Part 8

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The Acts of the Hebrews – Part 8

And Saul was consenting to his death. And in that day there was a great persecution on the KAHAL at Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men buried TZEPHANYAH/Stephen and made a great mourning over him. 3  But Saul ravaged the KAHAL, entering into every house. And dragging men and women, he delivered them up to prison.

Rabbinic law didn’t allow mourning for those stoned for blasphemy so this verse is quite remarkable showing us that there was a strong disagreement and public revolt with the believers against the Sanhedrin and their mandates and executive orders!

If יהוה says it’s right to mourn Gen 23. it doesn’t matter what executive order or guidance comes from another governing body…it’s to be disobeyed in one accord!

Building a fence around the Torah leads to persecution…I ask you how much more when those in power build a fence around common law?

Shaul’s actions are all part of building a fence around the torah in an attempt to “protect” it from destructive heresies and evil practices. 

Eradication psychology occurs when leaders appoint task commanders such as Shaul to seek out the opposition through the compilation of lists (that’s data harvesting) and the detention of dissenters for their own safety. 

Our world has wholeheartedly embraced de-platforming which is the precursor of eradication psychology! 

Shaul sincerely believed that Yahusha was under a curse (Deut. 21:22) and that belief fueled his mission. 

What happens when the majority believe a lie and act upon it to the detriment of a small dissenting minority that obviously value truth, family, prayer and worship above cultural Eradication psychology?

Well like the early KAHAL I am somewhat daunted at the realization that these days our on the horizon. 

The answer…Philip Proclaims Moshiach in Samaria.

Act 8:4 Then, indeed, the ones who had been scattered passed through, preaching the gospel, the Word. 5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed MOSHIACH to them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed to those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the many miracles which he did. 7 For out of those having unclean spirits, many came out, crying with loud voice. And many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Magician Believes:

A man who has been conjuring up the masses, claiming himself to be a great one, where everyone is paying attention to him because they are amazed at his conjuring. In the end it’s all about the money and esoteric engineering. 

Act 8:9 But a certain man called Simon had long been conjuring in the city, and amazing the nation of Samaria, claiming himself to be some great one. 10 All gave heed to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, This one is the great power of GOD. 11 And they were paying attention to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with conjuring. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel, the things concerning the kingdom of יהוה and the name of YAHUSHA HA MOSHIACH, they were MICVAED, both men and women. 13 Then Simon himself believed also, and being MICVAED, he continued with Philip. And seeing miracles and mighty works happening, he was amazed.

14 And the apostles in Jerusalem hearing that Samaria had received the Word of יהוה, they sent Peter and John to them; 15 who when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the RUACH HA KODESH. 16 For as yet He had not fallen on any of them, they were MICVAED only in the name of the MASTER YAHUSHA. 17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the RUACH HA KODESH. 18 And when Simon saw that the RUACH HA KODESH was given through laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, Give me this power also, that on whomever I lay hands, he may receive the RUACH.

20 But Peter said to him, May your silver perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of YAH may be purchased with money. 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of ELOHIM. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray יהוה  if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. Act 8:23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. 24 And answering Simon said, You pray to יהוה  for me that none of these things which you have spoken may come on me. 25 Then, indeed, having earnestly testified and having spoken the Word of the MASTER also having preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans, they returned to Jerusalem.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Act 8:26-38 And he MICVAED him. 

39. And when they had come up out of the water, the Spirit of יהוה caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached the gospel in all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

PHILIP gets transported, not raptured, but transported. Just like Enoch and Elijah before him. 

1 Ki 18:7 And as Obadiah was in the way, and behold! Elijah met him. And he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Are you my lord Elijah? 8 and he answered him, I am. Go, tell your lord, behold, Elijah is here. 1Ki 18:9  And he said, What have I sinned that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me? 1Ki 18:10 As יהוה ELOHIM lives, there is no nation nor kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they said, He is not there, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they did not find you. 11 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here! 12 And it will be as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of יהוה  shall carry you where I know not. And when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared יהוה from my youth. 3 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of יהוה, how I hid a hundred men of YHWH’s prophets by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah! And he will kill me! 15 And Elijah said, As יהוה TZEVOT lives, before whom I stand, I will surely be seen by him today. 16 And Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 And it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Are you he that troubles Israel?

