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Questioning Paul
Volume 1: The Great Galatians Debate
Is Christianity Right or Wrong?
1
ChrestusUseful Implement
Are You a Useful Tool or a Drugged Victim?
Most Christians have been led to believe that Paul was the principal agent
used by God to create a new religionone predicated upon faith in his Gospel of
Grace. They think that the lone individual who referred to himself as anApostle, and yet who did not walk in Yahowshas footsteps, was authorized to
annul the Torah, its Meeting Times, and its Sabbatheven contradict the actual
Disciples.
If this actually occurred, the means to this miracle is chronicled in Pauls
epistle to the Galatians which serves as the foundation of Christianity. But did this
actually take place? Did Paul annul the Torah, and if so, was his replacement
credible, believable? Is Christianity established on the bedrock of Scripture and
logic or on the shifting sands of one mans unsubstantiated opinions?
In the end it all comes down to GalatiansPauls first letter, as evidenced bythe epistle itself. It is the principle place in the Greek texts where the Torah is
seriously assailed. Without Galatians, there is no credible debate between
Trusting the Torah and Believing the Gospel. While there are critical
passages in Pauls other letters, and most especially in Romans, we will discover
that Galatians provides the most methodical and ingenious approach to
obfuscating Yahowahs previous testimony.
Galatians is one of only two epistles where Yahowahs Sabbath and Feasts
are placed in doubt, the other being Pauls letter to the Colossianswhere the
conflict is more a legacy of errant translations. So without Pauls epistle there isno justification for Sunday Worship, Christmas, or Easter.
Galatians is the place where faith, which has become synonymous with
religion, was first pitted against the Torah, which in turn was considered
symbolic of legalism. It is here, in the fourth chapter of Galatians, that Paul
positions his advocacy for a second, new and different covenant, relegating the
one codified by Moses on Mount Sinai to being of the flesh, a cruel taskmaster
which ultimately enslaves and condemns everyone. It is the first time Jerusalem,
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Judea, and Jews (textually: Yaruwshalaim, Yahuwdah, and Yahuwdym) are
demeaned by someone claiming to speak for their God, with all of them becoming
Pauls and the Churchs foes.
But more than just being ground central for Christianitys disdain for all
things YahowahHis Name, His Word, His Torah, His Covenant, His
Instructions, His Sabbath, His Invitations to Meet, His Land, His Chosen People,
His Way, and even YahowshaGalatians pits Pauls new religion against
everything God loves. Moreover, in the epistle, the Disciple Shimown / Peter is
mercilessly condemned by Paul, and Yaaqob/ James and Yahowchanan / John
are inappropriately demeaned.
But worse, the Acts and Galatians accounts of the Jerusalem Summit, the
most important meeting in the history of The Way, are irreconcilableisolating
Paul from the Disciples. In fact, Galatians is Pauls response, his rebuttal, to
having had his message censured, his authority assailed, and his reputationattacked, by the Disciples in Yaruwshalaim (meaning: source from which
guidance and teaching regarding reconciliation flow). Pauls summation of this
meeting sits in the midst of this epistle, as do the two issues which prompted the
summitthe purpose of the Torah and the merit of circumcision. These themes
dominate Galatians, with Pauls position running in opposition to Yahowah,
Yahowsha, the Disciples, and the Word of God. In due time we will juxtapose
these texts. So do not be concerned if you are currently unaware of this meeting,
or of the incompatible accounts of it.
More important still, Shimowns (Peters) evaluation of Galatians (found inShimown / Peters Second Epistle), contains the single most important verse in
Christendom, as it is the lone place where Pauls epistles are potentially afforded
Scriptural status. So if this lone endorsement falters, if it isnt credible, or if this
isnt what Shimown actually said, then the idea of the New Testament being
Scripture, and being inspired by God, completely vanishes. Evidence for such
a position would be relegated to the murk of myth, and the realm of human
tradition. And that is why we will dissect Shauwls overt condemnation of
Shimown, just as we will study Shimowns direct response to Shauwl under a
linguistic microscope, contemplating the divinely-appointed Disciples view of
the self-proclaimed Apostles message, his claims and letters.
In ignorance of the evidence, Christian theologians unanimously side with
Paul over Peter with regard to the Great Galatians Debate. In so doing, they have
established their religion in opposition to Yahowah, Yahowsha, the Disciples,
and the Word of God. In their view, Paul was right to associate the Torah with
bondage, Yahowahs Festival Feasts with Judaism, circumcision with Jews, and
Gods terms and conditions with legalism. For Christians, as a result of Pauls
depiction oftwo covenants in the fourth chapter of Galatians, it is appropriate to
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divide the Bible into two Testaments: one Old the other New, one failed
and counterproductive with the other providing the promise of salvation by
confession and faith. For Christians, solely as a result of Pauls epistles, hell
awaits everyone who observes the Torah, while heaven embraces all those who
place their faith in Pauls Gospel of Grace.
With the stakes this high, with the credibility of the religion of Christianity
resting upon one mans letter, with the salvation of a billion souls at stake, few
things could be as important as considering the possibility that Pauls epistle
might not be trustworthy if he openly contradicted the God he purported to
represent. But if this world-renowned individual pulled off this feat, if he
managed to supersede something as well known and revered as the Torah, and if
he supplanted it with something as nebulous and mystical as faith, and convinced
the world that he had done so without contradicting God, Galatians would have to
be among the most brilliantly written thesis of all time.To determine if Paul changed everything, including our understanding of God
and Scripture, even the means to salvation, we are going to examine his words
under the lens of the worlds most acclaimed lexiconswhile referencing the oldest
extant manuscripts. Pauls thoughts will also be scrutinized, juxtaposing each
proposal against Yahowahs position on similar subjects. We will leave nothing to
chance or supposition. And while we are cognizant that billions believe that
Galatians is Scripture, we will be honest, even if the result is offensive.
Regardless of how many religious preconceptions succumb to the evidence, our
pursuit of the truth will be relentlessly rational.
For those who have not read the Letter to the Reader, you should know that at
the onset of this study, I was inclined to think that Paul did no such thing. At the
beginning of what would become an in-depth evaluation of Pauls veracity, I was
predisposed to think that scribal error, misleading translations, unsupported
interpretations, confusion over which nomos Paul was assailing, and an overall
ignorance of the Torahs purpose, had collectively conspired to conceive religious
teachings which were inconsistent with the Apostles intended message. And yet,
it will be Pauls words, not my preconceived ideas, which will determine whether
or not Paul had the audacity to contradict God, undermine His Scripture, and to
establish a New Testament in place of the one he sought to annul. If he did, andif he made his case, then Christianity is on solid footing. If he didnt, billions of
souls have been tragically misled.
In this light, it is instructive to know that Pauls given name was Shauwl. It
is of Hebrew origin, and it means to question. And that is precisely what we are
going to do: question Paul. You should also know that Shauwl is
indistinguishable in the original Hebrew text from Sheowl, meaning the grave,
the pit, and the realm of the dead.
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To arrive at the truth, we, like those who have gone before us, must resolve
which Law Paul was attacking: Natural Law, Roman Law, Rabbinic Law, or
Yahowahs Towrahwhich actually means teaching and guidance. We will
have to closely compare the oldest textual witnesses to our modern-Greek
manuscripts to determine if Pauls words have been affected by scribal error,attributing things to Shauwl that he did not actually say. And after presenting
Pauls letter in English, rendering it as accurately as possible from the oldest
manuscripts, we will have to compare our findings to other translations to
ascertain whether or not translational errors have artificially altered our
impression of Pauls purpose in writing this particular letter.
One of the surprising obstacles we will have to overcome along the way will
become obvious in short order. Pauls letter to the Galatians is poorly written;
reflecting the worst writing quality found in any of the Greek texts. We will
encounter a steady diet of missing words, and worse. Many of Pauls sentencesare incomprehensible. The fact that the wording is well beneath the dignity of
God is something we will wrestle with, even though this doesnt seem to matter to
a religion hell bent on distancing itself from Yahowah, from the Covenant, from
the Torah, from the first four Statements God etched in stone, and from six of the
seven Feasts (Hebrew: Miqraey Invitations to be Called Out and Meet with
God; Greek:EkklesiaCalled-Out Assembly).
Before we embark on this journey, there is something else you should know.
There are those who suggest that there is a possibility that Paul did not write
Galatians. They think that this epistle could have been a clever fraud which was
later attributed to him. In support of this argument, there is phraseology prevalentin Galatians that appears nowhere else in the epistles assigned to Shauwl.
