The Maimonides...
These are fabulous!
You are one of my heroes Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon!
You are one of my heroes Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon!
The Maimonides - Thirteen Principles of Judaism
What are the Maimonides?
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon ("Maimonides" also known as "The Rambam"), compiled the Shloshah Asar Ikkarim, or the "Thirteen Fundamental Principles" of the Jewish faith, based on the Torah. [Maimonides refers to these thirteen principles of faith as "the fundamental truths of our religion and its very foundations." It is the custom of many congregations to recite the Thirteen Articles, in a slightly more poetic form, beginning with the words Ani Maamin--"I believe"--every day after the morning prayers in the synagogue.]
The Thirteen Principles of the Jewish faith are:
1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.
This truth is self-evident to me. I have always felt Him there. I miss being with Him in Heaven. He is my Eternal Father, in Heaven, yet he feels so close to me all day, every day.
· Jer. 1: 5 5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
· Gen. 1: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the awaters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
• • •
14 ¶ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
• • •
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
• • •
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
• • •
24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after hiskind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
• • •
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
2. The belief in God's absolute and unparalleled unity.
Unity with what??? Himself??? With us??? His Spirit that comes upon us??? God is one, but He is all as well…
Deut. 4: 7
7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
· Num. 11: 29
29 … the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
3. The belief in God's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
I do not understand this. God still obeys the laws of physics and would have a body, but not in the same manor that we do. His body would be omnipresent and perfect… in a different realm that our human body could neither comprehend, nor come into contact with without burning up, for His energy is too great for our energy to withstand face-to-face… unless we are of God in energy, accepted His energy or Spirit upon us, are righteous, serving Him with all of our being, like Moses… but even then, God did not show himself in all of His splendor even then… probably to protect Moses…
· Ps. 68: 8
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
4. The belief in God's eternity.
This is easy to accept as it is self-evident.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
5. The imperative to worship God exclusively and no foreign false gods.
There is but one God. He is our Eternal Father in Heaven. Any belief in more Gods or other Gods is false and comes from confusion between watchers (Greek Gods), beings from other worlds (Hindu) or just plain worship of angels, saints (Zoroism) or the beauty of God’s perfect nature (Paganism). They are all nice, but do not merit our worship. That is sacred and for God only.
Deut. 4: 3, 19, 23-24
3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
6. The belief that God communicates with man through prophecy.
God has sent prophets throughout most all time… but each person is also their own prophet, if you will, as Moses taught them to be so through the Spirit of God.
· Num. 11: 29
29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people wereprophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
I do believe that Moses was saved by God in the house of a Pharaoh, and then chosen by God to be one of the greatest prophets of all time, lead His believers to freedom from oppression and a life of fear, intimidation and unhappiness, then guide them to a land of Freedom while being the go-between with God in order to provide the people His laws and a structure that provides His people with a way to eternal freedom and salvation..
· Deut. 34: 10
10 ¶ And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
I believe in all things being too complexly perfect… the chaos theory… It was written by man, but contains what God intended for us to have as our scripture, or word of God as spoken by prophets and seers.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
I do not think that all of the stories in the Torah are exact or correct historically speaking, but I do not believe either, that it needs to be adapted as science unveils truths. It is our interpretation that was wrong and needs adapting. God adds to it daily through prayer and question /answer…
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
– this speaks only of the commandments?????
10. The belief in God's omniscience and providence.
God sees all and is all present. This is self-evident as well. If this were not true, He could not judge us, reward us.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
Karma, what comes around goes around, etc… name it what you will, but not all that we experience is earned… some experiences are given in order to give us further wisdom or more divine traits such as mercy, charity, patience, empathy, love, etc… There is a Heaven and Hell. Justice and Mercy will be done by God with each individual person. We will each earn our place in the eternities and it will be where we are most comfortable by virtue of our choices and our chosen way of being.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
6 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:
9 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:
11 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
13 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:
18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
20 ¶ And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22 ¶ If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
3 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
11 For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
29 ¶ And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
22 ¶ The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.