Elijah was “teleported” many times before!

Verse 10″…there is no nation, or kingdo, where my master has not sent to seek you: and when they said, He is not there; he made the kingdom and nation take an oath that they did not find you.”

Whenever the enemies of יהוה came to look for Elijah, after reported “Elijah sightings” they could never find him! 

Elijah had a habit of “disappearing” and it was well known amongst the people of Yahweh, that Yahweh did this miraculous thing (v.12).

I Kings 18:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Ruach of Yahweh shall take you somewhere I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he shall kill me: but I your servant have feared Yahweh from my youth.

This passage has been misunderstood by too many churchmen. They claim it to be a prophecy of Elijah being taken to heaven. But If this were a prophecy, and it was from יהוה, then Elijah would have been taken away BEFORE Obadiah had brought King Ahab to meet him “…as soon as I am gone from thee” stated in I Kings 18:16-17.

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Are you he that troubles and disturbs Israel?

Ahab DID see Elijah at this time which shows that this was not a prophecy – because it didn’t come true!

Obadiah’s understanding was that Elijah always was “whisked away” whenever his life might be in jeopardy. This is a biblical practice that we can petition ourselves. 

Whenever the King’s men came to apprehend Elijah Yahweh picked him up and took him away from the imminent danger, so he should not see his own death.

Notice the leading text that is read just prior to Elijah being “taken”. 

II Kings 2:1-3. 2:1 And it came to pass, when יהוה  would take up Elijah into the heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, I ask you; for יהוה has sent me to Beth-El. And Elisha said to him, as יהוה lives, and as your being lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beth-El. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-El came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that יהוה will take away your master from being over you today? And he said, yes , I know it; hold you your silence.

These people KNEW what was going to happen because it had happened before.

This time was gonna be a bit different. Elijah’s active and dangerous ministry was coming to an end.

The world conspired to take his life. They also knew that Elisha would “have his master” taken from him and that he would no longer be just Elijah’s servant but the prophet of יהוה.

II Kings 2:4 And Elijah said to him, Elisha, stay here, I ask you; for יהוה  has sent me to Jericho. And he said, as יהוה lives, and as your being lives, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. 5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that יהוה  will take away your master from being over you today? And he answered, yes; I know it; be silent! Hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said to him, Stay here, I ask you, for yhwh as sent me to Jordan. And he said, as יהוה lives, and as your being lives, I will not leave you. And the two went on.

יהוה had to remove Elijah or Elisha would not have taken the mantle to take up the ministry that יהוה had for him. יהוה took him Elijah from Elisha in order for Elisha to fulfill his ministry.

II Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they had gone over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask me what I shall do for you, before I am taken away from you. And Elisha said, I ask you, let a double portion of your ruach be upon me. 10 And he said, you have asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so. 

Elijah knew that his “retirement” was nigh. He knew that he would be leaving Elisha to the office of the servitude of יהוה as His prophet of warning and witness.

I know many have been skeptical of me, but I do feel that I have been faithful to warn and witness even if some of you brush it off and only realize after the fact. I just pray it’s not too late for some! 

II Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried my abba, my abba, the Mirkavah of Yisrael, and their horsemen. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces.

Elijah went up to a place called heaven and out of sight of Elisha. This wasn’t the third heaven, the place of Yahweh’s throne! The word Shamayim in Hebrew has a dual meaning:

1. The Heavens (Plural) meaning where the clouds are etc 
2. Heaven (Singular) the place where יהוה resides and where the spirits of the righteous go on death.

יהוה tells us through scripture in John 3:13 And no man has ascended up to the shamayim, but He that came down from the shamayim, even the Ben Ahdahm who is in the shamayim.

