The Apostasy and Restoration

THE APOSTASY AND RESTORATION
By James Trimm

THE APOSTASY AND
RESTORATION

By James Trimm

Published by:

The Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim

PO Box 471

Hurst, TX 76053

http://www.wnae.org

2010 James Scott Trimm

Table of Contents

1 The Position of Nazarene Judaism 7

2 False Doctrines and Universal Apostasy 1 5

3 Prophecy of Restoration 35

4 Restoration of Semikhah 37

5 The Body: Its Plan and Organization 43

6 The Sin of Sectarianism 51

7 The Sealed Book Restored 55

8 More Books Restored 61

9 By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them 77

Chapter 1
The Position of Nazarene Judaism

There is a lot of talk these days about getting back to the "New
Testament Church." But the real truth is, there are two things the
"New Testament Church" did not have: A "New Testament" and a
"Church". The believers of the "New Testament Church" met in
synagogues (Acts 15:21; James 1:1; 2:2) and had no book known as
the "New Testament" because it had not been written and compiled
yet. Thus when a believer from the "New Testament Church" refered
to "The Scriptures" he was speaking of the Tanak ("Old Testament")
for they were the only Scriptures he had. Thus when Paul wrote to
Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished to all good works.
(2Tim. 3:16-17)

Paul was refering to the Tanak, the only Scriptures they had.
Moreover when Paul spoke to the Bereans in Acts 17: 1 1 we are told of
them:

These were more noble than those at Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the Scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.

Paul was saying that the Bereans were noble because they did not
believe what Paul said simply on the authority of Paul. They were
looking to see if what Paul was teaching could be found in the
Scriptures. Remeber, they were looking in the Tanak, the only
Scriptures they had at the time. Paul said that it was noble of them to
only accept his teaching if it lined up with the Tanak. That means that
whenever we study the New Testament we should ask ourselves this

question: "Can you get here from there?" (There being the Tanak). If
you think you understand something in the New Testament in such a
way that it contradicts the Tanak, then you need to realize that you are
misunderstanding it.

Yeshua (Jesus) came to be the Jewish Messiah of Judaism and not to
create a new religion. Now I know that within many Christian circles
there is a teaching that says that originally Judaism was the true faith
but that it has now been replaced by a new faith "Christianity" which
is now the true faith. This theology is totally counter to the teachings
of the "New Testament". The "New Testament" is plain in telling us
that there is one true faith (Eph. 4:5) which was given once and for all
time (Jude 1 :3). This means that the theology that claims that
Christianity is a true faith which has replaced Judaism which had been
the previous true faith is absolutely false! There is, according to the
"New Testament" itself ONE TRUE FAITH and it was ONLY GIVEN
ONCE. Christianity is to young to be that ONE true faith that was
ONCE given, that ONE true faith that was ONCE given therefore
MUST be Judaism!

The original believers in Yeshua were a Jewish sect known as
"Nazarenes" or in Hebrew "Netzarim" (Acts 24:5). The "church father"
Jerome (4th Cent.) described these Nazarenes as those "...who accept
Messiah in such a way that they do not cease to observe the old Law."
(Jerome; On. Is. 8:14).

Elsewhere he writes:

Today there still exists among the Jews in all the synagogues of
the East a heresy which is called that of the Minaeans,and
which is still condemned by the Pharisees; [its followers] are
ordinarily called 'Nazarenes'; they believe that Messiah, the son
of God, was born of the Virgin Miriam, and they hold him to
be the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate and ascended to
heaven, and in whom we also believe."
(Jerome; Letter 75 Jerome to Augustine)

The fourth century "church father" Epiphanius gives a more detailed
description:

But these sectarians... did not call themselves Christians—but
"Nazarenes," ... However they are simply complete Jews. They
use not only the New Testament but the Old Testament as well,
as the Jews do... They have no different ideas, but confess
everything exactly as the Law proclaims it and in the Jewish
fashion— except for their belief in Messiah, if you please! For
they acknowledge both the resurrection of the dead and the
divine creation of all things, and declare that Elohim is one,
and that his son is Yeshua the Messiah. They are trained to a
nicety in Hebrew. For among them the entire Law, the
Prophets, and the... Writings... are read in Hebrew, as they
surely are by the Jews. They are different from the Jews, and
different from Christians, only in the following. They disagree
with Jews because they have come to faith in Messiah; but
since they are still fettered by the Law— circumcision, the
Sabbath, and the rest— they are not in accord with Christians....
they are nothing but Jews.... They have the Goodnews
according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear
that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was
originally written.
(Epiphanius; Panarion 29)

There has been a great deal of confusion over the years over what the
"church" is. Some have taught that the Church is a new entity which
replaces Israel. Others have taught that the Church is a new body
which is totally independent of Israel. Still others have taught that the
Church and Israel are two different but overlapping entities. With all
of the misconceptions about the identity of the "Church" the time has
come to set the story straight and reveal what the "Church" really is.

The English word "Church" comes originally from the Old English
word KIRKE. The Old English word KIRKE was the word the Anglo-
Saxons used to refer to their pagan places of worship. When they
became Christianized the Anglo-Saxons continued to call their places
of worship KTRKES and as the language evolved "Churches". You
may have heard that the word "Church" originally referred to the
people and later came to refer to the building. This is not true. The
word "Church" originally referred to the building and later came to
refer to the people. Moreover the word "church" is of pagan origin

Now if you look up the English word "Church" in Webster's dictionary
you will find the following meanings:

1. a building set apart or consecrated for public worship, esp.
one for Christian worship.

2. All Christians as a whole.

3. A denomination of Christians.

In short a "church" is either a building or a group of Christians.

Now wherever we see the English word "church" in an English Bible
we would expect the underlying Greek word would be a Greek word
that also means "a group of Christians". Since the English uses such a
technical theological term one would expect that the Greek has also
used a technical theological term. But the reality is that the Greek
word that appears wherever the English has "church" is not a technical
theological term and DOES NOT mean "a group of Christians" at all.
That's right, a technical theological term of pagan origin meaning "a
group of Christians" has been inserted in your English Bible despite
the fact that the corresponding Greek word is not a technical
theological term and does not mean the same thing as the word
"Church".

The Greek word that appears where our English Bible's have "church"
is EKKLESIA. EKKLESIA is just the Greek word for "assembly".
Although it comes from a root meaning "to call out" there is no special
theological significance to this word. In fact this is the same Greek
word which was used for "assembly" by the classical Pagan Greek
writers. Inscriptions in ancient Greek auditoriums where pagan ritual
dramas were performed by the Bachus cult have the audience section
inscribed with the sign "EKKLESIA". This same Greek word
EKKLESIA is used throughout the Greek Septuagint translation of the
Tanak as the word for "assembly". There are also many places where
the Greek word EKKLESIA appears in the NT but which the KJV and
other translators did NOT translate the word as "church". This same
Greek word is even used in Acts 19:32-41 to describe an unruly mob,
yet here the translators suddenly translate
the word as "assembly" rather than "church".

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There is therefore no such thing as the "church" because the Greek
word translated "church" does not mean "church" at all but
"assembly".

There are some who claim that the "Church" was a new entity born in
Acts 2 at Pentecost of 32 C.E. . However if we examine the events of
Acts 2 we find that at that event persons were "added to" the "church"
(Acts 2:47) which means that the "church" had to have already existed
at that time. If we turn to Acts 7:38 we see that it speaks of Moses as
"he that was in the church in the wilderness". Certainly this "church"
could not have been a new "New Testament" entity.

While the term "church" is a mistranslation for a word simply meaning
"assembly", there is an entity which is commonly referred to as "The
Assembly" in the New Testament. Let us examine the Scriptures and
determine what the true identity of this "Assembly" is.

To begin with we must understand that this Assembly is also known as
the "Body of Messiah" as we read:

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he
might have the preeminence."
(Col. 1:18 -KJV)

"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the
head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."
(Eph. 1:22-23 -KJV)

Now one may ask what "Assembly" is the allegorical Messiah? To
find the answer to that question lets look at Matthew 2:14-15:

"When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by

night, and departed into Egypt:

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be

fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord

by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. "

(Matthew 2: 14-1 5 -KJV)

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Now here Matthew is citing a prophecy in Hosea 11:1 and applying it
to Messiah. Now let us go back and look at this prophecy in Hosea
11:1 in context:

"When Israel was a child, then I loved him,
and called my son out of Egypt."
(Hosea 11:1 -KJV)

Here Hosea is referring to Israel as the son who is called out of Egypt.
This points us back to a passage in the Torah:

"And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel

is my son, even my firstborn:

And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and

if thou refuse to let him go,

behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn."

(Ex. 4:22-23 - KJV)

From these two passages we learn that Israel is the firstborn son of
Elohim who is called out of Egypt. However in Matthew it is Yeshua
the Messiah who is called up out of Egypt and in Col. 1:18 Messiah is
the "firstborn". Moreover Hebrews speaks of the "church of the
firstborn" (Heb. 12:23 - KJV).

Thus Israel is allegorically equivalent to the Messiah. There are some
very important reasons for this allegorical relationship:

* Both are the "firstborn Son of Elohim".

* Both made a major impact on the world.

* Both were born through a biological miracle on their
mother's womb.

* Both were taken into Egypt to save their lives.

* Both were called up out of Egypt.

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* Both were despised and rejected by men.

* Rome attempted to destroy them both.

* Both are resurrected.

Thus Israel is the allegorical "Body of Messiah". Moreover in the
Tanak, Israel is commonly called "The Assembly of Israel" and
wherever the phrase "The Assembly of Israel" appears in the Tanak the
Greek LXX has "EKKLESIA of Israel".

The so-called "church" which is the "Body of Messiah" is in reality
"the Assembly of Israel". Yeshua did not come to create a new
religion, but to be Messiah of the old one. Wherever your English New
Testament refers to a "church" (i.e. a group of Christians) the Greek
has "EKKLESIA a term which commonly refers to the "Assembly of
Israel". The "Church" as most Christians have understood it never
existed. All of the passage people have thought were talking about the
"Church" were actually talking about the Assembly of Israel, not
Christianity, but the Nazarene sect of Judaism.

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Chapter 2
False Doctrines and Universal Apostasy

1 Now the Spirit plainly says that in the last times some men
shall depart from the faith and shall go after deceiving spirits
and after teachings of shadim,

2 those who deceive by false appearance and are speaking a
lie, and are seared in their conscience,

(ITimothy 4:1-2)

What does it mean "depart from the faith"? There is only one true
faith (Eph. 4:5) which was once and for all delivered (Jude 1 :3). In
fact that faith is inseparable from Torah:

Remove the false way from me,

and graciously grant me your Torah.

I have chosen the way of faith;

I have placed your ordinances before me.

(Psalm 119:29-30)

Now when he was on trial before Pilate Yeshua said:

37 Pilate said to him, Then are you a king? Yeshua said to
him, You have said that I am a king. I was born for this, and
for this I came into the world that I might testify concerning the
truth . Every man who is of the truth hears my voice.

38 Pilate said to him, What is truth? And after he had said
this he went out again to the Judeans and said to them, I do not
find even one fault in him.

(John 18:37-38)

To this Pilate asked the all important question:

What is truth?
(John. 18:38)

Let us look back to the Tanak to find the answer to Pilate's question:

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Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and your Torah is truth.
(Psalm 119:142)

You are near, O YHWH,

and all your commandments are truth.

(Psalm 119:151)

This definition explains many phrases in the New Testament:

"Obey the truth" (Gal. 3:1)

"But he that does truth..." (Jn. 3:20)

4 I rejoice greatly that I found some of your sons walking in
truth, as we have received commandment from the Father.
(2Jn. 1:4)

Yeshua came to bear witness of the Torah, those who hear the Torah
hear his voice. This leads us to another important saying from
Yeshua:

3 1 And Yeshua said to those Judeans who trusted in him, If
you will remain in my word, you are truly my talmidim.

32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.

(John 8:31-32)

Paul, however, speaks of those "who changed the truth of God into a
lie" (Rom. 1 :25) Now if Messiah came to bear witness of the truth
then what has HaSatan to bear witness to? The scriptures tell us:

44 You are from your father, the ' Akel Kartza. And you want
to do the lust of your father, who from the beginning killed
men and did not stand in the truth because the truth was not in
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from himself because he
is a liar, even its father.
(John 8:44)

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...HaSatan, who deceives the whole world...
(Rev. 12:9)

When HaSatan speaks a lie, he is merely speaking his native language.

Now if the Torah is truth, then what is HaSatan's lie? His lie is that
there is not a Torah, that the Torah has been done away with.