In support of Galatians being from Paul, we must recognize that the book of
Acts reveals that the Apostle had the kind of contentious relationship with the
Galatians which is reflected in this epistle. We are told that the Galatians went
from seeing Paul as the incarnation of a Greek god to wanting to stone him.
Second, Shimown / Peter, in his second letter, evaluates an epistle Paul had
written to the same audienceone that we learn from his greeting in First Peter
must be Galatia, because it is the only community where their audiences overlap.
So, based upon the Disciples letter, we know that Paul wrote a letter to the
Galatians. And if not this epistle, then the authentic letter has been lost. But more
than that, the language Shimown (He Listens) uses to describe Galatians,
accurately reflects the contents we find in the surviving copy.
Third, the issues raised at the Yaruwshalaim (Jerusalem) Summit serve as
the centerpiece of Pauls epistle. After reading Lukes (from the Latin Lucas)
testimony in Acts, its hard not to see Galatians as Pauls response to this meeting,
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and his desire to position himself as favorably as possible. In fact, it will become
obvious that this letter was written immediately after that meeting, long before
tempers cooled. And that means that Paul would have had twelve subsequent
opportunities to distance himself from Galatians had it been a fraud because his
open letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians,and Philippians, as well as the personal notes to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
came later as did most of his testimony in Acts. Never once is he heard
denouncing the authenticity of Galatians, but is instead found building his case
against the Towrah and its Covenant based upon the foundation he laid therein.
Fourth, Galatians is all about Paul, about his childhood, his religious
education, his questionable call, his self-proclaimed mission, his adversarial
preaching, his suspect credibility, and his personal trials and tribulations. Within
its text, we find Paul referring to himself as the parent of his faithful spiritual
children, as the perfect example to follow, as a person who can do no wrong, andas someone who cannot lie. So if Paul didnt write it, Galatians was either scribedby his publicist, or by someone who spent the better part of their life polishing
Pauls sandals.
Fifth, the oldest extant codex containing Pauls epistles, Papyrus 46, places
Galatians in the midst of the other letters attributed to Shauwl. In order of their
appearance in the codex, these epistles include: Romans, Hebrews, 1st
and 2nd
Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1st
Thessalonians.
And since P46 is dated between 85 and 125 CE, we know that one of the earliest
assemblies to collect portions of the Greek texts believed that Paul had penned
this letter.
Sixth, Paul had a propensity to sign his letters so that his audience would
have some assurance that he was the author. But with Galatians, he did more than
just sign his name. Much of the last chapter attests to have been written by his
own hand, and in really big letters.
And seventh, Pauls signature term is charis, which is transliterated into
English as Grace, based upon the Roman name Gratia. Apart from Pauls
letters, the use of charis can only be attested by an ancient manuscript in one
other place in the whole of what is known as the Christian New Testament.
Therefore, the frequency of the use of the name of the Greek goddesses in this and
other letters suggests that this pagan aspect of Christianity came from Paul.
And this leaves us with a third alternative, that Paul was indeed the author,
but that he never intended this letter to be circulated, much less to be considered
Scripture. He was clearly angry, and may well have dashed off an emotional
response that, from a more sober perspective, he would have wadded up and
thrown away. Most of us have written letters like this; and many have had the
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good sense to hold on to them long enough to read them again once our passions
have subsided.
The only benefit of distancing this epistle from Paul, should it prove to be a
false witness, is that it would not tarnish the remainder of the letters attributed to
him. But even then, the potential benefit would be fraught with peril, in that it
would open the floodgates to questioning the appropriateness of everything in the
so-called New Testament. And that is because the Galatians epistle was written
in first person. It is based upon the life of the self-proclaimed Apostle Paul. So if
it is a counterfeit, the letter is not only a complete fraud, the authorship, and
therefore authority, of more than half of the Christian New Testament becomes
suspect. But in reality, as we will discover in the last chapter of this review, there
is very little difference between Galatians and the rest of Pauls letters. It is
readily apparent that the same individual wrote them and that he was promoting
the same message.And yet, ultimately the only question which really matters is whether or not
Galatians is true. Is it the inspired Word of God, and thus Scripture, or not? If it is
valid, so is Christianity. But if it is false, the religion is brought down with it.
This conclusion is inescapable because Galatians, even more than Pauls
other letters, is devoted to systematically demeaning and demoting the Torah and
its Covenant. So, without Galatians there is no way to justify Christianitys
corruption and ultimate violation of the first four Statements Yahowah etched in
stoneas they would still stand. This would include the recognition that
Yahowah is Gods only name, that Yahowah, Himself is our Savior, and that theSabbath remains set-apart. Without Galatians there would be no way to explain
Christianitys opposition to Yahowahs seven Miqraey Invitations to be Called
Out and Meet with Godas they would still delineate the path to eternal life, to
salvation, adoption, and reconciliation. Without Galatians, Romans, and Hebrews,
there would only be one Covenant which has yet to be renewed, and thus no room
for a New Testament,or a Gospel-based religion.
Without Galatians, Yahowahs Torah, as is affirmed throughout the Psalms
and Prophets, remains the sole means to liberate humankind from religious and
political oppression. But with Galatians, the Torah is mankinds foe, the path to
enslavement and condemnation.
Without Galatians the Gospel of Grace would be superseded by the
promise of the Torah, and its healing and beneficial message. Without Galatians,
our association with God would be based exclusively upon the Torahs
everlasting Covenant, upon knowing Yahowah and relying upon His Guidance.
Without Galatians, admission to heaven would be predicated upon responding to
Yahowahs invitations to meet with Him as these are articulated in the Torah and
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affirmed by Yahowsha. Without Galatians, faith, is irrelevant, as is the religion
of Christianity, because the God who authored the Torah can be known.
And in this regard, faith is the opposite of trust. Trust emerges from a
discerning evaluation of the evidence, while faith thrives in the absence of
information and reason.
So, while there will be some lingering debate regarding the authenticity of
this epistle, we will proceed as if Galatians is genuine. And while we may never
be able to adequately resolve whether or not the epistle was written by Paul, at
least in the minds of those predisposed to think otherwise, we will be able to
determine with absolute certainty whether or not it was inspired by God. And in
the end, that is all this study portends to determine.
Since the religion of Christianity has severed its relationship with Yahowahs
Torah and its Covenant, should Pauls epistle to the Galatians prove to be
unreliable for any reason, the religion of Christianity falls, as it can be neither
inspired nor true. It is that simple, that clear cut.
While we will analyze every word of Galatians, from Shauwls greeting to
his handwritten closing statement, our review of Christendoms foundational
treatise will commence at the same place Christians begin their assault on theTorah. That occurs in Galatians 3, verses 10 through 14. So, lets take a moment
and consider the King James Version (Christianitys most influential bible
translation) and New Living Translations (the religions most recent and liberal
variation and among the most popular) depictions of these passages, juxtaposed
against a literal rendering of the earliest first-century manuscript of Shauwls
letter.
Reason dictates that if the following KJV and NLT translations are accurate,
then the Torah, is Gods way of cursing humankindnot saving us. And if this
is true, Yahowah and Yahowsha are liars. The King James reads: For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them.(3:10)
More clearly presented, albeit, less aligned with the Greek text, the New
Living Translation published: But those who depend on the law to make them
right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, Cursed is everyone
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who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in Gods Book
of the Law.(3:10) If they are correct, Gods Word is Gods curse.
Based upon the words Shauwl selected, this is what he actually wrote: For
as many as who exist from assigned tasks and activities of the law orapportionment, they areundera curse, becauseit has been writtenthat: A
curse upon all whodo notremain alive in and who do notpersevere withall
the things that have been written in the scroll of the Torah, to do them.(Galatians 3:10) (Please note: for those more accustomed to the amplified
translations which make Yada Yah unique, replete with the Hebrew and Greek
text, they exist for every passage we will review, even these, when they reappear
in the natural flow of the Galatians letter.)
Recognizing that the preceding translation is a literal rendering of Papyrus
46, the oldest extant manuscript of Shauwls letter(dated to the late first or early
second century), its hard to explain the KJVs and NLTs considerable variationfrom it. Rather than saying thatthose who depend on the law to make them right
with God are under his curse, Shauwl cited a Torah passage which says the
opposite: A curse upon all who do not remain alive in and who do not
persevere withallthe thingsthathave been writteninthe scrollof the Torah,
for the purpose of acting upon them. According to the Scripture passage
Shauwl quoted, without the Torah, there is no life.
