ONE WILL . TWO CHOICES .. Pre-PASCHA Meditations

ONE WILL . TWO CHOICES.

There are two forces at work in the Universe. The most powerful one is The LORD Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+.  The second most powerful one is the satan.

Human beings have been given Free Will by The LORD.

That is, poor as well as rich, bond as well as free, female as well as male, young as well as old, ignorant as well as brilliant... we all have ONE thing given in EQUAL amounts to each of us:  a Free Will.

No-one or no thing can MAKE  us CHOOSE to do wrong or right.

Now, there may be a price to pay for doing the right thing, but if we are willing to pay that price no matter what it is, we will see that NO-ONE or NO THING can change our will to do what is right.

No-one can MAKE us choose to do wrong.

If we die holding onto our right choice, we die... but "they" have not forced us to change.  That is why "they" kill us: we would not change even in the face of death.

A Free Will has been granted each and every individual on planet earth.

Because Man did not give it to us, Man cannot take it away. It was given at creation to Man by the LORD of Creation.

Therefore, HE can take our Free Will away... and HE does. As soon as we close our eyes in death, our Free Will is ended: we must remain in our choice.

That choice was made while we went through our allotted years on earth. Yes, every day --- indeed, every hour --- we lived on planet earth, we choose.

What did we choose ?

With our GOD-given Free Will, we chose to yield allegiance to one of the 2 forces of the Universe.

At any point in time in our entire lives, we agree with either The LORD or else with the satan. 

In short, we either yield to The LORD Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+ or we yield to the satan... at any given point in time throughout or lives.

Saved or Unsaved... we agree with either ONE+ or the other... and never both at the same point in time because they are deadly enemies.

This is why sharp words, bad attitudes, and regretful actions are oftentimes seen in persons who are Saved.  They have agreed with their Adamic nature instead of agreeing with the LORD.

Now some persons might think they do NOT agree with the satan, even though they want nothing to do with The LORD. That is, they do not want the LORD Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+ to control their lives. They want to be free of "religious" strictures which hamper their Free Will.

So, they live their lives decently and as humanely as THEY see fit... without the LORD Y’SHU+. 

What they do not realize is that they were BORN with a suction cup attaching themselves to the satan. All progeny of Adam were born with this spiritual appendage, unfortunately.

If the satan cannot lure people by evil temptations into his camp, then he lures them by good ! 

Yes, he instructs them through their "human mind" in how to be good and righteous --- humanly-speaking --- and attaches them to the OTHER side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  

Unfortunately for these good-doers, they are STILL attached to the wrong tree; they have not been attached to the Tree of Life.  Because all men speak well of them, their error is hidden to their own eyes and they are in grave danger.

This danger is, of course, Eternal Damnation. 

Those fellows hanging onto the evil side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil are actually in better shape because they KNOW they are wretched and evil. And, in their better moments, some may wish they did not "have" to always be evil, but (sigh) they are powerless to change ... they think. 

Human beings have been given their own Free Will.  No-one can take it away here on earth. In addition, NO-ONE can control that Free Will except the individual TO WHOM IT HAS BEEN GIVEN.

Furthermore, our own Free Will is the only freedom we have.

GOD did not give EVERYBODY across the globe in all era's and ages the right to vote, own property, or even marry whom he / she chose.

Indeed, some individuals have been born into the most wretched living conditions and circumstances imaginable.

Some live in slavery, some in horrible fear. Some in bondages that most of us cannot even imagine. Some have even their rights to their own bodies taken from them, and that, at a very young age.

Most common folk have very limited choices for vocation, recreation, housing, etc.

Most can do very little to change the range of choices they have for their station in life and very few can change their station, even in a free society.

Our human freedoms generally are limited to the "tea or coffee ?" variety... choices of very little significance.

That Free Will, though, is granted to us all --- each and every person on earth --- by GOD for one purpose: to choose to whom we will be attached for all Eternity.

If we choose the satan, then we will be attached to him throughout Eternity.