Now that we know what these terms "the faith" as opposed to "a lie"
mean lets look again at ITim. 4:1-2:

1 Now the Spirit plainly says that in the last times some men
shall depart from the faith and shall go after deceiving spirits
and after teachings of shadim,

2 those who deceive by false appearance and are speaking a
lie, and are seared in their conscience,

3 and forbid to marry, and require abstinence from foods
which Eloah created for use and for thanksgiving for those who
believe and know the truth;

4 because everything which was created by Eloah is good, and
there is not a thing which should be rejected, if it is received
with thanksgiving,

(ITimothy 4:1-2)

Now we can see that ITimothy 4:1-2 refers to a departure from the
Nazaerene faith of Torah to a new faith which is without the Torah.

Now lets look at 2Timothy 3:1-7:

1 But this know, that in the last days, difficult times will come.

2 And sons of men will be lovers of their nefeshot, and lovers
of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, those who are not
obedient to their parents, ungrateful, wicked,

3 slanderers, slaves to lust, cruel, haters of good,

4 betrayers, unrestrained, proud, lovers of lusts more than the
love of Eloah,

5 those who have the form of the awe of Eloah, but are far
removed from his power. Those who are thus thrust them out
from you.

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6 For from them are those who creep from house to house and
captivate women who are loaded down with sins and are led
away by various lusts,

7 who always are learning and are not ever able to come to the
knowledge of the truth.

Once again Paul writes to Timothy about a great apostasy, which he
associates with a lack of Torah observance by those "Who always are
learning and are not ever able to come to the knowledge of the truth".
Remember, the Torah is truth (Ps. 119:142, 151).

A few verses down Paul writes:

3 For the time will come when they will not hear sound
teaching, but according to their lusts, they will multiply
teachers to their nefeshot with the itching of their hearing,

4 And they will turn their ear from the truth, and they will
turn aside to myths.

(2Tim. 4:3-4)

Once again he associates this great apostasy with a rejection of the
Torah.

Kefa also speaks of this last days apostasy as follows:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring
in destructive sects, even denying the Adon who redeemed
them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of
whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

(2Kefa 2:1-2)

Then a little further down he writes:

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves
of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also
he is brought into bondage.
(2Kefa2:19)

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Remember we learned that the Torah is Truth (Ps. 119: 142) and that
Yeshua said:

3 1 And Yeshua said to those Judeans who trusted in him, If
you will remain in my word, you are truly my talmidim.

32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.

(John 8:31-32)

Therefore the Torah brings freedom. This is completely contrary to
what most people have been taught. The common wisdom is that the
Torah is bondage and that "freedom in Christ" means freedom from
Torah. However as we shall see the scriptures teach that exactly the
opposite is true.

The central story of Judaism is that of the Exodus from Egypt.
The children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt. Elohim promised to
bring them out of bondage and give them freedom. Upon leading the
children of Israel out of Egypt, YHWH led them to Mt. Sinai where he
delvered the Torah to them. Note that the theme of this central story is
that God promised freedom from bondage and gave the children of
Israel Torah. Now why would YHWH lead the people out of bondage
in Egypt, lead them to Mt. Sinai, and deliver them right back into
bondage again? And why would he at the same time promise them
freedom. God is no liar. He promised the people freedom and he gave
them Torah because the Torah is freedom from bondage. The Torah is
truth (Ps. 119: 142) and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).

This truth is proclaimed by the Psalmist:

So shall I keep your Torah continually forever and ever,
And I will walk in freedom: for I seek your precepts.
(Psalm 119:44-45)

As well as by Ya'akov HaTzadik (James the Just) who called the
Torah "the Torah of freedom" (James 1:25; 2:12).

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So as we look once again at 2Kefa:

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves
of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also
he is brought into bondage.
(2Kefa2:19)

Two entire books of the New Scriptures, 2Peter and Jude, are
dedicated to combating this apostate teaching. These books warn us of
men who will promise "freedom" but turn from the "holy
commandment" (the Law) (2Pt. 2:18-21) turning "the grace of our
God" into a license to sin (Jude 1:4, 14-18).

Now you may be saying to yourself: "Ok, so Christendom teaches
lawlessness, but don't the lawless teachers of 2Peter & Jude go so far
as to teach sexual immorality? Surely the lawless teachers of
Christendom would never use their "the Law is not for today" teaching
to promote sexual immorality." Wrong! Some of Christendom's
teachers have already carried the "the Law is not for today" reasoning
to its fullest and logical conclusion. A sect of Christendom known as
"The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches" has
published a tract which does just that. The nameless author of the tract
writes:

Another Scripture verse that is used

to show that the Bible condemns the gay lifestyle

is found in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, 18:22,

"Thou shalt not lie with a man as thou would with a

woman." Anyone who is concerned about this prohibition

should read the whole chapter or the whole Book of Leviticus:

No pork, no lobster, no shrimp, no oysters, no intercourse

during the menstrual period, no rare meats, no eating blood,

no inter-breeding of cattle, and a whole host of other laws,

including the law to kill all divorced people who remarry.

As Christians, our law is from Christ. St. Paul
clearly taught that Christians are no longer under the
Old Law (for example in Galatians 3:23-24);
that the Old Law is brought to an end in Christ
(Romansl0:4); and its fulfillment is in love

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(Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14). The New Law

of Christ is the Law of Love. Neither Jesus, nor Paul,

nor any of the New Testament Scriptures implies that

Christians are held to the cultic or ethical laws

of the Mosaic Law.

(Homosexuality; What the Bible Does and Does not Say;

Universal Fellowship press, 1984, p. 3)

Thus Christendom's teaching that "the Law is not for today" is already
being used to "turn the grace of our God into perversion." (Jude 1 :4;
see also 2Pt. 2:18-21)

The Scriptures forewarn us about a coming "apostasy":

3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because [it will
not come] except an apostasy should come first and the son of
man of sin be revealed, the son of destruction,
(2Thes. 2:3)

The scriptures abound with prophecies about this great apostasy.
We read in the Tanak:

1 1 Behold, the days come, says the Adonai YHWH, that I will
send a famy in the land, not a famy of bread, nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of YHWH.

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north
even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of
YHWH, and shall not find it.

(Amos 8:11-12)

Now just what is "The Word of YHWH"? In Isaiah we read:

...For the Torah will go out from Zion;
and the word of YHWH from Jerusalem.
(Isaiah 2:3)

Thus the "Word of YHWH" would seem to be the Torah.

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Micah writes:

5 Thus says YHWH concerning the prophets that make my
people to err; that cry: 'Peace', when their teeth have any thing
to bite; and whoso puts not into their mouths, they even prepare
war against him:

6 Therefore it shall be night unto you, that you shall have no
vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that you shall not divine;
and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall
be black over them.

7 And the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners
confounded; yes, they shall all cover their upper lips; for there
shall be no answer of Elohim.

1 1 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the cohanim
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for
money; yet will they lean upon YHWH, and say: 'Is not
YHWH in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us'?
(Micah 3:5-7, 11)

And Isaiah says:

1 Behold, YHWH makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants
thereof.

2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the cohen; as
with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with
her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the
lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the
debtor.

3 The earth shall be utterly emptied, and clean despoiled; for
YHWH has spoken this word.

4 The earth faints and fades away, the world fails and fades
away, the lofty people of the earth do fail.

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof;
because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute,
broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore has a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell
therein are found guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth
waste away, and men are left few.

(Is. 24:1-6)

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The authors of the "New Testament" also refer to this great apostasy:

1 1 And many false prophets will arise,
and will lead many astray.

12 And because apostasy will abound,
the love of many will wax cold.

(Mt. 24: 1 1-12 DuTillet Hebrew text)

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way,

because [it will not come] except

an apostasy should come first

and the son of man of Torah-less-ness be revealed,

the son of destruction ,

(2Thes. 2:3)

Now the spirit plainly says that in the last times

some men shall depart from the faith

and shall go after deceiving spirits

and after teachings of shadim,

Those who deceive by false appearance

and are speaking a lie,

and are seared in their conscience,

(ITimothy 4:1-2)

Paul also said to the Ephesians on his last visit to them:

I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will enter in among

you without mercy upon the flock.

And also from among you there will rise up men speaking

perverse things, so that they might turn away the talmidim

to follow after them.

(Acts 20:29-30)

Paul seems to indicate that after his death leaders would begin to rise
up from the overseers [Bishops] in his stead that would draw people to
follow themselves and draw them away from Torah. In fact Paul died
in 66 C.E. and the first overseer (Bishop) of Antioch to take office
after his death was Ignatius in 98 C.E.. Ignatius fulfilled Paul's words

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precisely. After taking the office of Bishop over Antioch Ignatius sent
out a series of epistles to other assemblies. His letters to the Ephesians,
Magnesians, Trallianns, Romans, Philadelphians and Smyrnaeans as
well as a personal letter to Polycarp overseer of Smyrnaea have
survived to us.

The Ancient Nazarene Historian and commentator Hegesippus (c. 180
CE) writes of the time immediately following the death of Shim'on,
who succeeded Ya'akov HaTzadik as Nasi of the Nazarene Sanhedrin
and who died in 98 CE:

Up to that period (98 CE) the Assembly had remained like a
virgin pure and uncorrupted: for, if there were any persons who
were disposed to tamper with the wholesome rule of the
proclaiming of salvation, they still lurked in some dark place of
concealment or other. But, when the sacred band of Emissaries
had in various ways closed their lives, and that generation of
men to whom it had been vouchsafed to listen to the inspired
Wisdom with their own ears had passed away, then did the
confederacy of godless error take its rise through the treachery
of false teachers, who, seeing that none of the emissaries any
longer survived, at length attempted with bare and uplifted
head to oppose the proclaiming of the truth by proclaiming
"knowledge falsely so called."

(Hegesippus the Nazarene; c. 185 CE; quoted by Eusebius in
Eccl. Hist. 3:32)

Hegisippus indicates the apostasy began the very same year that
Ignatious became bishop of Antioch!

Up until the time of Ignatius, matters of dispute that arose at Antioch
were ultimately referred to the Jerusalem Council (as in Acts 14:26-
15:2). Ignatius usurped the authority of the Jerusalem council,
declaring himself as the local bishop as the ultimate authority over the
assembly of which he was bishop, and likewise declaring the same as
true of all other bishops and their local assemblies. Ignatius writes:

. . .being subject to your bishop. . .

. . . run together according to the will of God.

Jesus. . . is sent by the will of the Father;

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As the bishops. . . are by the will of Jesus Christ.
(Eph. 1:9, 11)

. . .your bishop. . .1 think you happy who are so joined to him,
as the church is to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is to the
Father. . . Let us take heed therefore, that we not set ourselves
against the bishop, that we may be subject to God. . . .
We ought to look upon the bishop, even as we would
upon the Lord himself.
(Eph. 2:1-4)

...obey your bishop...
(Mag. 1:7)

Your bishop presiding in the place of God. . .
. . .be you united to your bishop. . .
(Mag. 2:5, 7)

. . .he. . . that does anything without the bishop. . .
is not pure in his conscience. . .
(Tral. 2:5)

. . Do nothing without the bishop.
(Phil. 2:14)

See that you all follow your bishop,
As Jesus Christ, the Father. . .
(Smy. 3:1)

By exalting the power of the office of bishop (overseer) and
demanding the absolute authority of the bishop over the assembly,
Ignatius was actually making a power grab by thus taking absolute
authority over the assembly at Antioch and encouraging other Gentile
overseers to follow suite.

Moreover Ignatius drew men away from Torah and declared the Torah
to have been abolished, not only at Antioch but at other Gentile
assemblies to which he wrote:

Be not deceived with strange doctrines;

25

nor with old fables which are unprofitable.
For if we still continue to live according to the Jewish Law,
we do confess ourselves not to have received grace. . .
(Mag. 3:1)

But if any one shall preach the Jewish law unto you,
hearken not unto him. . .
(Phil. 2:6)

It is also Ignatius who first replaces the Seventh Day Sabbath with
Sunday worship, writing:

...no longer observing sabbaths, but keeping the Lord's day
in which also our life is sprung up by him, and through
his death...
(Magnesians 3:3)

Having seceded from the authority of Jerusalem, declared the Torah
abolished and replacing the Sabbath with Sunday, Ignatius had created
a new religion. Ignatius coins a new term, never before used, for
this new religion which he calls "Christianity" and which he makes
clear is new and distict religion from Judaism. He writes:

let us learn to live according to the rules of Christianity, for
whosoever is called by any other name besides this, he is not of
God...