Shauwl misquoted Dabarym / Words / Deuteronomy 27:26, which reads:
Cursed (arar invoking harm upon oneselfand causing ones life to become
embittered (scribed in the qal passive indicating that this condition is broughtupon oneself as a result of inaction)) is whoever relationally (asher) is not
restored andestablished (lo quwmsupported so as to rise and abide, standing
upright and affirmed (scribed in the hiphil imperfect indicating that we are
restored over time based upon our responses)) in association with (eth) the
words (dabarymstatements, message, and accounts) of this, theTorah (zoth
ha towrah this specific and exclusive source from which direction, teaching,
guidance, and instruction flow), for the purpose of (la so as to approach by)
acting upon them (asah eth engaging in them, profiting from them, and
celebrating with them (scribed in the qal infinitive which indicates a literal
interpretation with an actual purpose)). Andthe entire (wa kol) family (am) said(amar chose of their own volition to literally affirm and completely
acknowledge without reservation (scribed in the qal perfect consecutive which
conveys something which is literal, complete, and volitional)), This is true,
acceptable, and reliable (aman upholding, nourishing, and affirming).
(Dabarym / Words / Deuteronomy 27:26)
Interestingly, the verse Shauwl mangled in Galatians undermines the
Christian argument, as well as his own position, because it obliterates the idea that
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the Torah is pass. But even if observing the Torah wasnt presented as the lone
means to becoming restored and established, as God has just stated, if the
Almighty was actually a capricious prankster, and if His Torah was really a curse
as Paul and others have claimed, then citing it as evidence for that conclusion
would be irrational, because nothing God said could be trusted.
Christian apologists, steeped in Pauline Doctrine, will say that the Torah isnt
a pick and choose sort of thing, and that to be redeemed you would have to do
everything it says all of the time, or else youll be cursed by it. But that is not the
message conveyed in this Dabarym / Deuteronomy passagenor by Yahowsha.
God knows that we cannot be perfect, which is why He provided the means to
recovery in the heart of the Torah. But since Paul severed the relationship
between the Torah and the Maaseyah, and then completely rejected the path to
salvation Yahowah provided through His seven Called-Out Assemblies, most
Christians are unaware of the Torahs redemptive properties.As a result of Pauline Doctrine, the overwhelming preponderance of
Christians dont recognize that when Yahowshasaid I am the Way, the Truth,
and the Life, that the Maaseyahs Way and His definition of Truth, were
both embodied in observing and following the Torah. And that is why at the
conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount He called the Torah the narrow way to
Life. Simply stated, by fulfilling Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits,
Yahowsha facilitated the gift of salvation Yahowah promised and provided in the
Torah. But by severing this connection, by disassociating Yahowsha from
Yahowahs Word, the Maaseyahs life, His testimony, and His sacrifice become
as meaningless as the faith Christians place in them.
Moving on to Shauwls next thought, as it is found in the King James, we
find: But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for,
The just shall live by faith. (3:11) Updated for modern sensibilities, the New
Living Translation passage reads: So it is clear that no one can be made right
with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, It is through faith that
a righteous person has life. (3:11) And yet Pauls first point was anything but
clear, because he cited a passage which contradicted his premise. But more
telling still, the Scriptures dont actually say anything about faith, much less
that it leads to being just or righteous.
Therefore, both positions are illogical. Even if no one was justified by the
Torah that would still not infer that the just or righteous shall live by faith. Rather
than cause and consequence, these ideas are unrelated. It is like saying: red
wagons dont workso it is evident we should put our faith in blue tricycles. More
to the point, if Gods Torah cannot be relied upon, in whom are we toexpress our
faith?
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And as I had mentioned, the Scriptures DO NOT say, It is through faith
that a righteous person has life. The passage Shauwl truncated this time
actually reads: Behold, the puffed up; his soul is not considered to be upright
in him. The upright and vindicatedlivebytrusting that which is trustworthy
(by finding security and safety in that which is firmly established, consistentlyfaithful, always steadfast, dependable, honest, and true). (Chabaquwq /
Habakkuk 2:4)
Unfortunately we cant spin this to suggest that Shauwl was actually
speaking of the inadequacy of legalistic works, and most especially of the
inappropriateness of the Oral Law of the Rabbis, when he wrote: But it is
clearly evident that no oneis vindicated or justified by lawor apportionment
before God (represented by the placeholder ),becauseThe upright and just
shallliveout offaith (pistisoriginally meant trust and reliance but migrated
over time as a result of Shauwls epistles to convey belief and faith).(Galatians 3:11)
IfShauwl did not hang himself with these words, at the very least he was
twisting the knot which would become his noose. I say this because his statement
is the antithesis of Gods instructions. If Paul was right, it would be equivalent of
God saying: I will save those who contradict Me and justify those who negate
and belittle the plan I have established.
The reason we cannot substitute Rabbinical Law for Yahowahs Towrah in
this passage is because the sentence begins But with thatLaw / Apportionment,
and thus is referring to the book from which the citation in the previous verse wastaken. There Paul used nomou (the singular genitive case (explained in chapter 7,
TowrahTeaching) to represent the Hebrew title the Towrah.
Also worth noting, while pistis trust and reliance would normally have
been translated trustor reliance in any Greek passage, it will become obvious
over time that Paul used it to convey faith or belief, because he never once
supplies the kind of evidence which would be required for understanding, much
less trust or reliance.
Continuing to mislead by way of senseless prose, the KJV renders the next
verse: And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live inthem. (3:12) Deploying a different tactic, the NLT authored a statement which
could only be considered true in the context of religion. This way of faith is very
different from the way of law, which says, It is through obeying the law that a
person has life. (3:12)
Should the translation team deployed by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. have
meant that the way of the Christian faith is very different than the way of the
Torah, then they would be right. But can that way of faith be right is the
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multi-billion soul question. Can Pauls thesis, his faith, his religion, be very
different from the way delineated by God in the Torah and still reconcile fallen
man into a relationship with that same God? Has God endorsed a revised plan
which is counter to the one He originally authored? And yet if He did such a
thing, wouldnt it make Him untrustworthy and unreliable?
Irrespective of the answer, at least the battle lines have been drawn.
According to the most popular modern translation it is now the Torah vs.
Christianity. So let the Great Galatians Debate begin: are we to trust Yahowahs
Torah or believe Pauls Gospel of Grace?
Examining the words Shauwl wrote, we find him quoting (or more correctly,
misquoting) the very Torah Christians are wont to deny and separate themselves
from: The Law / Apportionment (nomosallotment which is parceled out for
the purpose of nurturing those with an inheritance; from nemo to provide
nourishment to heirs; deployed here, however, as a misleading rabbinicalreference to the Torah) existsnotout offaith or belief(pistisoriginally meant
trust and reliance but migrated over time as a result of Shauwls epistles to
convey belief and faith),but to the contrary, Theonewhoperformsthem
lives by them. (Galatians 3:12) Recognizing that Paul didnt express this
thought very well, we must turn to the passage he referenced to ascertain if the
point he was trying to convey was valid.
Turning to Yahowahs Torah, to Qara / Called Out / Leviticus 18:5,
Yahowah imparts the following instruction: And you should choose to literally
and completely observe (shamar you should of your own volition want toactually and closely examine, completely considering (scribed in the qal perfect
consecutive)) My prescriptions for living (chuqahMy engraved instructions
regarding how to be cut into the relationship) and My means to resolve disputes
(mishpatMy means to exercise good judgment).
Whoever (asher) actually and consistently acts upon them (asah eth
genuinely engages by literally and continually responding to them (scribed in the
qal imperfect)), that person (ha adam) is genuinely and completely restored to
life and will continually live (wa chayah is totally renewed, completely and
consistently nurtured, and always kept alive (scribed in the qal perfect wa
consecutive which literally and genuinely blends the aspects of complete and
continual)) bythem (bawith them). I am (any) Yahowah ().
It appears that Paul has once again deliberately abbreviated a passage which
is inconsistent with his own message, perhaps hoping that the use of some
common words, would be sufficient to convince his audience that God supports
his position.
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But in the quoted verse, God did not say that the law is very different than
faith, or that through faith a person has life, oranything remotely similar to
either proposition. He said that a close examination and careful consideration of
His prescriptions for living enables a person who acts upon them to live, restoring
their life. This is once again, the antithesis of the Christian position.
