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This is the name of our
Creator, Yahweh, sometimes called the Tetragrammaton. It is given here
in (A) the Phoenician script, (B) the Ivrit Kadum (Paleo-Hebrew) script, and
(C) the Modern
Hebrew script (a stylization of Aramaic).
Note:
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them. To obtain your free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, just click
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STUDIES
Here
are some studies that June and I have written
regarding our understanding of truth as it has been revealed to us through
Scripture. We are not out to convert anyone; rather, nearly every
study we have authored has been done in response to those who have
strongly attempted to steer us in their direction. It seems we've
been given quite a few bum steers! We invite you to review our perspective and (like the noble Bereans
of Acts 17:10-11) search out the matter to see if it is truth.
[Note:
These files are in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF). Some of them are
large, so please consider right clicking and saving them to your computer
before opening.]
As the 2024 Senate and Presidential elections draw
near (less than a month away), I felt compelled to put together a
PowerPoint presentation detailing how and why I know life begins at
conception, and why I disagree with Pro-Choice authors and advocates who
claim the Bible doesn't speak against abortion. I also address how
ancient Bible commentators felt about abortion, why I agree with
Democratic Presidents Kennedy and Carter on this topic, and why I feel
overly-conservative, wealthy religious influencers are going to "shoot
themselves (and other conservatives) in the feet" when it comes to
legislating their doctrinal view. Due to their overzealous approach,
combined with the biased media's propaganda and mischaracterization of
the Republican platform, I am concerned the Pro-Choice view will prevail
on election day. If so, this will be yet one more step in the United
States' declining moral values.
10/07/2024
Watch the video
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Tony Suckla, a
missionary friend serving in India, asked me to do a Zoom
presentation on the topic of the LGBTQ movement, abortion, our
divided nation and the coming Kingdom. I had no idea of how
extensive all four topics could be, and it soon became clear
that I needed to limit the topic to that of the LGBTQ movement.
This was a learning opportunity for me, as I was previously
unaware of the fact that gay Christians are prepared to defend
why they believe as they do with Scripture. Are we prepared
to refute their claims?
Watch
the
video
(Part 1)
Watch
the
video
(Part 2)
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Those
of us who were raised in mainstream Christianity know full well that we
were taught the Apostle Paul wrote against obedience to the law.
There are a variety of interpretations as to exactly what he meant by
some things he wrote because certainly no one believes the Apostle Paul taught that it's
okay to steal, murder, commit adultery or to dishonor one’s parents.
These are all infractions committed against our fellow man, but what
does Torah say about how we treat our Heavenly Father and His Son?
Do those commands matter today?
This is the presentation I gave
on 08/05/2006 at the 2006 Sacred Name Unity Conference in
Rocheport, MO. Although I claim to be a seeker and
not a speaker, I felt compelled to deliver a rebuttal of sorts
to a presentation I heard at the previous year's conference,
where an elder openly taught against obedience to anything apart
from the Ten Commandments. His exact words were, "Anything
outside the Ten Commandments is superfluous." I take
exception to that approach, and decided to speak out. This
presentation was my rebuttal to the elder's presentation. Over
the years, I have come across
additional reasons to justify
my position that, contrary to nominal Christianity, the Torah is
still very relevant to our world and especially to those who
claim to follow the teachings of Scripture--both Old and New
Testaments. The video presentation is too long to post here on
our website, but thankfully I was able to upload it on YouTube.
There are a couple of places where the sound was lost, but the
overall presentation is still intact. It was abruptly cut off at
the end because I went well over the requested 45-minute limit
as requested for presentations.
Watch the video
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Were the
Hebrew/Greek Scholars Who Translated
the Septuagint Lunar Sabbatarians?
by Larry & June
Acheson
I hadn't
written anything on the topic of lunar sabbaths for over ten years when
a friend asked me to deliver a Zoom presentation on "The Lunar Sabbath
Theory." In the course of preparing for my presentation, I
remembered a key and often-overlooked fact demonstrating that the Hebrew
scholars who translated the Septuagint into Greek during the 3rd century
BCE could not have have been lunar sabbatarians. This mini-study
is actually chapter 16 of our "Lunar Sabbath"
series.