It is absurd to name Jesus Christ, and to Judaize.
For the Christian religion did not embrace the Jewish.
But the Jewish the Christian. . .
(Mag. 3:8, 11)

By the end of the first century Ignatius of Antioch had fulfilled
Paul's warning. He seceded from Judaism and founded a new religion
which he called "Christianity". A religion which rejected the
Torah, and replaced the Seventh Day Sabbath with Sunday Worship.

Now Paul's prophecy was being fulfilled. Gentile leaders were causing
men to follow after themselves and drawing people away from Torah,
and it was springing forth from the first Gentile assembly. The result

26

was the birth of a new Gentile religion that had effectively rebelled
against Torah based Judaism, a religion known as "Christianity".

Thus the Ancient Nazarene Historian and commentator Gish'fa
(Hegesippus) (c. 180 CE) writes of the time immediately following the
death of Shim'on, who succeeded Ya'akov HaTzadik (James the Just)
as Nasi of the Nazarene Sanhedrin and who died in 98 CE:

Up to that period (98 CE) the Assembly had remained like a virgin
pure and uncorrupted: for, if there were any persons who were
disposed to tamper with the wholesome rule of the preaching of
salvation, they still lurked in some dark place of concealment or
other. But, when the sacred band of Emissaries had in various ways
closed their lives, and that generation of men to whom it had been
vouchsafed to listen to the Godlike Wisdom with their own ears had
passed away, then did the confederacy of godless error take its rise
through the treachery of false teachers, who, seeing that none of the
apostles any longer survived, at length attempted with bare and
uplifted head to oppose the preaching of the truth by preaching
"knowledge falsely so called. "
(Hegesippus the Nazarene; c. 185 CE Eusebius; Eccl. Hist.3:32)

Gish'fa indicates the apostasy began the very same year that Ignatious
became bishop of Antioch!

CHRISTMAS

Following the great flood mankind attempted to centralize on the
plains of Shinar and built a city called Babel (Babylon and Babel are
the same word in Hebrew: Bavel). HaSatan immediately sought to
turn mankind away from the true Messiah by introducing a false
Messiah. HaSatan found the perfect tool, an ambitious woman named
Semeramis. She was the widow of Nimrod, "the mighty hunter before
YHWH" (Gen. 10:9) who had met with a violent death. Nimrod had
been deified as being a deliverer from the menace of wild animals.
Semeramis, seeking to perpetuate his worship and also to retain her
throne, deceived them into joyfully believing that by way of a
miraculous conception she had given birth to a son called Tammuz,
who was claimed to be Nimrod reincarnated. This woman with her

27

mamzer (illegitimate) child was thenceforth worshipped as "mother of
ELOHIM" (Madonna)-- "the queen of heaven."

This was the birth of the ancient Babylonian- Akkadian religion, the
fountainhead of all idolatry. Every form of paganism, can be traced to
this source.

Alexander Hislop, in his book. THE TWO BABYLONS, has clearly
documented that Christian worship is none other than the worship of
Nimrod and his wife, disguised Concerning the Christmas festival
Hislop writes:

The Christmas was originally a pagan festival is beyond all
doubt. The time of the year, the ceremonies with which it is
celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the
Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this
very time, about the time of the winter solstice. The very
name by which Christmas is popularly known among
ourselves— Yule day— proves at once its pagan and
Babylonian origin. "Yule" is the Chaldee name for "infant," or
"little child"; and as the 25th of December was called by our
pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors "Yule-day" or "the child's day",
and the night that preceded it, "Mother night", long before
they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently
proves its real character. Far and wide in the realms of
paganism was this birthday observed
(THE TWO BABYLONS; Alexander Hislop; p. 93)

It may be demonstrated that Yeshua was not born in the winter at all,
but during the Fall Feasts. Since YHWH has not in his Torah
authorized the celebration of Christmas, then where did it come from?
As early as the first century Paul was condemning those from the
Gentiles who were attempting to incorporate their old pagan "days,
and months and seasons and years" into their new faith (Gal. 4:8-11).
About the year 230 the Gentile Christian "Church Father" Tertullian
wrote:

By us [Gentile Christians] who are strangers to (Jewish)

Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, ...

the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and

28

Matronalia are now frequented, with gifts being carried to
and fro.

Since Tammuz was identified with Ba'al, the sun god, and since the
sun noticeably began to grow stronger at about the 25th of December,
at the winter solstice this season came to be celebrated as the rebirth of
Nimrod. The feast of Saturnalia, lasting about a week, was held at this
time.

Now it was the policy of Roman Catholicism to incorporate pagan
festivals into Christianity so as to bring in more converts.
Pope Gregory wrote to Augustine the first missionary to the British
Isles (C.E. 597):

Do not destroy the temples of the English gods; change them
to Christian churches. Do not forbid the "harmless" customs
which have been associated with the old religions;
consecrate them to Christian use.

Thus Rome retained a pagan form for "Xmas" but could not restrain its
pagan spirit— existing to this day.

Sir James Fraser in "The Golden Bough" writes:

Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate
the birthday of its founder on the 25th of December in
order to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the sun
to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness. If that was
so, there can be no intrinsic improbability in the conjecture
that motives of the same sort may have led the ecclesiastical
authorities to assimilate the Easter festival of the death and
resurrection of their Lord to the festival of the death and
resurrection of another Asiatic God which fell in the same
season.

The name "Christmas" appeared around 450 C.E. when Pope Julius
decreed that all Christians must observe the birth of Jesus at the same
time that the pagans were observing the Saturnalia, etc. It was then
called "Christe-masse", or Christ's mass.

29

The so-called "Christmas tree" had its origin in Babylonian religion,
The tree was used to represent Tammuz (a name meaning "branch" or
"sprout") HaSatan's counterfeit of "The Branch" (Hebrew: NETZER;
branch; shoot; sprout)-- Messiah, who was also prophetically called
"The Root out of dry ground" (Is. 11:1; 53:2; Jer. 23 :5; Zech. 6:12-
"Behold the man whose name is The Branch"). Ancient coins have
been found picturing a tree stump (representing dead Nimrod) and a
small tree growing nearby (Tammuz).

EASTER

The present variable time was appointed

by early Romanism in amalgamation with the very

ancient pagan spring festival to the goddess

of the spring. It was fixed on the Sunday

immediately following the 14th day of the

paschal moon which happened on or first

after the vernal equinox.

(Schaff-Herzog Ency. Of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 2, p. 682)

Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon name for the Babylonian goddess Ishtar .
The celebration of the Christian holiday "Easter" goes back to the
Pagan Babylonian spring festival also known as the Roman
Pagan festival Veneralia held on April 1st in honor of Venus , the
Romasn equivelant of the Greek Aphrodite who was the same as the
Babylonian Ishtar.

So-called "Lent" is of purely Babylonian origin. The word "Lent"
actually came from the Saxon word "Lenct", meaning "spring." Lent
began as the forty days of "weeping for Tammuz" (see Ezek. 8:13-14)
leading up to the spring equinox and the festival of Ishtar.

Tammuz was the supposed reincarnation of Ishtar' s (i.e. Semeramis')
husband (Nimrod). In the spring, his death and reappearance was
celebrated. A season of lamentation was followed by one day of joy at
the rising of the sun at the spring equinox (as in Ezek. 8:15-18)
with the Isthar sunrise service:

30

15 Then said He unto me: 'Have you seen this, O son of man?
you shall again see yet greater abominations than these.'

16 And He brought me into the inner court of YHWH's house,
and, behold, at the door of the temple of YHWH, between the
porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their
backs toward the temple of YHWH, and their faces toward the
east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

17 Then He said unto me: 'Have you seen this, O son of man?
Is it a light thing to the House of Y'hudah that they commit the
abominations which they commit here in that they fill the land
with violence, and provoke Me still more, and, behold, they
have put the branch to their nose.

18 Therefore will I also deal in fury; My eye shall not spare,
neither will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a
loud voice, yet will I not hear them.'

Ishtar (the queen of heaven) was worshipped with nice fluffy cakes
(Jer. 7:18; 44: 17-19) today's hot-cross buns. By contrast Passover
which occurs at about the same time is observed with unleavened
bread. In fact Easter eggs and Easter bunnies are both fertility
symbols associated with the fertility goddess Ishtar.

Notice that Ishtar worship was a big family event for the children:

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 to other gods, that

they may provoke me to anger,

(Jer. 7:18; 44:17-19)

The custom of wearing new clothes at Easter also seems to be the
antipathy of Passover during which traveling clothes are to be worn
(Ex. 12:11).

STEEPLES

The steeple originates from the vile phallic worship referred to in Isa.
57:5-8 and Ezek. 16:17. The "groves" connected with "high places"

31

that Israel so frequently "went whoring with" (Ps. 106:28-39) were the
images and places where these "queen of heaven" festivals were
carried on. The word "groves," found forty times in the KJV English,
comes from the Hebrew word asherah and is always associated with
the worship of Ashtoreth, alias Ishtar, Eostre, the goddess of spring,
Easter. This phalic worship often involved the use of phalic symbols
(seeEzek. 16:17). Egyptian obelisks are just such phalic symbols.
Today many churches are also topped with these Babylonian phalic
symbols known today as "steeples".

CROSSES, DOVES AND FISHES

Tammuz (Ezek. 8:14) also called Dumuzi was the Sumerian and
Babylonian Akkadian name for the Phoenician god Ba'al Shamin .
Ba'al Shamin (the Lord of Heaven) originated in Canaanite culture as
Ba'al (Lord) so often mentioned in the Bible. Ba'al also appears in the
Babylonian pantheon as Bel . Which was also a title of the Babylonian
god Marduk called in Hebrew Merodach . One of the Biblical titles of
Ba'al was "Ba'al Gad" (pronounced Ba'al Gawd or Ba'al God) (Josh.
11:17; 12:7; 13:5). Ba'al Gad (the Lord God) is also listed in the
Encyclopedia of Gods as a Western Semetic god.

According to the Encyclopedia of Gods:

He is the first "dying-and-rising" god
to be historically recorded by name...
He is commanded by Inana [Ishtar] to
enter the underworld for a period each
year, which accounts for the seasonal
demise of the green world to drought.
... as late as biblical times there are
references to women "weeping for Tammuz".

Ba'al also is said to have died, descended into the underworld and been
restored

The Greek version of the Babylonian god Tammuz was Adonis.
Adonis was synonymous with the Phonecian diety Adon (lord) .
Regarding Adonis the Encyclopedia of Gods say:

32

Adonis is modeled on the Mesopotamian dying
vegitarian god Dumuzi (Hebrew: Tammuz)...
Tradition has it that he was killed... and is
condemned to the underworld for six months
of each year, during which the earth's vegetation
parches and dies under the Summer sun and drought.
He was honored in a spring festival...

The first letter in Tammuz is the Semitic letter TAW which appeared
in Canaanite script as a cross. As a result Tammuz was often
worshiped with the symbol of the cross.

Thus Tammuz was also known as Adon (Lord); Ba'al (Lord); "Ba'al
Shamin" (The Lord of Heaven) and Ba'al Gad (The Lord God). He
died, descended into the underworld and was resurrected. His
resurrection was celebrated with a spring festival and he was
worshipped with the symbol of the cross.

Dagon is mentioned as the god of the Philistines in Judges 16:23;
ISam. 5:2-7 and IChron. 10:10. Dagon (Strong's # 1712) means "fish-
god" and is taken from DAG (Strong's # 1709 "fish"). According to
the Encyclopedia of Gods Dagan (Dagon) was a grain and fertility god
and the father of Ba'al. His attributes included a fish tail. Thus the
father of Ba'al was worshiped with the symbol of the fish.

Ishtar was the Babylonian equivalent of the Sumarian goddess Inan
who was the consort of Tammuz . She was known to the Greeks as
Aphrodite and to the Romans as Venus and worshipped her with the
symbol of the dove. She was known to the Amorites, Canaanites and
Phonecians as Asherah . The Phonecians also called her Astarte the
consort of Ba'al Shamin . Her festival was the Roman feast of
Veneralia on April 1st . This corresponded to the Babylonian Spring
Equinox festival of Ishtar also called "Easter" still observed today.

