Volume 6, Number 6 Nov/Dec 2008

As always, special thanks go out to Zola Levitt Ministries / TAs always, special thanks go out to Zola Levitt Ministries / TAs always, special thanks go out to Zola Levitt Ministries / TAs always, special thanks go out to Zola Levitt Ministries / TAs always, special thanks go out to Zola Levitt Ministries / To The Jew Fo The Jew Fo The Jew Fo The Jew Fo The Jew First Ministry for their ongoing fundingirst Ministry for their ongoing fundingirst Ministry for their ongoing fundingirst Ministry for their ongoing fundingirst Ministry for their ongoing fundingcontributions to B’rit Hadashah Ministries, helping to make these mission trips to Israel possible.contributions to B’rit Hadashah Ministries, helping to make these mission trips to Israel possible.contributions to B’rit Hadashah Ministries, helping to make these mission trips to Israel possible.contributions to B’rit Hadashah Ministries, helping to make these mission trips to Israel possible.contributions to B’rit Hadashah Ministries, helping to make these mission trips to Israel possible.

Page 2Nov/Dec 2008

Search the ScripturesSearch the ScripturesSearch the ScripturesSearch the ScripturesSearch the ScripturesThis publication is a bi-monthly newsletter, freeof charge, from B’rit Hadashah Ministries. ForForForForFormore informationmore informationmore informationmore informationmore information about our ministry, or tobe added to, or removed from, our subscriptionlist, you may contact Elisa by E-mail at:bhm@brit-hadashah.org

or by mail at:B’rit Hadashah MinistriesP.O. Box 796127Dallas, Texas 75379-6127

Visit our website at:www.brit-hadashah.org

In This IssueOne Road, One Way ................................... 3

Only In Israel ............................................. 4

Matthew 13 and the Prophetic Parablesabout the Present Age ........................... 5

The Treaty of Houdibaya ........................... 6

TODD’S LATEST BOOK IS HERE!

Dear Readers,

Once again, we head into the holiday season! But this year, justas important, we’re heading into a major election of a new leaderfor the United States. Please pray for this nation, that weremember to pray about our choices, and that we vote what theBible teaches.

In this issue, we announce Todd’s brand new book, as seenbelow! This is a short book compared to his others, but itcovers a very important topic which has been used as an excuseto hate Jews since the death of Jesus. You’ll also read aboutGod’s provision during our mission team’s outreach in Israel.And Todd is bringing together the prophetic parables of Matthew13. Stuart Arden tells us about the Israeli tradition of Fridaybouquets for Shabat, and then gives a lesson on Muhammad andthe Islamic opinion of treaties.

Let’s spend some time in prayers of thanksgiving, celebrateknowing the Light of the World, and rejoice in the remembranceof the birth of our Savior in the months to come. HappyThanksgiving, Happy Hannukah, and Merry Christmas!

Your newsletter editor,Elisa

P.S. Our next Mission Trip to Israel is scheduled forMarch 15-April 2, 2009!

This book is an exegetical study of Matthew 27:25 conducted withinthe context of the Gospel of Matthew and the broader contexts of theOld and New Testaments. The purpose for this study is to dispel anddisprove the traditional anti-Semitic meaning of Matthew 27:25 thathas tragically led to the unwarranted condemnation of the Jewish peoplefor the death of Jesus Christ. Hence, the particular focus of this bookwill directly address and answer the perennial, theological questionthat asks, “Does Matthew 27:25 mean and teach the Jews are altogethercondemned by God for the crucifixion of Christ?” While it is true theJewish nation, by and large, tragically rejected Jesus at His firstcoming, this in no way gives Christians theological license for thewholesale hatred, persecution, and destruction of the Jews, or forholding an anti-Semitic bias against them. Nowhere in the NewTestament Scriptures is it taught that the Jewish race—past, present,and future are condemned and morally indicted as “Christ killers” forthe crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This study is necessary to expose andcorrect the flawed interpretation of Matthew 27:25 that has historicallypersisted in Christendom and leads a person to build and develop ananti-Jewish theology. Factoring all this together, in a careful exegesisof Matthew 27, will manifestly demonstrate that the Jewish people arenot guilty of deicide and therefore arbitrarily condemned by God as arace of “Christ killers.” Quite the contrary.

See Page 10 for more information about how to order.

MMMMMAAAAATTHEWTTHEWTTHEWTTHEWTTHEW 27:25: ‘H 27:25: ‘H 27:25: ‘H 27:25: ‘H 27:25: ‘HISISISISIS B B B B BLOODLOODLOODLOODLOOD B B B B BEEEEE O O O O ONNNNN U U U U USSSSS’’’’’AAAAARERERERERE T T T T THEHEHEHEHE J J J J JEWISHEWISHEWISHEWISHEWISH P P P P PEOPLEEOPLEEOPLEEOPLEEOPLE R R R R RAAAAACIALLCIALLCIALLCIALLCIALLYYYYY C C C C CONDEMNEDONDEMNEDONDEMNEDONDEMNEDONDEMNED F F F F FOROROROROR

TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE D D D D DEAEAEAEAEATHTHTHTHTH OFOFOFOFOF C C C C CHRISTHRISTHRISTHRISTHRIST?????