If we choose our flesh, then again we will be attached to the satan throughout Eternity.

If we choose the mind's way, humanly-speaking, using Reason as our guide, then we will be attached to --- Surprise!--- the satan, just like Eve and Adam, as they reasoned out the path for their own happiness in the Garden of Eden.

In short, if we choose what we think is best to enhance Self, then we will be attached for all Eternity to the satan once again.

If, in our Free Will, we choose to attach ourselves to the LORD Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+, then HE+ breaks the natural, Adamic bond we have with the satan and we are promised Eternity in Heaven !

However, the satan will NOT let us go that easily. After all, we were attached at birth to him and served him many a-year. He was, as one could say, very "attached" to us!

When we yield the control of our life to The LORD Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+, that attachment to the satan is severed... unless we turn BACK to our Adamic, natural man's ways... which always leads us back into the satan's camp.

Unfortunately, that "turning back" can happen in little ways as well as big.

At the start, we do not forsake Y’SHU+ THE M’SHIKHA+, but we also do not want to forsake some of our life-long habits, our vices, our faults, or other un-Scriptural ways we have developed when under the tutelage of the satan's camp.

 

Two forces --- and only two --- are at work in this Universe. Neither one FORCES us to choose its kingdom. Our choice is totally voluntary.

At any given point in time, we have the Free Will to be used by ONE+ or the other... but never both at the same time.

Our only freedom is to choose unto WHICH one we will attach ourselves.

THE LORD will not and the satan can not make us choose; we do it ourselves.

That is why man is totally accountable unto GOD.

We are not accountable for the conditions into which we are born.  We are not accountable for what others do unto us.

We are only --- but, EVER --- accountable for choosing The LORD Y’SHU+ or the satan.

It is OUR choice... our only REAL choice here on earth. 

  +  +  +

It Has NOT Been "I" Living in Me !

Original Drawing by Bro. Brendon Patrick, 1985

Order of The GOOD SHEPHERD+

Uniting one's will with 

Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA 

~ OR ~

HOW to UNFAILINGLY

KEEP TORAH

Galatians 2:20 

All verses courtesy of Dukhrana.com

Peshitta NT, British and Foreign Bible Society

^{Khabouris Peshitta verses are taken from the} 

^{Khabouris Codex Transcription by Stephen P. Silver.}

- ܘܥܰܡ ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ ܙܩܺܝܦ݂ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܘܡܶܟ݁ܺܝܠ ܠܳܐ ܗ݈ܘܳܐ ܐܶܢܳܐ ܚܰܝ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܐܶܠܳܐ ܚܰܝ ܒ݁ܺܝ ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ ܘܗܳܢܳܐ ܕ݁ܗܳܫܳܐ ܚܰܝ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܒ݁ܰܒ݂ܣܰܪ ܒ݁ܗܰܝܡܳܢܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ ܗ݈ܘ ܕ݁ܰܒ݂ܪܶܗ ܕ݁ܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ ܚܰܝ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܗܰܘ ܕ݁ܰܐܚܒ݂ܰܢ ܘܝܰܗ݈ܒ݂ ܢܰܦ݂ܫܶܗ ܚܠܳܦ݂ܰܝܢ ܀

Galatians 2:20 - ܘܥܡ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܙܩܝܦ ܐܢܐ ܘܡܟܝܠ ܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܐܢܐ ܚܝ ܐܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܚܝ ܒܝ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܘܗܢܐ ܕܗܫܐ ܚܝ ܐܢܐ ܒܒܣܪ ܒܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܗܘ ܕܒܪܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܚܝ ܐܢܐ ܗܘ ܕܐܚܒܢ ܘܝܗܒ ܢܦܫܗ ܚܠܦܝܢ ܀

