March / April 2014 Restoration Times

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C O N T E N T S

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Magazine

VOL. 4 | No. 2 | March - April 2014

A R T I C L E S

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3 | Redemption Starts at Passover by Alan Mansagerr

12 | Could the Antimessiah Be Islamic? by Randy Folliard

6 | The Hatching of Easter by Alan Mansager

9 | Progress Ought to Believe    in  Yahweh             by Joel Wirl

19 | What Is Leavening? 20 | Questions and Answers 23 | Letters

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Restoration Times expounds the close ties between the Old and New Testaments. We teach the continuity and harmony that extend from Yahweh’s actions anciently down through His present activity in Yahshua the Messiah. This was also the conviction of the early New Testament Assembly. This publication is sent free of charge, made possible through the tithes and offerings of those who desire to see the truth of Scripture restored in our day. © 2013 Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry

COVER: Digital composing of the parting of the Red Sea. istockphoto

Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry PO Box 463 Holts Summit, MO 65043 Telephone: 573-896-1000 Office hours M-F 8am-4pm

www.yrm.org info@yrm.org


Redemption Starts at Passover

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any believe that our Creator Yahweh’s plan of redemption was finished when Yahshua was impaled on Passover day. They assume that His death marked the end of the old Jewish system, including the laws of the Old Testament. His ascension and the Feast of Pentecost of Acts 2 also allegedly marked the start of a new faith called Christianity, which replaced Israel as the chosen of Yahweh. Consistent with this notion is the belief that Christianity has little use for the Old Testament or its commanded observances. The facts tell a far different story, which show that the church lost its way early on. The truth is, Yahshua as the Passover Lamb holds the key role in a continuation of Yahweh’s design for His human creation. Passover: The Plan Begins

The Passover is the first of the annual observances of Yahweh and is the starting point for the rest of Yahweh’s design for salvation. Granted, the original hopes that Yahweh had of an exclusive, special people who would follow and worship Him, had now changed. Because of Israel’s continual rebellion, Yahweh opened up His calling to all who would repent and turn to Him. Not only is Israel still included in His plan, but they are still central to it. Romans 9:27 says

a remnant of Israel shall be saved. When we look at the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread that follows, we see a progression – and not an end – of a salvation plan that was established at creation itself. Passover is a memorial of an actual event that occurred long ago in Egypt. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread that follows also foreshadow events to occur later in the New Testament and into our own future. What Yahshua did by becoming the Passover Lamb was realized only in part. He spoke of another fulfillment of Passover yet to come. He said just as He was taking Passover with His disciples that He would keep it anew in His Father’s Kingdom, Matthew 26:29. We see the importance of this special observance throughout history. From ancient days to the Kingdom, the Passover is key to Yahweh’s blueprint for the salvation of His creation and the establishment of a coming Kingdom on earth. When in chapter 12 of Exodus as one Egyptian firstborn died after another, Yahweh was sending a clear message to all of mankind. It was to the firstborn that twice the family inheritance was given, which was known as the birthright. With the death of the firstborn, Yahweh demonstrated a salvational fact that those not covered by the blood of the lamb will have no life  –  meaning no inheritance in His Kingdom. The other lesson we learn is that we can

by Alan Mansager

be covered by that blood only if we follow Yahweh’s instructions explicitly. If anyone in Israel had not done exactly as Yahweh commanded by putting the lamb’s blood on all sides of the doorpost then he would have faced the same consequences as the Egyptians. Yahweh had to see the blood of protection at each home, Exodus 12:23. The entire door frame had to have a blood covering, symbolic of His people’s being completely surrounded by the blood of the Lamb. A Calling Out

Without the blood of Messiah covering for our sins, we face everlasting death. Rather than having little meaning for us today, the Passover and Feast have much more serious implications. The immediate physical consequences that came anciently for disobedience translate today into serious spiritual ramifications if we are not in total compliance. Looking back in history, we see that Yahweh began a recalling of His people at the Passover, ultimately to take them out of Egypt and unto Himself through their worship and devotion. He does the same today in the New Covenant observance of the Passover. It is an annual memorial and lesson for all who would be His elect to come clean and not get involved in the sin of the world. The world can easily enslave us, just as Israel was Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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enslaved in Egypt for repeatedly refusing to obey their Heavenly Father. Passover was an opportunity to rededicate their lives to Him, to turn back to Him again in truth. The Passover was also Yahweh’s judgment on the false religion of Egypt, and figuratively on the false religions of the world. Lest we think that this is just an ancient judgment on ancient people, think again. In today’s world the Passover is a lesson in True Worship as well. Certain Plagues Are Coming Back!

The Passover, which gets its name from the passing over of the death angel, was the last of 10 plagues unleashed on Egypt and the finishing stroke that finally freed Israel. Note that each plague was directed against a certain deity worshiped by the pagan Egyptians (see Ex. 9:14-16 and chapters 7-11): 1) River to blood (against Hapi, spirit of the Nile, who had life-giving waters) 2) Frogs (Hekah, frog-headed deity who symbolized fertility) 3) Lice (against the earth deity Geb) 4) Flies (Beelzebub, lord of the flies) 5) Murrain or disease on the cattle (against Apis, the bull deity, and Hathor, a cow deity) 6) Boils (ashes from the altar of Typhon, to whom human sacrifices were offered) 7) Hail (against Isis and Osiris, the deities of crops, v. 25, and Nut, female deity of the sky) 8) Locusts (Seth, deity of storms and chaos) 9) Darkness (RaAmon, the sun god) 10) Firstborn (because Pharaoh himself was worshiped as a god, his own son and heir to the throne would die). In Revelation 6 we learn that some of the same plagues that Egypt suffered will be unleashed on earth in the last days. With the opening of the third seal we see famine and disease; famine because of the locusts and disease from the murrain. Next is darkness. Then devastating hail will also fall, Revelation 8:7; a third of the seas will become blood, v. 8, followed by a plague of locusts, 9:3. Just as Israel was protected from the latter plagues but felt the effects of the initial ones, so Yahweh’s people who obey Him now and faithfully keep His appointed days will be protected after the first several Times Magazine 4 Restoration March-April 2014

plagues are unleashed (Rev. 7:3). They will be sealed in their foreheads and safeguarded through Yahweh’s Name, Revelation 9:4 and 14:1. Yahweh will even have two witnesses testify of Him (11:7), just as He did in the persons of Moses and Aaron who witnessed against the Kingdom of Egypt. A Crucial Matter

To keep the Passover is a deadly serious matter. Many think of Yahweh not as a Heavenly Father but as a kindly old grandfather who puts up with spoiled children who disobey Him. Not so. Yahweh punished even believers in the New Testament with sickness and death for observing Passover carelessly, 1Corinthians 11:27-31. This year the Passover will be observed on the night of the 13th of April, which is the

Remove Offensive Leaven

Each time we participate in the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we undergo a renewal with Yahweh. Our obedience to these commanded times resonates with Him and carries untold blessings. No other observances of the world do that. That is why it is necessary to keep these annual set times and forget the empty holidays. Most important of all, He calls them “My feasts.” They honor Him. And they are central to the redemption of His people. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time to rededicate our lives to the Father as we recount the sacrifice of His Son, and remove leaven from our lives in the sevenday Feast that follows Passover. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the

Each time we participate in the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we undergo a renewal with Yahweh.