While we are making such distinctions, it is important to realize that it is
grotesquely inappropriate to refer to Yahowahs Torah as law, as Paul does
throughout his letters. The Hebrew word towrah means source from which
teaching, instruction, direction, and guidance flow. These concepts are
educational. They are enlightening. They are not controlling. And they are not
restrictive, but instead liberating. Rabbis like Paul (who was a Pharisee)
deliberately perverted Yahs testimony so that they could claim credibility for
their own set of laws those recorded principally in the rabbinic Talmud. So by
referring to the Towrah as nomos, Paul, who was educated in Hebrew,demonstrated that he should not be trusted.
Those who would argue that Yahowsha refers to the Towrah as nomos in
His Sermon on the Mount would be wrong. Yahowsha spoke Hebrew and
Aramaic, not Greek. And the Disciple Mattanyah, who was an eyewitness to
Yahowshas first and largest public declaration, wrote his biographical account in
Hebrew. Someone, perhaps a century later, translated Mattanyahs words into
Greek. Therefore, the only informed and rational conclusion that can be drawn
relative to Yahowshas statements in support of the Towrah is that He cited the
accurate title of the book, He, Himself, authored.
Paul, however, cannot be afforded this excuse. And that is because all of
Pauls letters, including Galatians, were originally written in Greek. He
deliberately chose nomosto misrepresent Yahowahs Torah. Further, he did so in
full accord with rabbinical Judaism a religious proposition Yahowsha
thoroughly rebuked.
These things known, there is much more to nomos than meets the eye of the
casual observer. The word is based upon nemo to provide, assign, and
distribute an inheritance and to nourish heirs. It is an allotment which is
bestowed and parceled out for the purpose of feeding hungry sheep.
Metaphorically, then, a nomosis a prescription for living which is given to us by
God so that we might live with Him as His children, be fed and grow, inheriting
all that is His to give. So in this regard, properly defined, nomos actually
provides a fitting depiction of Yahowahs Towrah teaching, guidance,
direction, and instruction on how we go about choosing to engage in His
Covenant Family.
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Moving on to the next verse as it is presented in the King James and New
Living Translation, we find: KJV: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth
on a tree: (3:13) If the King James has accurately reflected Pauls thought, then,
according to Paul, the Torah is a curse. For this interpretation of Paul s statementto be correct, rather than fulfilling the Torah, Yahowsha ransomed us from its
clutches. It also means that Yahowsha, rather than being the prefect Lamb of
God, judged from the perspective of the Torah, embodied all the negativity a
curse implies.
Absolving Paul of the untenable position he has been placed in by the King
James Version, the New Living Translation twists the text to convey a different
perspective: But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law.
When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our
wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed is everyone who is hungon a tree. (3:13)
To the New Living Translations shame, there is no reference to a cross
anywhere in the Greek texts, much less in this passage. To Shauwls shame, the
Torah verse should not have been abridged nor misquoted out of context. While
the Torahs prediction is profoundly accurate, and stunningly prophetic, its merit
was mitigated by the way Paul truncated it.
But first things first: here is how the Greek text of Shauwls letter reads:
Maaseyah (a divine placeholder for Maaseyah, the Implement Doing
the Work of Yahowah) redeemedus from the curseof the Law / Allocation,having become a curse for our sake, because it has been written: A curse
uponeveryonewhois hanginguponwood. (Galatians 3:13)
The Scripture reference Shauwl quoted isDabarym / Words / Deuteronomy
21:23. It is predictive of the Maaseyah, revealing that Yahowsha would be
judged to be guilty of a sin worthy of death (our revolt against God), that He
would be suspended from a wooden timber, that His body would be removed
from the upright pole before the sun set, that his lifeless corpse would be prepared
and placed in a sepulcher, as opposed to being buried in the ground, and that as a
result of having our sins associated with Him, Yahowsha would be scorned and
despised by Godsomething which was required to redeem us from our sins.
The Torah passage reads: When it comes to pass that an individual is
judgedguilty of sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you suspend
and hang him on a wooden timber, do not allow his dead body to stayovernight (remain after sunset) on the wooden timber. Rather instead you
shall surely prepare his dead body for a tomb and place it inside (it is
essential that you bury him in a sepulcher) on that sameday. Indeed because he
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who is hanged (suspended and displayed), isthedisparaged and degraded (is
the maligned, abused, vilified, scorned, and cursed) of God. Do not cut intoyour
soil which Yahowah, your God, gave to you as an inheritance, making it
unclean. (Dabarym / Words / Deuteronomy 21:22-23)
This is a prophetic picture, albeit incomplete, of the Maaseyahs fulfillment
of the Torahs presentation of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits. And it
serves to inform us that Yahowshas physical body, as the Passover Lamb, would
not survive the night, and thus would not be buried. Yahowah uses prophecies
like this one, and a thousand more like it, to prove that He inspired His Scriptures.
He did this so that we would be able to trust everything else He has to say. Only
God can get every prophecy right, every time without fail.
So what we have learned thus far is that the King James is unreliable and
inaccurate, and that the New Living Translation isnt a translation of the Greek
text, but instead a very loose paraphrase whereby its authors became story tellers.To its credit, the NLT reads smoothly, and sounds nice, which is why I suppose it
has become so popular. But as a study tool, it is of no practical use and is
potentially harmful.
We have also learned that Paul has misapplied and misquoted Scripture,
which is troubling. All four citations were abridged, taken out of context, and
altered to make it appear as if Pauls message and Gods were in sync. This will
become a bad habit, one which many Christians have come to emulate to justify
their religious views. And it is also curious that each of the four Scriptural
passages Shauwl cited actually affirmed the value and enduring nature of theTorah, and thus undermined the Christian religion. And that suggests Paul had
very little respect for the intelligence of his audience.
Since we are on the subject, lets consider Yahowshas statements regarding
the Torah to ascertain whether or not Paul had the authority to annul it, should that
have been his intent. The human manifestation of God is translated from Hebrew
to Greek and then to English saying: Do not assume that I have come to
weaken, dismantle, invalidate, or abolish (kataluso loosen, tear down, or
dissolve, put an end to, do away with, or annul) the Towrah (nomosallotment
which is parceled out, inheritance which is given, nourishment which is bestowed
to be possessed and used, precept which was apportioned, established, and is
received as a means to be proper and approved, rule or prescription to become an
heir and grow; from nemothat which is provided, assigned, and distributed to
heirs to nourish them (Yahowsha was not speaking Greek and thus did not say
nomos and would have instead accurately pronounced the title of the book He
authored)) or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with, but instead to
completely fulfill. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 5:17) That was as
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unequivocal as it was opposed to Christian tradition. To annul the Torah, one has
to contradict God.
For truly (amein this is reliable and trustworthy) I sayto you all, until
the heaven and the earth pass away never may onejot (iota the smallest
letter in Hebrew) nor tittle (keraiathe top stroke of Hebrew letters) be passed
by (parerchomaibe ignored or be disregarded) from the Towrahuntil it all
happens. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 5:18)
And therein, the notion of a New Testament is torn asunder. According to
God, His original is still in vogue. More telling still, the majority of Yahowahs
prophecies, including His return and His ultimate renewal and restoration of the
family-oriented Covenant with Yisrael and Yahuwdah, have not yet happened,
and the heavens and earth remain. Therefore, the Torah still stands.
Therefore, whoever dismisses (luo does away with, dissolves,
invalidates, or abolishes) one ofthe leastof these directions (entoleprecepts,
prescriptions, and authoritative instructions) or teaches (didasko indoctrinates
or instructs) people to do the same in the same way, they will be called the
least important (elachistos will be considered to be so small as to be
insignificant and undignified) in the kingdom of the heavens. But whoever
performs (poieomai accomplishes and celebrates, practices and profits from)
them, and teaches them, such a person shall be called great and mostimportantinthe kingdomof the heavens. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew
5:19) Now thats something for Christians to think about, especially considering
the subject and speaker.But it raises a question: since this is Yahowshas assessment of those who
dismiss the Torah, how would you evaluate Shauwls standing with Yahowah if
he convinced the world that he had done this very thingand all with Gods
blessing? Said another way, is there even one chance in a billion that God
inspired, even condoned and endorsed, the writings of a man who invalidated the
Torah in light of this statement by Yahowsha? Do Christians honestly believe that
Paul can contradict God and still be trusted?
