From Eliyahu

Hello friends,

One could suppose they are doing the best they can. Religionists of all of the major religions of the world are assumed to be sincere in their beliefs, whether some strain of Jews, Christians, Muslims or something else. Yet, none of these religious systems can contain the new wine of the Kingdom. Why not?

Because each of these religious systems and sub-systems has developed their own complete religious paradigm - a system of thought through which they see their god and their world. Their paradigm, no matter which one it is, is similar to the operating system of your computer. Your Windows OS cannot process information like your Mac, because it is an entirely different system of processing information. Anything outside the Windows OS framework simply does not compute.

This explains why religion has been the source of many of the wars throughout history. When something doesn't compute it is assumed to be akin to a virus that must be destroyed. This is why religion can get crazy and violent, while otherwise being a force tending toward a more moral society.

Another way to look at religion is as a handbook for life on planet earth. Each religion sets forth its own program for how life should be lived in relationship to the Divine.

The problem here is that man's Creator already gave us His handbook for how we need to live, and any change from that is a distortion, not an improvement. Yes, we have His standard of what is right and wrong. His handbook is called the Torah, meaning "instruction" and it is contained in the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses.

Isn't the Torah what the three "great" monotheistic religions are based on? Well, yes and no. It is undeniable that the most primitive source material for all three of these religions is drawn from the Torah. It's what has happened after that that is the problem.

Of course, the Torah is most natural for the Jews, yet they have not found it an easy thing to simply accept what it says. As one considers how the Jewish religion varies from the Torah, with a different calendar from the Torah and many extra-biblical traditions, it becomes clear that the Jewish religion is not the same as the Torah itself.

Christians have nothing to brag about on this score, as if superior to the Jews. Christian belief is completely dependant on the Torah. For example, Adam and Eve and original sin, all of which comes to us from the Torah, provides the underlying reason for the sacrifice of Christ, so we can be saved. A concept, by the way, that I am in agreement with. Yet, the Christian system of theology has rejected the Torah, often treating it as evil - even though it came directly from God! This is like buying a new car and then throwing away the manufacturer's manual saying; "Oh, I don't like this, I'll just do it my own way." Good luck with that.     

Strangely, Islam relies a lot on the Torah, much of which was rewritten to suit Islamic concepts. All the major figures of the Torah are there such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses, with different names of course. Yet, all with a twist, an Islamic spin. The Torah is almost 4,000 years old, Islam is only 1,400 years old. It is not hard to reason out which is the original truth here, and which isn't.

When Messiah came to earth, about 2000 years ago, He had to deal with the Jewish religious paradigm of His day. Like many religions, that Jewish system was mechanistic. Methods, traditions, and theological constructs were the order of the day. All these started with the Torah, but so often ended far from the original intent. The instruction from the Creator which was meant to keep his people happy, healthy, free, and in His will, was turned by man-made religion into an inscrutable burden upon the people.  There was a system of religious leaders who benefited from maintaining the old religion. Their continued position was insured by an alliance with the political powers of the day.  That Jewish religious system had become an old wineskin with little or no flexibility to receive any sort of energetic new wine - which happened to be exactly what Messiah was introducing. He was bringing back the Torah in its original meaning, and demonstrating its amazing power for good. What He did and said was both wonderful and shocking. He was bringing forth the new wine of the Kingdom, and the old wine skin was about to burst.

Find out more tonight, at Tsiyon.Net, at 8 PM CST, as we learn more from Messiah.

Shalom,

Eliyahu ben David
Tsiyon.Org

PS - Have you ever considered moving to Greater Austin Texas to be a part of our congregation here at Tsiyon? If so, you will want to read this short article below.

Austin Texas - Best place to live in USA in 2017

Reprint: http://www.today.com/home/2017-us-best-cities-live-according-us-news-world-report-t107829

U.S. News & World Report just unveiled their list of 2017 Best Places to Live in America after ranking the country's 100 largest metropolitan areas.

The new list took into account several factors, including affordability, job prospects and quality of life. A public survey of thousands of individuals across the country was also used to determine which qualities people consider important in a hometown. Then, data from the United States Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics — as well as U.S. News rankings of the best high schools and best hospitals — were considered to make up the final ranking.

“When considering a move people are concerned about finding a job in their field, earning enough to afford a home, sending their kids to good schools and feeling like a part of their community," said Kim Castro, executive editor at U.S. News, in a statement. "The Best Places to Live ranking takes all of that into account — the metro areas that do well are the ones with strong job markets and high quality of life."

So, which city took the top spot this year? Austin, Texas, came in at No. 1, bumping the previous winner, Denver, Colorado, to No. 2.