Return to the Father

For my studies I use the Complete Jewish Bible. I like the language and also the intrinsic Hebraic way of thinking.

Over the past week I have been doing the study on this and wanted to share what I have been reading. I hope that when you read what is written you too will rejoice in Knowing that the Living Creator God does in fact care for us individually and is looking to save us from ourselves.

I did this study as I was speaking recently with people who are involved in several of the practices and I wanted to learn more about it, so that I could be more informed, and I wanted to see what God had to say. I praise God His word is very clear, He is the Only One God and there is no other.

Adonai - God,

Yeshua - Jesus

1 - New Age Philosophy: God is an impersonal undifferentiated Oneness, not separate from creation.

Bible: God is a personal transcendent Creator, fundamentally distinct from Creation

Genesis 2:7

7 Then ADONAI, God, formed a person [Hebrew: adam] from the dust of the ground [Hebrew: adamah] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being.

Deut 4:39

39 know today, and establish it in your heart, that ADONAI is God in heaven above and on earth below - there is no other.

Deut 4:40

40 Therefore, you are to keep his laws and mitzvot which I am giving you today, so that it will go well with you and with your children after you, and so that you will prolong your days in the land ADONAI your God is giving you forever."

Psalm 11:4

4 ADONAI is in his holy temple. ADONAI, his throne is in heaven. His eyes see and test humankind.

Psalm 103.:19

19 ADONAI has established his throne in heaven; his kingly power rules everything.

John 4: 24

24 God is spirit; and worshippers must worship him spiritually and truly."

Acts 7:48-50

48 But Ha'Elyon does not live in places made by hand! As the prophet says, 49 'Heaven is my throne,' says ADONAI, 'and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house could you build for me? What kind of place could you devise for my rest? 50 Didn't I myself make all these things?'

Acts 14:15-17

15 "Men! Why are you doing this? We're just men, human like you! We are announcing Good News to you - turn from these worthless things to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In times past, he allowed all peoples to walk in their own ways; 17 yet he did not leave himself without evidence of his nature; because he does good things, giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons, filling you with food and your hearts with happiness!"

Acts 17: 24-25

24 "The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-made temples; 25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

2 - New Age Philosophy: Humanity, like all creation, is an extension of this divine Oneness, shares its essential being. Humanity is divine.

Bible: Although created in God’s image, humanity is not an extension of God and does not share Gods being. Humanity is not God

Isa. 45: 18

18 For thus says ADONAI, who created the heavens, God, who shaped and made the earth, who established and created it not to be chaos, but formed it to be lived in: "I am ADONAI; there is no other.

Isa. 55: 8-9

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways," says ADONAI. 9 "As high as the sky is above the earth are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isa. 46: 9

9 "Remember things that happened at the beginning, long ago - that I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

Jer. 17:5-10

5 Here is what ADONAI says: "A curse on the person who trusts in humans, who relies on merely human strength, whose heart turns away from ADONAI. 6 He will be like a tamarisk in the 'Aravah - when relief comes, it is unaffected; for it lives in the sun-baked desert, in salty, uninhabited land. 7Blessed is the man who trusts in ADONAI; ADONAI will be his security. 8 He will be like a tree planted near water; it spreads out its roots by the river; it does not notice when heat comes; and its foliage is luxuriant; it is not anxious in a year of drought but keeps on yielding fruit. 9 "The heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it? 10 I, ADONAI, search the heart; I test inner motivations; in order to give to everyone what his actions and conduct deserve."

Rev. 4:11

11 "You are worthy, ADONAI Eloheinu, to have glory, honor and power, because you created all things yes, because of your will they were created and came into being!"

3 – New Age Philosophy: Humanity’s crises stem from a fragmented vision blind to this essential Oneness and to humanity’s innate divinity.

Bible: Humanity’s crises stem from alienation from God brought about by sinful rebellion.