14th day of Abib, the first biblical month. The Jews keep it a day later, on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, thus making Passover a High Day. John 18:28 shows that in Yahshua’s day, after Yahshua had observed the Passover and was arrested around midnight, the Jews still hadn’t kept it. But from John 13:27-30, among many other passages, we see that the Passover is a memorial. It is not a High Day where no buying or selling or work may be done. Therefore the Passover is called the preparation day, a preparation for the Feast that follows, John 19:14, 31. One could not do any preparation work if it were a High Day, nor would it be called a preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread if it also fell on the first day of the Feast. Exodus 12:19-20 is a warning against anyone who would not take the Feast of Unleavened Bread seriously enough to avoid eating leavening. “Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”

flesh: How much more shall the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to Elohim, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living Elohim?” Suppose you took a survey and simply asked, “What is leavening?” More women than men would probably know, by virture of their experience in the kitchen. Most who know would probably answer, yeast. But yeast is only one substance that we are to refrain from having or consuming during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Other leavening agents include cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, and calcium phosphate. Any chemical that causes a puffing up of a cereal grain would be classified as leavening. (See p. 19 for more.) Of course, it is what leavening symbolizes that is important for the Truth seeker. Leavening in the Scriptures pictures hypocrisy, false teachings, and wickedness. When leaven is removed, the evils that it represents are symbolically removed as well. Yahweh’s people are called “peculiar” in Titus 2:14 (KJV): “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”


This verse speaks directly of Yahshua’s sacrifice at Passover and what it does to renew our dedication to Him. “Peculiar” means a people who are His possession. Additionally, if you are not seen as “peculiar” by the world around you, then you need to reassess your walk with Yahshua. Yahweh’s people should be an exceptional beacon of righteousness to those around them. And the further this world sinks into darkness, the more your light should stand out as a witness. Losing A Sense of Sin

Yahweh’s people should be vastly different from the world and distinct from churchianity. Churchianity sets its standards and values mostly by public opinion, just as the world does. If the masses don’t like a certain stand the church may take on a moral issue, today’s church will water it down to be less offensive and more inclusive. But Truth doesn’t change with the times. If you harbor sin in your life, the Word will offend you because it opposes sin in its many manifestations. Today’s appalling lack of right Biblical counsel from those who are supposed to represent the Word is throwing the floodgates wide open to selfdestruction. If more who claim to teach the Bible had the backbone to speak out against sin, the less we would find sin acceptable today. Look back only 50 years to see the difference in the culture when the Word was preached with authority and less compromise. Come the judgment, Yahshua isn’t going to take a public opinion survey to determine the worthiness of an individual. His standards are right and true forever. And if we don’t meet them, we face His judgment. We answer to the supreme Judge and no one else. He doesn’t come down to our level, we rise up to His. Society’s moral collapse is an example of Biblical leavening. It permeates every-

thing and works slowly to induce change. Spiritually, it is corruption of the heart. When we were in grade school science we learned of the various changes to substances. The simplest was physical, like water to ice or steam. A physical change leaves the molecular structure intact. Then there are chemical changes that change the very nature of the substance. Leavening induces a chemical change. It symbolizes changes that alter our spiritual constitution. To be constantly exposed to the leaven of hypocrisy, false teachings and wickedness of the world will eventually create a dynamic spiritual change in a person not unlike the substance change brought on by leavening. The lesson of the Feast of Unleavened

Bread makes us aware that we live among influences that can alter our behavior and the way we live if we are not careful. To be unaware of leaven is to be unaware of the Satanic influences that can destroy us spiritually. You can’t continually be bombarded daily by trash and not get any on you. You may even come to accept it as normal. That is what we see today. People are not recognizing sin for what it is. The evil of the 1960s was in its iconoclasm. At no other time in history have so many bedrock traditions and societal

authority come under such attack and held up to ridicule. The fallout today is an unending stream of perversion and iniquity that is force-fed families through many powerful conduits. Each year the Evil One pushes more limits and tramples more moral barriers until what would never have been tolerated even 10 years ago is now acceptable. The masses are preconditioned and, like leavening, their thinking and behavior have been permeated with corruption. No wonder Yahshua asked that when He returns, would He find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8. Return to the Source of Truth

Many are searching for meaning in all the wrong places. It is a testimony to Yahweh’s power that at the beginning of our world’s intense moral decay that Yahweh was calling believers to begin a restoration of the truth of His Name and Sabbaths. It is during a time of great decline that Yahweh is raising up a people who would stand for His truth and challenge not just the corruptions of the pop culture but also years of false teachings. Yahweh tells us here is the way, now walk in it. But most will accept anything so long as it isn’t the Truth. People thirst for the latest dead-end craze. But to go back to the foundation of all teachings for life itself, the Old Testament? Not on your life! For 2,000 years churchianity has been ignoring the Bible’s true teachings,that were first established with ancient Israel, in favor of empty traditions mixed with ancient mystery worship. Discover the real thing. Forget hollow traditions of man. Learn the teachings that Yahshua and His disciples taught from the Old Testament and gain insight you never had before. When you do, the Bible will finally start to make sense. Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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The

Hatching of

Easter by Alan Mansager

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oung voices squeal with delight as adolescent “private eyes” search caches for chocolaty blue, gold, and green treasures hidden around trees and in clumps of grass. “I found one,” a five-year-old shouts, reaching for the oval booty. “Me too,” his friend chirps, parting the grass to reveal a chocolate rabbit in cellophane dress. This springtime scene is repeated a million times as communities and churches throughout the nation host Easter egg hunts. It echoes rites as old as the hills, reaching back to the hills of ancient Babylon. Asked why they keep this annual ritual, parents of indulgent youngsters just shrug and say, “It’s for the kids. We did it when we were young and it is just something we do because it’s Easter!” As seekers of Truth we continually strive for purity in our lives and devotion. Isn’t Easter supposed to be a highly hallowed observance? Don’t even those who hardly ever warm a pew usually make it a point to show up at least on Easter Sunday? If it is Bible-based, why color eggs, hunt for jelly beans, march in parades, eat hot-cross buns and put

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Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

chocolate rabbits and marshmallow chicks in baskets filled with green plastic grass? How does any of this relate to the resurrection of the Savior? The following statement in a common encyclopedia should jar the conscience of every Bible-professing, church-going person today: “Early Christians celebrated the Jewish feasts. The New Testament contains no reference to distinctively Christian festivals.” (Funk and Wagnall’s Standard Reference Encyclopedia, 1966 ed., vol. 10, p. 3461). The questions begging for answers are, why did the very early New Testament believers continue to keep the Old Testament holy days, and why aren’t today’s most popular observances like Easter, even in the Bible? A common human obsession is to fiddle with what is already well and good. In Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, and Deuteronomy 16, Yahweh gave man seven yearly observances, beginning with the Passover. They were to be kept “forever, throughout your generations” as part of a covenant between us and our Creator. But these observances were apparently

not good enough for evolving, early New Testament churchmen. They wanted their own celebrations. They didn’t like or want those old “Jewish” days even if they were commanded in the Old Testament—and observed in the New. The Encyclopaedia Britannica reveals, “Unlike the cycle of feasts and fasts of the Jewish Law, the Christian year has never been based upon a divine revelation. It is rather a tradition that is always subject to change by ecclesiastical law” (vol. 4, p. 601). This source says about the Sabbath, “From the beginning, the church took over from Judaism the seven-day week. Before the end of the apostolic age (1st century C.E.), as the church became predominantly Gentile in membership, the first day of the week, or Sunday, had become the normative time when Christians assembled for their distinctive acts of worship, in commemoration of the [L-rd’s] Resurrection” (ibid). Easter a Fertile Hybrid As the early Catholic church opened its doors to more Gentiles, it took up their


beliefs and worship habits and gravitated increasingly to Sunday, the day the heathen honored their sun deity. The church gradually switched over its observance of the Passover to Easter Sunday as well. “The earliest Christians celebrated the L-rd’s Passover at the same time as the Jews, during the night of the first full moon of the first month of spring (Nisan 14-15). By the middle of the 2nd century, most churches had transferred this celebration to the Sunday after the Jewish feast. But certain churches of Asia Minor clung to the older custom, for which they were denounced as ‘Judaizing.’” (Britannica, vol. 4, p.60) “Eusebius further says that the churches of Asia Minor derived their custom of observing the pascha [passover] from the Apostles John and Philip. Without a doubt Christian elements were incorporated into the celebration. It was not a question of whether a day corresponding to the Passover should be celebrated, but a question of the time at which it was to be celebrated,” The New Schaff Herzog Religious Encyclopedia, vol. 4, p. 44. Avoiding the Biblical Calendar