Recognizing that Shauwl was, or at least claimed to be a Pharisee, please
consider what Yahowsha said next: BecauseI promise and sayto you all, thatunless your righteousness, integrity, legal standing, and adherence to the
relationship is abundantly superior to and more appropriate than the
religious teachers, experts, scribes, scholars, and Pharisees (Pharisaios
members of a fundamentalist political and religious party comprised of
hypocritical Jews who coveted authority, were overtly religious, set rules which
others had to abide by, established religious rituals and traditions, and interpreted
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Scripture to their liking), you will nevermove into or experiencethe realmof
the heavens. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 5:20)
In that we are a mere four verses into our study, it would be presumptuous for
us to assume that Pauls overall intent was to belittle and foreclose the Torah. But
these Galatians passages certainly suggest that Christian theologians are justified
in their interpretation of Pauls message when they cite this letter as evidence that
the Torah is an outdated burden which enslaves, and when they preach that Pauls
faith liberates. But why is it that not one Christian theologian has the character,
courage, and intellectual integrity to say that Pauls position, if Christians have
interpreted it correctly, is diametrically opposed to Yahowshas teaching on the
subject of salvation, and that his statements are in direct conflict with Scripture?
Speaking to those who are willing to invest the time required to know the
truth, Yahowsha said: Keep asking, making an earnest request and it shall be
given as a gift to you. Keep seeking, searching for knowledge, and you willdiscover and experience it, know the truth and find what you are looking for.
Keep knocking, requesting acceptance at the door, and it will be opened for
you, and you will be granted entrance to the place you desire and will be
given access to understanding. For then all who make an earnest request
receive, they will be acquired and accepted, and they will be taken by the
hand and carried away. And those who search for the location and for
knowledge, who desire to learn, will know the truth and find the place they
wish to experience. Those who request acceptance at the door, they will be
granted entrance and given access to understanding.
What man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf,
will give him as stone? Or if he should ask for a fish, would give him a snake?
If then you being morally corrupt know and understand how to give good,
valuable, and generous gifts to your children, how much more by way of
contrast will your Father who is in heaven produce and give valuable, good,
and generous gifts to those who ask Him? Accordingly, everything, as much
as what you may desire that humans do and perform for you, in this samemanner you perform for them, (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 7:7-11)
Yahowsha would conclude His Sermon on the Mount with this
announcement: for then this is the Torah and the Prophets: Enter through
thenarrow,exacting, and specificdoorway becausethepassagewayis crafted
to be wide, artificial, and unreliable,and the way of life is wide openwhich
deceives and influences someone to go astrayto the point ofdestruction and
perishing, needlessly squandering their existence, and the vast
preponderanceof peoplestart the first step in their journeythrough it. The
doorway is exacting and specific, and the way of life is unpopular, whichleads to life, and few experience it. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 7:12-14)
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Therefore, if Yahowsha (Yahowahs human manifestation) was telling the
truth, the Torah is the lone path to life, and all other paths lead to destruction. And
paths which needlessly squander a persons existencewould include faith-based
paths.
But this also means that popular pathsand there are none more popular than
Christianitylead to the death and destruction of those who follow their edicts.
This is a profoundly important truth few Christians consider. And yet it is the
reason, the only reason, we are examining Paul and his letter to the Galatians.
As an interesting aside, Yahowshas instructions regarding eternal life tell us
to begin by entering through a specific doorway. And that is because the first of
seven steps to our salvation begins by answering Yahowahs summons to walk
through the doorway labeled Passover. This blood-smeared doorway which
initiated the exodus from the crucible of Egypt, and the liberation of Gods
Chosen People from their enslavement in oppressive human political and religiousschemes, represents heavens portal. Yahowsha is the doorway, the living
embodiment of Passover, the first of seven steps to the final result, which is
camping out with God.
But Yahowsha was not yet finished warning Christians not to disregard the
Torah. With these words, he would tell them not to trust Paul: You must be
alert, carefully examine, prosecute, and turn away (prosechete you should
pay close attention, watch out for and beware of, guarding yourself) from false
prophets who come to you from within dressed in sheeps clothing, yet they
actually are wolves who are exceptionally self-promoting and self-serving(harpaxvicious carnivorous thieves who secretly and deliberately rob, extort,
and snatch away; from harpazo: to violently, forcibly, and eagerly claim and seize
for oneself and pluck away). (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 7:15)
Yahowsha could not have made this message any clearer for you. He told us
what we could rely upon and whom we should not trust. He just said that a self-
serving insider would feign an alliance with Him so that he could more easily
snatch souls away from God. He was speaking about Pauland those who have
allied themselves with him.
At the same time Yahowsha also warned all who would listen to Him: Ihave come in My Fathers Name and you do not receive Me, yet if anothercomes in his own name, him you would receive. (Yahowchanan / Yah is
Merciful / John 5:43) Considering how often Paul wrote: but I Paul say.., its a
wonder more people dont recognize that Paul is the one who not onlycame in his
own name, but the one so may would receive. Paul even said: imitate me and
if someone teaches in opposition to what I say let him be accursed. Paul was not
only fixated on himself, he claimed the entire world for himself. His writings are
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also exposed by Yahs Torah instructions on how to discern a prophet who speaks
on His behalf.
Indeed as a result, you will completely know, recognize, and understand
(epiginosko complete and accurate understanding based upon a thorough
examination of the evidence) them from their fruit, from their results and
harvests. All those calling Me Lord Lord will not enter the kingdom of
heaven, but to the contrary, those in heaven are those who do My Fathers
will (thelemado what He decided and proposed [read: who observe Yahowahs
Torah]). Many will say to Me in this specific day, Lord, Lord, did we not
speak inspired utterances and prophesy in Your name and drive out demons
in Your name, and perform many mighty miracles in Your name? And then
at that time, I will profess to them that I never acknowledged, recognized,
understood, or associated with them. You all must leave and depart from Me,
those who bring about that which is Torah-less (anomia without anallocation, those who are not nourished as heirs). (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift /Matthew 7:20-23)
Are you listening? (Speaking of listening, throughout His Torah, Prophets, and
Psalms, Yahowah assigns the title Lord to Satan because this title embodies the
Adversarys ambition. He does not refer to Himself as the Lord, and in fact,
Yahowah tells us in Yirmayahuw / Jeremiah that the greatest crime mankind has
ever committed is replacing His one and only name with Satans title each of the
seven thousand times He included it in His testimony.)
All of those who really listen to and actually hear My words and who doas I have said, they are like a sensible and wise, intelligent and prudent, man
who builds, edifies, and strengthens a family home upon the rock (petraa
reference to Himself as the Rock of our Salvation) . And rain descended and the
rivers came, and also the tempestuous wind blew, and yet their family and
household did not fall down or prostrate themselves because the established
foundation was upon the rock. (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 7:24-25)
While Christians will tell you that Paul won the argument over the importance of
the Torah, Yahowshabegs to differ.
In that this introductory chapter was written to frame the issues which are at
stake, lets pause a moment and consider the options at your disposal regarding
Pauls Scriptural misquotes. You can ignore them based upon the notion that you
believe that I have misrepresented Pauls or Yahowahs statements. But this
approach is easily resolved. Flip forward to the TowrahPrescriptions chapter
where every Hebrew and Greek word delineated in these passages is displayed so
that you can do your own due diligence and verify the text and the translations for
yourself. Or simpler yet, just compare standard English translations of the
Scripture passage and Shauwls quotation and note the differences.
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Since the first option is a nonstarter, you can accept the fact that the citations
are different, but attribute their divergence to an inadvertent mistake on Pauls
part. But if you do, you must also abandon the notion that Pauls letters are
Scripturethe inerrant Word of God. And with that realization, the foundation of
Christianity crumbles.
You can admit that there is a pattern of malfeasance with regard to all of
Pauls Scriptural citations, and recognize that they are misquoted and then twisted
to support Pauline Doctrine, which means that he intended to misrepresent them.
But if you take this path, you will be compelled to label Paul a false witness. And
at that point, Christianity becomes falseyet another popular and broad path that
leads to destruction.
Since the last two options were devastating, and the initial one was invalid,
you could blame the mistakes on scribal error, suggesting that Pauls Scriptural
quotations were correct initially, but that over time scribes inadvertentlymisrepresented his words, creating a false impression. But this is a slippery slope.
The oldest significant codex of the Christian New Testament is Papyrus 46,
which is dated between 85 and 125 CE, thirty-five to seventy-five years after the
epistle was scribed, and it contains a complete copy of most all of Pauls epistles.
