Contributing author
Daniel Botkin is a writer, teacher, artist, and musician and speaks at churches, Messianic congregations, and conferences across the nation. He has published the bimonthly Gates of Eden magazine since 1995 (please visit his website to request a copy). He and his wife Teresa live in East Peoria, IL and shepherd Gates of Eden Messianic Congregation. Daniel has a B.S. in Art from Illinois State University and a Doctorate in literature from the Evangelical Reformed Methodist Church. For more information on Dr. Botkin, or to support his ministry, please visit www.GatesOfEden.org.
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, and said, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved .” (Emphasis mine) The main question of the so-called Jerusalem Council was not “how should Gentiles behave?” The question was “what do Gentiles need to do in order to be saved?” Some of the believers from Judea said that if the Gentiles wanted
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Gerhard Kittel (1888-1948) Gerhard Kittel was a Christian professor who lived in Nazi Germany during the 1930s. His area of expertise was Judaism of New Testament times. Prior to 1933 Mr. Kittel published works in which he praised the Jewish people and the Talmud and emphasized the Jewish roots of Christianity. In 1933, however, Gerhard Kittel joined the Nazi party. This was the same year that the Protestant church of
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The Legalist tries to obey by his own will and effort. He won’t get the field plowed in time to sow seed. The Liberal thinks obedience is unimportant because we’re justified by grace. He just demonstrates that faith without works is dead. The Faithful Disciple knows that obedience must be harnessed to and dependent on the grace of God.
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Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in YHWH, I will joy in the God of my salvation. YHWH God is my strength, and He will make
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Photo: Katrina Leigh “Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein … Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
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DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
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Originally appearing in Gates of Eden Magazine, Vol. 12 (Jul.-Aug. 2006). The content of this article is based on Daniel Botkin’s address to those assembled for the Messianic Israel Alliance (now Alliance of Redeemed Israel) Conference in Nashville on July, 2006. The theme of the conference was One People, One Promise, One Purpose. הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טֹּ֭וב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
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DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
1 min read
Originally appearing in Gates of Eden Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 1 (1995) “Monica! Wait!” Monica, a well-dressed woman in her late thirties, was just getting ready to go out the church door when she heard her friend, Clare, calling to her. She turned around and waited for Clare, who was doing her best to walk at a hurried pace in her wobbly, high-heeled shoes. Clare had been away for quite
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DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
1 min read
“And Yahweh appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lined up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, ‘My Lord, if now I have found favor in
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DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
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Note from the artist: Ask any “not-under-the-law” preacher why we still need to tithe, and you’ll probably get an answer similar to Rev. T’s. This cartoon is based on the many times I’ve heard preachers make it plain that they believe tithing is one part of the law that was not done away with! DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is
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If a person has a fair amount of exposure to Mainstream Christianity, and a familiarity with the Bible, he may notice that Mainstream Christianity often de-emphasizes the Old Testament and puts a disproportionate amount of emphasis on Paul’s epistles. I would hesitate to say that any part of the Scriptures can be overemphasized. However, if we give uncalled-for weight and emphasis to certain parts of the Bible, and neglect what
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It is a well-known fact that the Christmas celebration has its roots in ancient pagan sun worship. Any reliable encyclopedia will confirm this. Pagans so highly esteemed the sun god that they set aside the first day of the week to honor the sun and named this day after the sun. Even in English the first day of the week, Sun-day, still bears the name of the sun god. Each
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Note from the artist: Years ago we knew a young Messianic Jew (American male, of course) who went to share the gospel at the nude beaches in Israel wearing nothing but a Bible in his hand. He used the Pauline principle of “becoming all things to all men” to explain his nudity. And like Rev. T, he assured other believers that he “looked ‘em’ straight in the eye.” DISCLAIMER: The
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“And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” - Leviticus 23:23 f Rosh HaShanah, the first of the Fall Feasts, is marked by the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. In Biblical times the blowing of trumpets was used
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By Daniel Botkin Q: I would be quite interested in your understanding of Galatians 3:23-25 . “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” A: As Peter
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Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the Torah?” Yeshua answered him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
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Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, was a passage of Scripture that greatly helped me to take a pro-Torah view of the Scriptures. You have to be familiar with this chapter to get the joke. DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based
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I’ve heard many preachers quote the first half of Proverbs 29:18 to impart vision to their people. Maybe if they quoted the rest of the verse, their people would know what the happy alternative to a lack of vision is. (If you don’t know, you’ll have to look the verse up in the Bible to get the Joke. The KJV works best for this joke.)
