Eliminating Poverty

Throughout the Scriptures, both old and new, G-d tells us that we are required to help the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger and yet the writers never tell us to go looking for the people to help. Quite the contrary, there is no effort on the part of G-d to eliminate these catastrophes to public order. So what is the appropriate way to deal with these things and the people that they concern. 

First, whatever you do, remember the dignity of the human spirit. When a person is poor, but accepts his lot, he is to be honored as among those that Meshiach promises to free. Isa. 61:1-3. Those of you who believe that you are saved sometime before you finish, you have the opportunity to help. But, you should not force your help on another. The gift of the mitzvah of helping the poor is dependent on their willingness to accept your help. You gain the spiritual advantage; they gain the temporal advantage. Therefore, it is an exchange of equals and you should always remember that you gain something from the encounter. Remember the dignity of the poor. 

Second, you are not to try to help every poor person, just those you meet. The Didache tells us that the early followers of Yeshua believed in almsgiving, but they put a significant stumbling block in the way of those who would provide alms. There is such a thing as a professional beggar. We see them in every major city. For this reason the Didache tells us to let our alms sweat in our hands meaning that we should be sure that the person to whom we give help really needs it and is not making a fool out of us. We complete that duty when we know the person to whom we give alms. Every one will encounter the truly needy some time in their lives. We must be ready to provide from both our excess and our necessity for others. If you have two pairs of pants and your brother has none, we are commanded to give our brother one of the pairs of pants. It will be obvious that he needs the pants. We will see it is clear by the clothes he wears and may be by his nakedness. 

Third, those who would try to eliminate poverty in the world are evil. They seek to use this duty of ours to help the poor as a method of controlling both the world and the poor. The poor will be with us always says Yeshua ha Meshiach. We cannot eliminate the poor. They are there to call us to sensibility, duty and obedience. Their spirituality often far exceeds ours as depending on the grace of Providence is part and parcel of their lives. Eschew those who tell you that they want to eliminate poverty. They will steal your dignity and your mitzvah that allows grace because you have helped the poor, who will be with us always. Help those you can see. The Lord will help those whom you cannot see. 

For those among you who remember the King on his official birthday, December 25, perhaps if you pray you will be allowed to give a gift to one of G-d's special people, the poor person, whom you did not previoulys observe to be poor. If you are remembering the Light of G-d which returned to the Holy Place during Chanukkah and you are giving little gifts to each other, remember the King who also gave gifts on Chanukkah (see John 10). He told us that the gift of the Voice and the opportunity to follow the Good Shepherd would be ours if we are among the Chosen. To those of the Muslim faith, remember that alms giving is among the five duties of a true Muslim. In this season of remembering, perhaps you will have an opportunity to give to one less fortunate whose faith shines but who poverty is obvious. 

The Good Lord has given me richly in the past two weeks. He has reminded that I do not exist for me but for others and that going home is allowed only when your work is done. It is not done and so I have become the source of opportunity, the poor man that needs to tell you how good our Good Father is and to poor out my life for others. You will see me everywhere. The time has come to build a city on a hill and to let your light to shine.

Noach's Flood: More evidence and More Questions

Genesis says: All the fountains of the great abyss burst forth, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. 7:11.

Thinking people for many centuries have wondered how anyone could believe that the earth was covered with water up to 15 cubits above the tallest mountain. 7:20. Their conclusion was that the flood was either a regional event or it never happened. Now, there is new evidence to show that there is an ocean, perhaps larger than all the oceans of the earth, deep under the earth. http://www.livescience.com/1312-huge-ocean-discovered-earth.html. The ancients believed that there were waters above the earth (the floodgates of the sky held them back) and waters under the earth. They claimed that there were fountains which went down to these waters under the earth. 

Now this ocean is 300 miles beneath us and goes from about 440 kms to 660 kms. The earth's crust is only 3 miles thick at the bottom of the Mariana's trench and only a few more miles thick at such places as the Toba super volcano. The finding of a ringwoodite diamond has raised the question of whether there is interaction between this lower ocean and the earth above through volcanoes. It is possible to speculate that a particular super volcanic eruption might open a channel to these oceans below. When the passage was open, the tremendous pressure on the ocean below caused by the crust of the earth would be temporarily transformed into an artesian well and super volcanoes erupt over vast areas, as much as 25 sq. miles. The heat from the evaporating water would fill the atmosphere and for a short while it would seem that the floodgates of heaven were opened. So, it is possible to conceive that at sometime in the past, may be 70,000 years ago, a super volcano opened a passage to the ocean below and in fact the earth was inundated with water to a level of 15 cubits above Mt. Everest and Mt. Anaconda. 