33

34

Chapter 3
Prophecy of Restoration

Despite all of these prophecies of a universal apostasy and their
fulfillment, there are also prophecies of a great restoration in the last
days. An amazing time is at hand! Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled.
A major prophetic event that the Scriptures state will occur before the
return of Messiah, is just about ready to occur, in fact it is happening
right now! We read in the Book of Baruch (in the Apocrypha):

. . . but in the land of their captivities they shall remember
themselves. And shall know that I am YHWH their Elohim: for
I will give them a heart, and ears to hear: And they shall praise
me in the land of their captivity, and think upon my name, And
return from their stiff neck, and from their wicked deeds: for
they shall remember the way of their fathers, which sinned
before YHWH. And I will bring them again into the land which
I promised with an oath unto their fathers, Avraham,
Yitzchak, and Ya'akov, and they shall be masters of it: and I
will increase them, and they shall not be diminished. And I will
make an everlasting covenant with them to be their Elohim,
and they shall be my people: and I will no more drive my
people of Israel out of the land that I have given them.
(Barukh (Baruch) 2:30-35)

Baruch tells us that while still in the land of our captivity Elohim' s
people will have a great awakening. Notice this happens shortly
before YHWH brings them back into the Land, shortly before they are
gathered together on the four winds and return to the Land (Is. 11:12;
Deut. 30:4; Zech. 2:6) at the return of Messiah (Mt. 24:27-31). This
Last Days restoration of truth is also mentioned in the Book of Enoch:

And thereafter, in the Seventh Week, a perverse generation
shall arise. And many shall be its misdeeds and all its doings
shall be apostate. And at its close the elect shall be chosen,
as witnesses to righteousness, from the eternal plant of
righteousness, to whom shall be given seven-fold wisdom and
knowledge. And they will uproot the foundations of

35

oppression, And the structure of falsehood therein to destroy it

utterly.

(Enoch 93:9-11)

Yes, after the apostasy takes hold, then a restoration will take place.
This restoration will derive from the "plant of righteousness",
YHWH's cultivated olive tree (see Romans 11) and have seven-fold
wisdom and knowledge, a profound enlightenment in understanding
the Word of Elohim and tear down the false doctrines and customs of
the apostasy.

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Chapter 4
Restoration of Semikhah

Semikhah is derived from a Hebrew word which means to is a Hebrew
word referring to the laying on of hands and which is commonly used
to refer to "authority" or "ordination". This word commonly refers to
the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. Smikhah is the transmission
of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment concerning the Torah
and only someone who had semikhah was authorized to give religious
and legal decisions (b.San. 5b). Semikhah is a system of ordination
that according to tradition, traces its line of authority back to Moses
and the seventy elders.

According to the Torah, Moses ordained Joshua through semikhah:

1 5 And Moshe spoke unto YHWH, saying,

16 Let YHWH, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, set a man
over the assembly,

17 Who may go out before them, and who may come in before
them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in:
that the assembly of YHWH be not as sheep which have no
shepherd.

18 And YHWH said unto Moshe: Take you Yahushua the son
of Nun, a man in whom is spirit, and lay your hand upon him.

19 And set him before El'azar the cohen and before all the
assembly, and give him a charge in their sight.

20 And you shall put of your honor upon him, that all the
assembly of the children of Yisra'el may hearken.

21 And he shall stand before El'azar the cohen, who shall
inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before YHWH. At
his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in:
both he, and all the children of Yisra'el with him, even all the
assembly.

22 And Moshe did as YHWH commanded him. And he took
Yahushua and set him before El'azar the cohen, and before all
the assembly.

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as
YHWH spoke by the hand of Moshe.

(Num 27:15-23 HRV)

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And Yahushua, the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom,
for Moshe had laid his hands upon him. And the children of
Yisra'el hearkened unto him, and did as YHWH
commanded Moshe.
(Deuteronomy 34:9 HRV)

Moses also ordained the 70 elders (Num 1 1 : 16-25) And the elders
later ordained their successors in the same way. Their successors in
turn gave semikhah others. The chain of semikhah thru laying on of
hands continued and at least until the time of Hillel II.

After the Bar Kokhba revolution was put down by Rome in 132-135
CE, and the emperor Hadrian sought to end to the Sanhedrin.
According to the Talmud, Hadrian decreed that anyone giving or
accepting semikhah was to be killed and the city in which the it took
place would be destroyed, and all crops within a mile of the event
were to be destroyed. The line of succession was saved by Rabbi
Yehuda ben Bava's martyrdom: he took no other rabbis with him, and
five students of the recently martyred Rabbi Akiva, to a mountain pass
far from any settlement or farm, and this one Rabbi ordained all five
students.

R. Aha the son of Raba, asked R. Ashi: Is ordination effected
by the literal laying on of hands? — [No,] he answered; it is by
the conferring of the degree: He is designated by the title of
Rabbi and granted the authority to adjudicate cases of kenas.31

Cannot one man alone ordain? Did not Rab Judah say in Rab's
name: 'May this man indeed be remembered for blessing — his
name is R. Judah b. Baba; were it not for him, the laws of
kenas would have been forgotten in Israel.' Forgotten? Then
they could have been learned. But (13b) these laws might have
been abolished; because once the wicked Government
[Hadrian], decreed that whoever performed an ordination
should be put to death, and whoever received ordination should
he put to death, the city in which the ordination took place
demolished, and the boundaries wherein it had been performed,
uprooted. What did R. Judah b. Baba do? He went and sat
between two great mountains, [that lay] between two large

38

cities; between the Sabbath boundaries of the cities of Usha
and Shefaram and there ordained five elders: viz., R. Meir, R.
Judah, R. Simeon, R. Jose and R. Eliezer b. Shamua'. R. Awia
adds also R. Nehemia in the list. As soon as their enemies
discovered them he [R.J.b.B.] urged them: 'My children, flee.'
They said to him, 'What will become of thee, Rabbi?' 'I lie
before them like a stone which none [is concerned to]
overturn,' he replied. It was said that the enemy did not stir
from the spot until they had driven three hundred iron spear-
heads into his body, making it like a sieve. — With R. Judah b.
Baba were in fact some others, but in honour to him, they were
not mentioned.
(b.San. 13b)

We do in fact see this doctrine represented among the ancient
Nazarenes. Paul advises Timothy "Do not quickly lay a hand upon a
man" (ITim. 5:22).

This discussion is not complete without mentioning an incident in
which Yeshua was questioned about His authority. This was his reply:

23 And when He had come to the Temple, the Chief Cohenim
and the elders of the people approached Him as He was
teaching, saying, By what authority do you these things? And
who gave you this authority?

24 And Yeshua answered and said to them: I also will ask you
this thing, which if you tell me, I in like wise will tell you, by
what means I do what I am doing.

25 The immersion of Yochanan~of where was it: of Heaven,
or of men? And they reasoned with themselves and said, If we
shall say, Of Heaven, He will say to us, Why did you not
believe him?

26 But if we shall say, Of men, we fear the crowd: for
Yochanan was in the eyes of all as a prophet.

27 And they answered and said to Yeshua, We know not. And
He also said to them: And neither tell I you, by what means I
do these things.

(Matt. 21:23-27 HRV)

39

The Pharisees challenge Yeshua as to where his semikhah, or
authority comes from. Yeshua responds by asking them about where
Yochanan's authority came from. Yeshua was not evading their
question. Yeshua was raising this point because Yeshua' s earthly
authority (semikhah) came from Yochanan (Jn. 1:6-8, 15, 26-27, 29-
37) and Yochanan's authority was from an Esseness rather than a
Pharisaic source. Thus Yeshua' s semikhah traced back through
Yochanan to the Essene line of semikhah. Yeshua was putting the
Pharisses in the position of either acknowledging Essene Halachic
authority or declaring it to be false. It would appear that the Pharisees
were hesitant to question the semikhah of a sect that was known for
being even stricter on observance than they were.

This doctrine parallels the Catholic doctrine of "Apostolic Succession"
which teaches that they have a succession of authority from the first
century to the present day. This Apostolic Authority was the spiritual,
ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that
was supposedly passed by succession and conferred upon them
through the Apostles, who in turn received their spiritual authority
from Messiah. The Catholic and Apostolic Churches are the
predominant proponents of this doctrine, claiming to have an unbroken
chain of ordinations stemming from the Apostles.

Protestants take a very different approach to the "authority of the
Church", generally taking the view that their authority is derived not
by succession from Moses of the Apostles, but from the Bible. The
Reformer Calvin expresses this view plainly:

"This, then, is the difference. Our opponents (speaking of the
Roman Catholic Church) locate the authority of the Church
outside God's Word, that is, outside of Scripture and Scripture
alone. But we insist that it be attached to the Word and to not
allow it to be separated from it. And what wonder if Christ's
bride and pupil be subject to her spouse and teacher so that she
pays constant and careful attention to His words. For this is the
arrangement of a well-governed house. The wife obeys the
husband's authority. This is the plan of a well-ordered school,
that there the teaching of the schoolmaster alone should be
heard. For this reason the Church should not be wise of itself,
should not devise anything of itself but should set the limit of

40

its own wisdom where Christ has made an end of speaking. In

this way the Church will distrust all the devisings of its own

reason. But in those things where it rests upon God's Word the

Church will not waiver with any distrust or doubting but will

repose in great assurance and firm constancy."

(Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume 1, Chapter

VIII)

The problem with Protestantism is that they cannot quite point to
where the Bible actually gives them "the authority of the Church",
they simply point to the Scriptures in general and not to a specific
passage that gave them authority.

Now the original authority of Nazarene Judaism was the Assembly of
Elders and Emissaries (Acts 15) which had received its authority from
Yeshua(Matt. 16:17-19; 18:15-20). However this Assembly
disappeared around the fourth century with the passing of organized
Nazarene Judaism.

If prophecy is fulfilled and there is to be a restoration from the great
apostasy, there must of necessity be a restoration of semikhah as well.
Elohim's Assembly cannot be in chaos. YHWH is not an author of
confusion (ICor. 14:33) that He desires that everything be done on a
decent and orderly manner (ICor. 14:40). How then, in the
restoration, is the authority to govern the Assembly of Yahweh
restored? How is SEMIKHAH restored to the earth?

The answer is to be found in the Torah itself. As Nazarene Judaism
was reorganized and restored, and non-selective Torah Observance
implemented among the restored Nazarene Community, the
International Nazarene Beit Din was established in obedience to the
Torah:

Judges and officers shall you make you in all your gates, which
YHWH your Elohim gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall
judge the people with righteous judgment.
(Deut. 16:18)

In 1996 prophecy was fulfilled and SEMIKHAH was restored with the
re-establishment of the International Nazarene Beit Din. It is

41

important to note that establishing the International Nazarene Beit Din
was not optional, it was in obedience to the Torah. Nazarene Judaism
did not choose to establish an International Nazarene Beit Din,
Nazarene Judaism was required by Torah, in the absence of such a
governing body, to re-establish it to the earth. The Scripture was the
authority, and specifically Deut. 16:18 was the authority and according
to the Mishna and Talmud, SEMIKAH can be given by a Beit Din of a
minimum of three Elders (m.Sanhedrin 1:3; b.San. 13b).

42

Chapter 5
The Body and its Plan of Organization

Many proclaim that they are uncomfortable with "organized religion".
Yet Scripturally we all know that YHWH is not an author of confusion
(ICor. 14:33) that He desires that everything be done on a decent and
orderly manner (ICor. 14:40).

We know that built into the Torah was a structure of order. Moses "sat
and judged" (Ex. 18:13), established lower Assemblies of Elders on
the tribal levels (Ex. 18:13-27) and a Great Assembly of 70 Elders
(Num. 1 1 : 16f). The Torah lays out a whole system for the functioning
of these bodies (Deut. 16:18-17:13; 19:15-21).

The early Nazarenes likewise were structured with an "Assembly" of
"Emissaries and Elders" (Acts 15:4) and a structure of leadership:

Listen to the voice of your teachers and submit your neshomot

like they must give an account to Him for you,

that they may do this with joy and not in grief

for this is not profitable to you.

(Heb. 13:17 HRV)- See also IThes. 5:12-13

In fact the Matthew 18: 15-20 process which is key to guaranteeing
Nazarenes due process and protecting us from religious Overlords, is
founded on, and requires the existence of this structure with an
Assembly with the power to "bind and loose".

As much as some are distrustful of organized religion, our Nazarene
forefathers did not live in a sort of religious anarchy. A restoration of
the ancient sect of the Nazarenes ultimately must include a restoration
of the ancient Nazarene governing structures.

There is only one Body of Messiah (ICor. 12:12-13; Rom. 12:5) and
we are obligated to endeavor to keep the unity of the Body in the bond
of peace (Eph. 4:4). The unity of the Assembly of Elohim is absolutely
a priority to YHWH (Rom. 12:5; ICor. 1:10; 12:12-13; Eph. 4:1-6 &
Un. 1:7).