Front cover: a beautiful Hannukah menorah in Israel(courtesy of www.wildolive.co.uk)

Page 3 Nov/Dec 2008

by ToddBaker

Continued on page 4

March 2008 Gospel Outreachto Israel - Part 4

On Day four of the March 2008 MissionTrip, Paul and I spent our morningprayer time at the Mount of Beatitudes—

the traditional site where Jesus spoke the Sermonon the Mount (Matthew 5-7). We still had notreceived our luggage from the airlines and hadonly two Hebrew Bibles left with twelve days still to go on this Gospeloutreach. All our Bibles and Gospel tracts were in the lost luggage.When praying at the Mount of Beatitudes, I recalled that the

Franciscan nuns at the church there offered copies of the New Testament in theHebrew language for a small donation. When we entered the chapel, I lookedaround to see if there were any Hebrew New Testaments. Sure enough, I foundtwo much needed copies. A nun by the name of Sister Salvatore came up and toldme the price for each copy. Paul asked her if she had any more copies. She saidshe had four more New Testaments to give us for a small donation. I told the nunthat we distribute these Hebrew New Testaments to the Jewish people that theymight be introduced to their Messiah. Sister Salvatore said, “That is good.” In Hisprovidential timing, God knew we desperately needed more Hebrew Bibles for ourGospel outreach. And so the Lord used this compliant and humble nun toprovide, at just the right time, much needed Bibles to continue our Gospeltestimony to the Jewish people.

After we left there, Paul and I felt led to stop at a shopping center. As we werewalking past a sidewalk flower stand, the proprietor greeted us. This brief exchangecaused Paul and I to stop and carry on a conversation with him. His name wasElad. During the course of our discussion it was apparent that he was a devoteeof some sort of New Age religion that espouses an eclectic spirituality whichbelieves all world religions can be merged into one belief.

When Elad learned we were Bible believers in Yeshua, he expressed his beliefthat Jesus was one of several “spiritual guides” sent to guide man to a higherlevel; Paul and I patiently listened to his views on these important subjects. Whenhe finished, we firmly but gently responded that there are too many irreconcilabledifferences between the world religions whose absolute claims cannot becompromised with each other without losing its specific beliefs that make itdistinct from the other religions.

We informed Elad that Jesus of Nazareth is not just another spiritual guru butthe supreme revelation of God Himself to mankind (see Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesusbased His claims of deity on what He did which excludes any other rival, equal,or superior. This was best epitomized when Elohim raised Jesus from the deadthree days after His atoning death on the cross for the salvation of humanity.Every other great religious founder and leader is dead and is, therefore, obviouslya powerless victim of death. Only Yeshua has physically conquered the greatestTodd with Sister Salvatore of the Franciscan Nuns who

provided our team with Hebrew New Testaments

Elad (with Paul) believed that all world religions can be merged intoone belief, and Jesus was just one of several “spiritual guides.”

Page 4Nov/Dec 2008

In this issue, we continue with our “photo-essay” series by our resident Israeli correspondent, Stuart Arden. These photos and captionswill explain some of the behavioral, cultural, and religious practices of Israel and Israelis; some are unusual, most are unique, and allare informative.

from Stuart Arden

Friday BouquetsFriday BouquetsFriday BouquetsFriday BouquetsFriday Bouquets It is a custom in modern Israel that husbands bringtheir wives a bouquet of flowers on Friday afternoonas part of the celebration of Shabat (the Sabbath).

On many streets and street corners, on a Friday, onecan see young people, usually sitting under a largeumbrella, with buckets of flowers for sale and pricesmarked in Shekels. However, check-out this dapper-looking, jolly gentleman, named Marcel, whoimmigrated from France in 1972, and goes by thename of Menachem in Hebrew, or Mendel in Yiddish.When asked about his previous occupation, Marcelsaid that he had been in the “shmata business.”Shmata is Yiddish for rag, and this is the Yiddish wayof saying the “clothing business.”