More ...
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Tracing
the Origin of the Word "God"
This is a brief
synopsis highlighting our concerns regarding the title "God."
This word's origin is by etymologists' admissions spurious and
even those who defend its use admit that we can't be certain of
where this word originated. On the other hand, we maintain
that to find its origin we need to dig through the pages of
Scripture, but even then its precise source of original use
cannot be confirmed. Nor can we ascertain a noble origin.
On the contrary.
With a focus on
brevity and an arsenal of self-explanatory information,
we take you on a journey that traces "God" from a place called
Haran, extending through Russia, Poland and even Ireland.
This study is geared to reach those who don't have the time to
read our lengthier treatise
God's Identity According to Ancient Hebrew
Scholars.
POWERPOINT
PRESENTATIONS:
In
2021, a dear friend named Tony Suckla asked me to present this
study during a Shavuot (Pentecost) celebration held in Spring
Branch, TX. I delivered Part 1 in the form of a PowerPoint
presentation. I later delivered Parts 2-5 as Zoom presentations,
two of which were recorded and are available for viewing on
YouTube. In 2022, I began recording the remaining
PowerPoint presentations. I hope to have all five parts
available for viewing in early 2023.
PART 1
Part 1 of "Tracing
the Origin of the Word 'God'"
focuses on the fact that only in English are we taught that the
name spelled G-a-d is pronounced "Gad as in sad," but when we
perform deeper study, we learn that in Hebrew it's pronounced
the same as "GOD," and that it's the name of a
heathen deity whose worship is condemned by Yahweh. In
Part 1, I demonstrate how many of us were misled into believing
the false idol's name is pronounced "Gad," whereas the Creator's
name is "God." If the name of the heathen idol is actually
pronounced "GOD," then do we honor Yahweh by referring to
Him as God? Is there archaeological evidence that a pagan
idol named GOD was worshipped in ancient times? Uploaded
on 01/03/2023.
PART 2
Part 2 of "Tracing
the Origin of the Word 'God'" was recorded by Tony Suckla as part
of his "New
Moon Zoom" meeting on November 25, 2022. It
is currently available for viewing on YouTube at the following
link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CKemtTLIE1U
Part 2 addresses
the command to not mention the names
of other elohim, as well as how to understand the application of
this command when pointing out the names of false idols to
others. I also address whether or not we need to purge our
vocabulary of words emanating from pagan worship. Finally, I
challenge the common etymologists' argument that the "GOD" of
our English Bibles is traced to a generic term for deity that
translators chose to employ as a translation of the Hebrew title
Elohim.
PART 3
Part 3 of
Tracing the Origin of the Word 'God'"
is subtitled "The Heart of the Matter."
Not only is this the heart of my entire presentation, but I
focus on the heart of the issue, including the heart that
matters most. Here are the primary topics I address:
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How did the Early English
Bible translators translate Isaiah 65:11?
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The LXX translation of
Isaiah 65:11
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The “Law of First Mention”
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Did the Holy Spirit inspire
Leah to name Jacob’s seventh son God?
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How strong was Jacob’s
faith?
PART 4 Part 4 of "Tracing
the Origin of the Word 'God'" is subtitled "The Gates
of the New Jerusalem"
because that's the primary focus—a red herring argument the
opposition often brings into the mix whenever this topic
surfaces. I also address whether or not believers whose
names can be traced to idol worship should change their names
upon conversion to faith in Yahweh and His Son Yeshua.
PART 5
Part 5 is
subtitled "Connecting the Dots" because this is where I put it
all together. If you watch Part 5 before the others, you will
likely short-circuit the otherwise methodical and cohesive
course I have charted as we trace the origin of the word "GOD."
This finale is so long that I was coerced into splitting it up
into two parts. Since everything presented in Part 5 is so
tightly connected, it all needs to comprise one complete
session, so breaking things up wasn't easy.