If it isnt reliable, then nothing in the so-called Christian New Testament is
reliableas there is only one superior witness, Papyrus 75 which covers Luke
and John, and it was scribed one-hundred years later. Therefore, if scribes
significantly altered Pauls letters during this relatively small period of time, the
list of appropriately supported and reliable New Testament books would shrink
to two: portions of Luke and John. The rest, based as they are on far less reliableand far more recent manuscripts, would be far too suspect to believe. And of
course, that would mean that the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms would still stand, as
they would be unchallenged.
Or you can take the quietly popular, albeit seldom articulated, Christian
position regarding these misquotesone derived from Marcion in the early
second century. He concluded that the God who inspired the Torah was mean
spirited, and no longer relevanta position which many Christians hold, even if
they are too timid to voice it. As such, Marcion attempted to nullify the Torah by
encapsulating it within a collection which he labeled the Old Testament, andthus suggested that it was the will of a now deceased, or at least irrelevant deity.
Marcion promoted the myth that Paul was the only true Apostle, and that he alone
spoke for the new and improved god of his New Testament. Pauls letters were
canonized as a result a collection that included all of Pauls letters and edited
portions of Luke and Acts. Thereby, Shauwl of Tarsus was positioned and
purported to correct the errors that the old God had made. As a result, Pauls new
faith forever separated believers: from Yahowah, from the first four statements
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God etched in stone, from six of His seven Invitations to be Called Out and Meet,
from the Chosen People and the Promised Land, and from Yahowahs WordHis
Torah.
Beyond the fact that this makes a mans opinions more important than Gods
Word, the Maaseyah Yahowshas testimony is in complete harmony with
Yahowah and it is in total conflict with Shauwls epistles. Simply stated, the
Christian position is unsupportable; it is ignorant and irrational. So the question
remains: are you?
Lets lay out some ground rules before we consider Pauls opening commentsin Galatians. Calling the Christian New TestamentScripture is a human edict,
not a Godly directive. Neither Yahowah, Yahowsha, nor any of the Disciples,
ever referred to anything in addition to the Hebrew text in the Torah, Prophets,
and Psalms as such.
According to Yahowah and Yahowsha, the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms
comprise the totality of Scripture. Therefore, the only parts of the historical and
eyewitness accounts which should be considered inspired by God are the words
and deeds of Yahowsha which are translated and recorded in the biographical
accounts and in the book of Revelation which was given by dictation.
Shauwls epistles, on the other hand, only contain one citation from
Yahowsha (which he gets wrong), and no accurate quotations of the Torah,
which serves as an admission that his letters contain his opinions. So our mission
will be to determine whether or not Pauls opinions were accurate.
In this light, you may have noticed that there were ten italicized words set
within [brackets] among the four Galatians verses already cited. These pronouns,
prepositions, and verbs were not written in the Greek text. And yet for the
sentences to read appropriately, they had to be added. And even then, Shauwls
thoughts were inadequately compiled, opening the door to invalid interpretations.
In fact, as we shall see, Shauwls letterto the Galatians was so poorly conceived,it is insulting to suggest that God inspired it word for word as it was written.
As with everything God had to say, and frankly to understand any message,
we must always consider it in context. The practice of citing isolated verses to
prove a point is usually invalid and often misleading. It is how the church has
managed to justify the many religious doctrines which are contrary to the Torah.
Clerics get by with doing so, because most Christians are unwilling to compare
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their religions teachings with passages which oppose them. They arent even
willing to check to see if the context of the discussion alters the religious edict.
And since Paul deployed this tactic with reckless abandon, subconsciously
Christians may now believe that it isnt irresponsible.
According to Yahowah and Yahowsha, nothing, no matter how big or small,
alters or abolishes, adds to or subtracts from anything in the Torah. So, any claim
to the contrary, is contrary to God. Therefore, first among the many reasons
behind the Christian confusion regarding the relationship between the Torah and
Yahowshais derived from Pauls letters, and most especially his notion that there
are two covenantswith a new one already established. This separation and
polarization was then aided and abetted, and the connection was ultimately
destroyed, by way of horridly errant English translations. And that is why this
chapter began focusing on themsomething we will continue throughout this
review.Having just reviewed only four verses that were all cited out of context, it
would be presumptuous to conclude that this portion of Shauwls letter was
intended as a debate between the Torah and Grace, or even between the Torah
and his Gospel. From the most favorable vantage point, we could probably spin
Pauls words to infer that men and women cannot work their way to God. To be
saved, at least according to this very narrow, and probably unsupportable
interpretation, Paul could be affirming what Scripture actually says: that to be
saved we must closely observe, come to understand, and then trust and rely upon
the healing and beneficial message delineated in the Torah, and fulfilled by
Yahowsha. Trust and reliance upon what Yahowah said and what Yahowsha didis the one and only answer according to the Torah. But we are still six chapters
removed from knowing if this is what Shauwl actually intended to confirm, or if
this is what he intended to refute.
Second, the Christian perspective on God and His plan may well be
backwards and upside down. It is from the end, rather than from the beginning.
To appreciate a set of plans, and the home built by way of those plans, you have
to start with a firm foundation, not with the roof. The Torah is the beginning, the
foundation, while Revelation is the cupola set upon the roof of His Tabernacle.
Third, Christians confuse observing the Torah with Judaism, as if these
things were related. But they are not. Religious Jews observe the Talmud, which
is based upon their oral traditions. The religion of Judaism is in conflict with the
Torah, which is why it was exposed and condemned by Yahowsha. Also, Rabbis,
who have no Scriptural authority or legitimacy, dont understand that observing
the Torah, doesntmean to do it, but instead closely examining and carefully
considering what it says so as to comprehend its message.
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Fourth, the essence of the Torah isnt a set of laws to be followed, but instead
the Towrah is a word picture of Yahowahs purpose, teaching and guiding us so
that we come to know Him and understand what He is offering. It is a portrait of
Yahs Covenant. And it serves as a symbolic depiction of His plan of salvation.
The Torahs every story and example represent facets on a diamond, providing aperspective from which to observe, enjoy, and benefit from Yahowahs brilliant
Light. The Torah is overwhelmingly metaphorical and symbolic, painting word
pictures to help us know Yahowah, understand His plan of reconciliation and
salvation, and rely on His provision. In this light, it is better to understand the
relevance of Passover and Unleavened Bread, and capitalize upon these gifts, than
it is to simply do what is delineated on the right date. Understanding leads to trust,
trust leads to reliance, and reliance leads to salvation. Our works dont lead to any
of these places.
Fifth, the Torah and Yahowsha are inseparable. According to Yahowah, theTorah is the Word of God and Yahowsha is the Word made fleshthe living
embodiment of the Torah. So the very notion that we must choose between the
Torah orGods favor, is an attempt to divide the indivisible.
Remember Yahowahs description of Yahowshas mission in the Torah:
Yahowah, your God, will raise up for you a prophet like me from your
midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him. This is according to all that you
desired of Yahowah, your God, in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying,
Let us not continuously hear the voice of Yahowah, our God, nor see this
great fire, lest we die. And Yahowah said to me, Well spoken. I will raise
them up a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My wordsin His mouth and He will speak as I direct Him. The one who will not listen
intelligently to My words which He shall speak in My Name, I shallinvestigate. (Dabarym / Words / Deuteronomy 18:15-19) Therefore, God told us
to listen to the words Yahowsha would speak and now has spoken. And that
those words would be affirmations and citations of the Torah itself.
Sixth, the Torah is the basis, the foundation, the purpose ofYahowshas life.
He came to fulfill the Torah. He came to enable the seven Invitations to be Called
Out and Meet with Him by paying the toll so that we could walk to and with
Yahowah. As He told the men on the road to Emmaus immediately after fulfillingPassover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits, if you want to understand Him, who
He is and what He did, you have to change your perspective, your attitude, and
your thinking to that of the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms. According to
Yahowsha, it isnt the Torah versus Mercy, but instead the Torah providing His
unearned and fortuitous gift. The Torah is the source of the healing and beneficial
message that the human term Gospel corrupts.