He has a wide selection, including asters, carnations,chrysanthemums, daisies, gladioli, marigolds, roses,and of course colorful mixed bouquets. Flowers inIsrael are a lot cheaper than in the U.S., and hismixed bouquet sells for around $5.70.

enemy in the history of the world and thereby historically proved by theresurrection that He is God and reigns overall. We offered Elad the historicalrecord of this actual event in the pages of a Hebrew New Testament. He wasnoticeably reluctant; no doubt the demonic forces influencing his mind didnot want him receiving the Word of God so that he could be set free from thespiritual deception he was under. Elad maintained there were “many ways”and used the analogy of a highway system. He reasoned that just as thereare several different roads to a city like Haifa so too are there many roads toGod whether it is through Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Paul contradictedthis by pointing out that Jesus Himself claimed to be the only way to God andquoted John 14:6 where He said, “I am the way“I am the way“I am the way“I am the way“I am the way, the truth, and the life., the truth, and the life., the truth, and the life., the truth, and the life., the truth, and the life.No one comes to the Father but by Me.”No one comes to the Father but by Me.”No one comes to the Father but by Me.”No one comes to the Father but by Me.”No one comes to the Father but by Me.” I then added that God hasestablished inviolate laws that govern His universe so that it can run andoperate in an ordered and proper fashion. To break those physical laws is tosuffer deadly consequences.

For instance, the law of gravity states every object that has mass andweight will fall to earth if dropped. This is an inviolate law. I can sincerelybelieve that if I run my car over a cliff, I will float in the air; but the law of

gravity will invariably take effect and my car will go plunging down thecliff, in spite of my sincere but deluded belief that it won’t.

We then concluded by saying that just as the God of Israel hasestablished physical laws like this one, He has also established spirituallaws that are inviolate, which govern His eternal kingdom. One suchspiritual law is that God the Father has decreed that eternal life andfellowship with Him can only be fully achieved through His Son, Yeshuathe Messiah. God laid these spiritual laws in the Jewish Scriptures. Andthe overarching law that Yeshua is the only way back to the one trueGod is the supreme spiritual law established in the New Testament andthe only means by which we enter heaven for those who believe theGospel message. To deny that law by rejecting who Jesus is and what Heexclusively did is to go the opposite direction and bring ruin and spiritualdamnation on oneself (Mark 16:16; John 3: 16-21, 36)! Although ourconversation ended with Elad on this somber and serious note, he didreceive a Messianic Gospel tract explaining how a Jewish person canaccept Yeshua the Messiah for salvation.

Dear readers, pray that Elad will take that narrow road that leads toeternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 7:13-14). ✡✞✡

One Road, One Way Continued from page 3

✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡ ✞ ✡

Page 5 Nov/Dec 2008

Continued on page 8

“Again the kingdom of heaven is like adragnet that was cast into the sea andgathered of every kind, which when it wasfull, they drew to shore; and sat down,and gathered the good into vessels, butcast the bad away. So shall it be at theend of the age. The angels shall comeforth, and separate the wicked fromamong the just, and cast them into thefurnace of fire. There will be wailing andgnashing of teeth.”

- Matthew 13:47-50

IIIIIn the second parable of Matthewthirteen, after the solidestablishment of the Church, theenemy, Satan, placed an opposing

force within the Church, the tares, tooppose the servants of Christ, thewheat, for the purpose of destroyingChristianity with a counterfeit one.The tares shall continue to grow untilthe end of the age, but they will notbe able to successfully overcome thepeople of God. Therefore, we seehere, the kingdom of heaven under theassault of the Wicked One and hisspiritual children, who nominallyprofess Christ, but actually serveSatan, the devil.

The Church of Smyrna correspondsto the parable of the wheat and thetares (Revelation 2:8-10). This Churchperiod extended from 170 A.D. to 312A.D. with the rise of Constantine. Thisparticular era in church history was atime of intense persecution under theRoman Empire. The Church wasinvaded by the infiltration of variousheresies by different groups and bythe ancient Church of Rome pioneeredby the Wicked One and his supposed‘Christian’ Emperor and the so-called“Christians” who promoted andaccepted his “Holy” Roman Empire—“which say they are [spiritual] Jews,and are not, but are the synagogue ofSatan” (Revelation 2:9).

The third parable, the parable ofthe mustard seed, looks aheadcenturies after the apostolic era whenChristianity suffered an outwardgrowth of monstrous proportionswherein that which had been spiritualbecame carnal, that which wasworldly became paramount and wasthe ruling standard, and that whichwas spiritual concerning the Gospeland the kingdom of God wassecondary and pushed into the

background. This subversive seedgrew into the huge ecclesiastical treeof the “Holy” Roman Empire. TheChurch suffered a radical corruptionof an external nature in which theagents of the Devil, portrayed as “thefowls of the air”, secured a rulinghabitation within the spreadingbranches of the tree. Thus, what takesplace here is the creation of a falseChristian church ruled by the Deviland his demonic viceroys. The eventsof the parable of the mustard treecorrespond to the Church of Pergamosin Revelation 2:12-16.