In
Part 5a,
One of the primary connections highlighted is serpent worship as
the worship of an idol named God slithers its way northward from
Haran to Russia and westward to Poland and Germany. Linguistic
clues include the Russian (and Polish) word for "reptile" and
"fortune teller."
In
Part 5b,
I establish a final connection in Ireland, an island where no
serpents live, yet serpent worship was once a dominant force.
And what was the name of their chief deity? Piecing
together all the connections establishes a bifurcated course of
serpent worship as it trekked across Europe, eventually making
its way into our English Bibles, all under the guise that it was
"never a name." Just to be fair, I present a chart
comparing the route modern-day scholars teach "GOD" took to make
it into our Bibles (and vocabulary) against the path I come up
with when tracing the origin of the word "GOD."
CONDENSED
PART 5
Part 5 of "Tracing
the Origin of the Word 'God'" was recorded by Tony Suckla as part
of his "New
Moon Zoom" meeting on January 23, 2023.
I cut out some parts and skimmed through others in an attempt to
keep the presentation under two hours. It
is currently available for viewing on YouTube at the following
link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jkEUDnqnS8
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Our
Thoughts on LGBTQ, Abortion, Our Divided Nation and the Kingdom
by
Larry Acheson
My
creed has been that of striving to pursue scholarly inquiry with
the respectful sharing
of ideas and beliefs. This goal has
become increasingly difficult to manage over the years. My
views on the issues pertaining to the LGBTQ movement, the calls
for abortion rights, and other hot topics that have divided our
nation, regardless of my creed, are and have proven offensive.
I have been reluctant to become involved because I have no
desire to offend anyone, plus I uphold the belief that we should
hate the sin and love the sinner. Most importantly, if I
tell others I support what Torah says, that, in and of itself,
should stop all arguments.
A few years ago,
a coworker unabashedly expressed her view that those opposing
the gay lifestyle really don't have much to stand on in their
defense. I didn't want to offend her, but I felt compelled
to speak up, sharing that, according to Scripture,
the gay lifestyle is a sin. She smiled and said, "Well, if
that's what you believe, then you must also believe we
need to keep the Sabbath on Saturday and we have to abstain from
pork!" She then hesitated a moment and stated, "Wait! You
already do those things ...."
In spite of her
quick acknowledgement that I at least strive to live by Yahweh's
Torah, any further communication would most likely have proven
unproductive because both "Old" and "New" Testaments abhor
the gay lifestyle; if we cannot at least start (and agree)
with what the Bible says, there really isn't any point to
discussing the matter any further.
In this study, I
will prove the following as truths:
1) The LGBTQ movement and lifestyle is built on a false
foundation steeped in sin.
2) Abortion is murder and is therefore sin.
3) The above issues weren’t issues until recent history.
4) The above issues and more have sharply divided our nation.
5) The United States is the fifth (and final) world power as
depicted in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
6) Yahweh’s Kingdom is coming soon!
7) The Passover has not yet been fulfilled and will not be
fulfilled until Yahweh’s Kingdom comes.
8) Yeshua taught that “not a jot nor a tittle” will by any means
pass from the Law till ALL be fulfilled.
9) Since Passover hasn’t been fulfilled yet, not ALL has been
fulfilled yet, which in turn means nothing has passed from
Yahweh’s Law (Torah).
10) Yeshua shed His blood to atone for our sins, but once we
recognize what our sins are, we must repent.
More ...
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The
Name of the Messiah
Once we begin a
life of service to the Almighty, one of the first things we
focus on is how to pronounce not only His name, but also the
name of His Son. When our journey began, June and I had no
idea how divisive this particular issue could be. We all
hopefully want to pronounce the Messiah's name the way the angel
who gave it to Joseph pronounced it and if that fits your
description, then we are glad to research this very important
name together. Sadly, this one issue has been a divisive
one, as I quickly learned after delivering my 2001 Unity
Conference presentation on this topic. This study explores
the spiritual intolerance directed against those who don't quite
pronounce the Messiah's name the way certain ones do while
respectfully presenting our reasons for referring to the Messiah
by the name "Yeshua."