10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
1 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
4 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
6 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.
9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
11 When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
25 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house.
12 ¶ And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord.
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:
3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
Ps. 68: 1-10, 15-21, 24, 26, 28, 31-32, 34-35
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
I do not believe in a messianic era. I believe that there really is a Messiah and I believe that there is a Shiloh separate from the Messiah, to gather the people (the gathering of Israel or the 12 tribes) too. Shiloh is a sort of savior, if you will, but not in the same sense as the Messiah, himself. They have two separate purposes and two separate missions that coincide and work for God’s plan to save his people, the mutual eternal salvation of all people, throughout all time and all eternities. When I prayed about this and asked my Father in Heaven, it was confirmed to me. Spirituality, is confirmation of a direct connection with and relationship with God Himself. Our ability to be individual prophets for our own salvation and eternal life as well as an essential part of the overall plan to save all people as is the plan of God. We are to have a confirmation, from God, that our contribution, each of our contributions are both essential for this plan to come to fruition and that our mutual salvation is an important part of the overall formula for the eternal life and salvation of man. God does not need us, he chose to use each of us anyway. It is our choice to either fulfill our pre-ordination as God gave us prior to our coming to Earth, or to selfishly focus on our wants, needs and plans, disregarding our foreordained, essential role in God’s overall plan of salvation for all mankind. We lived and loved before coming here and we will live again after this life is through. Why focus on the things of this world if they are merely tools to teach you to become more divine in your role as a servant of God throughout all of eternity.
· Dan. 9: 25-26
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
We must have a go-between, if you will. Not all men will be able to stand in the presence of God, for not all men are righteous.
Ps. 68: 1-10, 15-21, 24, 26, 28, 31-32, 34-35
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
I believe in the resurrection after the coming of the Messiah. He will come. I know this to be true. I have had a confirmation of this through prayer and conversing with my Father in Heaven.
· Job 14: 14
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
· Ezek. 33: 15
15 f the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
· Isa. 60: 15 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
· Dan. 12: 2 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon ("Maimonides" also known as "The Rambam"), compiled the Shloshah Asar Ikkarim, or the "Thirteen Fundamental Principles" of the Jewish faith, based on the Torah. [Maimonides refers to these thirteen principles of faith as "the fundamental truths of our religion and its very foundations." It is the custom of many congregations to recite the Thirteen Articles, in a slightly more poetic form, beginning with the words Ani Maamin--"I believe"--every day after the morning prayers in the synagogue.]
The Thirteen Principles of the Jewish faith are:
1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.
This truth is self-evident to me. I have always felt Him there. I miss being with Him in Heaven. He is my Eternal Father, in Heaven, yet he feels so close to me all day, every day.
· Jer. 1: 5 5: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
· Gen. 1: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the awaters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
• • •
14 ¶ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
• • •
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
• • •
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
• • •
24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after hiskind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
• • •
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
2. The belief in God's absolute and unparalleled unity.
Unity with what??? Himself??? With us??? His Spirit that comes upon us??? God is one, but He is all as well…
Deut. 4: 7
7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
· Num. 11: 29
29 … the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
3. The belief in God's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
I do not understand this. God still obeys the laws of physics and would have a body, but not in the same manor that we do. His body would be omnipresent and perfect… in a different realm that our human body could neither comprehend, nor come into contact with without burning up, for His energy is too great for our energy to withstand face-to-face… unless we are of God in energy, accepted His energy or Spirit upon us, are righteous, serving Him with all of our being, like Moses… but even then, God did not show himself in all of His splendor even then… probably to protect Moses…
· Ps. 68: 8
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
4. The belief in God's eternity.
This is easy to accept as it is self-evident.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
5. The imperative to worship God exclusively and no foreign false gods.
There is but one God. He is our Eternal Father in Heaven. Any belief in more Gods or other Gods is false and comes from confusion between watchers (Greek Gods), beings from other worlds (Hindu) or just plain worship of angels, saints (Zoroism) or the beauty of God’s perfect nature (Paganism). They are all nice, but do not merit our worship. That is sacred and for God only.