Satan chose to cleverly mix Churchand State together with the paganmystery religions of Rome to pollutethe pure teachings of BiblicalChristianity. They substituted thetruth of divine grace with “thedoctrine of Balaam”—a teaching thatpresumes the free gift of God can bebought or earned through religiousritual and observance for selfish gain,of which its popular form ismanifested under the religion ofRoman Catholicism. The religious andpolitical merger of the Church withthe State in the fourth century at Romefurnished “Satan’s seat” of dictatorialauthority, which later evolved into thePapacy. The Church of Pergamos eralasted from 312 A.D. to 606 A.D.

Coming to the fourth parable, weobserve that just as the last parablesymbolically portrayed the outwardcorruption of Christendom, so thisfourth parable, the parable of theleaven, discloses to us the inwardcorruption of it. The woman ofdisobedience secretly introducedleaven, an emblem of decay andcorruption, into the meal, whichrepresents the pure doctrinalteachings of Jesus Christ. The foreignelement introduced under theappearance of leaven speaks of thepoisoning and diluting of God’s Wordin His people, which entails calling evilgood, and good evil, putting bitter forsweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah5:20). Jesus said this immoralfermentation would continue until theprocess would be complete, until thewhole lump is leavened. Judging frompresent day conditions, the processof this corruption is near completionand the Church’s heavenly departureis close at hand—all the more why weas Christians should live pure andsober before the Lord in thisincreasingly wicked and perversegeneration.

The parable of the leaven topicallyparallels the Church of Thyatira(Revelation 2:18-24). This Church had

Page 6Nov/Dec 2008

BY STUART

ARDENISRAELI

CORRESPONDENT

Anything connectedwith the prophetMuhammad or

written in the Qur’anbecomes a “sacred”paradigm affecting themindset of Muslims;determining their affairsamong themselves, andtheir affairs with others.Furthermore, in Islam, itis OTHERS, because toMuslims it is always aquestion of “believers” and“infidels.” One suchrecurring paradigm havingparticular reference and relevance to Israel is the Treatyof Houdibiya which Muhammad concluded with theQuraysh tribe of Mecca in 628 c.e.

Muhammad the prophet (Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibnAbdul Muttalib, 570 c.e. to 632 c.e.), supposedly adescendant of Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic), was born intothe Quraysh tribe which controlled Makkah (Mecca). Thecentral feature of Mecca for Muslims (meaning thosewho have submitted to Islam), is the Ka’aba, the black-silk-draped cubical structure within the courtyard oftoday’s Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). According tothe Qur’an, Adam, the first man, built the Ka’aba’s originalfoundation, and Abraham (Ibrahim) the patriarch rebuiltthe structure with his son Ishmael; later refurbishmentswere also done.

The Encyclopedia Britannica (2002) says: “before therise of Islam it [the Ka’aba] was revered as a sacredsanctuary and was a site of pilgrimage.” Both thesacredness and the pilgrimage (from before Muhammad’stime!) have been preserved in Islam, with the pilgrimagebeing today’s annual Haj to Mecca. Also, Muslims allover the world recite their five-time-a-day prayers whilefacing Mecca, and there are Qibla Compasses fordetermining the correct direction. Muhammad originallyfaced Jerusalem when reciting prayers (because both

Judaism andChristianity are theinspirations for his“new” religion!), butIslamic tradition

says that during prayers in the Al-Qiblatain mosque in Medina,God told Muhammad to change the direction to the Ka’aba inMecca. Nevertheless, most historians state that the real reasonwas because of the refusal of the large number of Jews in Medinato accept Islam.

Muhammad wound-up in Medina because of events connectedwith his formation of Islam, as well as his attempts to install it inMecca. From about age 35 on, Muhammad had begun the habit ofseeking solitude and meditation in a cave called “Hiraa,” locatedin Mount al-Nur just outside Mecca, his birthplace. Muhammadclaimed that while there (in 610 c.e.), he had been visited by theangel Gabriel (Jibril) who commanded him to write down certainthings. Since Muhammad could neither read nor write, hesupposedly memorized these ideas and later communicated themto others, who wrote them down in what became the Qur’an. Thisprocess lasted for 23 years, until Muhammad’s death in 632 c.e.The essence of these ideas was monotheism, submission andobedience to “the Almighty,” and various socio-political ideas. Thereligious ideas expressed in the Qur’an were the outgrowth ofMuhammad’s interactions with Jews and Christians as he pliedthe caravan route from Mecca to Damascus and back. Thus,Muhammad invokes the names of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David,Jesus, and declares himself to be the final prophet (even thoughsome of those preceding names were not prophets). Interestingly,and impossible for Muhammad to have known, other “prophets”did follow him, such as Baha’ul’lah, founder of the Baha’i faith,and Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church.

