Min. Dr. Donald H. Garrett
Well I celebrated my 58th birthday today, according to the Julian calendar.
However, as I looked up my birth according to the Hebrew calendar, I actually had a Hebrew birthday on the 9th of October. Amazing! 58 tens days earlier than I thought Ö
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The descent of Moses at the end of the previous Torah portion alludes to the second coming of the Messiah. Just as Moses assembled Israel at the time of his appearing, when Messiah comes again, He will gather together the assembly of Israel from the four corners of the world. Then the whole nation of Israel will be called the assembly of Messiah.
This concept helps us understand the meaning behind the New Testament word “church.”
As a noun, the Hebrew word kahal means “assembly,” “congregation,” or “community.” The Torah refers to the community of the tribes of Israel as the kahal, i.e., “the assembly,” a common Bible term denoting all Israel. The word kahal passes into the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible as ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). The Greek word ekklesia appears throughout the Greek version of the Old Testament to speak of the assembly of Israel or an assembly of worshippers in the Temple. However, when it occurs in the New Testament, English translators rarely render it as “assembly.” Inexplicably, English translators substitute the theologically charged term “church.”
The “church” translation of ekklesia has misled us. Because of the double standard in translation, it appears to most readers that “the church” first appeared in the New Testament, completely disconnected with the Old Testament and the nation of Israel. After all, the word “church” never appears before the book of Matthew. In reality, the word “church” does not appear in the Bible at all. By translating ekklesia as “church,” our English Bibles have led us to believe that “the church” is a new institution outside of Judaism and the Jewish people.
All of this information about the original languages implies that the New Testament church needs to be understood in continuity with the Jewish people, not as a disjuncture. In the broad sense, the church is the nation of Israel. The Messiah will gather all Israel into His assembly. In the narrow sense, the church is a subset of the larger assembly of Israel, consisting of believers who have identified Yeshua as the Messiah and cast their allegiance with Him.
Unfortuanetly, I have been neglectful in updating this website for August and September. I could blame this on my secular job’s demanding daily requirements, but that would only be partially correct as I have had some time off. Instead, I’ll just except that I have been very lax recently. Please forgive me in this as I go back to proper updating.
Jefferson County Judge requires masks to enter ALL businesses
As of June 24, 2020, Jefferson County has made a ruling that any person entering a business establishment must wear a mask.
My personal opinion on this is that if the government is going to require this, then they should provide the masks for their constituents. Secondly, masks are a four-fold problem. 1) A mask is only as good at preventing a virus or other pathogen entering your body depending on it’s material and construction. 2) It also traps waste exhale pathogens which could lead to a larger accumulation of those pathogens. 3) It makes it harder for people to breath and causes fogging problems for people with glasses. And, 4) It also weakens your immune system in the long run, because our bodies develop antibodies against viruses and pathogens by exposure to them. No exposure, no antibodies; therefore more susceptibility.
Now before anyone gets the wrong idea here, we are not protesting against this ruling. We encourage everyone to follow all rules and laws in your jurisdiction because it is a required of you in the New Testament; provided of course the rule or law does not prevent you from obeying YAH first and foremost. Torah/Biblical law observance is first, then laws by man. Wearing a mask does not prevent you from observing any Biblical law; therefore, obey your local laws on this and be safe out there.