Elijah was taken up into the air, the firmament of this earth, this is the first heaven. He was NOT taken to יהוהs throne or the third Heaven (see 2 Corinthians 12:1).

Where did this “chariot of fire”,this whirlwind take him to?

Operation “high jump” with Admiral Byrd,…“high jump” meaning scaling the ice wall and witnessing the “Rire from the Sky” as Admiral Byrd calls Elijah’s flying chariot?

Is it possible, that Admiral Byrd spoke of chariot like object that could fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds being based on Antarctica?

Couple that with…dRubens Villela, a meteorologist and the first Brazilian scientist to participate in an expedition to the South Polar region, and a veteran of eleven expeditions to Antarctica describes the chariot which appeared over Almirantado Bay” he told interviewers, later…

“it wasn’t easy to describe but I wrote in my diary: Positively the colors, the configuration and contours of the object, as a bodied light, with geometric forms, did not seem to be from this world, and I did not know what could possibly reproduce it”.

The object, he went on to report, was “multi-colored”, and had a luminous, oval-shaped body. It left, behind it, a “long tube-like orange/red trail”.

“It split into two pieces, as if it had exploded. Then, each part shone even more intensively, with white, blue and red colors projecting V shaped rays behind it. They quickly moved away and could be seen 200 meters above the ground.”

II Kings 2:16 And they said to him, See now, there are with your servant fifty strong men; let them go, we ask you, and seek your master: if perhaps the Ruach of Yahweh has taken him up, and cast him upon some ice mountain, or into some crevasse. And he said, you shall not send anyone. 17 And when they urged him until he was ashamed, he relented and said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought him for three days, but found him not. 18 And when they came again to him, for he tarried at Jericho, he said to them, did I not say to you, Go not?

The bystanders went off to look for Elijah!

Why would they go on a three day journey through the countryside to find a man who has not even on earth?

These people KNEW that Elijah was “transported” from one earthly location unto another.

They were not sure where he ended up but they knew he was returned to this earth.

This is made clear in the scripture because about seven years later (7 yrs by comparing 2 Kings 3:1, I Kings 22:42, and 2 Kings 8:16) we find Elijah STILL on earth having written to the King of Judah, Jehoram.

2 Chronicles 21:12 And there came a written parchment to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, this says יהוה Elohim of Dawid your father, Because you have not had your walk in the ways of Jehosophat your abba, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

The word rendered writing is “miktab” [Strong’s # 4385] meaning a letter, a thing written, a document, writing. Scripture shows that Elijah continued to live on earth.

How could a letter can come from Elijah well after he had been taken away?

We’re left with only two options.

1. The first was that he was taken to the skies and then removed to another spot on the earth away from harm, and not to heaven itself.
2. EliJAH had written this letter prior to his being snatched to heaven, having obeyed Yahweh to write a letter about events before it happened, so as to punish JEHORAM with dire fear and mental disturbance, in that he was actually getting letters from dead people speaking for Yahweh, with Yahweh’s true words.

Josephus Antiquities Of The Jews 9:2:2 states “Now at this time it was that Elijah disappeared from among men, and no one knows of his death to this very day; but he left behind him his disciple Elisha, as we have formerly declared and indeed, as to Elijah, and as to Enoch, who was before the Deluge, it is written in the sacred books that they disappeared; but so nobody knew that they died.”

Elijah was picked up bodily and placed down in a different location – Antartica! 

The prophet Ezekiel experienced the same phenomenon in his day Ezekiel 3:12-14.

12 Then the Ruach took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the tifereth of Yahweh from His place. 13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a noise of a great rushing. 14 So the Ruach lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my ruach; but the hand of Yahweh was strong upon me.

Philip was identically transported bodily through the air, from a spot between Jerusalem and Gaza, (Acts 8:26-28 and Acts 8:39, 40).

John 3:13 And no man has ascended up to the shamayim, but He that came down from the shamayim, even the Ben Ahdahm who is in the shamayim.