Muhammad’s attempts at proselytizing among the Meccansraised the ire of the pagan, idolatrousQuraysh who controlled the city and theKa’aba, and who viewed Muhammad’sattempts as a threat to their hegemony;both “religiously,” and more importantly,economically. From his standpoint,Muhammad understood that his newreligion would not be fully-accepted, norhave “mystical” associations unless hecould control the Ka’aba and reinterpretits symbolism in Islamic terms; anexample is the linkage to the PatriarchAbraham. Abraham would have been

More than a million Muslims in the courtyard of theMasjid al Haram in Mecca, during the Haj

Using the crescent (acarry-over of the moon god)

on minarets, and as asymbol of Islam, undoubt-

edly aided in converting theformer pagans.

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Continued on page 9

unknown to the pagan Meccans, or at the very least, someonethat they wouldn’t have been able to relate to. With regard to theforegoing, Muhammad’s name for the monotheistic God was Allah,the Arabic name for the moon god; a male god (Allat is the femininegoddess) of whom the Ka’aba was a “shrine.” As a result of theaforementioned conflicting motivations, Muhammad’s few convertswere persecuted, and his life was in danger. However, due to theinfluence of Abu Talib (Muhammad’s uncle), the leader of the BanuHashim clan among the Quraysh, and “foster father” after the deathof his own father, no attempts were made on Muhammad’s life.Nevertheless, in 622 c.e. Mohammad took his followers and wentto Yathrib (later renamed Medinat al-Nabi, the “city of the Prophet,”or just al-Medina). This journey is called the Hejira and forms thebasis of the Muslim calendar (B.H./A.H.). Some sources say thatMuhammad had been invited to arbitrate between two feudingtribes, the Aws and the Khazraj, and after his successful mediationmany of these tribesmenconverted to Islam, greatlyincreasing the number of hisfollowers.

Preceding the above byone year, in 621 c.e.Muhammad supposedly tooktwo miraculous journeys inone night. The first of the twojourneys is called the Isra(“Night Journey”) and findsMuhammad sleeping in ornear the Ka’aba when he’scalled by the angel Gabrielwho brings him Buraq, hiswinged steed (“larger than adonkey but smaller than amule”), which has the faceof a woman. Buraq carried Muhammad to the “farthest mosque.”This destination is never specifically identified in the Qur’an, norcould it be, because Islam was in its infancy and there were NOmosques outside of Arabia! Nevertheless, Muslims, in their attemptto supersede Judaism and spiritually appropriate the Temple Mount,claim that Jerusalem was the destination, even though there were

Today’s Temple Mount; the al Aksa Mosque with its slate-covered dome atthe left, and the gold-covered Dome of the Rock to the right

A Pakistani truck decorated with apicture of the Buraq

The flag of Saudi Arabia

absolutely no mosques in Jerusalem at that time. The alAksa Mosque, on today’s Temple Mount, was built byMuslim Caliph Al-Walid the son of Abdul Malek binMarwan in 709 c.e., 88 years after Muhammad’s“miraculous journey,” and 77 years after his death.Wikipedia says this about the farthest mosque: “therewere already two places that Muslim tradition of thattime period [author’s emphasis] called ‘the farthestmosque;’ one was the mosque in Medina and the otherwas the mosque in the town of Jirana, which Muhammadis said to have visited in 630.” Furthermore, calling it avisit to Solomon’s Temple is ridiculous, as that Templehad been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.e.The second journey is the Mi’raj (“Ascent”) in which Buraqcarries Muhammad from the Temple Mount up to theseventh heaven, where he speaks with earlier prophets,and even with Allah. Muslims accept these two storiesas being factual, actual journeys, but Ibn Ishaq(Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar), Muhammad’s firstbiographer (Sirat Rasul Allah - “Life of Allah’sMessenger”), who collected oral traditions in writing hisbiography, says that he has it directly from the mouth ofAisha, Muhammad’s favorite wife (in whose arms he diedin 632 c.e.), that it was Muhammad’s spirit, and not himphysically, that had undertaken these two journeys (avision or a dream!).

From the Battle of Waddan in 623 to the Battle ofKhaibar in 627, until the Treaty of Houdibiya in 628,Muhammad and his Muslims fought more than twentybattles to spread Islam; and even after Muhammad’sdeath fought many more battles. In this regard the flagof Saudi Arabia is symbolic of Muhammad’s efforts. Ona green background the white Arabic script says, “Thereis but one God, Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet ofAllah;” strongly reminiscent of the holiest Hebrew prayer,the Shma, which begins, “Hear O Israel, the Lord OurGod, the Lord is One.” What is beneath the Arabic script?A dove, the bird of peace? An olive branch, anothersymbol of peace? No, a sword, symbolizing the Muslimpractice of submit or die!

A number of Hadiths (oral sayings of the Prophet)state that Muhammad ruled that thievery, even for small

Page 8Nov/Dec 2008

Have you wanted to meet with us on Friday nights but haven’tbeen able to make it? Would you like to be able to get thegreat teaching in a form that you can listen to wheneveryou want?