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Seventh, perhaps the biggest problem of all is reflected in one of the
discussions Yahowsha had with His disciples. When they failed to understand
that the yeast which was removed from our souls on Unleavened Bread, was none
other than religious and political pontifications, teachings, and doctrines,
Yahowsha said: How is it that you did not think so as to understand (noeouse your mind to comprehend) that I was not speaking about a loaf of bread
when I said Be alerted to and turn away from (prosecho apo beware of,
guard against, and distance yourself from) the yeast (zymeleavening fungus) of
the Pharisees (theovertly religious leaders) and Sadducees (theworldly-minded,
liberal political leaders)? (Mattanyah / Yahs Gift / Matthew 16:11) For the most
part, religious people dont think. And the few who do, suffer from corrupted
datain the form of horribly errant translations.
The author of the letter to the Galatians began his landscape-altering treatise
by announcing: Paulos (Paulosof Latin origin, meaning small),an Apostle/a
prepared messenger who is set apart (apostolos a representative who is
dispatched; from stello, one who is prepared and equipped, and apo, to be set
apart; but often transliterated as a title: Apostle), [is] not (ou) from (apo) men
(anthropos), and [is] not even (oude) by the means of (dia) man (anthropos),
but to the contrary (alla) [exists and writes] on behalf of(diaon account of
and by means of) [the] Maaseyah Yahowsha (based upon the placeholders ). God (from the placeholder ), the Ab-Father (based upon the
placeholder ),caused Him (autos) to be restored, to stand up, and to rise
(egeiromai) from (ekand out of) a corpse (nekros).(Galatians 1:1)
This opening line affirms that Paul, Paulos as he was known in Greek, or
Shauwl in Hebrew, unequivocally believed, or at least wanted others to believe,
that he spoke for the MaaseyahYahowsha. Whether or not that proves to be
true will be determined in due time, as that is the entire purpose of this book. But
it is interesting to note that Shauwl didnt say, at least in this verse, that he was
speaking for God, the Father. That subtlety is lost on most Christians who havereplaced Yahowah with their Lord Jesus Christ, in effect focusing on the
implement as opposed to the One wielding it. Moreover, if He rose from a corpse
He would have been disqualified as the Passover Lamb, because according to the
Torah (Shemowth / Names / Exodus 12:10) the remainder of the lambs body
must be incinerated that evening.
This issue isnt insignificant however. While Yahowsha came from
Yahowah, they are not equivalent. Yahowsha cannot equal Yahowah because
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Yahowsha, by His own admission, and by necessity, is the diminished
manifestation of Yahowah. All of God cannot fit into a human form, and the
undiminished presence of God would consume our planet. This concept was
affirmed by Yahowsha when He acknowledged: The Father is greater than I
am.
This concept is also affirmed by Einsteins famous equation E=mc2. Since
Yahowah is Spirit and describes Himself as Light, He is energy. Yahowsha as a
man was corporeal, and thus matter. Einsteins formula reveals that energy and
matter are exactly the same thing, but they are not equivalent. He proved that
matter is a substantially diminished form of energy.
If the human manifestation of God was equal to God, whats known as the
Lords prayer would become nonsensical, as it would have Yahowsha saying:
Pray to Me who is in heaven, set-apart is My name, My kingdom come, My will
be done So, now with the Son having returned to the Father, its curious thatPaul saw himself representing the representative.
The key aspect of this introduction from Shauwls perspective is the
unification of the first two words, the amalgamation of his name and the title
Apostle. It is a distinction he bequeathed upon himself because Yahowshas
Disciples refused to convey it to him. For Paul, it was essential that he be seen as
Yahowshas Apostle, even though it was a title he did not earn.
The Greek word that we transliterate Apostle,apostolos, is extraordinarily
important. It means to be set-apart, prepared, and equipped. Far too many
people go off as witnesses without first studying the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms.As a result, improperly enlightened individuals do more harm than good.
By misappropriating the title, the opening line of his first letter became
technically inaccurate in multiple ways. In the mindset of the first followers of
The Way,Shauwl was not an Apostleat least as the term is transliterated into
a title. Shauwl did not walk in Yahowshas footsteps, nor personally witness His
fulfillment of Passover, Unleavened Bread, or FirstFruits. He was not there in
person in the upper room when the Set-Apart Spirit descended upon the Called-
Out Assembly on theMiqraofShabuwa.
There were twelve Apostles by this definition, all chosen by Yahowsha. Alltwelve lived with Him and witnessed His every word and deed. And that is why
He referred to them as disciples, meaning those who learn. But from this
introduction, as well as from the introductions to the Corinthians, Romans,
Colossians, and Ephesians, we know that Paulos coveted the title the actual
Apostles were unwilling to give him, and yet so all-consuming was his craving to
be seen as important, he arrogantly and presumptuously overstepped his bounds.
And the reason we know that Paul intended Apostle to be his title, rather than a
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descriptive presentation of his purpose, is that he writes Paul called an Apostle,
in his letters to Rome and Corinth.
In that Paul claimed to speak in the name of the MaaseyahYahowsha, we
are compelled to consider his statements in light of the Deuteronomy 13 and 18
tests established by God to evaluate the authenticity of such assertions. There,
Yahowah delineated the six signs of a false prophet: they speak in His name, they
are arrogant, overstepping their bounds, their words are inconsistent with the
Torahs instructions, they recite the names of foreign gods, their historical
presentations are inaccurate, and their prophetic promises fail to materialize.
Shauwls greeting tells us that he was convinced that he did not represent
any human institution, and that would include the ekklesia, the Greek term most
similar to the Hebrew Miqraey Called-out Assembly. And thats a bit of a
problem because Yahowah and Yahowsha were represented by the
Yaruwshalaim Ekklesia. And that would make Shauwl a freelance operator andan independent contractor.
The flip side of this admission is problematic. If Shauwl didnt write on
behalf of what he learned from men in Rabbinical school, then his ubiquitous
references to the nomos must denote the Torah as opposed to Rabbinical Law.
This being the case, the principle methodology used by those who are Torah
observant to reconcile Pauls epistles with Yahowahs Word was torn asunder by
the wannabe Apostles opening statement. The facts are evident and undeniable.
There is no getting around the realization that the nomos is an object of scorn
and ridicule in this epistle. And at no time does Shauwl associate the nomoswith Rabbinical Law, by citing Talmudic sources. Not once ever. To the
contrary, his examples and citations are all from the Torah, clearly identifying the
document he is assailing.
Shauwl/Paulos/Paul proved himself to be out of touch with the truth, and
therefore with Yahowah and Yahowsha, by his insistence that the Torah is a set
of binding commandments and other strict rules, which was the position held by
the religious rulersthe Phariseeswhom Yahowsha spent a good deal of His
time refuting and rebuking. So whether he was referring to the Oral Laws of the
rabbis or to the Torah itself, he was still in the dark with all his conclusions.
Based upon his opening stanza, Paul hasnt positioned himself as the founder
of a religionalbeit, that is what he has become. His greeting displays neither
religious qualifications nor a religious agenda. In fact, he only used the word
religion twice, and both times it was to condemn the institution. That is a sobering
thought if you are a Christian.
Paul would, however, contradict himself and establish all of the trappings for
his new religion, replete with a paid and empowered clergy and a plethora of
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personal edicts. And as usual, he perverted Scripture to make his assertions appear
both reasonable and divine. (Read 1 Timothy 5:17-18, 1 Corinthians 9:1-11, and
then 16:1-3 for evidence of this.)
I am aware the Christians have been led to believe that Jesus Christ was the
founder of the religion of Christianity, and that Paul spoke for Him, but that
conclusion isnt supportable. The institution of Christianity is founded on Pauls
writings, not Yahowshas words or deeds. After all, Yahowsha was Torah
observant. Every minute aspect of His life and His teachings were derived from,
inspired by, and governed in their entirety by the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms.
To his credit, Shauwl was aware, and has accurately stated, that God is our
Father. He is the one who enabled Yahowsha to fulfill Bikuwrym by reuniting
Yahowshas soul with His Spirit. And while it may not mean much to many, since
nekros is based upon nekus, meaning corpse, the end of the verse actually reads
as I have rendered it. While raising Him from the dead sounds more familiar toour ears, only Yahowshas physical body suffered the indignity of death, not His
soul, nor His Spirit. (This isnt a small technical point either because FirstFruits is
symbolic of our souls being reborn Spiritually into our Heavenly Fathers Family.
And as Ive previously mentioned, the Torah says the following regarding the
body of the Passover Lamb: And do not leave it until morning, and what
remains of it before morning you are to burn with fire.)
Often overlooked, four of the most common Divine Placeholders for Gods
names and titles were used in this passage. The , , , and
represent: Maaseyah, the Implement of Yah, Yahowsha, meaning YahSaves, Yahowah, or Elohym-God, and His favorite title Ab-Father, based
upon the first word in the Hebrew lexicon.