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In fact the Scriptures tell us that dividing the Assembly of Elohim into
sects and factions is a "work of the flesh" comparable to murder and
idolatry (Gal. 5:20; ICor. 1:10-13; 3:3; 11:7-18 and 2Pt. 2:1)

In fact we are specifically told to disfellowship those who "cause
divisions" from the Assembly:

Now I beseech you, brothers, mark them which cause divisions
and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned;
and avoid them.
(Rom. 16:17)

But Matthew 18: 15-20 makes it clear that disfellowshipment can only
occur after a process which involves bringing witnesses before the Beit
Din.

The logic is inescapable. Endeavoring to the unity of the Assembly of
Elohim sometimes requires the unpleasant task of disfellowshiping
those who engage in the sin of sectarianism. Disfellowshiping such
persons requires a Matthew 18: 15-20 process. And a Matthew 18:15-
20 process requires leadership structure, an Assembly of Elders with
the power to bind and loose.

Many leadership structures have been proposed by Christian Churches
over the centuries but few if any of them truly reflect the leadership
structure of the ancient sect of the Nazarenes.

After years of research and study I am now ready to lay out the
following reconstruction of the ancient Nazaerene leadership structure.
This reconstruction is based on studying the Scriptures in their original
language and interpreting them in light of what we know of Second
Temple Era Judaism from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mishna, Talmud etc.

Of course the head of the Body is the Messiah (Col. 1:18; 2:10-19) but
under his headship we have earthly leaders to help maintain the unity
of the Body:

1 1 And He gave some: emissaries, and some prophets, and
some proclaimers, and some pastors, and some teachers,

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12 For the perfecting of the Set-Apart-Ones: for the work of
the service; for the edification of the body of the Messiah,

13 Until all of us become one and the same, in the trust and in
the knowledge of the Son of Eloah: and one complete man,
according to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the
Messiah.

14 And we should not be infants, who are shaken and turned
about by every wind of the deceitful teachings of the sons of
men, who by their craftiness are plotting to deceive:

15 But we should be steadfast in our love, that [in] everything
we may grow up in the Messiah, who is the head.

16 And from Him the whole body is fit together, and is tied
together in all the joints, according to the gift that is given by
measure to each member, for the growth of the body,

that its edification might be accomplished in love.
(Eph. 4:11-16)

Note that the leadership structure is key to the unity of the Body. How
did this leadership structure work?

The leadership structure under the headship of Messiah was lead by a
pair of men. In the Mishna this pair was called a ZUG ("pair"). In the
Torah the pair were Moses and Aharon. In the Mishna the pair occupy
two offices: NASI and AV BEIT-DIN. The pair give testimony to the
headship of Messiah following the Torah principle of a matter being
established by two or more witnesses (Deut. 19:15).

The Nasi ("president") occupied the "seat of Moses" ("Moses sat and
judged" (Ex. 18:13), he served as Overseer General or Pastor General
of the Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim. In fact the ancient
Nazarenes may simply have refered to this office as MEVAKAR
"Overseer"). The Nasi shall guide the community. The Nasi would
feed (teach) and protect the sheep, however he did not have the power
to disfellowship individuals from the community (that power shall rest
solely with the Great Nazaerene Sanhedrin). He was the highest-
ranking member and president of the Great Nazarene Sanhedrin He
would preside over meetings of the Great Nazarene Sanhedrin and
have the tie breaking vote in that body. Among the original Nazarenes
Ya'kov HaTzadik seems to have first occupied this office. After the
death of Yeshua, the Nazarenes recognized his brother James the Just

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as legal heir to the throne of David. For this reason the Nazarenes
recognized James the Just as the Nasi of their Nazarene Sanhedrin
(Acts 15). This is evident because there is scarecely any mention of
James the Just prior to Yeshua's death, however very early on he
became leader of the Nazarene movement (Actsl2:17; 15:13-29;
21:18-26 & Gal. 1:19; Eusebius Eccl. Hist. 2:23). According to the
Apocryphal Goodnews of Thomas, it was Yeshua himself who named
James the Just as their new leader:

The students said to Yeshua: "We know you will leave us.
Who is going to be our leader then?" Yeshua said to them: "No
matter where you reside, you are to go to James the Just, for
whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
(Goodnews of Thomas saying 12)

AV BEIT-DIN (Father of the Beit Din) - The Av Beit-Din jointly
guided the Assembly under the Nasi. The Av Beit-Din also fed (teach)
and protected the sheep, he also did not have the power to
disfellowship individuals from the community (that power rests solely
with the Great Nazarene Sanhedrin). He was the second-highest
ranking member of the Great Nazarene. He would preside over the
Sanhedrin in the absence of the Nasi, and was the chief justice of the
Sanhedrin when it sits as a criminal court. He also served as the
Sergeant of Arms of the Great Nazarene Sanhedrin. Since he
controlled who came and went from the meeting chamber, he was said
to hold the "keys". Because of this, and the major role he plays in the
meeting in Acts 15, it is apparent that Kefa (Peter) was the first Av
Beit-Din of the Nazarene Sanhedrin (Mt. 16:18-19; Acts 15:7). Notice
in Acts 15:7 Kefa brings the room to order "when there had been much
disputing" and presents the case (the traditional role of the Av Beit
Din) while Ya'akov HaTzadik delivers the verdict (Acts 15:13-21).

THE GREAT NAZARENE SANHEDRIN

This was made of a council of seventy elders plus the Nasi. This
council is parallel to that of the seventy elders plus Moses described in
the Torah (Num. 1 1 : 16f). The Pharisaic version of this body is
described in the Talmud as follows:

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It has been taught; R. Jose said; Originally there were not many
disputes in Israel, but one Beth din of seventy-one members sat
in the Hall of Hewn Stones, and two courts of twenty -three sat,
one at the entrance of the Temple Mount and one at the door of
the [Temple] Court, and other courts of twenty -three sat in all
Jewish cities. If a matter of inquiry arose, the local Beth din
was consulted. If they had a tradition [thereon] they stated it; if
not, they went to the nearest Beth din. If they had a tradition
thereon, they stated it, if not, they went to the Beth din situated
at the entrance to the Temple Mount; if they had a tradition,
they stated it; if not, they went to the one situated at the
entrance of the Court, and he [who differed from his
colleagues] declared, Thus have I expounded, and thus have
my colleagues expounded; thus have I taught, and thus have
they taught.' If they had a tradition thereon, they stated it, and if
not, they all proceeded to the Hall of Hewn Stones, where they
[i.e., the Great Sanhedrin] sat from the morning tamid until the
evening talmid; on Sabbaths and festivals they sat within the
hel. The question was then put before them: if they had a
tradition thereon, they stated it; if not, they took a vote: if the
majority voted 'unclean' they declared it so; if "clean' they
ruled even so. But when the disciples of Shammai and Hillel,
who [sc. the disciples] had insufficiently studied, increased [in
number], disputes multiplied in Israel, and the Torah became as
two Toroth. From there [the Hall of Hewn Stones] documents
were written and sent to all Israel, appointing men of wisdom
and humility and who were esteemed by their fellowmen as
local judges. From there [sc. the local Beth din] they were
promoted to [the Beth din of] the Temple Mount, thence to the
Court, and thence to the Hall of Hewn Stones,
(b. Sanhedrin 88b)

Now you will note that the so-called "Jerusalem Council" in Acts 15
consisted of a joint meeting of two councils, "the emissaries and the
elders". So next we will discuss the Assembly of Emissaries.

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THE ASSEMBLY OF EMISSARIES

Twelve Emissaries corresponding intentionally with the twelve tribes
(Rev. 21:12-14) often known simply as "The Twelve" (ICor. 15:5).

The office of Emissary is in Hebrew SHALIACH, meaning: Envoy,
Legate, Emissary ,Deputy, or Agent (it is commonly translated
"Apostle"). The office of SHALIACH is Judaism refers to one who is
empowered to act legally on behalf of the person or body which
dispatched him. A SHALIACH acts with a sort of "power of
attorney" for whom he represents. The Twelve would have been an
administrative body which was empowered to act on behalf of YHWH
and His Assembly in logistical matters. Not only might they deal in
practical matters such as buying and selling property, but they also
acted as traveling representatives of the Assembly acting as prophets,
teachers, proclaimers, and shepherds. As such they also oversee
matters of doctrine in the community, just as the Assembly of
Elders oversees matters of halacha.

The Twelve were a trim streamlined administrative body. They were
appointing Overseers to establish local Assemblies is implied by the
fact that they often traveled and planted new Congregations in various
parts of the world.

This body had a parallel in the Essene community in the body known
as the ETZAT HA-YACHAD (Assembly of the Union/Community):

In the Assembly of the Union there shall be twelve men

and three priests who are blameless in the light of all

that has been revealed from the whole Law, so as to

work truth, righteousness, justice, loving-kindness,

and humility, one with another. They are to preserve faith

in the land with self-control and a broken spirit . . .

when such men as these come to be in Israel,

then shall the Assembly of the Union truly be established,

an "eternal planting" . . .

(Manual of Discipline; 1QS 8:lf)

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The process for replacing members of this Assembly is recorded in
Acts chapter one. The remaining Emissaries nominate two candidates
and a final decision is determined by casting lots.

Note that the Essene ETZAT HA-YACHAD was made up of "twelve
men and three priests" and it is unclear whether these were twelve men
plus three priests, or twelve men, three of whom were priests.

This does have an amazing parallel with the Nazarene Assembly of
Emissaries. Three of the Emissaries: Kefa, Ya'akov and Yochanan
were often singled out by Yeshua for special attention, taken aside by
Yeshua for special instruction (for example Mt. 17:1; 26:37; Mk. 5:37
etc.) these three are called by Paul "three pillars" (Gal. 2:9). Thus three
of the Assembly of Twelve served as the "Three Pillars".

THE THREE PILLARS

Clearly "Kefa, Ya'akov and Yochanan" of old (Mt. 17:1; 26:37; Mk.
5:37; Gal. 2:9) had a special role in leading the community. They were
often singled out by Messiah as a sort of special inner circle (Mt. 17:1;
26:37; Mk. 5:37) and formed "the Pillars". According toe the Mishna
(m.San. 1:3) and Talmud (b.San. 13b) the laying on of hands to give
S'MIKHA ("authority") to teach, was given by a court of three judges.
It is no accident that Paul went to these three pillars to receive "the
right hand of fellowship. . . that we proclaim among the goyim" (Gal.
2:9). These three pillars seemed to have the function of S'MIKHA and
the power to approve appointments made by the Nasi.

LOCAL LEADERSHIP

On the local level there was a similar leadership structure.

MEVAKAR (Overseer) or "Pastor/Shepherd" he would the local
congregation, feed the sheep and protects them from wolves. The
Mevakar did not have the power to disfellowship.

COUNCIL OF ELDERS - The local council ideally had twenty-three
seats including the Overseer who would preside over its meetings. The

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council had to have at least three seats filled in order to function. Any
decision of this council may be appealed to the Great Nazarene
Sanhedrin, however the Av Beit Din would determine which cases
would be heard by that body.

SHAMISH - This office was held by any volunteer appointed by the
Overseer to assist in the logistics of running the local congregation (as
depicted in Acts 6:1-5). Ideally each congregation would have seven.

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Chapter 6
The Sin of Sectarianism

Now I beseech you, brothers, mark them which cause divisions
and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned;
and avoid them.
(Rom. 16:17)

One of the most under recognized and most serious sins is the sin of
division of the Assembly.

In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul gives a list of the "works of the flesh":

19 For the works of the flesh are known, which are:
fornication, uncleanness, perversion,

20 worship of idols, magic, animosity, contention, over
zealousness, anger, insolence, FACTIONALISM,
SECTARIANISM,

21 envy, murder, drunkenness and reveling, and all that are
similar to these.

(Gal. 5:19-21)

Notice the last two items in verse 20: "factionalism" and
"sectarianism". We will discuss exactly what these two words mean in
a moment, but notice that Paul lists them on a par with such sins as
"fornication", "worship of idols" and "murder".

In the Greek text these two words are "hairesis" (Strong's Gk 139) and
"dichostasia" (Strong's 1370).

The Greek word "hairesis" means "a party or disunion". The NAS and
NIV versions translate this word to mean "factions" the RSV has
"party spirit" the NEB has "party intrigues", Beck has divisions". The
TEV has "They Separate into parties and groups." The Complete
Jewish Bible has "factionalism" while ISR has "dissensions."