We’ve got good news for you!Todd has been recording histeachings on the “Illuminationsfrom Isaiah” series, the“Daniel’s Seventy Weeks ofYears” series, and the latestseries, “The Eternal Security

of the Believer,” in order to make them available to you. They will be put onthe website as we get them cleaned up and ready to go. These lessons areavailable in two formats: •As an MP3 file which you can download, and •as an audio CD delivered by mail, available for a donation of $10.Order your CD or download the MP3 from the website today! Check back from time to time to see whichnew installments are available. Go to www.brit-hadashah.org and visit the Books & Media page.

Matthew 13... Continued from page 4

permitted an evil and imperious woman, by the name ofJezebel, who claimed to be a prophetess, to remain in thecongregation. She was allowed to teach her infernaldoctrines of fornication that had a defiling influence onthe Christian community. She led many servants of Godastray. Undoubtedly, this idolatrous and promiscuouswoman of unholy divination typifies a religious systemthat arose with the emergence of the Papal Church. Thisdespotic church presumed, as the woman did with theleaven, to introduce the “leaven” of false doctrine intothe meal of the Gospel. The Papacy claimed that thetraditions of the “Church” were equal in weight, authority,content, and divine inspiration with the Word of God.They also leavened the uniqueness of Christ by refocusingrightful worship and prayerful attention from Him andunduly placing it upon His human mother, Mary. Thereligion of Mariolatry is a powerful tool in the hands ofRome. By it they are able to successfully manipulate someuntold millions under these blasphemous errors for powerand personal gain. This kind of unbiblical insertion intothe Church was merely the reintroduction of theBabylonian Mystery religious system of idolatry into theChurch dressed up in shallow Christian clothing. TheChurch of Thyatira period extended from 606 A.D. tothe great Reformation in 1520 A.D.

The fifth and sixth parables of Matthew thirteenillustrates the blessed and gracious labors of Christ in

purchasing and redeeming two valuable objects dear toHim—Israel and the Church. In the fifth parable, thetreasure hidden in the field foreshadows the redemptionof Israel. The fifth parable also can in some way beapplied to the Christian dispensation that corresponds tothe Church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-4). This era in churchhistory saw the rise of a Church that had been dormantfor centuries.

The Reformation brought back the recirculation ofthe Scriptures on a mass scale and liberation from theblind tyranny of Papal Rome. Although the Reformers didaway with a lot of empty, barren ritualistic andecclesiastical nonsense, they failed to recapture a properunderstanding of prophetic Scripture from a pre-millennialperspective of the Second Advent of Christ, a view thatthe ancient Church predominately held to for the firstthree hundred years of the Church’s existence. Nor didthe gifts of the Holy Spirit move freely among the churchesof the Reformation period as they did during the earlydays of the Church, from the days of the Apostles up untilthe time of Constantine. But both of these necessaryingredients have been restored to the Church within the lastcentury and a half. The Sardis Church was a “dead” churchaccording to Christ. It still contained some by-products ofRomanism. For proof, one only has to look at some aspectsof the Lutheran and Episcopal Church rites to see this.The Sardis era lasted from 1520 A.D. to1750 A.D. ✞

About the AuthorAbout the AuthorAbout the AuthorAbout the AuthorAbout the Author

DrDrDrDrDr. T. T. T. T. Todd Bakerodd Bakerodd Bakerodd Bakerodd Baker is president of B'ritHadashah Ministries and Pastor of Shalom,Shalom Messianic Congregation in Dallas.He has been a chaplain at Medical CityHospital for over a decade. Todd holds aBachelor of Science degree in biblical studies,a Master of Theology Degree from DallasTheological Seminary, and a Ph.D. inPhilosophy and Apologetics from TrinitySeminary under the auspices of LiverpoolUniversity at Liverpool, England. He is atheological consultant and writer for ZolaLevitt Ministries and has appeared on ZolaLevitt Presents. With his extensiveexperience in Jewish evangelism, he has ledseveral Gospel outreaches to Israel. ✞

Page 9 Nov/Dec 2008

The Treaty of Houdibiyah Continued from page 7

According to Islam, no living things may bedepicted; nevertheless, here is a 17th centuryTurkish miniature of Muhammad during the

Mi’raj with the Ka’aba beneath him. However,leaving Muhammad’s face without detailsacquits the artist of “sacrilege” – he’s only

drawn the clothes of Muhammad!Source: mrzine monthly review Protestors at French Embassy in London, 2006 Source: standwithus

Source: thehounds.blogspot

amounts, was punishable by the cutting-off ofa hand. Nevertheless, seeing that his followersneeded money to survive, in 624 c.e.Muhammad authorized the raiding of caravans,and claimed that he had received approval fromAllah to do so. An internet entry entitled“Thievery and Prophet Muhammad” says, “WasMuhammad so imbued with old Arab customsthat he did not see razzia, robbing caravans,as theft? A number of those he robbed wereworth 100,000 dirhams and yet he would cutoff a man’s hand for the theft of 3 or 4 dirhams.”An example of Muhammad’s treatment ofrebellious and rejectionist Jews is this: Bukhari5:59:362 “The Prophet killed the men of theJewish tribe Bani Quraiza (some 600 or 800 ofthem [in front of their families]) and distributedtheir women, children, and property among theMuslims. All the other Jews of Medina wereexiled.”