This marvelously wonderful and both simple-yet-complex verse  ... which has 6  " I 's " in it ...   holds the key to uniting one's will with  The M'SHIKHA !  We will unlock the MYSTERY of how to keep Torah flawlessly by examining the grammar of Galatians 2:20. But please note well:   Keeping as many as possible of the 613 laws commonly thought of as "Torah"  does have its function  ... as well as those things written in the Psalms and Prophets... in the Christian church. It is written in Scripture that the Apostles were in the Temple at the appointed prayer times of the morning and evening sacrifices, after the Resurrection.  It would be fool-hardy to think that the Apostle Paul abandoned all the spiritual training he had as a Pharisee. What made the difference to the Christian Apostles after the Resurrection was that keeping of Torah now was submitted to the ONE+ Who+ wrote it, lived it, and more... FULFILLED IT !  Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA now was alive after HE+ had been crucified ... and was living in their hearts!  Those who are natural-minded and who are trying to know CHRIST (M'SHIKHA+ ) through keeping the Torah  are as lost as ever...  if... if... if... they have NOT entered into a personal relationship with Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA.    The Old Covenant is finished; the New Covenant through M'SHIKHA+  must be entered into by repentance, a death to self, and baptism into His+ death.  The discipline the Apostles embraced, then, was accomplished via their love for Y'SHU+. It naturally flowed into and out from them all as they lived TOTALLY for Y'SHU+ ( Y'SHUA+, Hebrew; JESUS, English).    What they embraced is called "spiritual discipline," such as indicated by the Psalmist's words in Psalm 119:164 ~ "Seven times a day will I praise THEE."      Discipline ... a submitting of one's body, mind, soul, and spirit to exercises of faith such as fasting, regular prayer times, Bible reading, corporate worship and individual worship... is a necessary part of a Christian's walk.   A separation from the world and its ways and values and conduct, as well as dress and things of "entertainment," is part of that discipline also.  The Christian church as a whole has neglected and negated DISCIPLINE as part of its structure. This is why various "Torah-keeping" groups hold an attraction for seekers: they want that structure of discipline.   Most likely, the discipline embraced by some of the Orders in various church organizations is the ONLY THING that stands between that church organization... and total destruction.  Thus, for those who follow Y'SHU+ ( JESUS, Y'SHUA+ )  ... whether by a spiritual discipline of keeping Torah or a spiritual discipline of some sort placed upon one by the HOLY SPIRIT...   discipline and discipleship are VERY IMPORTANT to the survival of the church, wherever it may be found. /  Sr. J. H.  +++

+  +  +

Dealing with the Grammar of GALATIANS 2:20  ~  ~  ~ 

versus the AENT, the Netzarim Publishing House's version of the New Covenant, edited and compiled by Mr. Andrew Roth with a committee of Netzarim proof-readers and professional editors.  

This Netzarim publishing house's Aramaic-English New Testament version of Galatians 2:20 is translated with the: 

• omission of :  2 phrases, 1 word, plus 2 "ands"
• addition of : 7 words
• wrong verb tenses: 3 X
• wrong verb "voice" : 1 X
• wrong pronoun suffixes: 2X

PLUS... 4 wrong "concepts" embedded into that verse!

Hence, for scholars and readers and even any Netzarim who are interested in Truth of the Word, we will look at this verse carefully and thoroughly. Readers may also check the Khabouris, the second Aramaic verse printed above, to see if there is any variations between it and the Syriac Peshitta. ( There is not, in this verse, as one may plainly see.)  However, I use the Syriac Peshitta because the vowels are clearly marked and sometimes, the vowel pointings DO make a difference in the translation. 

1.   ܘܥܰܡ  This word is really two words = "and-with"
In the AENT= "And" is separated from "with" ( ?) and translated with the coming verb. 
2 .   ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ  = M'SHIKHA+ , M,Sg, Emphatic = The Messiah
3.  ܙܩܺܝܦ݂  = crucify: 1st,M,Sg = "I", passive PARTICIPLE, peal = have been crucified   or  some translators say, am crucified.    