Deut. 4: 3, 19, 23-24
3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
6. The belief that God communicates with man through prophecy.
God has sent prophets throughout most all time… but each person is also their own prophet, if you will, as Moses taught them to be so through the Spirit of God.
· Num. 11: 29
29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people wereprophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
I do believe that Moses was saved by God in the house of a Pharaoh, and then chosen by God to be one of the greatest prophets of all time, lead His believers to freedom from oppression and a life of fear, intimidation and unhappiness, then guide them to a land of Freedom while being the go-between with God in order to provide the people His laws and a structure that provides His people with a way to eternal freedom and salvation..
· Deut. 34: 10
10 ¶ And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
I believe in all things being too complexly perfect… the chaos theory… It was written by man, but contains what God intended for us to have as our scripture, or word of God as spoken by prophets and seers.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
I do not think that all of the stories in the Torah are exact or correct historically speaking, but I do not believe either, that it needs to be adapted as science unveils truths. It is our interpretation that was wrong and needs adapting. God adds to it daily through prayer and question /answer…
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
– this speaks only of the commandments?????
10. The belief in God's omniscience and providence.
God sees all and is all present. This is self-evident as well. If this were not true, He could not judge us, reward us.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
Karma, what comes around goes around, etc… name it what you will, but not all that we experience is earned… some experiences are given in order to give us further wisdom or more divine traits such as mercy, charity, patience, empathy, love, etc… There is a Heaven and Hell. Justice and Mercy will be done by God with each individual person. We will each earn our place in the eternities and it will be where we are most comfortable by virtue of our choices and our chosen way of being.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
6 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:
9 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:
11 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
13 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:
18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
20 ¶ And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22 ¶ If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
3 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
11 For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
29 ¶ And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
22 ¶ The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.
10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
1 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
4 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
6 ¶ Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.
9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
11 When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
25 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house.
12 ¶ And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord.
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts, and I repented not:
3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
Ps. 68: 1-10, 15-21, 24, 26, 28, 31-32, 34-35
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
I do not believe in a messianic era. I believe that there really is a Messiah and I believe that there is a Shiloh separate from the Messiah, to gather the people (the gathering of Israel or the 12 tribes) too. Shiloh is a sort of savior, if you will, but not in the same sense as the Messiah, himself. They have two separate purposes and two separate missions that coincide and work for God’s plan to save his people, the mutual eternal salvation of all people, throughout all time and all eternities. When I prayed about this and asked my Father in Heaven, it was confirmed to me. Spirituality, is confirmation of a direct connection with and relationship with God Himself. Our ability to be individual prophets for our own salvation and eternal life as well as an essential part of the overall plan to save all people as is the plan of God. We are to have a confirmation, from God, that our contribution, each of our contributions are both essential for this plan to come to fruition and that our mutual salvation is an important part of the overall formula for the eternal life and salvation of man. God does not need us, he chose to use each of us anyway. It is our choice to either fulfill our pre-ordination as God gave us prior to our coming to Earth, or to selfishly focus on our wants, needs and plans, disregarding our foreordained, essential role in God’s overall plan of salvation for all mankind. We lived and loved before coming here and we will live again after this life is through. Why focus on the things of this world if they are merely tools to teach you to become more divine in your role as a servant of God throughout all of eternity.
· Dan. 9: 25-26
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
We must have a go-between, if you will. Not all men will be able to stand in the presence of God, for not all men are righteous.
Ps. 68: 1-10, 15-21, 24, 26, 28, 31-32, 34-35
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
I believe in the resurrection after the coming of the Messiah. He will come. I know this to be true. I have had a confirmation of this through prayer and conversing with my Father in Heaven.
· Job 14: 14
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
· Ezek. 33: 15
15 f the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
· Isa. 60: 15 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
· Dan. 12: 2 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.