In 628 c.e., as a result of a revelation toMuhammad (see Qur’an 48:27), he and 1,400

of his followers approached Mecca to make “the pilgrimage.” They wereclad in the ihram, the garment of the pilgrimage. Ten miles from Mecca, atan oasis called al-Houdibiya, the Quraysh tribe of Mecca stoppedMuhammad and his Muslims. Negotiations between the two sides producedthe Treaty of Houdibiya which had two main ideas: the Muslims would beable to make the pilgrimage, but only beginning the following year; and,the peace, or truce, was to last for ten years. Since this was somethingthat the Prophet Muhammad himself had agreed to, it became paradigmaticand henceforth any treaty agreed to by Muslims could be for no longerthan ten years. However, a mere two years later, in 630 c.e., and now withan army of over 10,000, Muhammad found a pretext and marched onMecca. It should be mentioned that for his “Conquest of Mecca”Muhammad was unopposed by the obviously stunned Quraysh. Afterentering Mecca, Muhammad removed all 360 idols that were inside theKa’aba, but left the black stone that has been called “a stone from paradise,”and is thought to be a meteorite.

Various leaders of Hamas have offered Israel that “classic” ten-yeartruce. However, as proof of their real intentions, we have the (secretlyrecorded) words of YasserArafat, speaking in aJohannesburg mosque on10 May 1994, less than ayear after signing the OsloAccords: “This agreement,I am not considering it morethan the agreement whichhad been signed betweenour prophet Muhammad andQuraysh, and you mayremember the Caliph Omarhad refused this agreementand [considered] it adespicable truce.” Arafat’s use of the word “truce” is quite revealing. “Oslo”was intended to be a comprehensive peace agreement, not just a “truce.”Representative Jim Saxton of New Jersey wrote [in 1998]: “how can anyonetrust an agreement compared to the Treaty of Houdibiya enacted by theProphet Muhammad, in which a treaty lasts as long as political expediencydictates[?]” ✡

Page 10Nov/Dec 2008

BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON OUR WEBSITE

Suffering and pain affect every human being. They are the results of evil in our world. Theproblem of evil is something both Christian and non-Christian must face and answer. How dowe deal with such unpleasant realities? If there is an all-powerful, all loving, perfectly goodGod, why is there so much evil?

This book honestly grapples with these and other fundamental questions that are related tothe problem of evil and the existence of God. The existence of evil is the chief argumenttraditionally used against the God of the Bible. The author argues the opposite: that theexistence of evil actually justifies the argument for the existence of the God of Christianity.

The answer proposed in this book is not one of theory and hypothesis alone, but comes from the historical life, death, andresurrection of Jesus Christ. Through a combined theodicy (defending the justice of God for allowing evil) of the cross andresurrection, the case for the Christian faith is reasonably presented and defended.

There is something subtle going on in theMiddle East that is foretold in Scripture. It is abookmark of the end of the age. Those who know the Word of God can see prophecy beingplayed out and fulfilled in our newspapers and on TV. But underneath the media’s deluge ofcoverage of the Holy Land crisis, God is raising up watchmen to the house of Israel…

In an age of mega-Church and high-profile ministry, this book chronicles the heart and soulof a humble ministry that is reaching out one-on-one, on the streets of Israel, to prepare theJews for the return of the Messiah, Yeshua. Much like John the Baptist who personallyprepared them for the Messiah’s first coming to Israel, Todd Baker and his team are onegroup of Watchmen called “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

MMMMMESSENGERSESSENGERSESSENGERSESSENGERSESSENGERS OFOFOFOFOF M M M M MESSIAHESSIAHESSIAHESSIAHESSIAHWWWWWITNESSINGITNESSINGITNESSINGITNESSINGITNESSING E E E E ENCOUNTERSNCOUNTERSNCOUNTERSNCOUNTERSNCOUNTERS WITHWITHWITHWITHWITH

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MMMMMAAAAATTHEWTTHEWTTHEWTTHEWTTHEW 27:25: 27:25: 27:25: 27:25: 27:25:‘H‘H‘H‘H‘HISISISISIS B B B B BLOODLOODLOODLOODLOOD B B B B BEEEEE O O O O ONNNNN U U U U USSSSS’’’’’AAAAARERERERERE T T T T THEHEHEHEHE J J J J JEWISHEWISHEWISHEWISHEWISH P P P P PEOPLEEOPLEEOPLEEOPLEEOPLE

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TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE D D D D DEAEAEAEAEATHTHTHTHTH OFOFOFOFOF C C C C CHRISTHRISTHRISTHRISTHRIST?????(See page 2 for a completedescription of this book!)