The word that appears in the Original Aramaic here is SEDAKA.
Jastro defines this word as "split, slit, rent" The Syriac Dictionary

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(Lewis) has "a rent, tear, division, schism, sect" while the Lexicon to
the Syriac New Testament (Jennings) has "a rent, tear, rupture,
schism" from the root meaning "rived, split asunder, tore". Murdock
and the Way version have "discords"

The Greek word "dichostasia" means "disunion, dissention, division,
sedition". The NIV, NAS and RSV translate the word "dissention(s)
the Complete Jewish Bible has "intrigue". ISR has "factions".

The word that appears here in the original Aramaic is P'LUGGOTA
(Aramaic cognate of Strong's Heb. 6392) meaning "divisions" as
Murdock translates the word "divisions". The Way version has
"divisions"

These last two words in Gal. 5:20 each refer to those who split
congregations and divide them! And Paul counts this as a "work of the
flesh" along with fornication, idol worship and murder!

Paul writes to the Corinthians:

"for you are in the flesh. For there are among you, envy and
contention and FACTIONS, (P'LUGGOTA) are you not carnal
and walking in the flesh? For when each man of you says, I am
of Paul and another says, I am of Apollos, are you not carnal?"
(ICor. 3:3-4)

Kefa writes:

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly
bring in destructive sects (Gk: hairesis = Aramaic sedaka). . . "
(2Kefa2:l)

This could also be translated "bring in destructive DIVISIONS".

And Paul warns the Romans to "beware of those who cause
DIVISIONS (P'LUGGOTA)" (Rom. 16:17)

Dividing up the Assembly of Elohim into factions is a very serious sin.

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It is Elohim's desire that his people be at unity. When Yeshua was
speaking to his talmidim over his last earthly Passover sader, he took
the time to specifically pray for the unity of the believers

17 Father, sanctify them by your truth, for your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world also I send them into the
world.

19 And for their sakes, I sanctify my nefesh that they also
might be sanctified in truth.

20 And I do not ask for the sake of these alone, but also for the
sake of those who will have faith in me through their word,

21 That ALL MIGHT BE ONE as you are, my Father, in me,
and I am in you that they also might BE ONE in us, that the
world might believe that you sent me.

22 And the glory that you gave me I gave to them, that they
might BE ONE as we are one.

23 I am in them and you are in me, that they be perfected into
one, and that the world might know that you sent me, and that
you have loved them as also you loved me.

24 Father, I want that those whom you gave me might also be
with me wherever I am so that they might see my glory, which
you gave me because you loved me from before the
foundations of the world.

25 My righteous Father, the world has not known you but I
know you and they know that you sent me.

26 And I have made known to them your name and will make
known so that the love with which you loved me might be in
them and I might be in them.:

(John 17:17-26)

Three times in this short prayer, Yeshua faced with his eminent death,
concerns himself, not with his own welfare, but with our unity as
believers.

Many times the Scriptures emphasize the importance of being unified
as believers:

" and be diligent to keep the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of
shalom, that you be ONE body and one spirit, even as you are
called in ONE hope of your calling. For YHWH is one and the

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faith is one and the immersion is one, And one Eloah is the
Father of all, and above all, and through all, and in us all."
(Eph. 4:3-6)

"So also we who are many are ONE body in the Messiah and
each of us are MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER."
(Rom. 12:5)

"Now I urge you, my brothers, in the name of our Adon
Yeshua the Messiah, that you have ONE word to all and [that]
there be no FACTIONS (P'LUGGOTA) among you, but [that]
you be whole hearted in ONE purpose and in ONE mind."
(ICor. 1:10)

"For as the body is ONE, and there are in it many members,

and all the members of the body, though they are many, are

ONE body, so also the Messiah. For all of us also are immersed

by ONE spirit into ONE body, whether Jew or Aramaean,

whether slave or son of freedom. And all of us drank of ONE

spirit."

(ICor. 12:12-13)

"Nevertheless, this that we have attained, let us follow in one
path and with ONE ACCORD."
(Phil. 3:16)

"But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have
FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH ANOTHER. . . "

(Un. 1:7)

Beware of those who cause divisions in the Assembly. Creating such
divisions is a "work of the flesh" comparable to fornication, idolatry
and murder. Elohim's will is for believers is that we be in fellowship
with one another, in one accord, and endeavoring for the unity of the
spirit in the bond of Shalom.

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Chapter 7
The Sealed Book Restored

One of the most beautiful prophecies of the reunion of the two houses
of Israel is the "two sticks" prophecy in Ezekiel 37:15-20. In this
prophecy each of the two houses of Israel are symbolized by two
"sticks" which are brought together and made as one (Ezek. 37:15-18)
the text goes on to specify that YHWH will:

...take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim,
and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him,
even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick,...
(Ezek. 37:19)

Now lets look at another prophecy in Zech. 8:23:

Thus said YHWH of hosts, In those days ten men

from all languages of the nations take hold,

yea, they shall take hold of the edge of the garment of a man,

a Yehudite, saying, "Let us go with you,

for we have heard that Elohim is with you .

Now lest anyone think that the "Jew" (Yehudite) in this passage is a
certain Jew, such as the Messiah, I must point out that in the Hebrew
the word "you" in "let us go with "you" and "Elohim is with you" is
PLURAL and therefore refers not to an individual Jew, but to the
House of Judah. No doubt the number "ten" here implies the lost ten
tribes of Ephraim. Note that Ephraim says to Judah:

"let us [Ephraim] go with you [Judah]

for we [Ephraim] have heard that YHWH is with you [Judah]."

Finally let us look at the olive tree prophecy of Romans 11. This
prophecy parallels the two "sticks" prophecy of Ezekiel 37 (note that
the word STICK in Ezek. 37 is ETZ which also means "tree").

Rom. 9 begins the contrast of the "Jews" and "Gentiles" by quoting
Hosea 2:25(23); 2:1(1:10) in Rom. 9:25-26. But if we look up the
context of the people "which were not my people" which he calls "my

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people" in Hosea we find that they are the "children of Israel" (Hosea
2:1 (1:10)) as opposed to "the children of Judah" (Hosea 2:2 (1:11)) So
if Paul is quoting Hosea in context and contrasting Jews and Gentiles
(Rom. 9:24) using Hosea 2: 1-2 (1:10-11) then the "Jews" of Rom. 9:24
are the "Childern of Judah" of Hosea 2:2 (1:11) and the "Gentiles" of
Rom. 9:24 are the "children of Israel" of Hosea 2:1 (1:10). If this is
true then as this contrasting pair advances into Rom. Chapter 1 1 the
two trees are the two Houses.

Now the uncultivated olive tree in Romans 1 1 is clearly therefore
Ephraim and the cultivated olive tree is clearly that of Judah. This
prophecy tells us that branches from the tree/stick of Ephraim will be
broken off and grafted into the tree/stick of Judah, are to be fed by the
root of the tree/stick of Judah and are not to boast against the natural
branches
(Jews)."

The House of Judah is the cultivated olive tree that Ephraimite
branches are being grafted into. According to prophecy, the key to the
restoration would be "the eternal plant of righteousness" as we read
earlier in the Book of Enoch:

And thereafter, in the Seventh Week, a perverse generation
shall arise. And many shall be its misdeeds and all its doings
shall be apostate. And at its close the elect shall be chosen,
as witnesses to righteousness, from the eternal plant of
righteousness, to whom shall be given seven-fold wisdom and
knowledge. And they will uproot the foundations of
oppression, And the structure of falsehood therein to destroy it
utterly.
(Enoch 93:9-11)

This "eternal plant of righteousness" is illustrated in Romans chapter
1 1 as the cultivated olive tree. Now let us further examine the
"Parable of the Olive Tree" in the Book of Romans, chapter 1 1
beginning in verse 16. This parable (found in Rom. 1 1 : 16-27)
discusses the apostasy and restoration. In verses 16-18 we find the root
of the tree mentioned. What does this mean? What is the root? verse
16 tells us that the holiness of the branches is wholly dependant on the
holiness of the root. Verses 17 and 18 tell us that the root of the tree is

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that which supports the branches which partake of it. Further down in
the text, verse 24 indicates that the root is of the same nature as the
"natural branches" which are clearly the Jews. It is logical to conclude,
then, that the root is Israel. This is supported by the fact that this
parable is obviously drawn from the Book of Enoch, from a section
commonly called "The Apocalypse of Weeks" (Enoch 93:3-17). In
which we read:

And thereafter, in the Third Week, at its close,

A man shall be chosen as a plant of righteous judgment;

And his posterity shall come forth as a plant of eternal

righteousness;"

(Enoch 93:5)

Several scriptures support this understanding that the root is Israel
(Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:7, 29), and that Gentiles are to turn to Israel for
the oracles of Elohim (Rom. 3:1-2; Jn. 4:22; Ex. 19:6; Zech. 8:23).
As long as Gentile Christendom continued to be fed by the holy root
(Israel) then they would remain holy (Rom. 11:16-18), however, if
Gentile Christendom turned from that root, then Gentile Christendom
too, would apostatize.

As early as the first century dark forces were hard at work intent on
destroying this new messianic movement (1 Jn. 2:18; 4:3). Paul even
warned the elders of Ephesus, in his final address to the, that "savage
wolves" would come after his departure to destroy their faith (Acts
20:29-30). Several other scriptures forewarn of this apostasy.

If this apostasy was inevitable, then how would it take place? Again
Romans 11 (11:16-19, 24) provides the answer. The apostasy of
Christendom would take place when Gentile Christians turned away
from the root and based their religion upon some other source.

As we continue our study of the Parable of the Olive Tree we find
that following the apostasy of Gentile Christendom, there would be a
restoration of Israel (Rom. 11:23-27).

How would this restoration take place? A clue may be found in
Romans 11:8 which quotes Isaiah 29:10 relating to the apostasy

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stating, "...YHWH has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has
shut your eyes...." Isaiah 29: 18 describes the restoration this way:

And on that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind
shall see.

So the restoration will occur with the revealing of a book. Isaiah
calls this book "a marvelous work and a wonder" (Is. 29: 14)

One of the most important things Isaiah tells us about the book is
that it is a "sealed" book. He writes:

And the whole vision has become to you like the words of
a book that is sealed, which they deliver to one who is
literate, saying, "Read this, please"; and he says, "I cannot,
for it is sealed." Then the book is delivered to one that is
illiterate, saying, "Read this, please"; and he says, "I am
not literate. (Is. 29:11-12)

A sealed book is a book, the contents of which, Elohim will not reveal
until the time Elohim appoints for it to be unsealed (see Dan. 12:4, 9 &
Rev. 22: 10). This sealed book is also mentioned elsewhere in the
Scriptures, in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 5:1-5; 6; 10:1-11). Due to
various correlations we may also identify the sealed book as the book
in Ezekiel 2:8-3:6 which is, like the sealed book, written on front and
back (See Ezkl. 2:10 & Rev. 5:1) and eaten by the prophet writing
(Ezkl. 3:1-3 & Rev. 10:9-10). Likewise the "flying scroll" in
Zechariah 5:1-4, which is also written on both sides, may also be
identified as the sealed book.

Paul quotes Isaiah 29: 14 in 1st Corinthians 1:19 referring to the
restoration resulting from the sealed book and describes the book's
contents as "the words of the gallows" (i.e. an account of the
Crucifixion) (ICor. 1:18-19). Another important fact is that the sealed
book is written in Hebrew. In Ezekiel 3 :4-6 Ezekiel is told to go teach
the words of the book, and that the language of the book is the
language of Israel.

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The sealed book opens the eyes of the blind and helps facilitate the
restoration is (in part) an account of the crucifixion in Hebrew and
Aramaic. It is the original Hebrew and Aramaic of the so-called "New
Testament".

In 2001 the Hebraic Roots Version (HRV) was published. The HRV
is a new and accurate translation of the New Testament, taken
primarily from old Hebrew and Aramaic sources. Unlike most
translations, this edition is not rooted in a Greek Hellenistic text.
Instead, this translation seeks to understand the text of the New
Testament from the languages in which it was originally written. This
is important, because there are some passages in the New Testament,
which do not make sense at all in Greek, but only begin to make sense
when we look at them in Hebrew and Aramaic.