To deliberately break from the Jews, the Roman Church took the first in a long list of liberties. Two calendars were extant in the fourth century—the Biblical lunar calendar and the Egyptian-based solar calendar. Judaism held to the lunar reckoning while Rome adopted calculations based on the sun. By adopting a solar year, Rome could observe Easter on Sunday and avoid timing it with the “Jewish” Passover. But that didn’t sit well with everyone. “A serious difference as to the day for its [Easter’s] observance soon arose between Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which led to a long and bitter controversy,” Britannica, 11th edition, “Easter,” p. 828. “Anxiety over the date of Easter was thus a reason why Constantine the Great in 325 A. D. summoned the famous council of Nicaea. It was decided that Easter must be celebrated everywhere on the same day and this day must be a Sunday. It must be the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox, March 21, with one reservation: In the English prayerbook it is stated thus: ‘and if the full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easterday

is the Sunday after.’ The reason for this exception reveals the depth of the division between the Church and the Synagogue. For whenever the full moon fell on a Sunday, Easter would be celebrated on the same day as the Hebrew Passover. Hence, the postponement for a week, to avoid the coincidence,” Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 9, p. 507. The Christian church wanted a Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, proceeding to Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday, commemorating the supposed resurrection on Sunday. Never mind that there is no mention of any of these days in either Old or New testaments.

the goddess Inanna, daughter of Anu, the supreme mighty one in Sumerian times before the old Babylonian period. Passover in the Greek is Pascha. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, shows Easter’s link to the Passover even in the way the name Easter is rendered in other languages: French, Paques; Italian, Pasqua; Spanish, Pascua; Danish, Paaske; Dutch, Paasch; Welch, Pasg. The worship of Ishtar through old fertility rites is reflected in the egg and rabbit symbolism of the modern Easter celebration. The egg symbol predates the resurrection of the Messiah by more than 2,000 years. Note this candid statement from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1909 Edition, “A great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring...The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been a symbol of fertility.” The Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend sheds more light on the Easter egg and rabbit: “Children roll pasch eggs in England. Everywhere they hunt the many-colored Easter eggs, brought by the Easter rabbit. This is not mere child’s play, but the vestige of a fertility rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility. Furthermore, the rabbit was the escort of the Germanic Goddess Ostara who gave the name to the festival by way of the German Ostern” (1949 ed., vol. 1, p. 335). Also, the Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend Ishtar, cognate for the Aramean goddess Astarte, holding notes this about the Easter her symbol (Louvre Museum) egg: “The Easter egg, pagan A Strange Mixture symbol of rebirth, was given a Christian Through the influence of converts from meaning when it became the practice to mystery religions, the hybrid celebration bring eggs, forbidden during Lent, to be called Easter took on abominable customs. blessed in church on Easter Sunday,” p. 89. The name Easter itself derives from Another relic of heathenism is the Eostre or Ostara, a Teutonic deity of love Easter sunrise service. This rite is rooted in and the goddess of spring to whom sacrifice the worship of Eastre or Estera, the dawn was offered in April. Her roots go back to deity. Ancient pagans worshiped the sun Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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because of its life-sustaining power. It was a simple and easy transition, then, to worship at sunrise on resurrection morning. The problem is, the Savior was not resurrected Sunday morning, but was already gone when the women visited the tomb Sabbath evening at dusk. The word “dawn” in Matthew 28: 1 is epiphosko, meaning “draw on to.” This was the end of the Sabbath at sundown, not Sunday morning. Ironically, Yahweh strongly denounces indulging in the only worship many today ever attend — Easter sunrise services: “And He brought me into the inner court of Yahweh’s house, and behold, at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east. Then He said unto me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger: they put the branch [ashtoreth, phallic symbol used in Ishtar fertility worship] to their nose. Therefore will I deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them,’” Ezekiel 8:16-18. The hot-cross buns so popular at Easter are also a relic from paganism, condemned in Jeremiah 7 when Judah was at their own Ishtar. “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other deities, that they may Times Magazine 8 Restoration March-April 2014

provoke me to anger,”verse 18. The word cakes is the Hebrew kawan, literally meaning a bun that is branded (with a cross).         The cross that makes hotc r o s s    b u n s (see left) is the old symbol for female.          I n a n c i e n t hieroglyphics the cross sign was the symbol for living or life, as well as the worship of the kind of life and fertility that Easter glorifies anciently and today. A Choice We Each Must Make

A true follower finds repulsive the mixing of pure worship with ancient rites of mystery religions. Clearly, Almighty Yahweh does as well.

In today’s modern culture when more and more churchgoers know less and less about the Bible that they profess to follow, Almighty Yahweh leaves us a choice. We can continue in darkness or we can leave the abominations of heathenism and come clean as we serve the only true Elohim. He is seeking a pure bride today who wants to prepare now to join the returning Savior in a coming life of eternity in His Kingdom. “And what agreement has the Temple of Elohim with idols? For you are the Temple of the living Elohim; as Elohim has said, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.’ Wherefore ‘come out from among them, and be separate,’ says Yahweh, ‘and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,’” 2Corinthians 6: 16-l. Pure worship is expressed as a narrow and often difficult road, and Yahshua said few will be walking on it. But those who are will find the eternal rewards indescribable!

Join Us For

Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread 2014 April 13-21 Holts Summit, Missouri

Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry invites you to this year’s Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in Holts Summit, Missouri, from the evening of April 13-21. This year promises to be a blessing for all in attendance. Those who join us for the Passover memorial must be baptized into the Name of “Yahshua” by an ordained minister. Baptismal counseling and immersions will be available before the Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of three annual pilgrimage Feasts and is a time of removing not only physical leavening, but also spiritual leavening from our homes and lives. While leavening is not always viewed negatively, in the context of the Feast it represents false doctrine (Matthew 16:6-12); corrupt politics (Mark 8:15); hypocrisy (Luke 12:1); and malice and wickedness (1Corinthians 5:8), none of which should be found in our lives. For accommodations and more information, contact YRM. We hope to see you here with us. Contact us for information about lodging, activities and more.


Progress

Ought to Believe in Yahweh by Joel Wirl

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n 1776 America declared independence from Great Britain, igniting the torch that lit the American Revolution and changed history. The year 1789 marked the revolt of the French against their government and its tyrannical aristocracy, becoming known as the French Revolution. Both insurrections wanted liberty from their oppressors, both were willing to give their very lives for the cause. Two revolutions, two countries, yet two very different outcomes. The American Revolution ended with the creation of a Republic form of government and a constitutional set of laws designed to restrain the power of the government. What began the French Revolution with a rallying cry of liberty, fraternity, and equality ended with anarchy throughout the land. Beheadings in France were common, beginning with the aristocracy and spreading to those whom the majority deemed worthy of meeting the guillotine. Napoleon Bonaparte was ultimately given

supreme power as emperor of France. Two movements with very different outcomes. One nation tried to restrain its power, the other did not. These two movements were complete opposites because of one main idea – the one believed that progress meant believing in Yahweh or Providence, and the other did not. Some may point to the fact that progress in various areas such as science and philosophy has happened without any regard for a supreme being. So the question is not whether progress will happen, but why is it so dangerous without any belief in Yahweh. Science Needs Yahweh