To order any of these books, you can goto our website (www.brit-hadashah.org)then click on the Books & Media tab atthe bottom, then follow the instructions.Or write to us at the address at the right.

Messengers of Messiah - $12.00The Eclipse of Evil - $14.95Matthew 27:25 - $14.95

Shipping and handling charges will be addedwhen you order.

Isaiah 62:6-7I have set watchmen on your walls, OJerusalem: They shall never hold their

peace day or night. You who make mentionof the Lord, do not keep silent, And give

Him no rest till He establishes And till Hemakes Jerusalem a praise in the Earth.

Page 11 Nov/Dec 2008

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

* Donations are tax deductible in the U.S. as you give to this 501(c)(3) Non-profit ministry. *

Make checks and money orders payable to:B’rit Hadashah MinistriesPO Box 796127Dallas, TX 75379-6127

We also accept:

You can also make your donation online at:www.Brit-Hadashah.org

T his is a humble but effective ministry whose goal is tobring the gospel of Yeshua to Israel and to raise

awareness in America about God’s preeminent call to takethe Gospel to the Jews - Romans 1:16.

Because of the support of our faithful partners, there is ayoung Jewish woman attending a university in Jerusalem whonow has a B’rit Hadashah (New Testament in Hebrew),and IDF soldiers in Haifa who can read that the MessiahYeshua has come to bring hope and peace to their souls. Yourdonations have changed the life of an Arab shop keeper in

Tiberias who has accepted Yeshua as his Messiah and Savior.Please consider (if you have not already done so) becoming

a monthly partner. As you can read for yourself in thenewsletter articles, these worthwhile donations are directlyimpacting individual lives in Israel. Isn’t that what Yeshua’searthly ministry was about?

We thank you deeply for your support, whether you areable to give monthly or a onetime donation. It all goes a longway in helping us achieve God’s purpose and plan for thisoutreach ministry.

✞ PARTNER WITH US ✡

If you would like toIf you would like toIf you would like toIf you would like toIf you would like tohave have have have have ToToToToTodd as a guestdd as a guestdd as a guestdd as a guestdd as a guest

speaker at your church orspeaker at your church orspeaker at your church orspeaker at your church orspeaker at your church orfunction, visit our website:function, visit our website:function, visit our website:function, visit our website:function, visit our website:

www.brit-hadashah.orgwww.brit-hadashah.orgwww.brit-hadashah.orgwww.brit-hadashah.orgwww.brit-hadashah.orgor contact us at:or contact us at:or contact us at:or contact us at:or contact us at:BHMengagements@gmail.com BHMengagements@gmail.com BHMengagements@gmail.com BHMengagements@gmail.com BHMengagements@gmail.com or callor callor callor callor call866-910-0444.866-910-0444.866-910-0444.866-910-0444.866-910-0444.

“STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES”RADIO SHOW

We are thrilled to announce that Todd has a radioshow! If you live in the Albuquerque, NM, area, youshould be able to listen to him on KXKKXKKXKKXKKXKS (S (S (S (S (AM 119AM 119AM 119AM 119AM 1190)0)0)0)0).The show is called “Studying the Scriptures” and airsSaturdays from 12:30-1:00pm, then repeats Sundaysfrom 6:00-6:30pm. This is a great new opportunityfor our ministry to grow and reach more people aboutthe Jewish roots of our Christian faith.In case you don’t happen tolive in Albuquerque, we aremaking copies of his showsavailable to you on ourwebsite!

Planning on moving?Please let us know what your new address willbe so that you don’t miss an issue!! You can writeus at BHM@brit-hadashah.org, or send achange-of-address postcard to the mailingaddress above.

Our next Mission Trip toIsrael is scheduled for

March 15 - April 2, 2009!Please add this to your prayerlist, and start praying about

supporting this outreachfinancially. Thank you for

any help you can give!

Nov/Dec 2008 issue

B’rit Hadashah MinistriesP.O. Box 796127Dallas, Texas 75379-6127e-mail: todd@brit-hadashah.org

PRSRT NONPROFITUS POSTAGE PAID

DENTON TXPERMIT NO. 11

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copyright © 2008 B’rit Hadashah Ministries

Visit our website:www.Brit-Hadashah.org

UPCOMING FRIDAY

NIGHT MESSAGES

Topics for Novemberand December’s lessonsare:

• The Eternal Securityof the Believerseries

• Illuminations FromIsaiah series

We will not haveservices on Nov. 28 orDec. 26