More ...
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Sticks
and Stones May Break My Bones...But Names Will Never Hurt Me!
A
look at the Name we call our Heavenly Father
by
Larry and June Acheson
It
is “common courtesy” to address or refer to someone by the name by which they
wish to be called. But let’s go several steps higher.
Let’s consider the case for our Heavenly Father’s Name. Some
people say it’s “God.” Some say it’s “The LORD.”
Some say that it is a different name in each different language.
Still others say that however it is we pronounce His name isn’t
even important, so long as we know His character. They
maintain, “It is not merely a certain set of sounds or vocal
vibrations that is important, but the meaning and power behind
the name.” Shouldn't our focus be on what our Heavenly
Father says instead of what people say? What does
our Heavenly Father have to say?
More ...
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The Doctrine
of the Sacred Name - In View of Scripture
Internet Version
by Gary W. McDaniel
You
may be wondering, “What is this thing about ‘doctrine of the
Sacred Name’?” In a nutshell, the “Sacred Name” is the name our
Creator gave to Himself, but very few of us have grown up in
households where that name is so much as mentioned, let
alone called upon in worship. I have found that many
people are under the impression that this topic is
inconsequential, and some have even suggested that those who
spend their time searching out the truth regarding our Creator’s
name are busybodies with nothing better to do. Is the
Creator’s name inconsequential — something we don’t need to
“waste our time” investigating? Apparently the prophet Malachi
didn’t think so! Maybe this topic is worth deeper
study!
More ...
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Pronunciation
of the Tetragrammaton
by
Larry and June Acheson
Although
June and I had heard the name Yahweh long before we began
referring to the Creator and calling on Him by this name, once we got
started, it wasn’t long before we were informed that we weren’t
pronouncing His name correctly. There is no disagreement among
scholars regarding how the Tetragrammaton is spelled in either modern or
ancient Hebrew. When it comes to how those four letters are
pronounced (or transliterated into English), however, that is a
different matter. In view of the stand put forth by those who
support the pronunciation Yahuwah, Yehovah, or other similar forms
ending in -ah, and especially considering the fact that some of these
same folks regard us as idol worshippers for not following along with
their reasoning, we felt compelled to offer our reasoning for supporting
the pronunciation Yahweh.
More ...
Click
here
for the condensed
version.
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God's Identity
According to
Ancient Hebrew Scholars
by
Larry and June Acheson
Back
in 1997, when a friend sent us a copy of an article whose primary aim
was to defend the validity (and honor) of referring to Yahweh as “God,”
I dismissed it as a whimsical paper authored by zealous, but unlearned
believers. Persuaded that none of our fellow Yahwist acquaintances
would put any stock in what I still regard as the weak arguments it
contains, I tucked it away in a file. I held on to it just in case
someone might happen to refer to it at a later time. That later time
came three years later, when I found, to my surprise, that many fellow
Yahwists had accepted and embraced the conclusion drawn by the authors
of the study. If you have a heart bent on honoring our Creator no
matter how your neighbors do it or think it should be done – if you are
determined to break away from “user-defined” terms of worship and settle
for nothing less than the “Yahweh-defined” approach, then we
invite you to read this study.
More ...
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Thinking
About Keeping the Sabbath?
by
Larry and June Acheson
Recently
some friends, concerned about our spiritual well-being, dropped
off a magazine article that they felt would help us to see the
error of our ways and get us back on track with the Biblical
truth. They also invited us to visit their place of worship,
where they meet on Sunday afternoons. The article they
graciously offered us is titled "Should You Keep the Weekly
Sabbath?" and they felt that the information it contains would
help us to see that the Sabbath has been "taken away."