Recently a televised debate focused on which side had the correct model for the origins of the universe. Debaters were Ken Ham, a believer in creationism, and Bill Nye, an evolutionist. During the discussion, Mr. Nye concluded that the model of creationism and belief in the Bible stunt the growth of progress, especially in

the scientific realm, because the Bible has ideas that come with conclusions to its questions, i.e. there is a Creator, which he believes inhibits the search for answers. Let’s assume that this theory is correct, and that the Bible hinders man’s growth, and that a belief in atheism is more correct than believing there is a Creator. For a moment we’ll go along with the argument that the Bible is wrong, and that mankind is better off and would progress further without it. To test this theory one needs to understand that there was a nation that achieved great scientific discoveries without any moral compass to guide its actions. That nation was Nazi Germany. During the Nazi regime, it was a common occurrence for the scientists to practice their craft and experiments on their prisoners, especially in the concentration camps. In the book, How Mankind Committed the Ultimate Infamy at Auschwitz, the author states on page 177, “For the doctor who was Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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ambitious in pursuing a career in research and unencumbered by humanity or compassion, Auschwitz was a laboratory without parallel.” These scientists had a particular interest in scientific knowledge and progress in their field. To achieve their ends prisoners were exposed to toxins and diseases such as typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and malaria in order to find an antidote or remedy. Pharmaceuticals were tested on many to study their effects. To understand hypothermia and the maximum altitude safe for pilots, prisoners were exposed to extreme conditions of cold and pressure. Experiments were done on women prisoners to discover methods of sterilization through intense x-rays and injections. The list of such horrific experiments in the name of understanding could go on. Now this is not to say that all atheists believe that these experiments were good. I believe that many atheists are decent people and would never consider doing or condoning such atrocious acts. However, if you consider the end result of atheism, that there is no Creator and man is just a highly evolved animal, then who’s to say these experiments are morally wrong? The Nazis believed that the Jews, Poles, Russians, and many others were lesser humans, mere animals in fact, and it was their duty to eliminate this “sickly” breed from humanity. If man is just an animal then it would be no different than squashing a hill of ants that you want removed from your property. But man is not just an animal. The human race has not evolved from lesser forms. Science needs a belief in Yahweh. Progress must be led by Yahweh lest we become as the Nazis had become. We need direction from Yahweh and the knowledge that there is a right and wrong Times Magazine 10 Restoration March-April 2014

so that one’s actions cannot be rationalized in the name of progress. Progress is for the betterment of mankind, as much of science has been, but science without Yahweh will be mankind’s destruction. Who knows what other evils will be thought up that lack a check upon the vices of men? Progress detached from right and wrong will create a Frankenstein monster that can only leave destruction in its wake. A World Without Yahweh

Let’s imagine that the dream of many scientists and atheists comes true, that the Bible is no longer relevant, just a book

used to describe a primitive neurosis of the past, and a belief that there is no Creator is the doctrine of the day. No more pesky people telling you what is right and wrong, no more intelligent design beliefs floating around. Finally, a society that is free to grow and do as it pleases. But let’s take a closer look at a society such as this. What would change in going from a world that believes in Yahweh to one that doesn’t? One is the matter of what happens after you die. To an atheist, what happens at death? They believe nothing happens; they just die and that is it forever. Your life was just a blip on the world scene and then you’re gone. No future to hope for, no dreams of a better life in the Kingdom of Yahweh. Why

should they care to be good people if this is their end? Why try to better society and mankind when a meteor could strike Earth and wipe everyone out? It would be better to live for today for tomorrow you may die. Another issue is morality. If the Bible has vanished, and there is no moral compass directing lives, then who will direct them? Who will say what is right and wrong? Will the culture or government decide? In some cultures it is natural to eat one’s human enemies and use their skins as clothing. They believe this is right, so how can we judge them and say they are wrong? They are right and we are right, but then you have to ask that if both are right, yet believe differently, then one of us cannot be right. Perhaps the majority will decide what is right and wrong. Whoever said the majority is always right? The French Revolution happened because of the majority, and they were wrong. Another issue is free will. How can we have free will, the ability to think and choose for ourselves, if we are just highly evolved animals? Yes, there are many animals that have intelligence to be trained, that show affection, and communicate in some form, but this is a far reach from the ability to make complex decisions. Does a clown fish speak out in his school of other fish and say that he believes that their collective form of travel would be more effective if they swam upside down? Does a monkey in the wild consider the ramifications of stealing his brother monkey’s bananas, and whether it is the right thing to do or not? If an animal cannot make complex, moral decisions then how can we? Our decisions really wouldn’t be decisions, but just urges and instincts that drive us forward to some goal. You thought you decided to


not eat that doughnut today, but really it was just some primal desire to survive. Another issue is the matter of science. If science has all the answers, then where did DNA come from? How can DNA contain so much complex information without a designer? Men and women design and build bridges, skyscrapers, space shuttles, and so much more, and they are built through planning and a concerted effort. A mere pile of timber, roofing material, nails and paint will not change into a house over a long period of time even under ideal conditions. Throwing ink on a page doesn’t create a book to be read. Why, then, is the argument made that information and intelligence in our very sophisticated cells cannot point to any kind of intelligent being? How can you live in a world that believes that science has all the answers if you are unwilling to admit that an intelligence formed you? Building for Progress

Our society believes it is progressing toward a better life by making homosexual marriages lawful. It believes that the abortion of a child is progress toward greater liberty to choose. It believes that its schools must teach evolution as a fact and take the Bible completely out of its system. Some believe this is all good, but these beliefs lead only to destruction. Such steps toward progress will destroy the very thing being built. Every society in history that believed the same way met the same end: they fell. Society, like a building, needs something to stand upon, a foundation that must be firm and sure. Yahshua in Matthew 7:24-27 spoke about making our foundations sure and of the danger of not doing so, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

“And even as they did not like to retain Elohim in their knowledge...” Romans 1:28 The house built on a rock is built on what is firm. It doesn’t move despite what goes on around it; it is built on truth. Truth is a constant that never changes, like all that Yahweh has ever spoken through the Bible. He is unchanging, and His word cannot change. Without the filter of the Bible in our lives, in our families, in our culture, the shaky sands of lies will blow into our foundations to make them weak and liable to collapse. Are we an immovable object? Do we stand firm despite the trials we face, or do we cave in to whatever everyone else is doing? I hope that our lives are built upon

rock because this will be the test when society breaks down around us. If our society wants to progress, we need to throw out the ideas that are contrary to truth. We need to cling to that which is good and put that which is evil and false far away from us. I don’t want to live in a world like Nazi Germany’s. I don’t want to live in a world that has another French Revolution. Progress needs Yahweh or we will live in a world without a happy ending. But happiness will come if we obey Yahweh, if we keep Him in the forefront of our minds, and if we turn to Him with all our heart. Then we will have true progress. Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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Could the Antimessiah Be

Islamic? by Randy Folliard

H

ow close are we to the return of Yahshua the Messiah and to the end of the age? While this ministry is not one to set times and dates, it’s safe to say that many of the signs in the Word are coming to pass. The Messiah in His Olivet Prophecy warned about an increase in deception, war, natural disasters, and sin. We’re witnessing many of these signs in our day and age and we’re not alone in this belief. In an article by the Huffington Post entitled, “How Many U.S. Christians Believe Christ’s ‘Second Coming’ Will Times Magazine 12 Restoration March-April 2014

Happen Soon?”, almost half of all Christians believe that Yahshua’s Second Coming will occur within the next 40 years. “The ‘Second Advent,’ as it is sometimes called, is a divine event that is said to mark the end of the world as we know it – a time in the future when Christ will return to Earth to judge both the living and deceased. Many Christians in the United States believe this ‘Second Coming’ will occur sometime in the next 40 years – and the percentage of believers may surprise you. “According to a 2010 Pew Research

Center survey…nearly half of U.S. Christians believe that Christ will ‘definitely’ (27 percent) or ‘probably’ (20 percent) return to Earth in or before the year 2050. Conversely, 38 percent believe that Christ will definitely [not] or probably not return within the next four decades.” Yahshua warned in His Olivet Prophecy that He would return in a time most will not expect. He said many times to watch for the fulfillment of end-time prophecy. Today’s rise of Islam likely will play a key part in end-time events. Several striking