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60

Chapter 8
More Books Restored

Another element pf the restoration is foretold in yet another prophecy
in the Book of Enoch. In this prophecy we are told that when a good
and accurate translation of the Scriptures is published among Elohim's
people, that additional books of Scripture would be given to us:

But when they write down truthfully all my words in their
languages, and do not change or diminish ought from my
words but write them all down truthfully -all that I first
testified concerning them. Then, I know another mystery, that
books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a
cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. And to them
shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them
and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who
have learnt therefore all the paths of uprightness be
recompensed.'
(lEnoch 104:10-13)

As we mentioned in the last chapter, the Hebraic Roots Version was
published in 2001, presenting the world with a literal translation of the
original Hebrew and Aramaic text of the so-called "New Testament".
Since that time. Prophecy has been fulfilled and more books have been
given to the Nazarene Jewish movement.

The Apocrypha

All English-language Protestant Bibles in the 16th Century included
the books of the Apocrypha — generally in a separate section between
the Old and New Testaments; However, Puritan theologians were
inclined to reject books which owed their inclusion in the Biblical
canon to ecclesiastical authority. Starting in 1630, volumes of the
Geneva Bible were occasionally bound with the pages of the
Apocrypha section excluded. After the Restoration in 1660, Dissenters
tended to discourage the reading of the Apocrypha in both public
services and in private devotion.

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The 1611 KJV included the Apocrypha but many publishers sought to
satisfy a demand for cheaper and less bulky Bibles. In 1615 public
notice was made that no Bibles were to be bound and sold without the
Apocrypha with a penalty of one year in prison. None the less
publishers continued seeking to increase their profit margin and soon it
became difficult to find an ordinary edition of the KJV which
contained the Apocrypha. (Today publishers are doing the same thing
with the rest of the Tanak, simply printing the New Testament alone).

And that is how the Apocrypha were taken out of your Bible
altogether, to increase the profit margin for the publishers and appeal
to the Puritans.

There are thirty nine books about which Jews and Christians agree
form the text of the Tanak. There are also thirteen books about which
they do not universally agree as to whether they should be in the canon
of the Tanak or not. These books are known as the "Apocrypha".

The "Apocrypha" are a group of books which seem to have been part
of the canon of the earliest "Christians" but which were not adopted by
Rabbinic Judaism into the Masoretic Text, and which were later
rejected by the Protestant movement.

These books are:

lEsdras

2Esdras

Tobit

Y'hudit

Wisdom of Solomon

Ben Sirah

Baruch

Letter of Jeremiah

Prayer of Manasseh

IMaccabees

2Maccabees

3Maccabees

4Maccabees

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While these books were not incorporated into the Masoretic Text, that
text was not compiled until the ninth century C.E.. These books
(except for 2Esdras) did, however appear in the Greek LXX. And in
the Aramaic Peshitta version of the Tanak (which excluded lEsdras).

These books are clearly Jewish books, of Jewish origin. Also, while
they did not come to be included in the canon of the Masoretic Text,
the Talmud three times quotes Ben Sirach as "Scripture".

These books were clearly used by the earliest believers in Messiah.
While they are never quoted outright in the "New Testament", they are
often strongly alluded to.

The following comparisons are all taken from the KJV version for
consistency.

New Testament

Apocrypha

"For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by
the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so
that they are without excuse:
Because

that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither
were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools, And changed
the glory of the incorruptible God
into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and
four-footed beasts, and creeping
things. Wherefore God also gave
them up to uncleanness through
the lusts of their own hearts, to
dishonor their own bodies
between themselves: Who

For by the greatness and beauty
of the creatures proportionably
the maker of them is seen. ...
Howbeit neither are they to be
pardoned. ...They kept neither
lives nor marriages any longer
undefiled: but either one slew
another traitorously, or grieved
him by adultery.... For the
worshipping of idols not to be
named is the beginning, the
cause, and the end, of all evil."
(Wis. 13:5,8; 14:24,27)

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changed the truth of God into a
lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator,
who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up
unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use
into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lust one
toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly,
and receiving in themselves that
recompense of

their error which was meet. And
even as they did not like to retain
God in their knowledge, God gave
them over to a reprobate mind, to
do those things which are not
convenient; Being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers,"
(Rom. 1:20-29)

"Nay but, man, who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall
the thing formed say to him that
formed it, Why hast thou made me
thus?

Hath not the potter power over the
clay, of the same lump to make
one vessel unto honor, and
another unto dishonor. What if
God, willing to shew his wrath,
and to make his power known,
endured with much

"For who shall say, What hast
thou done? Or who shall
withstand thy judgment? Or who
shall accuse thee for the nations
that perish, whom thou made? Or
who shall come to stand against
thee, to be revenged for the
unrighteous men?... For if thou
didst punish the enemies of thy
children, and the condemned to
death, with such deliberation,
giving them time and place,

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longsuffering the vessels of wrath

fitted to destruction: And that he

might make known the riches of

his glory on the vessels of mercy,

which he had afore prepared unto

glory,"

(Rom. 9:20-23)

whereby they might be delivered
from their

malice:... For the potter,
tempering soft earth, fashioneth
every vessel with much labor for
our service: yea, of the same clay
he maketh both the vessels that
serve for clean uses, and likewise
also all such as serve to the
contrary: but what is the use of
either sort, the potter himself is
the judge."
(Wis. 12:12,20; 15:7)

"For we know that if our earthly
house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of
God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens....
For we that are in this tabernacle
do groan, being burdened: not for
that we would be unclothed, but
clothed upon, that mortality might
be swallowed up of life."
(2Cor. 5:1,4)

"For the corruptible body
presseth down the soul, and the
earthy tabernacle weigheth down
the mind that museth upon many
things."
(Wis. 9:15)

"Put on the whole armor of God,
that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers
of the

darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high
places. Wherefore take unto you
the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to
stand. Stand

"He shall take to him his jealousy
for complete armor, and make the
creature his weapon for the
revenge of his enemies. He shall
put on righteousness as a
breastplate, and true judgment
instead of an helmet. He shall
take holiness for an invincible
shield. His severe wrath shall he
sharpen for a sword, and the
world shall fight with him
against the unwise."
(Wis 5:17-20)

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therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:"
Eph. 6:11-17

"...he [Eleazar] conquered the
besiegers with the shield of his
devout reason. ... Therefore let us
put on the full armor of self-
control..."
(4Macc. 7:4; 13:16 RSV)

"Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein few, that is,
eight souls were saved by water.:
The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God,) by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
(lPt. 3:20-21)

"For like a most skilful pilot, the
reason of our father Eleazar
steered the ship of religion over
the sea of the emotions, and
though buffeted by the stormings
of the tyrant and overwhelmed by
the mighty waves of tortures, in
no way did he turn the rudder of
religion until he sailed into the
haven of immortal victory....
Just as Noah's ark, carrying the
world in the universal flood,
stoutly endured the waves, so
you, guardian of the law, over-
whelmed from every side by the
flood of your emotions and the
violent winds, the
torture of your sons, endured
nobly and withstood the wintry
storms

that assail religion."
(4Macc. 7:1-3 15:31-32 RSV)

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath:"
(James 1:19)

"Be swift to hear; and let thy life
be sincere; and with patience give
answer."
(Sir. 5:11)

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"Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for
God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man:"
(James 1:13)

"Say not thou, It is through the
Lord that I fell away: for thou
oughtest not to do the things that
he hateth. Say not thou, He hath
caused me to err: for he hath no
need of the sinful man."
(Sir. 15:11-12)

"Behold, the hire of the laborers
who have reaped down your
fields, which is of you kept back
by fraud, crieth: and the cries of
them which have reaped are
entered into the ears of the Lord of
sabaoth."
(James 5:4)

"Let not the wages of any man,
which hath wrought for thee,
tarry with thee, but give him it
out of hand: for if thou serve
God, he will also repay thee: be
circumspect my son, in all things
thou doe st, and be
wise in all thy conversation."
(Tobit4:14)

"And I saw the seven angels
which stood before God; and to
them were given seven trumpets."
(Rev. 8:2)

"I am Raphael, one of the seven
holy angels, which present the
prayers of the saints, and which
go in and out before the glory of
the Holy One."
(Tobit 12:15)

"And after these things I heard a

great voice of much people in

heaven, saying, Alleluia;

Salvation, and glory, and honor,

and power, unto the Lord our

God:...

And the foundations of the wall of

the city were garnished with all

manner of precious stones. The

first foundation was jasper; the

second, sapphire; the third, a

chalcedony; the fourth, an

emerald;:

The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth,

"And the streets of Jerusalem
shall be paved with beryl and
carbuncle

and stones of Ophir. And all her
streets shall say, Alleluia; and
they shall praise him, saying,
Blessed be God, which hath
extolled it for ever."
(Tobit 13:17-18)

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sardius; the seventh, chrysolite;
the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a
topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus;
the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth,
an amethyst.: And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls; every
several gate was of one pearl: and
the street of the city was pure
gold, as it were transparent glass."
(Rev. 19:1; 21:19-21)

The early "Church Fathers" also used these books and called them
"Scripture":

During the early Christian centuries most... Church Fathers
such as Irenaeus; Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and
Cyprian... quoted Passages from the Apocrypha as 'Scripture,'
'divine scripture,' 'inspired,' and the like.
(Oxford Annotated Bible; Apocrypha; p. xiv)

These books are regarded as canon by all those churches with ancient
roots:

Roman Catholics (except 3&4 Maccabees)
Eastern Orthodox

Church of the East (except for lEsdras)
Syrian Orthodox Church (except for lEsdras)
Ethiopic Church

We as Nazarenes and Messianics have been missing out on a great
many nuggets of understanding because we have neglected these
books used by our forefathers. Most people in this movement came out
of Protestantism, a few like myself came out of Rabbinic Judaism. As
such it has simply not occurred to us to even look at these books used
today by Catholics. Let me assure you, these books are 100% Jewish,
they are not "Catholic" books. They promote Torah Observance and
the keeping of Jewish feasts.

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Like the books of the New Testament these books are of Jewish origin,
but have been preserved only by Christians and not by Rabbinic
Judaism. As a result they have been preserved primarily in Greek and
Latin versions.

History was made on January 12 th , 2010 as the International Nazarene
Beit Din officially canonized the twelve books of "The Apocrypha"
which had been taken out of the Scriptures saying:

We the International Nazarene Beit Din do hereby declare the
following books to be part of the Nazarene Canon:

1 st Esdras

2nd Esdras (chapters 3-14)

Tobit

Judith

Wisdom of Solomon

Ben Sira

Baruch

Letter of Jeremiah

1 st Maccabees

2nd Maccabees

3rd Maccabees

4th Maccabees

We have no hesitation in pronouncing these twelve books it to
be works of Divine inspiration, great antiquity and interest, and
books that are entitled to a great circulation among those who
take pleasure in studying the Word of YHWH. We declare that
these twelve books are profitable for teaching (doctrine) and
for reproof and for correction and for instruction in
righteousness. While we pronounce these books to be part of
the official canon of the Assembly, we do allow that a person
who does not accept the canonicity of these books may still
personally be in good standing with the Assembly.

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The Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch was treasured by the ancient Nazarenes as an
inspired book of prophecy authored by Enoch himself. Yeshua's own
half-brother Y'hudah quotes from the Book of Enoch saying:

And Chanokh [Enoch], the seventh from Adam,
prophesied about these men saying:
Behold, YHWH comes with ten thousands of his set-apart-
ones, to execute judgment on all, co convict all who are wicked
among them of their wicked deeds which they have committed
in a wicked way, and all the harsh things which wicked sinners
have spoken against him.
(Yhudah (Jude) 1:14-15 HRV)

Some commentators have tried to minimize the importance of this
quotation, claiming that Y'hudah was only quoting the Book of Enoch
in the way that Paul quoted Greek philosophers. In fact there are two
very important features in Y'hudah' s citation.

First of all, while the Book of Enoch is quoted (specifically lEnoch
1 :9), Y'hudah attributes his quote, not to the Book of Enoch, but to the
man Enoch (Enoch, seventh from Adam). Since we have copies of the
Book of Enoch which predate the Book of Y'hudah, this quote tells us
that Enoch seventh from Adam wrote the Book of Enoch.

Secondly Y'hudah uses the word "prophecy". Y'hudah tells us that
this quote from Enoch which comes from the Book of Enoch is
"prophecy". That is a very important statement.

Regarding prophecy Kefa (Peter) writes:

knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture
is of any private interpretation; for prophecy never
came by the will of man, but set-apart men of Eloah
spoke as they were moved by the Ruach HaKodesh.
(2Kefa (2Pt.) 1:20-21 -HRV)

So if, as Y'hudah tells us, the Book of Enoch is "prophecy" then Kefa
tells us that it was inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

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Paul has some important words for us about Scripture that is inspired:

Every writing which was written by the spirit is profitable
for teaching and for reproof and for correction and for
instruction in righteousness, that the son of man of Eloah
may be complete and whole for every good work.
(2Timothy 3 : 1 6- 1 7 - HRV)

So if the Book of Enoch is prophecy then it was inspired by the Ruach
HaKodesh. And if Enoch was inspired by the Ruach then it is
profitable for teaching and for reproof and for correction and for
instruction in righteousness. In other words, if Y'hudah is telling the
truth then we should be using the Book of Enoch as Scripture and not
taking it lightly!