Isa. 53

1 Who believes our report? To whom is the arm of ADONAI revealed? 2 For before him he grew up like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He was not well-formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. 3 People despised and avoided him, a man of pains, well acquainted with illness. Like someone from whom people turn their faces, he was despised; we did not value him. 4 In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God. 5 But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet ADONAI laid on him the guilt of all of us. Or: and in fellowship with him 7 Though mistreated, he was submissive - he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to be slaughtered, like a sheep silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 After forcible arrest and sentencing, he was taken away; and none of his generation protested his being cut off from the land of the living for the crimes of my people, who deserved the punishment themselves.9 He was given a grave among the wicked; in his death he was with a rich man. Although he had done no violence and had said nothing deceptive, 10 yet it pleased ADONAI to crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering. If he does, he will see his offspring; and he will prolong his days; and at his hand ADONAI's desire will be accomplished. 11 After this ordeal, he will see satisfaction. "By his knowing [pain and sacrifice], my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that he suffers. 12 Therefore I will assign him a share with the great, he will divide the spoil with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and being counted among the sinners, while actually bearing the sin of many and interceding for the offenders."

John 3: 19-20

19 "Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won't be exposed.

Romans 3: 10-18

10 As the Tanakh puts it, "There is no one righteous, not even one! No one understands, 11 no one seeks God, 12 all have turned away and at the same time become useless; there is no one who shows kindness, not a single one! 13 "Their throats are open graves, they use their tongues to deceive. Vipers' venom is under their lips. 14 Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness. 15"Their feet rush to shed blood, 16 in their ways are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of shalom they do not know. 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Romans 5: 12-21

12 Here is how it works: it was through one individual that sin entered the world, and through sin, death; and in this way death passed through to the whole human race, inasmuch as everyone sinned. 13 Sin was indeed present in the world before Torah was given, but sin is not counted as such when there is no Torah. 14 Nevertheless death ruled from Adam until Moshe, even over those whose sinning was not exactly like Adam's violation of a direct command. In this, Adam prefigured the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offence. For if, because of one man's offence, many died, then how much more has God's grace, that is, the gracious gift of one man, Yeshua the Messiah, overflowed to many! 16 No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man's sinning; for from one sinner came judgment that brought condemnation; but the free gift came after many offences and brought acquittal. 17 For if, because of the offence of one man, death ruled through that one man; how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah! 18 In other words, just as it was through one offence that all people came under condemnation, so also it is through one righteous act that all people come to be considered righteous. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous. 20 And the Torah came into the picture so that the offence would proliferate; but where sin proliferated, grace proliferated even more. 21 All this happened so that just as sin ruled by means of death, so also grace might rule through causing people to be considered righteous, so that they might have eternal life, through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.

4: New Age Philosophy: Humanity needs to be transformed – each individual actualizing his/her divine nature, becoming aware of the One.

Bible: Humanity needs to be transformed through the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Yeshua), which reconciles us to God

John 3: 3-8

3 "Yes, indeed," Yeshua answered him, "I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." 4 Nakdimon said to him, "How can a grown man be `born'? Can he go back into his mother's womb and be born a second time?" 5 Yeshua answered, "Yes, indeed, I tell you that unless a person is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit. Stop being amazed at my telling you that you must be born again 7 from above! 8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it's going. That's how it is with everyone who has been born from the Spirit."

1 Cor.6: 9-11

9 Don't you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't delude yourselves - people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality, 10 who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail people with contemptuous language, who rob - none of them will share in the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you used to do these things. But you have cleansed yourselves, you have been set apart for God, you have come to be counted righteous through the power of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and the Spirit of our God.

Colossians. 1:20-22

20 and through his Son to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through him, through having his Son shed his blood by being executed on a stake. 21 In other words, you, who at one time were separated from God and had a hostile attitude towards him because of your wicked deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in the Son's physical body through his death; in order to present you holy and without defect or reproach before himself –

Titus 3: 3-6

3 For at one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. 4 But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, 5 he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh (baptisim- purification) of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua the Messiah, our Deliverer.

5 – New Age Philosophy: Transformation is brought about through a myriad of techniques which can be applied to mind, body, and spirit. Examples of such techniques, used variously by New Age groups, include meditation, yoga, chanting, creative visualization, hypnosis and submission to a guru.