More ... |
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The Sabbath and Holy Days in
Galatians
by
Larry and June Acheson
Some
religious teachers expect us the believe that, according to Galatians
4:10-11, we shouldn’t be “observing” any days, months or seasons at all,
but that we should instead set aside each day as special to the
Almighty. In theory, this sounds like a wonderful plan, but for those
who work for a living, it soon becomes evident that something is amiss.
The conundrum is how those who work for a living can truly set
aside each and every day as being holy to the Creator. So what did
Paul mean when he blasted the Galatian believers for “observing days,
and months, and times, and years”?
More ...
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Matthew 5:17-19: Does Fulfilling the Law Mean That It “Hath an End”?
by
Larry and June Acheson
We
have found that those who teach the abolition of the law, namely the
weekly Sabbath, try to evade what the Messiah said in Matthew 5:17:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil." Of course, those who claim that Yeshua came to do away with the
law struggle in their explanations of what He "really meant" in this
verse. Do these sound like the words of a Man who knew that the law was
about to be abolished? This mini-study presents our understanding of the
Messiah's intent contrasted against the views of nominal Christianity.
More ...
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Food
Preparation: On the Sabbath?
by
Larry and June Acheson
We were stunned
when, upon visiting our first-ever Sabbath keeping assembly, a
Seventh-Day Adventist church, their pitch-in meals included hot
foods. June and I both thought, “We just abandoned some 120
Sunday keeping friends for this?!” When we gently
inquired as to why they were cooking meals that day, the answer
was to the effect of, “Oh, these were all prepared yesterday,
they’ve just been re-heated!” Our expected response was supposed
to be something like, “Oh, yes, of course! Silly me!”
That wasn’t our response, but we chose to keep things civil.
Since we were but novice Sabbath keepers, we chose to not pursue
the discussion any further.
More ...
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Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?
No, it isn't ... er, yes it is ....
by Larry and June Acheson
As
Christmas 2014 drew nearer, it occurred to me that someone might
ask why we don’t celebrate it. The summary answer is, "It's a
pagan holiday." I was curious as to what sort of defense a
challenger who believes otherwise might come up with, so I
decided to conduct an online search to see what “pro-Christmas”
arguments are out there. I read a blog composed by an author who
passionately argues that Christmas is not a pagan
holiday. He writes, "No, Christmas is not Pagan. Far from it
really, but it seems that some people are hell bent on finding
something Pagan about it, regardless if it is true or
historically accurate. So have a Happy Advent and a Merry
Christmas everyone!” Because his arguments are outside the scope
of the usual ones we’ve seen, I decided to address them, just in
case someone would like a “point-counterpoint.”
More ...
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When Does a
Scriptural Day Begin?
By Larry & June
Acheson
by
Larry and June Acheson
One
way to serve Yahweh is to set aside the day He commanded in His word,
but there is a controversy over when a Scriptural day begins, which in
turn brings to the forefront the timing of when the weekly Sabbath
begins. My goal in this study is to present what we believe is the
correct understanding, based on Scripture and historical understanding.
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Is It a Sin
to Stay Home During Yahweh’s Feasts?
by
Larry and June Acheson
An
acquaintance made a point of telling others that I lost my job
because I chose to work during the non-holy days of the 2009
Feast of Tabernacles instead of attending a feast gathering.
Another acquaintance claimed that we are required, in this day
and age, to go to “a place” where Yahweh places His name. These
two claims are, in various forms, commonly used to promote the
belief that true believers today must attend a feast
gathering that is away from home. Let's examine these claims
under the light of Scripture.
More ...
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When Were the
Pyramids Built?
by Larry and
June Acheson
Time to put
your thinking cap on! If you're a Bible believer, you know
evolutionists come up with some pretty tough arguments. One that
we had never been faced with involves the fact that if we accept the
chronology of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, then we have no choice but to
believe the pyramids were built before the Flood. We've
seen answers to the effect that you cannot trust Egyptian chronology,
etc., but the bottom line is, even with corrected Egyptian chronology
there simply wasn't enough time for Noah's descendants to have built the
Tower of Babel and the pyramids after the Flood while simultaneously
aligning the Biblical timeline. Is there a solution? Yes,
but you may not like it!