As a matter of fact the ancient Nazarenes treasured the Book of Enoch
and used it along side the books we know today as canon. This is
evidenced by fact that Y'hudah quotes Enoch. R.H. Charles listed 128
locations where the Ketuvin Netzarim is clearly influenced by
statements in the Book of Enoch.

The earliest Gentile Christians also accepted and made use of the Book
of Enoch. Many of the so-called "Church Fathers" either quoted
Enoch, or made use of it. Among these were the author of the Epistle
of Pseudo-Barnabas, Justin Martyr (2 nd C), Irenaeus (2 nd C), Clement
of Alexandria (2 nd C.) and Origin (3 rd C). Tertullian (160-230 C.E.)
Even called the book "Holy Scripture". The book was even canonized
by the Ethiopic Church.

History was made on January 17 th 2010 when the International
Nazarene Beit Din officially canonized the Book of Enoch saying:

We the International Nazarene Beit Din do hereby declare
Book of Enoch to be part of the Nazarene Canon.

We have no hesitation in pronouncing this book to be a work of
Divine inspiration, great antiquity and interest, and a book that
is entitled to a great circulation among those who take pleasure
in studying the Word of YHWH. We declare that this book is

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profitable for teaching (doctrine) and for reproof and for
correction and for instruction in righteousness. While we
pronounce this books to be part of the official canon of the
Assembly, we do allow that a person who does not accept the
canonicity of this books may still personally be in good
standing with the Assembly.

While the Beit Din recognizes the canonical status of the Book
of Enoch in general, there are issues concerning the Calendar
Section which must be addressed. When the Beit Din declares
any book Canon, it means that we recognize that the autograph
was inspired. In the case of the Book of Enoch the autograph
was in Hebrew and none of the original Hebrew have come
down to us, and only fragments of the Aramaic version have
survived. The complete text survives only in an Ethiopic
translation. In regards to the Calendar section, enough of the
Aramaic survives to make it clear that it did not closely agree
with the surviving Ethiopic Version, yet not enough of the
Aramaic survives to reconstruct its meaning. Moreover there is
question as to whether the calendar presented in 1st Enoch was
intended as an actual alternative to the traditional Hebrew
calendar for the keeping of feasts, or had some other use,
perhaps astronomical. Therefore we do not advocate this
calendar as a matter of halacha.

The Book of Jasher

The Book of Jasher is one of the so-called "Lost Books" of the Bible
and is twice cited in the Tanak:

"Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?" (Joshua 10:13)

"Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher ." (2Sam. 1:18)

The 1625 edition of the original Hebrew Book of Jasher has a Preface,
which says in part (translated from the Hebrew):

...when the holy city Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus,
all the military heads went in to rob and plunder, and

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among the officers of Titus was one whose name was Sidrus,
who went in to search, and found in Jerusalem a house
of great extent...

According to the preface this Sidrus found a false wall in this house
with a hidden room. In this room he found an old man hiding with
provisions and many books including the Book of Jasher The old man
found favor with Sidrus who took the old man and his books with him.

The preface says "they went from city to city and from country to
country until they reached Sevilia [a city in Spain]." At that time
"Seville" was called "Hispalis" and was the capital of the Roman
province of Hispalensis. The manuscript was donated to the Jewish
college at Cordova, Spain.

According to the 1625 edition of Jasher the first printed edition of the
Book of Jasher was published in Naples Italy in 1552. However no
copies of the 1552 edition are known to have survived. The earliest
surviving Hebrew edition known is the 1625 edition.

The Book of Jasher is a narrative beginning with the creation of man
and ends with the entry of Israel into Canaan.

The Gospel according to the Hebrews

Messianic Jewish writer David Stern points out Paul's use of the
Gospel according to the Hebrews in his Jewish New Testament
Commentary.

The appearance to Ya'akov (James), [in ICor. 15:7]
...is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament
but is reported in one of the apocryphal books,
the Gospel according to the Hebrews...
{Jewish New Testament Commentary
by David Stern ICor. 15:7)

The Gospel according to the Hebrews was a Gospel which was once
used by the Nazarenes and Ebionites. Eusebius said that GH was "the
especial delight of those of the Hebrews who have accepted Messiah"

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(Eccl. Hist. 3:25:5). When speaking of the Ebionites, Epiphanius calls
GH "their Gospel" (Pan. 30:16:4-5) and Jerome refers to GH as "the
Gospel which the Nazarenes and Ebionites use" (On Mat. 12:13). The
actual document has been lost to history, but about 50 quotations and
citations of this document are preserved in quotations and citations
from the so-called "Church Fathers" and other commentators even into
the middle ages. Using these fifty quotations and other sources, the
Gospel according to the Hebrews has recently been reconstructed.

It is unlikely that the Hebrews themselves called their own Gospel
"according to the Hebrews". This is likely a title given the book by
Gentile Christians. GH was also called "the Gospel according to the
Apostles"; "the Gospel according to the Twelve"; and "the Gospel
according to Matthew" and one of these may have been its name
among the Hebrews who used it.

Many scholars have seen within GH possible answers to questions
about gospel origins. S. Barnes proposed an identification between
GH and the Logia document which many scholars closely associate
with"Q".

Barnes writes:

Is it possible seriously to maintain that there were two separate
documents, each of them written at Jerusalem during the
Apostolic age and in the Hebrew tounge, each of them assigned
to the Apostle Matthew, and each of them dealing in some way
with the Gospel story? Or are we not rather forced to the
conclusion that these two documents, whose descriptions are so
strangely similar, must really be identical,...

S. Barnes; The Gospel according to the Hebrews,
Journal of Theological Studies 6 (1905) p. 361)

Pierson Parker concluded:

...the presence in this gospel of Lukan qualities and parallels,
the absence from it of definitive... Markan elements... all point
to one conclusion, viz., that the source of the Gospel according
to the Hebrews... was most closely related to sources
underlying the non-Markan parts of Luke, that is, Proto-Luke.

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(Pierson Parker; A Proto-Lukan Basis for the Gospel

according to the Hebrews;

Journal of Biblical Literature 59 (1940) p. 478)

And Hugh Schonfield concluded of GH:

The Gospel according to the Hebrews is a literary outlaw with
a price on its head; but in spite of the scholarly hue and cry it
still evades capture. Neither monastic libraries nor Egyptian
rubbish heaps have so far yielded up a single leaf of this
important document. . . .

For behind Hebrews lies the unknown potentialities of the
Nazarene tradition, which may confirm or contradict some of
the most cherished beliefs of Orthodox Christianity. It is
useless for certain theologians to designate Hebrews as
"secondary" on the evidence of the present fragmentary
remains preserved in quotation. ...

Judged by ancient testimony alone it is indisputable that
Hebrews has the best right of any Gospel to be considered a
genuine apostolic production;...

Here is obviously a most valuable witness, perhaps the most
valuable witness to the truth about [Yeshua]... whom even a
jury composed entirely of orthodox Christians could not
despise, and who ought to be brought into court. But the
witness is missing, and all that we have is a few reported
statements of his taken long ago...

...it may be argued that there has been dependence not of
'Hebrews' on the Synoptics but vice versa— that 'Hebrews' was
one of the sources on which one or more of them drew. (Hugh
Schonfield; According to the Hebrews; 13-18)
(Hugh Schonfield; According to the Hebrews, 13-18)

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Chapter 9
By their Fruits you shall Know them

Twelve Points of the One True Faith (Eph. 4:3-6)

"by their fruits you shall know them" (Mt. 7:20)

Does Yours Pass the Test?

COMMENT: This is not intended as an exhaustive list of points of
the one true faith but as a list of twelve key points.

Lis the ONLY true faith.

(Eph. 4:3-6)

COMMENTS: There are not multiple true faiths. Christianity and

Judaism are not both true saving faiths, only one of them is a true faith.

The other is a false religion.

2. Was once and for all time delivered to the set-apart ones. (Jude 1 :3)
COMMENTS: The one true faith is not a "new replacement" faith
which

replaces an older obsolete faith. (As Christians believe that

"Christianity" has

replaced "Judaism" as the true saving faith).

3. Is Jewish.

(Jn. 4:22; Zech. 8:23; Acts 23:6; Acts 25:8; Rom. 3:1-2)
COMMENTS: The one true faith is a form of Judaism.

4. Is the sect of the Nazarenes.
(Acts 24:5, 14)

COMMENTS: The one true faith is the Nazarene Sect of Judaism.

5. Is a Tanak based faith.
(Acts 17:11; 2Tim. 3:16)

COMMENTS: The "Scriptures" refered to in the NT can only be the
Tanak (since the NT was still being written and did not exist yet). The
true faith does not
contradict the Tanak and can be verified by the Tanak.

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6. Is a Torah observant faith.

(Deut. 31:12; Mt. 5:17-19; Rom. 3:31; Rev. 12:17)

7. Proclaims Yeshua as the Messiah.
(Dt. 18:15-19; Mt. 16:15-17; Rev. 12:17)

8. Proclaims the deity of Messiah.

(Rom. 10:9, 13 = Joel 2:32; Jn. 19:37 = Zech. 12:10; Phil. 2:10-11 =
Is. 45:23)

9. Abstains from Babylonian customs and practices.

(Is. 48:20; 52:11; Jer. 50:8; 51:6, 45; Zech. 2:6-7; 2Cor. 6:14-18;

Rev. 18:4)

COMMENTS: "Christmas, Easter, etc.

10. Knows and proclaims the Name of YHWH.

(Ex. 9:16; Is. 52:6; Ps. 9:10; 91:14; 99:3; 145:21; 148:13; Mai.
3:16)

11. Proclaims the eventual reunion of the two Houses of Israel.
(Jer. 3:18; Hosea 1-3; Ezek. 37:15-22)

12. Proclaims the Seventh day Sabbath.
(Ex. 20:8-11)

The Statement of Faith

of the

Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim

I. YHWH

We believe that YHWH is Echad (one). We believe that YHWH
reveals Himself in the K'numeh or Gaunin of Avi/Abba
(Father/Daddy), the Memra (Word), and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy
Spirit).

II. BIBLE

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We believe that the Bible, which includes both the Tanakh [Old
Testament] and the Ketuvim Netzarim (New Testament) is the
divinely inspired, infallible Word of Elohim in its original texts and
manuscripts.

III. MESSIAH

We believe that Y'shua HaMashiach has come and with great joy we
anticipate his return, and even though he may delay, nevertheless we
endeavor to think about his return every day. We believe that the
Messiah is the Word made flesh. We believe he was born of a virgin,
lived a sinless life in accordance with the Torah, performed miracles,
was crucified for the atonement of his people in accordance with the
Scriptures, was bodily resurrected on the third day. ascended to heaven
and currently sits at the right hand of YHWH. He will return at the end
of this age to usher in the Kingdom of Elohim on earth and will rule
the world from Jerusalem with his people Israel for one thousand
years. We also believe that the Messiah Yeshua is the Torah incarnate.
Just as the Torah is the way, the truth and the light, the Messiah is also
the way, the truth and the light.

IV. SALVATION

We believe that through the death of Messiah, because of his blood
covenant with us, we receive salvation by way of inheritance. This
salvation comes by faith through grace alone and is not earned by
Torah observance.

V TORAH

The Torah of Truth the Almighty gave to His people, Israel, through
Moshe. He will not exchange it nor discard it for another until heaven
and earth pass away. We believe that Torah observance is man's moral
obligation and expression of love to YHWH. The Torah is freedom
and not bondage. The Torah is the way, the truth and the light and is
for all of our generations forever.

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VI. THE ONE FAITH

We believe that there is one faith which was once and for all delivered
to the set-apart-ones. We believe that Messiah did not come to create a
new religion but to be the Messiah of Judaism, the one faith that was
once delivered to the set-apart-ones. We believe that Nazarene
Judaism is the only expression of the one true faith. We do not accept
any other religion as a non- Jewish cultural expression of the one true
faith.

For more information on the Restoration of the ancient sect of
Nazarene Judaism contact:

The Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim

P.O. Box 471
Hurst, TX 76053

U.S.A.

http:/www. wnae.org

cleartruth@yahoo.com

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