Bible: Humanity does not acquire God’s forgiveness through the application of any technique. It is a free gift to be humbly received by faith.

John. 3:14-16

14 Just as Moshe (Moses) lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.

John 5: 24

24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life -- that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life!

Romans 3:21-30

21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well - 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise. 24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua. 25 God put Yeshua forward as the kapparah (pardon - forgiveness) for sin through his faithfulness in respect to his bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God's righteousness; because, in his forbearance, he had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past; 26 and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua's faithfulness. 27 So what room is left for boasting? None at all! What kind of Torah excludes it? One that has to do with legalistic observance of rules? No, rather, a Torah that has to do with trusting. 28 Therefore, we hold the view that a person comes to be considered righteous by God on the ground of trusting, which has nothing to do with legalistic observance of Torah commands. 29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is indeed the God of the Gentiles; 30because, as you will admit, God is one. Therefore, he will consider righteous the circumcised on the ground of trusting and the uncircumcised through that same trusting.

Romans 5:1

1 So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God's gift. 9 You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast.

Philippians 3:7-9

7 But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. 8 Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah 9 and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah's faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust.

Titus. 3:4-7

4 But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, 5 he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh (baptism – ritual of purification) of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh,(Holy Spirit) 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua the Messiah, our Deliverer.7 He did it so that by his grace we might come to be considered righteous by God and become heirs, with the certain hope of eternal life.

6 – New Age Philosophy: Personal transformation is the basis for global transformation and the spiritual evolution of humankind, characterized by mass enlightenment and social unity. This unity will transcend the individual and social self-centeredness which has created the present crises in environment, world hunger, international relations, racism etc.

Bible: Although personal rebirth through Jesus Christ (Yeshua) will result in some transformation of social institutions, permanent global transformation will not occur until after the physical return of Jesus Christ (Yeshua) in judgment.

Isa. 65:17

17 "For, look! I create new heavens and a new earth; past things will not be remembered, they will no more come to mind

For me the whole of 65 is well worth a read and understood. If you are not sure then ask God to enlighten you. Isaiah 66 is a real eye opener too. I am very blessed as I love Gods word and enjoy the pleasure of reading it.

Acts 3: 20-21

20 so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord's presence; and he may send the Messiah appointed in advance for you, that is, Yeshua. 21 He has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything, as God said long ago, when he spoke through the holy prophets.

Romans 8: 18-22

18 I don't think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future. 19 The creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed; 20 for the creation was made subject to frustration - not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it. But it was given a reliable hope 21 that it too would be set free from its bondage to decay and would enjoy the freedom accompanying the glory that God's children will have. 22 We know that until now, the whole creation has been groaning as with the pains of childbirth;

1 Corinthians 15:22-28

22 For just as in connection with Adam all die, so in connection with the Messiah all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: the Messiah is the firstfruits; then those who belong to the Messiah, at the time of his coming; 24 then the culmination, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father, after having put an end to every rulership, yes, to every authority and power. 25For he has to rule until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be done away with will be death, 27 for "He put everything in subjection under his feet."m But when it says that "everything" has been subjected, obviously the word does not include God, who is himself the one subjecting everything to the Messiah. 28 Now when everything has been subjected to the Son, then he will subject himself to God, who subjected everything to him; so that God may be everything in everyone.

Titus 2:11-13

11 For God's grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people. 12 It teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly pleasures, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now, in this age; 13 while continuing to expect the blessed fulfillment of our certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh'khinah (Glory) of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah.

Revelation:21: 1-8

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there. 2 Also I saw the holy city, New Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, "See! God's Sh'khinah (Glory) is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away." 5 Then the One sitting on the throne said, "Look! I am making everything new!" Also he said, "Write, 'These words are true and trustworthy!'" 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I am the 'A' and the 'Z,' the Beginning and the End. To anyone who is thirsty I myself will give water free of charge from the Fountain of Life. 7 He who wins the victory will receive these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the untrustworthy, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those involved with the occult and with drugs, idol-worshipers, and all liars - their destiny is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, the second death."