Question 188: Who were the Magi?

Answer:

These wise men were from either Arabia, Mesopotamia, Egypt or somewhere else in the East. "East" is not to be understood in our wide, modern sense, but referred to those countries that lie to the east as well as north of Palestine. Thus, Persia is referred to as the "East" (Isaiah 46:11). While it is true that the Gospel account does not state the number of wise men, but simply says they were from the East, many ancient traditions have been preserved from the early days of the Church, among them one which states that there were three Magian princes and gives their names as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, who came with a large retinue of servants and camels. Magism is supposed to have originated in Chaldea and thence spread to the adjacent countries. The Magians are believed to have been originally Semitic. Among the Greeks and Romans, they were known as Chaldeans. Daniel sympathized with the order during his exile and probably became one of their number. They believed in YHVH, hated idolatry and looked for a Messiah. The latter fact alone would almost be regarded as conclusive evidence of their Semitic descent. There are no absolute data however, for asserting it positively. For many generations the Magi has looked for the fulfilment of the prophecy contained in Numbers 24:17 ". . . there shall come a star out of Jacob . . ." and when the light as guiding star indicated the direction of Judea, they knew the prophecy had been fulfilled. "His star" can be interpreted as "his sign." Whatever form it assumed, it was sufficiently marked as an astronomical phenomenon to claim attention. Some writers have contended that it was visible to the Magi alone; others hold that it was a heavenly light, standing as a beacon of glory over the manger; still others, that it was the luminous figure of an angel. Tradition asserts that "the star" guided the Magi both by day and by night. The infant Saviour was probably over two months old when the visit of the Magi took place. They had seen the phenomenon of the star long before their arrival in Jerusalem, two months after Yeshua had been presented in the temple and it was some time after this that the Magi arrived in Jerusalem and went thence to Bethlehem to worship him and offer gifts. It must have taken them many months to accomplish the journey from their own country to Palestine. The Magi brought the first material gifts when they presented their love offerings.

Question 187: What were the “Marks of Moshiach Yeshua”?

Answer:

It was a practice to brand slaves with their owners' initials. A slave by showing the brand proved to whom his service was due and that no one else had a claim upon him. The marks of Moshiach Yeshua which Paul bore (Galatians 6:17) were the scars received in His service - the marks of the rods with which He was beaten and the wounds He received in fighting with wild beasts. He showed them as evidence that He belonged to Moshiach Yeshua.

Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 186: How did Satan receive the name “Lucifer”?

Answer:

There have been at different times various interpretations of the famous passage in Isaiah 14:12: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" "Lucifer" means "light-bringer" and has also been translated "son of the morning," "morning star and ““brilliant,” “splendid," "illustrious." Tertullian and Gregory the Great interpreted the passage in Isaiah as referring to the fall of Satan and since their time, the name "Lucifer" has been almost universally held by the Church to be an appellation of Satan before the fall. Dr Henderson, a famous commentator, simply interprets it "illustrious son of the morning" and holds that it has no reference to the fall of the apostate angels. Some later authorities claim that the passage has a prophetic reference to the fall from power of the great and illustrious King of Babylon, who surpassed all other monarchs of his time in splendour.

Question 185: What is meant by “Because thou have left thy first love?”

Answer:

These words (in Revelations 24.) were addressed to the believers at Ephesus. The "first love" does not refer to any person or influence other than Moshiach, but simply means that the Ephesians had lost the intensity of their affection and zeal for Moshiach. The Ephesian Church had had special opportunities and blessing. Under Paul's ministrations its members had received the gift of Ruach HaKodesh (Acts 19:1-6); the apostle had resided with them for three years (Acts 20:31); he had later written to them what is perhaps his most spiritually exalted epistle. Their experience of love for Moshiach had been warm and keen. In his message sent them through John the Master is reproving them for having allowed their love for him to grow weak and cold.

Question 184: What is an indulgence?

Answer:

An "indulgence" is a spiritual bill of health or official act of pardon granted by the Church of Rome. It has no warrant in Scripture. There are indulgences to ease the way of souls out of purgatory, indulgences for the living, permitting them to eat meat on holy days; indulgences for the forgiveness of past sins and, in Spain at least and probably in other countries, indulgences for those who have committed crimes, by which they are relieved of the responsibility of their acts. Indulgences are usually purchased with a fee, although in some cases they are granted in consideration of undergoing some form of penance. A recent illustration is the distribution of indulgences during the Eucharistic Congress in Vienna, where they seem to have been granted free to many people as a reward for their loyalty and devotion to the Catholic Church on that occasion.

Question 183: What was the “heresies” of apostolic times?

Answer:

The Greek word translated "heresies" in Galatians 5:20 mean either an opinion or a party. As used in the New Testament it stands for an opinion "varying from the true exposition of the faith" (as in 2 Peter 2:11) or a body of men following mistaken or blameworthy ideas or, as a combination of these two meanings, "dissensions." This latter definition "dissensions" is the rendering given by Thayer in this passage. The American revision translates the word "parties," leaving however, the expression "heresies" as the marginal reading. The three last words of the verse, "strife," "seditions," "heresies," are, in the American revision, "factions, divisions, parties."

Question 182: Where does the name “Hebrews” come from?

Answer:

It is held by the best authorities and by the Jews themselves that the name is derived from Heber or Eber (which means "from the other side" or a sojourner or immigrant). Heber was the son of Salah and the father of Peleg (see Genesis 10:24, 11:14 and 1 Chronicles 1:19). Abram was the first to be called a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13), presumably in the immigrant sense. The name is seldom used of the Israelites in the Old Testament, except when the speaker is a foreigner or when the Israelites speak of themselves to one of another nation. Some writers have held that Hebrew is derived from Abraham (Abrai), but this explanation is not generally adopted.

Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 181: What does “YHVH’s Image” mean?

Answer:

In discussing spiritual things, to be right, no one can go beyond the word of Scripture. The Bible tells us that YHVH gave to man a living soul. In this sense he was in the image of his Maker in his dispositions, temperament and desires and in his obedience to the divine will; but this condition was forfeited through sin. It could only be said thereafter of those who walked uprightly before YHVH and were inspired of him, that they were "His offspring." (Matthew 13:38; Mark 7:10. See John 12:36; Acts 13:10; Colossians 3:6.) Yeshua Himself drew the distinction when he told the wicked scribes and Pharisees that they were the children of the evil one and this is the actual condition of every one living in sin, unrepentant and unforgiving. Thus, while in his perfect condition man was like his Maker, in a condition of sin he is no longer so, nor has he any of the spiritual attributes and qualities that belong to the perfect condition or even of the pardoned sinner, who has the hope through Moshiach of reconciliation and restoration. The Bible nowhere declares that man is of himself and inherently immortal. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." When sin entered, then came physical decay and death; man's first condition was lost and with the continuance of sin, and unrepentant and unforgiving, he also forfeited spiritual immortality. Eternal life is the gift of YHVH. Paul declares that Yeshua, through his Gospel, brought life and immortality to light for fallen man and showed the path to restoration through repentance, forgiveness and acceptance.

Take a look at some of the water immersion that happened around the United States this year!

"An abomination to Yahweh thy God are all who do such things: all who do unrighteousness."
תוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל־עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה כֹּל עֹשֵׂה עָוֶל

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