More ...
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Why
Does Yahweh Allow the Righteous to Suffer?
by
Larry Acheson
The
question that many of us ask ourselves after the tragic loss of
a loved one is, “WHY?” The answer to that question is not easy
to answer, but unless that answer is forthcoming, the faith of
many can be shattered. Does the Bible provide any answers?
More ...
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Baptism:
Changing the Method, Losing the Meaning
by
Larry and June Acheson
A
Lutheran author, in a magazine whose issue
was dedicated to supporting their doctrine of infant baptism,
wrote, "To claim that a person must reach the ‘age of reason’ or
the ‘age of accountability’ before receiving Baptism is to claim
that there is something within the person that is able to
cooperate with the grace of [the Almighty]. This is called
synergism, a theological perversion that places man into a
cooperative relationship with [the Almighty] in the salvation
process.” Does the Bible offer support for infant baptism? Does
entering into a cooperative relationship with the Almighty in
the salvation process constitute a "theological perversion"?
More ...
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Does Yahweh Forbid Women to Wear
Trousers?
by
Larry and June Acheson
The
security guard in the building where June once worked is Jewish
and became curious when he learned that we observed the weekly
Sabbath and commemorated the Almighty's festival days. He wanted
to find out more about us and cordially invited us into his home
one evening. Since it was an informal visit, June and I both
wore jeans. Later, this man mailed us a 123-page letter
detailing everything about our practices and beliefs that he
feels are maligned. One of them was June's attire. He wrote,
“When you allowed your wife to wear jeans in my house, you
committed an abomination under old testament law!” Is his
allegation correct? Did we break the law?
More ...
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Thanksgiving:
Yahweh's Way or on Man's Day?
by
Larry and June Acheson
When
we explain to various individuals our rationale for not
observing Halloween, they for the most part understand our
reasons and do not typically offer any protests or challenges to
our decision. Virtually no one denies the deeply-rooted pagan
customs associated with Halloween, yet this does not prevent the
majority of people from celebrating the holiday. However, as the
following month unravels, another very popular holiday looms on
the horizon, and a now-familiar question surfaces: “What are
you doing for Thanksgiving?” Now that’s a toughie for us to
answer.
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Should
Believers Observe Hanukkah?
by
Larry and June Acheson
Since
our decision to commemorate Hanukkah, we have been surprised at the
number of folks who have expressed disagreement with the choice
we made. What is surprisingly missing from their criticism of
our decision is the simple question of "Why?" Why do we
commemorate Hanukkah? This is a question that we have never once been asked!
Instead, we have received letters from people telling us why we
shouldn't, and we have received an article authored by a man who
explained why his family doesn't. We certainly respect a
person's right to express his or her opinion, but at the same
time, it seems only fitting that before we tell someone why they
shouldn't do something, we should find out why they do
it!
More
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Wearing
Fringes: Are They for Believers Today?
by
Larry and June Acheson
Those who understand
that the Torah is our Heavenly Father's instruction manual for a
righteous lifestyle understand that Yahweh expects us to obey
all of His commandments; nevertheless, many believers tend
to “draw the line” as to which ones they feel “apply to
believers in today’s age.” One commandment that is often
ignored and even taught as being a “sin” to obey is the one
pertaining to the wearing of tassels on our garments. The same
people who stand by the claim that none of Yahweh’s laws have
been “done away with,” either ignore or outright teach against
this law.
More ...
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Balancing
the Calendar
by
Larry and June Acheson
For
many years I managed to avoid and evade the calendar debates
that are so prevalent within
the Yahwist Movement, but inevitably questions arise, and
inevitably some folks end up looking “down their noses” at those
who don’t reckon the Scriptural calendar the same way they do.
At length, I decided to compile the best available evidence from
ancient historical understanding, combining it with my
understanding of that which is presented by Scripture, allowing
me to offer a cohesive presentation that serves to best explain
my own position without ridiculing the opposing view.