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Baruch Ha-Ba ברוך הבא What Must Precede the Return of Yeshua? by Daniel Botkin In Matthew 24, Yeshua stated several things that would precede His return at the end of this age. Things preceding His return include false messiahs, wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, persecution, and false prophets whose teachings result in the abounding of antinomianism. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
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God’s Misguided People Dr. Daniel Botkin Why are so many of God’s people misguided in their understanding of God’s will and God’s ways? According to the Bible, it is because religious leaders lead God’s people into error. “For the leaders of this people cause them to err,” Isaiah wrote, “and they that are led by them are destroyed” ( Isa. 9:16 ). “0 my people,” Isaiah cried in another place
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DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
1 min read
DISCLAIMER: The Reverend Twistruth comic series is not intended to be offensive or mocking. This is not a comic series about all Christian pastors either. Rev. Twistruth is a fictional, satirical, parody based on actual events, and therefore is meant to encourage the reader to reexamine any biases or preconceived notions he or she may have. David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus sums this up well: “A good
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Antinomianism By Daniel Botkin The New Testament Greek word for “law” is nomos (νόμος) . Nomos is the Greek word that was used by the translators of the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word Torah. Several times in the New Testament, the word nomos appears with an a- prefix attached to it, making a new word, anomos (ἄνομος). The a- prefix in Greek means “no,” “not,” or “without.” When the
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“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” - Rev. 1:10 John’s mention of “the Lord’s day” is often quoted by Christians who worship on the first day of the week, Sunday, instead of on Saturday, the Sabbath. These well-meaning Christians sincerely believe that John was referring to Sunday when he wrote “the Lord’s day.” However, there is absolutely nothing in John’s text, or in the entire Bible, to
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“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” (Matt. 23:25) Is God concerned about the outward appearance of His people? Do our decisions about clothing, hair styles, jewelry, and other such things matter
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Keeping the Sabbath & Keeping Your Job By Dr. Daniel Botkin “I’d like to keep the Sabbath, but I can’t - I have to work on Saturdays.” Wrong. You may think so, but you are mistaken. No one who believes in keeping the Sabbath has to work on Saturdays, at least not in America. No one is pointing a gun at the heads of American Christians and Jews and forcing
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THE ARCHITECT Daniel Botkin "The Ancient of Days" (1794) by William Blake I want to tell you a true story about an architect that I know personally. This architect is a real master builder. After many years of experience, he designed a beautiful mansion that was to be his masterpiece. He carefully completed a detailed blueprint for the building. He had the location picked out before he designed the building
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The Importance of Congregational Life Daniel Botkin The Biblical concept of congregational life – the shared life of a group of disciples in a local body – is a concept that is foreign to many American Christians. A believer may attend meetings, seminars, and conferences for years, and yet never know anything of genuine corporate, congregational life, either by experience or in theory. There are several Christian groups who do
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I am fascinated by religious tracts that were written decades ago. In addition to the samples pictured above, I have seen tracts that condemn make-up (“Face Paint”), short hair on women (“Bobbed Hair, The Mark of the World”), all TV shows (even “The Lone Ranger”), and other things which most Bible-believing Christians now consider perfectly acceptable. Some of these tract writers had quite a way of expressing their convictions. Don
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Knowing the Will of God Daniel Botkin Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” -Ephesians 5:15-17 Over the years I have met many believers who struggle over knowing the will of God for their lives. This is especially
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The Feast of Shavuot By Daniel Botkin “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath
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“For there are certain men crept in unnoticed, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into licentiousness… Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain.” (Jude 4,11) In Jude’s day, those who had gone the way of Cain were not outside the Church, but inside, where they had “crept in unnoticed.” So it is today. Those
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In 1896, H.G. Wells wrote The Island of Dr. Moreau, a science-fiction story about a mad scientist who conducted experiments on animals on a remote island in the Pacific. Using his knowledge of genetics, medicine, and surgery, Dr. Moreau attempted to transform various species of animals into human beings. The success of the experiments was limited. Outwardly, Dr. Moreau’s “Beast People” resembled creatures that were no longer completely animal, yet
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Adam, Soth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shorn, Ham, andJapheth.” (1 Chronicles 1:1-4). The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles consist of little more than lists of names. Most Bible readers think such passages are boring, and if they are honest, they will admit that they merely glance over the genealogies or ignore them altogether. Some may think me a bit strange, but every time I read
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“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deut.6:6f This passage makes it clear that the primary responsibility for the spiritual training of children belongs to the
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In 1990 a Christian friend, knowing that my view of Paul’s writings was different from that of most other Bible believers, referred me to an article in Christianity Today. The title of the article was “The Misunderstood Apostle,” and the subheading declared that “A revolution in New Testament studies has challenged traditional understandings of Paul’s critique of Judaism.” According to the writer of the article, this “revolution” began in 1977
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He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). Torah, usually translated into English as “Law,” is a subject of vital importance for those who would worship the God of the Bible, as the above-quoted verse from Proverbs so strongly points out. Unfortunately, most Christians have only a superficial understanding of what Torah is, and a lack of appreciation for
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