, get back onto God's calendar of events if we are to understand the times and seasons we are to watch for.
Praise God!!!
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Posted by cpministries
on 2008-10-08 04:22:41
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Today at sunset begins the Day of Atonement. It is a fasting time until sunset tomorrow. Feast of Tabernacles begins October 14, next week, and will last for 7 days. The first day and the last day are holy convocations. Also October 21 is the Last Great Day and ends His season of Holy Days. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
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Posted by Rett
on 2008-10-08 15:41:26
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the lord is faithful
in any given sitruation
great blog
AMEN
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Posted by good_news
on 2008-10-17 00:10:09
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This seems like a lot of wonderful meat that I sure wish I had time to chew on. I hope to have time to really dig in someday. Blessings, Sheryl
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Posted by sheryl
on 2008-10-18 00:15:14
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