More
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Balancing
the Calendar II
by
Larry
and June Acheson
If
your only knowledge about which "Scriptural calendar" June and I use
comes from having read our original Balancing the Calendar study,
then you do not know what information served as the actual catalyst in
our decision-making process to make the change from what is known as the
“Green Ears of Barley Calendar” to what is known as the “Equinox
Calendar.”
More ...
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The
Thirteenth Month
by
Larry and June Acheson
Yahweh
does not tell us in His Word to set our year by a solar calendar
of 365 days, nor does He insist that we abide by a luni-solar
calendar that will occasionally have years consisting of 13
months. Since those instructions are missing, it is up to
us to search out any Scriptural evidence that can clue us in to
the calendar used by Yahweh’s people. As it turns out,
there is a passage of Scripture offering strong evidence that a
luni-solar calendar was indeed used by the people of Yahweh. We
are given a time frame demonstrating that a certain year had
to contain thirteen months.
More ...
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Can A Scriptural Month Have Only
28 Days?
by
Larry and June Acheson
Rabbinical
Judaism mandates that all Scriptural months must consist of either 29 or
30-day months. No more, no less. There cannot be a 28-day month -
ever! Religious groups everywhere have been brainwashed to
accept this ruling without question, even those who strive to begin the
new months with the visual sighting of the new moon. It wasn't all
that surprising, then, that when 28 days elapsed from day one of a new
month to the subsequent new moon sighting, no one seemed to notice.
Calendars were quietly retrofitted to make the old month begin a day
sooner. Does Scripture make allowance for months to contain fewer
than 29 days?
More ...
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Should
a Man Cover His Head While Praying?
Tracing the history of
men's headcoverings
by
Larry and June Acheson
Neither
June nor I had really given much thought to the growing number of men
who wear headcoverings while praying. It wasn’t until we were
directed to a certain website article that we realized the issue of
men’s headcoverings is more than a “passing fancy”; to some, it is
apparently a salvation issue.
More ...
Were the
Hebrew/Greek Scholars Who Translated the Septuagint Lunar
Sabbatarians?
by Larry & June
Acheson
I hadn't
written anything on the topic of lunar sabbaths for over ten years when
a friend asked me to conduct a Zoom presentation on "The Lunar Sabbath
Theory." In the course of preparing for my presentation, I
remembered a key and often-overlooked fact demonstrating that the Hebrew
scholars who translated the Septuagint into Greek during the 3rd century
BCE could not have have been lunar sabbatarians. This mini-study is
actually chapter 16 of our "Lunar Sabbath"
series.
More ...
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Who
Is HaShem?
Examining
the Jewish custom of
referring to the Creator as “HaShem”
by
Larry and June Acheson
Our
children attend a Messianic assembly whose leadership defends referring
to the Creator as “HaShem” or “G-d” instead of the name He gave to
Himself, which is Yahweh. A question I frequently ask those
of this particular persuasion is, “Can you think of a better name to use
in reference to the Creator besides the name He gave to Himself?”
In nearly 30 years of asking this question, no one has offered me a
better alternative. Nevertheless, June and I have encountered
seemingly endless explanations defending such terms as “God” and “HaShem.”
When the leader of the Messianic assembly gave our son an article titled
“HaShem” as their answer to those who believe we dishonor Yahweh by
referring to Him as “God” or “HaShem,” we found that it is presented in
such a scholarly fashion, complete with Hebrew text and commentary, that
anyone not bent on fully investigating the author’s information might
easily be persuaded that his perspective lines up with the position
outlined in Scripture.
More ...
POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION
In February 2024, I was asked to give a
presentation on why I do not support substituting the Creator's name
with "HaShem." My PowerPoint presentation was recorded via Zoom
and is currently available for viewing on
YouTube.
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Did Yeshua the
Messiah
Have a Pre-Carnal Existence?