The Islamic Ottoman Empire The prophetic seventh kingdom succeeding Rome, Revelation 17:10

parallels exist between the Antimessiah and the final Imam. This article will review seven of them. Before we consider these signs, let’s take a brief overview of the Antimessiah and the final Imam. Bible prophecy indicates that the Antimessiah will come against or in place of the Messiah before Yahshua’s Second Coming, which are the meanings of “anti.” He will rise to power through the workings of Satan to become a worldwide despot and dictator. He will persecute the saints and force everyone to worship him alone. According to Islamic belief, the final Imam will be the spiritual and political successor to the prophet Muhammad. He will come at the end of this age to establish Islamic rule and law to this world. This man is also called the al-Mahdi. In addition to the Bible, we will refer here to a book entitled, God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible, by Walid Shoebat. The author was born to an Islamic father and Christian mother

and was in raised in an Arab community in Bethlehem. As a young man he embraced Islam and even considered himself an Islamic terrorist. Like his father, he married a Christian woman who later challenged him to examine Christianity. In 1993 he converted to Christianity. Since then he has devoted much time to the study of biblical prophecy from a Middle Eastern or Islamic standpoint. Beast Denies Yahshua

The first similarity between the Antimessiah and this Islamic ruler is the rejection of Yahshua the Messiah as the Son of Yahweh. We read in 1John 2:22-23, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Yahshua is the Messiah? He is antimessiah, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” A denier of Yahshua the Messiah is

one meaning of Antimessiah. We can view this prophecy as a general rejection of Yahshua’s relationship to His Father and as an actual prophecy referring to the person of the Antimessiah. We also see here that those who deny the Son also deny the Father. It’s important that we as believers recognize the absolute need for maintaining faith in our Savior. Revelation 14:12 defines a saint as one who keeps the commandments of Yahweh and has faith in Yahshua the Messiah. If we neglect either one we disqualify ourselves as believers in the New Testament. This is why this first sign is vitally important; without Yahshua we have no Savior and no redemption from sin. According to Walid Shoebat, while Islam accepts Yahshua as a prophet, they deny His relationship to the Father. He states, “Doctrinally, Islam and the Antichrist are in perfect agreement because both deny…the Divine Sonship of Christ.” Restoration Times Magazine March-April2014

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He goes on to say, “Regarding those four kingdoms shall stand up out of the who do not convert to Islam, the Qur’an nation, but not in his power. And in the states that [Yahshua] will be a witness latter time of their kingdom, when the against them on the Day of Judgment: transgressors are come to the full, a king of There is not one of the people of Scripture fierce countenance, and understanding dark (Christians and Jews) sentences, shall stand but will believe in up,” verses 21-23. him before his death,            The king of Grecia and on the Day of here represents AlexResurrection he will ander the Great, be a witness against while the four horns them. (Qur’an 4:159). symbolize his four Muslim scholars generals who inherited explain that the His kingdom after phrase ‘will believe his untimely death. in him before his As we note in the death’ means that Restoration Study Christians and Jews Bible, those generals will ‘confirm that and their kingdoms he is alive and has were:   “ S e l e u c u s not died and he ( S y r i a and Babylon), is not God or the Ly s i m a c h u s ( A s i a Son of God but Minor), Ptolemy His (Allah’s) slave ( E g y p t ) , a n d Casand Messenger, and sander (Macedonia Isa [Yahshua] will and Greece)” (note on A young Alexander the Great from the Hellenistic testify against those Daniel 8:8). era (British Museum) who had called him The last king the Son of God,’” ibid, p. 59. holds the key to the Man of Sin or the This former Muslim says that according Antimessiah. What’s intriguing to note to the Quran Yahshua never died and that first is that the Man of Sin will arise from He was not the son of Yahweh. According to somewhere in Alexander’s empire. It’s Islamic tradition, when Mohammad returns important to note that this ancient territory Yahshua also will return to confirm Islam. never included Rome or northern Europe,

According to Islamic tradition, when Mohammad returns Yahshua also will return to confirm Islam.

Talk about blasphemy and a contradiction of Scripture! Of Mideast Origin

Another parallel between the Antimessiah and the Al-Mahdi is the geographic location from which they will arise. According to Islamic tradition, the 12th Imam will come from the ancient territory of the Ottoman Empire. Bible prophecy indicates that the Man of Sin may also come from this same area. Before we consider this, however, Daniel 8 provides a clue that many miss regarding the place of origin for the Man of Sin. “And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it,

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but did include much of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. We have firm support that the Man of Sin will come from one of these areas and not Rome, as so many have believed. There are two other passages in the book of Revelation that indicate that this evil man will arise from the Middle East, particularly the Ottoman Empire, which includes Turkey. The first clue is found in Revelation 13:3: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Many believe that this “wound” pertains to the person of the Antimessiah. Is it possible though that it symbolizes something different from a literal injury to the Man of Sin? According to Revelation

17:9-11, not only is this possible, it’s likely: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Here John of Patmos sees a Beast (Antimessiah) that sits on seven mountains, symbolizing seven heads. Some claim that these seven mountains represent seven hills of Rome. For example, the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary states, “As nature shadows forth spiritual realities, so seven-hilled Rome is a representative of the seven-headed world power, of which the dragon is the prince.” However, it’s more likely that these mountains symbolize seven kingdoms or nations. Here’s why. Micah 4:1 prophesies that in the millennium Yahweh’s “mountain” will be established on the top of the mountains: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.”

Mountains in Scripture symbolize K i n g d o m s .     Ya h w e h ’ s Kingdom coming to earth will be established above all other kingdoms or nations. From Revelation we also see that these seven mountains are connected to seven kings, representing seven kingdoms. John prophesied that five of these kings had fallen, one was, and one was yet to come. From explanations in Daniel 2 and 8, the fallen kingdoms that ruled the Middle East, including Israel, were Egypt,


Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The king that “is” or existed when John received this prophecy was Rome. Only one other enduring kingdom historically connected to the Middle East was the Ottoman Empire, the prophesied kingdom “to come.” No other kingdom fits the criteria as does the Ottoman or Turkish Empire, which is the seventh kingdom, and out of the seventh comes the eighth king, the Antimessiah. What comes to mind when most think of the Roman Empire is the western region, represented by its capital in Rome. The fact is, the Roman Empire had two capitals, one in Rome and the other in Constantinople, which was established by Emperor Constantine in 330 CE. Constantinople is now Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. This realm was also known as the Byzantine Empire, which at its peak controlled parts of southeastern Europe, southwestern Asia, the northeast corner of Africa, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, eastern Libya and Turkey. This empire would exist for 1,000 years until its overthrow by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE. Constantinople would come to overshadow and replace Rome as the capital. After the defeat of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire existed for over 600 years until it was vanquished in 1922. At its peak, this empire controlled Southeast Europe, Western Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. Both Alexander’s kingdom and the Ottoman Empire share a key trait: neither one controlled Rome and both conquered much of the Middle East, which includes today’s Turkey (the ancient territory known as Anatolia). Why exactly is this important? According to Daniel and Revelation, the Man of Sin will arise from the Mideast and specificaly from Alexander the Great’s empire. Alexander conquered what became the eastern leg of the Roman Empire or Turkey, which was later engulfed by the Ottoman Empire. The 17th chapter of Revelation confirms that the Beast or the Antimessiah is

the eighth ruler and is “of the seven” or of the seventh kingdom. In other words, the Antimessiah will come from the prophesied seventh empire. Mr. Shoebat also attests to this likelihood, “…the Empire of the Antichrist will not be a new empire; rather it will be the revival of a previous great empire that will have suffered what the Bible calls a ‘fatal head wound’ (Revelation 13:3).This

that comes from sincere devotion and a faith second to none. Where does the Man of Sin receive his power? The answer is in Revelation 13:2: “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” The dragon here symbolizes Satan

The Man of Sin and the Mahdi are both prophesied to display great signs and wonders.

empire is the Islamic Ottoman Empire which replaced the Roman Empire after the fall of its remaining Eastern section,” God’s War on Terror, p. 81. He’ll Show Signs and Wonders