Examples of placeholders not used in this particular verse, but ubiquitous
throughout the rest of the Greek texts, and universally found in every first-,
second-, third-, and early fourth-century manuscript, describe the Ruwach-Spirit, the Edon-Upright One, and the Upright Pillar. And Placeholders for
Mother and Son, like Father are also common, but not universal.
While codices dating to the first three centuries differ somewhat among
themselves, and differ significantly from those composed after the influence ofGeneral Constantine, the use of Divine Placeholders is the lone exception to
scribal variation among the early manuscripts. These symbols for Gods name and
titles are universally found on every page of every extant codex written within
300 years of Yahowshas day, without exception. But, nonetheless, they are
universally ignored by Christian translators, writers, and preachers. By including
them here in the text, as all of the Disciples themselves did, it is incumbent upon
us to correct 1,700 years of religious tampering and corruption.
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The very fact that these placeholders are found on all of the more than one-
hundred manuscripts unearthed prior to the mid fourth-century, tells us that it
wasnt a regional or scribal choice. Instead, they convey something so profoundly
important that they were purposefully inscribed throughout the original
autographsin the texts penned by the authors of these Greek texts.
And so while these manuscripts all differ from one another with regard to
their wording; the only constant is the one thing every translator has ignored.
There isnt even a footnote in any of our English translations indicating that these
Divine Placeholders were universally depicted in all of the oldest manuscripts,
including the codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. As a result, Christians do not
know that these symbols existed, much less that they were later replaced by
translators, substituting the very names and titles which would have been written
out by the original authors had they been intended. (For those interested in a
comprehensive presentation and analysis of the use and significance of the DivinePlaceholders study the His Name Volume of An Introduction to God
(www.IntroToGod.org).)
Kappa Sigma and Kappa Upsilon, in capital letters with a line over them,
were used to convey Yahowahs name and Yahowshas Upright One title, even
though every English bible replaces these symbols with the Lord, which
according to God is Satans title. The fact Kappa Sigma conveys Yahowah, the
preponderance of the time it is used, is something I discovered when translating
Greek quotations of Hebrew passages cited by Yahowsha and His apostles.
This obvious conclusion has been reaffirmed recently by the publication ofearly Septuagint manuscripts. In them we find a transition from writing
Yahowahs name in paleo-Hebrew in the midst of the Greek text throughout the
first and second centuries, to using the symbolism of Kappa Sigma to represent
Yahowahs name beginning in the third-century. So, we now know for certain,
what seemed perfectly obvious before: the Divine Placeholders and were
used to designate Yahowahs name in a language whose alphabet could not
replicate its sounds.
Also by finding Yahowah written in paleo-Hebrew in the oldest Greek
manuscripts of the Covenant Scriptures, especially in those dating to the first and
second centuries BCE and CE, we have an interesting affirmation that my initial
rationale regarding the Divine Placeholders was accurate. Yahowahs name cant
be accurately transliterated using the Greek alphabet, so to avoid a
mispronunciation, the Hebrew alphabet was initially used, and then, after Hebrew
became a dead language, Greek symbolism was substituted.
Moving on, the placeholders Iota Epsilon (), Iota Epsilon Nu (), Iota
Sigma (), Iota Epsilon Sigma (), Iota Upsilon (), and Iota Nu () were
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used to convey Yahowshas name every time it is found in the Greek manuscripts.
And that means that there is absolutely no basis whatsoever for the 17th
-century
corruption written as Jesus. Beyond the fact that there was no J sound or
letter in English prior to the 17th
century, and never in the Hebrew, Greek,
Aramaic, or Latin languages, Jesus isnt an accurate transliteration ofIesou,Iesous, or Iesounwhich were conceived as a result of Greek gender and
grammar rules. But most importantly, none of these names was ever written in the
Greek textnot once, not ever. It is therefore inappropriate to transliterate
something (to reproduce the pronunciation in the alphabet of a different language)
which isnt present in the text. So the name Jesus is a colossal fraud purposely
promoted by religious leaders desirous of separating Yahowsha from Yahowah,
and the Torah from the Healing and Beneficial Message.
The title Maaseyah was represented by Chi Rho (), Chi Rho Sigma
(), Chi Sigma (), Chi Upsilon (), Chi Rho Upsilon (), Chi Omega(), Chi Rho Omega (), and Chi Nu (). More on these Divine
Placeholders in a moment.
The Hebrew eland elohym, meaning Almighty, but most often translated
God, were conveyed using the placeholders Theta Sigma (), Theta Upsilon
(), Theta Omega (), and Theta Nu (). And while Gods name and title
are not interchangeable, there are times when these placeholders represent
Yahowah instead of His title, God.
Ruwach is the feminine Hebrew noun for Spirit. Without exception, the
Set-Apart Spirits title throughout the Greek historical and eyewitness writingswas conveyed using the placeholders Pi Nu Alpha (), Pi Nu Sigma (),
and Pi Nu Iota (). Just as Yahowah is our Heavenly Father, the Ruwach
Qodesh is our Spiritual Mother.
In addition to these two names and three titles, the noun and verb form of
upright pole, and to affix to an upright pillar, were always rendered Sigma
Rho Omega Sigma and Sigma Rho Omega followed by Mu Alpha Iota to indicate
the verbboth with a line over them to signify divinity. Making sure that we
wouldnt miss the Divine connection between the upright pole and the Upright
One (the edon of the Torah), stauros was never written out in the Greek text.
But this connection between God and the Doorway to salvation was lost when the
Roman Catholic Church ignored the placeholder and then changed the reference
to suggest that it signified a pagan cross. Now this is important, because it
means that the Church ignored what was actually written and then deliberately
and knowingly changed the meaning of what had been conveyed.
The cross was a common religious symbol used throughout antiquity in
Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to signify the intersection of the constellation
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Taurus (the Bull which represented the sun god) with the sun during the Vernal
Equinox. The closest Sun-day to this event was called Easter by these pagans
who believed that their sun god impregnated Mother Earth on this day, giving
birth nine months later on the Winter Solstice (then December 25th
) to the Son of
the Sun. Solar worship, known as Sol Ivictus (the Unconquerable Son) wasthereby incorporated into Constantines new Christian religion where it remains
to this day. This process began with his vision of a flaming cross superimposed on
the sun, which was his god, and with the edict: Under this sign conquer.
In addition to these seven universal placeholders, we find Father when used
in reference to our Heavenly Father, Mother when used in reference to our
Spiritual Mother, and Son, when designating Yahowsha, rendered in the same
format when they refer to our Heavenly Father, Spiritual Mother, and to the Son
of God, in most of the earliest manuscripts. And what I find especially affirming
about this is that the title Mother was designated by a Divine Placeholder in theCodex Sinaiticus when Yahowsha discussed the real meaning of the Second of
Seven Instructions etched on the Second of Two Tablets.
Now, returning to Christ, and the improper titles appearance in English
translations of the Galatians 1:1 passage, it turns out that the over-scored Greek
symbols Chi Rho (), Chi Rho Sigma (), Chi Sigma (), Chi Upsilon
(), Chi Rho Upsilon (), Chi Omega (), Chi Rho Omega (), and
Chi Nu (), werent based upon Christos, Christou, Christo, or Christon, but
instead upon Chrestusan entirely different word.
Christosmeans drugged. As proof, the one time it was actually written outin the Greek text, it was used to say that the Laodicean assembly applied a
manmade drug, an ointment in this case, to their eyes. (And of course thats also
interesting, in that its being applied to the current church age.) Chrestus on the
other hand means useful implement, and upright servant, as well as merciful
one,and it was used to depict the good and beneficial work of a moral servant.
As such, this affirms my earlier conclusion that rather than write ha Messiach
the two times the adjective appears in the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms, Daniel
most likely wrote ha Maaseyahtelling us that the Suffering Servant would
be the Implement Doing the Work of Yahowah, the Upright Servant and
Useful Tool God would use to save all mankind.
In this regard, there is no chance that Yahowah would miss this opportunity
to associate this essential title with His name. Likewise, there is no chance that
Rabbis, who are adverse to Yahowahs name and authority, wouldnt substitute
their preferred title for their least favorite title, disassociating it from Yahowahs
name, given the opportunity. Therefore, through this evidence Im not advocating
the use of Chrestus, but instead MaaseyahImplement of Yah. Chrestus is
nothing more than an affirmation of