Part 1:
The Overview
Part 2: The Enhanced Public Debate Presentation
Part 3: The Unity Conference Presentation
A Response to Chuck
Henry's book
Trinity, Oneness,
Duality, and Pre-Existence
by Larry Acheson
atchinson
On
June 22, 2019, I participated in a debate on the topic of whether or
not Yeshua had a pre-carnal existence. I am persuaded that
He did; my opponent believes Yeshua did not exist prior to His
conception in Mary's womb. In Part 1, "The Overview," I
address details that led up to our debate, plus I incorporate some
significant points that have come to light since it ended.
I am persuaded that the points I present in Part 1, in and of
themselves, validate the truth of the matter.
In Part 2,
titled "The Enhanced Public Debate Presentation," I
supply my
entire debate presentation while incorporating the "visual aids"
from my PowerPoint presentation, which the videographer chose to
not include with the YouTube video of the debate (in spite of
our original agreement that the debate venue would allow me to
include my PowerPoint presentation). However, Part 2 also
includes commentary and additional visual aids that I was
obligated to exclude from my presentation due to time
constraints. On top of that, Part 2 weaves in responses to Chuck's debate commentary,
including his ad hominem attack on Philo and Justin
Martyr.
Finally, I put together some supplemental visual aids for this
study in the interest of reinforcing the points I make.
Part 3, titled "The
Unity Conference Presentation,"
consists of the presentation I delivered at the 2019 Unity
Conference in Sterling, Illinois. I focus primarily on
such topics as 1 John 4:3, 2 John 7, John 17:5, and Philippians
2:5-8, but I also address some additional verses that I was unable
to cover within my allotted time, such as John 1:15; 30 and Matthew
23:37. I also hone in on parallel verses Hosea 2:16 and
Revelation 19:6-8.
I am persuaded
that any one of the above studies validates the
truth of the matter, but I welcome constructive criticism as we
mutually walk the truth-seeker path. I pray that Yahweh be
magnified and that His truths will be opened to those who seek
His ways. I dedicate this study, as well as anything
I have written, to His honor. I also dedicate it to all who
share our hunger for truth and whose desire is
study to show themselves approved unto Elohim, workmen that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2
Timothy 2:15).
atchinson |
Facing
the Lunar Sabbath Challenge
Today
there is a controversy among many within the Hebrew Roots
Movement. It is being caused by people rising up from among us
teaching a new doctrine called "Lunar Sabbaths." To
address this issue, we have created an entire web page dedicated to
examining the truths of Scripture as they relate to this issue.
To
learn more about this,
click here and
study it for yourself.
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The Jubilee
Cycle
by
Larry and June Acheson
The name of
this study, The Jubilee Cycle, may be a misnomer. While
we certainly address the Jubilee Cycle, especially the debate as to
whether it is 49 or 50 years in length, our motivation for composing
it was the issue of "date-setting." Historically, date-setters
have been a source of ridicule, both among believers and especially
among non-believers. Certainly, a prophet of the Almighty
would be qualified to be a date-setter. However, as we all
know, hordes of would-be and wannabe prophets have made their
presence known, replete with their private interpretations (made
public) of when the Messiah's Second Coming will be and/or their
versions of when the next millennium will begin. Such is the
case with an acquaintance who switched from a personal idea of when
the Millennium might begin to a public declaration of 99%
certainty that it will begin in a certain year.
Our original
version was reasonably short, but as these discussions tend to go,
it eventually ballooned to over 300 pages. I wouldn't
recommend reading all 300 pages in one sitting. Rather, just
review the Table of Contents and find one that may pique your
interest and start with that one.
In fact, you
may just prefer to read our original study. What we offer is
our perspective, which we are pleased to share with all who are
interested.
To
learn more about our perspective of the Jubilee cycle,
click here.
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Does
the Creator Have a Name?
Does
the Creator have a name, and is it important for us to use it?
What about the Messiah's name? And finally, what
(if anything) does the popular name of "God" have to do
with pagan deities? We have made a new web page dedicated to
examining the truths of Scripture as they relate to these issues.
To
learn more about these issues,
click here.
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More
Studies Are to Come. . . . so Please Check
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