Another parallel with the Man of Sin and the Mahdi is that they are both prophesied to display great signs and wonders. Yahshua in Matthew 24:24 states, “For there shall arise false Messiahs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” This is one of the three accounts of Yahshua’s Olivet Prophecy. The two others are in Mark 13 and Luke 21. Our Savior prophesies here that there will arise false Messiahs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders. The word “signs” comes from the Greek semeion. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines this as, “…an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature.” Similarly, the word “wonders” comes from the Greek teras and refers to miracles. Yahshua confirms here that the Antimessiah along with the False Prophet will be miraculously empowered to perform impressive miracles that man will not explain through the laws of nature or science. Because of this, the world will follow these men and if possible, they would even deceive the very elect. The reference to the “elect” is to convey the gravity of this deception; it’s likely they will not be deceived. This is not to say, however, that all those baptized into Yahshua’s Name will be spared. The reality is, just because we’re baptized into the Messiah’s Name doesn’t make us part of the chosen or the elect. This is something

the devil and will be the source of the Antimessiah’s power and authority. This is why his signs and wonders will be beyond the explanation of the natural laws of nature or science. The power behind them will be supernatural and demonic. If this occurs in our lifetime, nothing we have ever seen will prepare us for what will come from the Beast and his false prophet. Scripture states that the false prophet will rain fire from heaven and give life to a lifeless image, Revelation 13:14-15. The signs and wonders that these apocalyptic figures will show will be beyond explanation or reason. This is why it’s important that we understand the prophecies and know the signs of Yahshua’s Second Coming. Similar to the Antimessiah, according to Islamic belief, this last successor of Muhammad will also show great signs and wonders: “Allah will give him power over the wind and the rain, and the earth will bring forth its foliage. He will give away wealth profusely, flocks will be in abundance, and the Ummah (Empire of Islam) will be large and honored,” God’s war on Terror, p. 83. According to Islamic belief, this 12th Imam will receive power from Allah over the wind and rain. Like the Antimessiah, this man will be given the ability to perform great signs and wonders and will be able to deceive this world. He’ll Change Times and Laws

In addition to being able to perform great wonders, both the Bible and Islamic tradition state that these men will think to alter worship and the system of law. Daniel in the seventh chapter states this regarding the Man of Sin: “And he shall speak great Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time,” verse 25. The word “times” is from the Aramaic zeman and refers to seasons or appointed

(2Kings 21:22; 2Chronicles 21:10; 28:25; 33:12) and in all references refers to Yahweh, the Elohim of the Hebrews. No doubt, part of this worship will include the abomination of desolation and the image to which the False Prophet will give life (see Matthew 24:15 and Revelation 13:15).

Now not unlike the Man of Sin, we find that this final Imam will also seek to change times and laws. “The Mahdi…will attempt to change the law by instituting Islamic Sharia law as far as he is able to do so… This activism already exists in every nation of the world. Behind all the masks, they all

occasions. Similarly, the word “law” derives from the Aramaic dath and refers to commandments, edicts, or statutes. In essence, the Antimessiah will seek to institute a whole new system of worship and law. According to the eleventh chapter of Daniel, this man will not honor the “Elohim of his fathers.” This phrase appears an additional four times in the Hebrew text

We also find here the duration of this man’s rule. Daniel prophesies that he will rule until a time and times and the dividing of time. This phrase refers to the three-anda-half years of the Great Tribulation and is also found in Revelation 12:14. According to Yahshua in His Olivet Prophecy, this will be the worst time this earth has ever and will ever see. It’s going to test the faith of Yahweh’s elect like nothing before.

desire to replace non-Islamic legal systems with Islamic Sharia law and replace every constitution with the constitution of the caliphate” (ibid, p. 85). Amazingly, we’re beginning to see a push for Islamic law today even in America. An article dated July 29, 2013, from the Huffington Post entitled, “Sharia Law in the USA” reported, “North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday (July

Outreach Program’s Current Partners We recognize our outreach partners for their outstanding dedication to the Truth in their effort to fulfill the Great Commission. If you are interested in becoming an outreach partner to help us spread the Truth, visit http://www.yrm.org/outreach or call us at (573) 896-1000 during normal office hours (M-F, 8:00 am- 4:00 pm.) We willl explain how you can be an outreach partner and join this group committed to spreading the Good News!

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Barbara Creel Bonnie Lewis Buzz Davis Charles Shifflett Cheryl Ciesa Curtis Jones Dave Nesta Dezaree Ryon Domenica Lisk Dreama Simmons Eric Shrog

Hannah White Jallisa Workman Jennifer Mitchusson John Illgen Joyce Thurau Kim Miller Kimberly Dobbs Lendia Ball Linda Cox LInda Lowe Max Ervin

Michael Compton Mildred Ramirez Ricardo Angolano Robert Martin Robert Bearns Robert Kountz Russ Thain Wayne Morgan Zipporah Mwangi


24) approved a bill to prohibit judges from considering ‘foreign laws’ in their decisions, but nearly everyone agrees that ‘foreign laws’ really means Shariah, or Islamic law. North Carolina now joins six other states — Oklahoma, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Tennessee — to pass a ‘foreign laws’ bill. A similar bill passed in Missouri, but Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed it, citing threats to international adoptions. “The bills all cite ‘foreign laws’ because two federal courts have ruled that singling out Shariah — as Oklahoma voters originally did in 2010 — is unconstitutional.” An ongoing effort by many Islamic organizations is to include Sharia law within the United States. We also see this same pattern in many European nations. As believers, we should be vigilant as we see decline and corruption in this nation’s legal and judicial system. Seven-year Covenant

place of the temple until the coming of Yahshua the Messiah (Matt. 24:15). At this point, he will force all of mankind to worship him and him alone. According to the Apostle Paul in the

‘Romans,’ it is said to be mediated specifically through a Jew from the priestly lineage of Aaron. The peace agreement will be made for a period of seven years,” God’s War on Terror, p. 114. Just as the Man of Sin will make a seven-year agreement, the final Imam may do the same. Interestingly, according to author Shoebat, this treaty will be between the Mahdi and the western world, including Christianity and Judaism. Intriguing also is the mention of a Jew from the priestly line of Aaron, which will help facilitate this agreement. Such circumstances may provide an explanation as to how an agreement might form between the Jews and Arabs. In recent decades there has been an everincreasing effort by America and other western nations to form a peace treaty in the Middle East. Most of these attempts have ended in failure or are shortlived. However, both Bible prophecy and Islamic tradition states that such a scenario will be a reality in the future, possibly in the near future.

Another striking parallel we find between the Antimessiah and the 12th Imam is a seven years covenant or Ten Sycophantish Kings peace agreement. Daniel 9:27 says that Another fascinating parallel with these the Man of Sin will make a seven-year men is the belief of ten kings. John of covenant or peace treaty with many nations. The Holy Bible from Ancient Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be Mujaddid (divine reformer) of Patmos in the 17th chapter of Revelation the 14th Islamic century; the Promised Messiah (Second Coming Eastern Manuscripts (Lamsa) reads, of Messiah) and Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days; the provides insight into the purpose of Caliph and the Prophet. these kings. “And the ten horns which “And he shall confirm the covenant thou sawest are ten kings, which have with many for seven weeks and half of second chapter of 2Thessalonians, he will seven, then he shall cause the sacrifice and exalt himself above all that is called a received no kingdom as yet; but receive gift offerings to cease, and upon the horns mighty one. It reads, “Let no man deceive power as kings one hour with the beast. of the altar the abomination of desolation: you by any means: for that day shall not These have one mind, and shall give their and the abomination of desolation shall come, except there come a falling away power and strength unto the beast,” verses continue until the end of the appointed first, and that man of sin be revealed the son 12-13. Notice first here that these ten kings time; the city shall remain desolate.” of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth The “seven weeks” represent seven himself above all that is called Elohim, have not yet received their kingdoms or years and refer to the seven-year covenant or that is worshiped; so that he as Elohim positions. It says that they will receive or treaty that this man will confirm with the sitteth in the temple of Elohim, shewing power as kings for one hour with the beast. This likely represents the time of nations of this earth. As we see, though, this himself that he is Elohim,” verses 3-4. treaty will be short lived. In the middle of The Man of Sin will become the the Great Tribulation. What purpose do this seven-year treaty the Antimessiah will ultimate dictator and despot over the these ten kings serve? They will empower nullify the covenant and stop the sacrifices entire world. No one will be able to openly and strengthen the Beast. In other words, and oblations. oppose or defy him. According to Islamic they will be pawns that the Man of Sin will As an aside, the reference here to tradition, the final Imam may also form a leverage to strengthen his political power. Now before we examine the possible stopping the sacrifices may indicate a similar agreement. previous form of Hebraic worship and may “One Islamic tradition places the identity of these kings, let’s consider how offer an explanation how believers, even ascendancy of the Mahdi at the time of a this prophecy may correspond to Islamic those in the Messiah, could be led astray by final peace agreement between the Arabs tradition. “In 2002 a plan for the reestablishment this imposter. and the Romans (‘Romans’ should be When this man brings an end to the interpreted here as referring to Christians, of the Caliphate was written by…the agreement he will set up the abomination or more generally, the West). Although Guiding Helper Foundation entitled, of desolation, which will stand in the holy this peace agreement is made with the The Plan for the Return of the Caliphate. Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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According to the plan, the Caliph would be assisted in his rule by a ten-member council of “Assistant Caliphs.” These assistants, or council members, are similar to ministers in many of today’s governments” (ibid, p. 91). Just as Bible prophecy foretells, Islamic tradition states that there will arise ten leaders or caliphs who will support the Caliph or the last Imam. The similarities here between the Bible and Islamic tradition are quite amazing. Regarding the 10 kings that Revelation describes in the seventeenth chapter, Psalm 83:3-8 may very well offer a key to unlock their identity. “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot.” Notice here that there are 10 kings mentioned and that they form a confederacy for the sole purpose of destroying the nation of Israel. Two questions are crucial: 1) is this passage historic or prophetic and 2) do we know the locations of these kingdoms today? Let’s take the first question. According to many scholars, there is no historical