4.  ܐ݈ܢܳܐ = " I " ; Now here is a vital element of grammar and an example of the necessity of using vowel points for a new Aramaic/ Syriac language reader. 

Notice this part:  ܐ݈ = Under the aleph letter, there is a slight diagonal line, almost a slash. It tells the reader that letter is SILENT. The next letter, a nun, ܢܳܐ has a vowel point above it that says / " ah " /.  So to enunciate this  " I "  =  one must simply say / " 'na " /.  

This ܐ݈ܢܳܐ = is used with verb PARTICIPLES ! It does not stand alone as a pronoun in an Aramaic/ Syriac sentence. 

If / " 'na "/ does not have a PARTICIPLE with it, it will have the stand-alone form  of " I " =   ܐܶܢܳܐ with it, 

" ena 'na " 

and it will carry  the meaning of : It is I or I am.   

Native readers of Syriac would KNOW than 'na would always be used with a participle verb form and thus, not need to have the vowel pointings to direct them. 

In the AENT: 

The phrase: "I have been crucified"  has been mis-construed in a number of ways. First of all, Mr. Roth states it like this:  

" And I am executed on a stake"  

The verb voice is passive, participle , peal. Some translators have said:  "I am crucified" instead of "have been crucified." 

However that may be, there is no such word, EXECUTE in the several lexicons included in Dukhrana, including the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon ( CAL ) out of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati for the word

   ܙܩܺܝܦ݂ = ZQi Y P. 

There is, however, a couple of words found at www.assyrianlanguages.org, through LexiLogos / Syriac Dictionary, which include EXECUTE in their definitions. 

This website lists, for EXECUTE : 

• CH N Q, a verb form found in Matthew 13:7 = to hang / to execute on a gallows.  In Mt. 13:7, it means to choke. At a glance, once can see that is NOT the verb used in Galatians 2:20. 
• Another verb used to mean EXECUTE is M-M-T = the causative of M-Aleph-T. 
• Another verb listed is Q-t-Y-L-V-T-Aleph = killing, slaying, executed. 

None of these words even remotely resemble ZQi Y P.   which Mr. Roth translates as EXECUTE, as even a non-reader of Aramaic / Syriac can clearly see.

"  And I am executed on a stake"

In the AENT, the words on a stake   have simply been inserted; there is NO TEXT in the Peshitta or Khabouris which supports that phrase! 

In other words, the Aramaic or Syriac words are NOT THERE ... from which Mr. Roth is supposed to be translating !

A quick search through Dukhrana reveals NO words in the Syriac New Covenant for either POLE or STAKE.

A search on LexiLogos at www.assyrianlanguages.org does have a word somewhat related to this search. 

It is S-P-D-Ch and it means "to impale, to pierce." 

However, this word is found in the Urmiah dialect, in Iran, not the Syrian dialect! 

Thus, we see the AENT has inserted a phrase here and mis-translated the word, CRUCIFIED, and supplanted it with an EXECUTED.  Even worse, the AENT has mis-construed the entire concept of Our LORD dying on a cross and have HIM+ instead being executed on a stake, impaled or not .

What is the basis 

for this mis-construction 

of a basic Christian concept ?   

More to come regarding the odd translation of the AENT in the following posts on Galatians 2:20 !

Following Torah .... FLAWLESSLY !

SHRINE of the BOOK
housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, at Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Photo by Berthold Werner
Courtesy of Commons Wikipedia

An Exclusive Interview with the Chief Shepherd+ of our Souls:

Q.  Is it possible to follow TORAH in this day and age? 

Chief Shepherd+:  YES! Not only is it possible but it is required to keep Torah flawlessly . 

Q.  How can this be true ? 

Chief Shepherd+:  My+ Word says that it is possible and furthermore, it tells you HOW to perform it.

Q.  Well, not to be quarrelsome, but...  how do I perform all 613 laws included in Torah... all the time ?  For I know that if I break even one of them, I have "broken the law" and am found to be a sinner. 