This speculation raises new questions not easily answered. First, I want to deal with the problem of oxygen. The animals on Noach's Ark breath oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen during their process of breathing. However, the earth was completely covered as is clear from the dove not finding a green plant to return to Noach. 8:9. If there was no plant life left on the face of the earth, where was the oxygen coming from that allowed the animals on the Ark to live. The answer is two-fold. First, the plant life in the ocean was not destroyed and it continued to produce oxygen. In addition, the photoplanktin continued to produce oxygen. Thus with only a few beings to use the oxygen, there was enough oxygen being produced to meet the needs of the animals on the Ark. 

Next, I want to deal with the problem of the draining of the excess water. The story says that by the passage of 150 days, some bare land began to appear. 8:3. How did that happen? Obviously, some of the water was removed by evaporation, but that would have been insufficient to have such a dramatic effect. The super volcano must have acted as a drain. The water would then have flowed back into the space that was created when the volcano exploded. Science tells us that the super volcano creates a huge caldera. Perhaps the super volcano's caldera was still a hole to the ocean below. 

Next, we have to deal with the question of food. Genesis 6:21. However, to provide for the sustenance of such a huge number of animals would require vast amounts of food. The food problem requires several miracles. First, the carnivores must become as described in Isaiah's prophecy and be willing to lay down with the lamb. The snakes must be willing to co-exist with the child. These animals must be willing to eat grass, grain and vegetables. Second, the food must have been multiplied. Whatever is the physics of conversion of energy into food is not a problem to the being who governs us, but it must have happened in a massive way to keep alive the huge population on the Ark. Third, the Ark must have existed in at least one additional dimensional bubble at the time of the flood so as to allow a huge expansion of its size. Today, we are capable of conceiving of such an event, but the ancients were not. 

So we see that it is no longer madness to conceive of the possibility of a the flood, just as it is described in Genesis. It remains speculation, but now speculation based upon some factual evidence. Contemplate this possibility my readers and write to me with solutions to these problems. Find a solution to the food without a miracle. Find a solution to the need for space with out a miracle. 

Reincarnation and the Christian Doctrine of Salvation

Exo 12:6  and ye shall keep it unto the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at dusk.

Numbers 1:46 says that over 600,000 men and their women and children came forth from Egypt at the time of the Exodus. Exodus 12:6 says that the "whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will kill the lamb". The word translated as whole is "kol" meaning all. The word translated as "assembly" is qahal and it is the word for Church. Thus the passage says that more than 1,500,000 people saw the slaughter of a lamb at sundown. Assuming that the passage is accurate, how can that be. How could 1.5 million people come together in one place in ancient Egypt and witness this act of slaughter?  The rabbim concluded that in the normal sense this could not happen. So what actually happened. 

Let us assume, as does the Scripture, that G-d created all the souls that would ever be created in the beginning. Let us assume, as does the Scripture, that those souls were placed in the guf or well of souls. Let us assume, that those souls which were destined to be housed in Jewish people were aware of their future. Let us assume, that they were all present on that day when the first lamb was slaughtered. Is it possible for 1.5 million souls to be present? Certainly, and many more. 

Exo 24:3 says:   And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said: 'All the words which the Lord hath spoken will we do.' 

The passage says that Moshe told "all the people" the ordinances of the Lord. The passage does not say that he told those people present the ordinances of the Lord. It does not say that he told those who came with him from Egypt the ordinances of the Lord. It says that Moshe told all the people, both the ones that came with him, the ones who were not yet born, the ones that stayed behind, all the people the ordinances of the Lord and they ALL agreed to obey those Mitzvot. Again, the only way that the "all" can be true is if every soul that would ever be Jewish was present at the Mountain. 

The Seder suggests that all of us were present at the giving of the Torah, not just those alive. 

Finally, Paul says, and he is only telling what the entire people theological opinion of the 23 sects said, "Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: ". Again, salvation for Israel is an all or nothing event. 

The result of these passages is the doctrine of reincarnation. The Zohar, the Talmud, and the Scriptures presume that the souls of Jews will go through various incarnations constantly growing in knowledge and wisdom and tending toward that time when all Israel is perfect. 

Christianity presumes that no one can get it right the first time. Even Enoch and Elijah, who never sinned as the wages sin is death, must not have gotten it right. Only if Jesus takes away their sins can people be saved. And yet, the words of Scripture disagree. They imply that we have several chances to get it right. The Zohar teaches that if we are born of side of Metatron we have seven times to get it right and if we are born of the side of the Holy Spirit, we have only six. The idea that no one can get it right is false. It is not based upon Scripture. The people who knew Jesus and were present at his resurrection did not believe that he died for our sins. They believed that we have to work at being saved. They believed in reincarnation. 

Modern Christianity is based upon the false doctrine that man may only die once. That doctrine is not supported by science, scripture, dogma, or doctrine. It is a false premise. And with the fall of that premise, Paulinity crumbles. 

The logical challenge that will follow is the doctrine of hell. What is it and what does the Scripture say about our life after death? That question must await another blog.