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tie to this passage. The HarperCollins Study Bible states: “There is no particular historical moment with which such a grouping of nations against Israel can be associated.” The Wycliffe Bible Commentary agrees, “The occasion cannot be identified with certainty, because at no period in Israel’s history has such a confederation of nations existed.” Based on this fact, it’s reasonable to conclude that this passage can only be

• Hagarenes - Egypt • Gebal - Lebanon • Ammon - Northern Jordan • Amalek - Sinai Peninsula • Philistines - Gaza Strip • Tyre - Lebanon • Assur - Syria and Iraq • Children of Lot - Jordan Amazingly, every nation listed in Psalm 83 is located in the Middle East and today are Islamic. Some might say that this is only a coincidence, but the evidence says otherwise. Who Rules by Force

prophetic. While there is some debate, the locations are generally assumed to be the following (list from the Restoration Study Bible): • Edom - Southern Jordan • Ishmaelites - Arabs

The last parallel is the use of military force or aggression. According to the Bible and Islamic tradition, both the Antimessiah and the final Imam will be men of war. Daniel 7:23 reads, “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” This fourth kingdom represents the Antimessiah and his empire. The Bible states that this kingdom will be different from all others before it. Daniel confirms that this final kingdom will devour the whole world. It’s a historical fact that no kingdom or empire has ever managed to conquer the entire world. In addition to global rule, this man will also tread down and break this world in pieces. In addition to Daniel, Revelation also prophesies that this man will rule by war: “And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” We see again here that the Antimessiah will receive power from the dragon, representing Satan the devil. The power that this man will possess will be supernatural and demonic.


Notice the last part of this verse, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” This is a rhetorical question confirming that no one will be able to resist or defy the Antimessiah. He will rule over this earth as the ultimate dictator and despot. For three-and-a-half years this man will have complete control and seek to destroy all those who believe in the Bible and in Yahshua the Messiah. Like the beast of Revelation, Islamic tradition verifies that the Mahdi will also rule by force. “The Mahdi is portrayed throughout the Islamic tradition as being the military leader of the Islamic ‘world revolution’ that will defeat all the other religions and political systems” (God’s War on Terror, p. 93). Just as the Antimessiah will rule through aggression and violence, Islamic

tradition conveys that the final successor of Muhammad will do the same. He will rule by complete force without regard to human life or continuance. To summarize, we find the following seven parallels between the Antimessiah and the final Imam: • They will both deny Yahshua as the Son of Yahweh • They will arise from the Middle East. • They will show great signs and wonders. • They will change worship and system of law. • They will form a seven-year covenant or peace treaty with many nations. • They will receive strength and support from ten kings. • They will both rule by aggression and through warfare.

Only time will settle questions surrounding the identity of the Antimessiah and the impact that Islam will have on end-time prophecy. For now, it’s important that we have an open mind and consider all possible scenarios.          While the majority of Bible believers are looking to Europe and Rome as the fulfillment of the Man of Sin and this final empire, it’s far more likely that this last kingdom will arise from the Middle East, being that Yahweh always centers prophecy on Israel and its surrounding neighbors. May we heed Yahshua’s words in Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

What Is Leavening?

A

leavening agent (sometimes just called leavening or leaven) is a substance used in doughs and batters that causes them to rise. In the presence of moisture, heat, acidity, or other triggers the leavening agent reacts to produce gas (usually carbon dioxide) that becomes trapped as bubbles within the dough. When a dough or batter is baked, it “sets” and the holes left by the gas bubbles remain. This is what gives breads, cakes, and other baked goods their soft, sponge-like textures. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Yahweh commands that no leavening be eaten or found on our premises: “Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread,” Exodus 12:19-20. Below are leavening agents found in a variety of foods that must be used up or removed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is unacceptable to remove leavening from your property just to bring it back once the Feast is over. This subverts the whole purpose of the lesson, which is to remove corrupting influences entirely from our lives. Here is a list of leavening agents: ·   Yeasts, including baker’s yeast and active dried yeast · baking powder · baking soda · cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) · sourdough · ammonium carbonate · ammonium bicarbonate · Potassium carbonate · Potassium bicarbonate · Dipotassium carbonate

Leavening agents are also in: · · ·

Preparation H (yeast) Cat and dog foods with yeast Toothpastes with baking soda

False Leaven Below are foods or ingredients not leavened or leavening agents, although are often mistaken for leavening or leavened food: •  Puffed cereals Some food products are “puffed up” by mechanical means but cannot be used as a contact spreading agent. They are just puffed up by air and not chemically leavened. They include: popcorn, beaten eggs, and cereal like puffed rice or wheat. •  Brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is an inactive yeast, meaning the yeasts have been killed and have no leavening power. It is the yeast remaining after beer making. It is used as a nutrient supplement for B vitamins. Brewer’s yeast comes powdered (the most potent form), in flakes (best for health shakes), and in tablets. •  Yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract When yeast cells die, they automatically break up, a process called autolysis in which the yeasts’ digestive enzymes break their proteins down into simpler compounds. What remains is a collection of protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer. •  Soda pop Although its name says “soda,” soda pop is no longer leavened with bicarbonate of “soda.” It is made with water that has been infused with carbon dioxide in a non-leavening process.

Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

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in Scripture How do I know what talents Yahweh has given me and how He wants me to use them? Help me to ask Yahweh what it is I am to do here on Earth. I have felt lost as I do not know what I was put here to do. Sometimes our talents are apparent and at other times they are more subtle. They can range from being able to pastor a flock to simply being able and willing to serve the brethren in whatever way. As we learn from Scripture all gifts are important, 1 Corinthians 12:22. The body of Messiah is like a vehicle. It won’t run without all the parts working together. Yahweh’s gifts are to be used for the edification of the body, 1Corinthians 12:7. In other words, whatever the gift, it should be used for the furtherance of Yahweh’s Word. Here’s something to consider: we all have the ability to share Yahweh’s truth. To help those convicted to serve in this way, YRM offers an outreach program. If you’re interested, please visit http://www.yrm.org/ outreach. Can you please explain 2Corinthians 3:13-16 as I heard in one of your broadcasts? The passage is referring to a change in the covenant ushered in through the Messiah’s death and atonement. Just as the Israelites could not see the glory of Moses through the veil, many of the Jews could not see the glory of Yahshua through the blindness or hardness

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of their hearts. Hebrew 9:1-11 describes this covenant change. The first covenant, specifically the ritualistic laws of the first covenant, pointed to something greater, i.e., to Yahshua the Messiah. Through Yahshua there is now a complete washing away or removal of sin, which the Old Testament through the sacrificial system could never accomplish. As a result, today there is no need for the physical tabernacle (temple) with all its furnishings and practices. We are the temple of Yahweh, 1Corinthians 3:16. It’s important to understand that 2Corinthians 3:13-16 is not referring to the entire Law. Yahweh’s laws of morality and worship are still valid and required for believers today. A misunderstanding of this fact is held by many Bible believers. While our Savior has offered a better sacrifice, our Father and His law code of ethics and morality remain the same, Malachi 3:6. My Catholic friend says that the pope gets his office and authority from Peter as the “first pope.” He also said that the church has authority over the Bible. Is this true? The Catholic Church claims its authority regarding papal office from Yahshua’s statement in Matthew 16:18-19: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my assembly; and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Yahshua was responding to Peter’s confession that Yahshua was the Messiah,

the Son of Yahweh, in verse 16. It was Peter’s confession on which Yahshua said He would build His Assembly, not on Peter himself. We find a play on words in verse 18 where Peter is the Hebrew cepha (Greek petros), both meaning a stone, while Yahshua is the immovable Rock (petra, a massive rock) on which the assembly would be founded. Paul confirmed that Yahshua and not Peter is the foundation that no man can lay, 1Corinthians 3:11. When in verse 19 Yahshua said that what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, the tense is future perfect progressive, meaning whatever you bind on earth shall already have been bound in heaven. This assurance was not just for Peter; He said the same to the other Apostles, Matthew 18:18. Similarly, the authority to forgive an offense was given to all the Apostles, John 20:2223. Peter was never considered the supreme Apostle. Consider the following. At one point Yahshua rebuked Peter, accusing him of being satanically influenced, Mark 8:33. Paul also reprimanded Peter for his prejudice, Galatians 2:11. Peter denied Yahshua three times at Yahshua’s inquisition before the high priest, John 18:17. When the disciples asked Yahshua which of them will be greatest in the Kingdom (would not the disciples already know that Peter would hold the top spot?), Yahshua didn’t say, “Peter, of course” Instead He said those who are humble as children will be greatest. At another time in Matthew 20:20 the mother of James and John requested for her sons the greatest positions in the Kingdom. If Peter were the chief Apostle, would he not have been given that honor, and wouldn’t James and John already know it? Over an issue of doctrine in Acts 15, Paul, Barnabas


and others went to Jerusalem to consult the other Apostles and elders about the question. They didn’t run to Peter for a judgment. In fact, it was James, not Peter, who spoke for the others. How can a church have authority over Scripture when Yahshua constantly referred to Scripture and not to a church in issues of doctrine? See Matthew 19:4; Luke 16:31; John 10:34. Paul did as well. See Acts 17:11; 1Thessalonians 5:21; 2Timothy 3:15-17. In this last passage, Paul said the Scriptures are able to make one perfect (complete). The Word is not deficient and does not need a church to prop it up, neither can a church usurp scriptural authority. Do you have any idea why some Sabbath- and Feastkeeping groups don’t call on the real names of the Father and Son? Many will say it’s because these names do not appear in the New Testament English or even the Greek behind the English. However, there is substantial evidence that the New Testament may have been originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. That evidence includes Hebraic grammar, idioms, the many Hebrew words left untranslated, the fact that the writers were Hebrews themselves, etc. In addition, the Greek texts have abbreviations called Nomina Sacra that likely indicate that the original text had the Sacred Names. The Restoration Study Bible note at Matthew 1:22 states, “Nomina Sacra meaning ‘sacred names’ in Latin, was a literary device used to abbreviate several words in early Greek NT manuscripts. Bruce Metzger’s book, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, lists 15 examples of these abbreviations from Greek papyri: God, Lord, Jesus, Christ, Son, Spirit, David, cross, Mother, Father, Israel, Savior, Man, Jerusalem, and Heaven (examples appear as found in KJV). Except for ‘mother,’ which is not found until the 4th century CE, all other Nomina Sacra have been found in Greek manuscripts from the first through third centuries CE. While scholars are still debating the purpose, some propose that this shortening of key words may have been used to replace the Tetragrammaton (see Ex. 3:15) with the common title Kurios (typically abbreviated ‘KS’ with a line

above), in Greek Christian manuscripts, as found within this passage. This offers a possible explanation as to why Yahweh’s Name is missing from the Greek NT. In fact, in those places where the Tetragrammaton should appear, the definite article is missing in front of the Nomina Sacra. This conclusion is supported also by German scholar David Trobisch’s work, The First Edition of The New Testament. In the instance of a Hebrew or Aramaic NT original, this may also explain why the Greek title theos, typically (abbreviated ‘THS’ with a line above), appears in place of the Hebrew Elohim....” In addition to pointing to the New Testament Greek as a reason for avoiding the Hebrew names, they will also point to Exodus 6:3: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of El Shaddai, but by my name Yahweh was I not known to them.” Many claim that this passage confirms that Yahweh’s Name was not known to the patriarchs and therefore was not important. The problem with this, however, is that Scripture verifies that the patriarchs did know and call upon Yahweh’s Name. For example, Genesis 12:8 states, “And he [Abram] removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto Yahweh, and called upon the name of Yahweh.” See also Genesis 13:4 and 21:33. The Hebrew of Exodus 6:3 is an idiom that means they did not perceive or understand His Name because they had not witnessed what He would accomplish through the power of His Name. Regardless why some avoid the sacred Names, Scripture clearly supports that the use of Yahweh’s Name is very important. For example, Joel 2:32 prophesied, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Yahweh hath said, and in the remnant whom Yahweh shall call.” This is also found in Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13. I have been saying to my fellow church members that Yahweh’s law is still in effect and they say I am wrong. They say many Scriptures say otherwise. For example, Hebrews 7:12 shows that there has been a change in the law. What do you say and where can I show them their error?

The change in law as spoken of in Hebrews 7:12 is a change in the priesthood and worship. The ninth chapter of Hebrews says that the changes are connected with the temple and sacrificial worship. Nowhere, however, does the Bible nullify the Sabbath, Feasts, clean foods, and other laws we find in the Old Testament. In fact, we find these laws being observed by the Messiah and the Apostles (Luke 23:56; Acts 13:14; 16:13; 17:2; Matthew 27; Mark 15:33; John 19; Acts 2:1-4; 20:6; 16; John 7). We also find general support for law keeping in the NT (Matt. 5:17-20; 19:17; 22:37-40; Mark 10:19; John 14:15; Romans 3:31; 7:1, 12; 13:8-10; 1Corinthians 7:19; 1John 2:3; 3:4; 5:3; Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14). I need information on tithing. I’ve always been told to tithe 10% of all my increase. I’m trying to teach others but can’t find in the Bible where it says that we are to tithe 10 percent of our money today. All I can find in Old Testament is that Israel was supposed to tithe from their first fruits, new wine and oil. Where does it say it is for us today and how we are to tithe and what we are to do with our tithes? If people are worshiping in a home church then what are they to do with their tithes? Can it be spent on Bibles, learning material, etc? The 10 percent is derived from the Hebrew word for tithe, maaser, and means, “a tenth; especially a tithe” (Strong’s). The reason the majority of references in the Old Testament equate the tithe to produce or livestock is that this was Israel’s monetary system. While it’s true that they also had gold and silver, they were an agricultural society. We do, however, find examples where the tithe was something different. In Genesis 14:20 Abraham tithed to Melchizedek of war plunder. Also, in Genesis 28:22 Jacob promised to tithe of all his possessions. In addition to the Old Testament, tithing is mentioned in Matthew 23:23 and Hebrews 7:1-6 and referenced in 1Corinthians 9:11. Regarding the use of the tithe, the tithe should be used toward official ministry work. Buying Bibles for an outreach effort would be fine, but not for a private library. Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014

21


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Restoration Times Magazine March-April 2014


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