 Chief Shepherd+:  My+ Word shows you a simpler way. If you can count to TWO, that is all the Law you have to remember to perform. 

I+ have told you before:  

Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.  

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

My+ Faithful Servant Paul taught you this as well.  

Q. He did ?    

  

Chief Shepherd+: Have you not read in The BOOK the instructions I+ gave to him for you?  Do you not realize that ALL Scriptures are given by the in-breathing of GOD and are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness ? 

Q. Where ? 

Chief Shepherd+: In the book My+ Servant Paul wrote to My+ followers who failed to keep Torah flawlessly.   

He told them repeatedly HOW to keep Torah and remain righteous before GOD all their days. He wrote those instructions in a letter to the followers in Galatia, who were struggling to keep The Law, Torah.  

Listen carefully to those words now. 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  

Galatians 2:21 

in Aramaic, courtesy of Dukhrana.com 

both Peshitta and Khabouris Texts; 

Latin Clementine Vulgate, Greek Byzantine Textform

And English translations by 

Dr. John Etheridge, Dr. James Murdock, and Mr. George Lamsa, 

respectively. 

Galatians 2:21 - ܠܳܐ ܛܳܠܶܡ ܐ݈ܢܳܐ ܛܰܝܒ݁ܽܘܬ݂ܶܗ ܕ݁ܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ ܐܶܢ ܓ݁ܶܝܪ ܒ݁ܝܰܕ݂ ܢܳܡܽܘܣܳܐ ܗ݈ܝ ܙܰܕ݁ܺܝܩܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ ܡܰܓ݁ܳܢ ܡܺܝܬ݂  Galatians 2:21 - ܠܐ ܛܠܡ ܐܢܐ ܛܝܒܘܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܐܢ ܓܝܪ ܒܝܕ ܢܡܘܣܐ ܗܝ ܙܕܝܩܘܬܐ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܡܓܢ ܡܝܬ ܀  Galatians 2:21 - I do not deny the grace of Aloha; for if righteousness is by the law, the Meshiha died in vain! Galatians 2:21 - I do not spurn the grace of God. For if righteousness is by means of the law, the Messiah died in vain. Galatians 2:21 - I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by means of the law, then Christ died in vain. Galatians 2:21 - Non abiicio gratiam Dei. Si enim per legem iustitia, ergo gratis Christus mortuus est. Galatians 2:21 - ουκ αθετω την χαριν του θεου ει γαρ δια νομου δικαιοσυνη αρα χριστος δωρεαν

Even Mr. Roth's AENT states: 

"And I do not frustrate the grace of ELOHIM, for if righteousness came by Torah, then Mashiyach died for nothing. "  

Other than a few technicalities [ one wrong verb tense, an added word not in the text, and changing 3 words into Hebrew  instead of using the Aramaic, in an effort to be authentic ], Mr. Roth's translation in this verse is acceptable because he retains the meaning, in general, of the Aramaic Text. 

Galatians plainly states that righteousness NOW COMES THROUGH The M'SHIKHA+ .... not by the hand of, by the way of, through the means of        ܒ݁ܝܰܕ݂      TORAH !

"B'YaD"    ܒ݁ܝܰܕ݂    is an idiom, as you know, that is translated as "by the hand of"  something, in this case, NaMuSa, The Law.  NaMuSa is all the Law, even that which is found beyond the 5 books of Moses, the Torah specifically, including that which is found in the Psalms, Proverbs, and other Prophetic writings.  

So, how do followers of Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA+ keep Torah flawlessly ?

We unite our will with HIS+.

We follow HIM+ with an obedient, love, faith- relationship with Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA+. 

We make HIM+ LORD of our life, 

removing self from being 

on the throne of our life.

We yield unto HIS+ LORDSHIP.

We are not our own;

we are bought with a PRICE+.

When this truly occurs in our life ,  then we are made righteous in HIS+ eyes.   This was the AIM of TORAH all along.  Now it is possible. 

And indeed, it is required.