Today is Cinco de Mayo. Since many of my readers don’t have a good understanding of what it’s about, I want to share the history of Cinco de Mayo with you. The material below is taken from the website “Cinco History”. Before you read any further, I want to extend a personal thank you to the people of Mexico. I appreciate what you did to help save our country at a critical moment, and I treasure the rich heritage Mexican Americans have brought to OUR country. They’ve added enormously to our culture and our traditions. Family values are important, and I haven’t seen more powerful family values from another group. On top of that, the food you introduced in the US is wonderful. I love it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m especially thankful that you introduced me to jalapeño peppers. They’re out of this world.

“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” (Thomas Jefferson)

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Facebook Group His Name is Yahweh:

I use the Facebook group His Name is Yahweh to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk. If you are not already a fan, you should consider signing up. Click here to visit the site.

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Email Distribution List:

I have created an email distribution list that I use to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk. If you would like to be on that list, send your email address to nhsny@yahoo.com. If you know others who are interested in SnyderTalk content, tell them to send me their email address, and I’ll put them on the list.

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Scripture of the day:

Isaiah 25: 1-4—“O Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. For You have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin; a palace of strangers is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will glorify You; cities of ruthless nations will revere You. For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall.”

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SnyderTalk® Commentary:

Currently, I am putting up bite sized pieces of His Name is Yahweh in SnyderTalk Commentary. If you haven’t read it, it will be a treat for you. If you have read it, you will probably enjoy reading it again. You can download the entire manuscript for free at His Name is Yahweh, or you can buy it in Kindle format from Amazon for just $5.

I have left out several footnotes. Please go to the website His Name is Yahweh and download the manuscript. It has all the footnotes, and it’s free.

Yeshua Fulfilled the Messianic Prophecies—Part 5

The Order of Melchizedek

Melchizedek symbolizes the Messiah uniting the roles of High Priest and King. According to Ramban, a Jewish sage, Melchizedek was actually Shem—Noah’s son. (Scherman, Rabbi Nosson, The Stone Edition Tanach, The ArtScroll Series®, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, New York, 1996, p. 29) Charles Ryrie, the Bible scholar I mentioned before, says he “foreshadowed the crowning of Messiah, who at His second coming will build the (millennial) temple and unite the offices of King and Priest in one Person.” (Ryrie, Charles. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, Moody Press, Chicago, 1995, p. 1466) Others have said he is Seth (Adam’s son), Job, or an angel, but many people believe Melchizedek is a preincarnate manifestation of the Messiah—in which case he would be Yahweh.

Melchizedek is mentioned in the Bible for the first time in Genesis chapter 14 where we are told about Abraham rescuing his nephew Lot after several allied kings had taken him and his family captive. When Abraham returned to Jerusalem after the rescue, Melchizedek came out to meet him. This is what the Bible says about their encounter:

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High (El Elyon—this is the first time in the Bible El Elyon is used as a Name for Yahweh.) He blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ He (Abraham) gave him (Melchizedek) a tenth of all.” (Genesis 14: 18-20)

About 1000 years later, King David said, “Yahweh has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110: 4)

Then David said, “The Lord (the Messiah) is at Your (the Father’s) right hand; He (the Messiah) will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. He will drink from the brook by the wayside; therefore He will lift up His head.” (Psalm 110: 5-7)

In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul says this about Melchizedek:

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his Name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” (Hebrews 7: 1-3)

Paul goes on to say that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, Levi, or Aaron (Hebrews 7: 4-11) and that He prefigured the Messianic priesthood that is different from the Levitical order—a better priesthood that is both perfect and perpetual. (Hebrews 7: 12-18) Paul says,

“For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of the former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God (Hebrews 7: 18-19)….Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant (Hebrews 7: 22)….because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7: 24)

This is the way Yahweh explained the Messiah’s role to Zechariah:

“Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then say to him, Thus says Yahweh Sabaoth, ‘Behold, a man whose Name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the Temple of Yahweh. Yes, it is He who will build the Temple of Yahweh, and He will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.’” (Zechariah 6: 11-13)

We know from Jeremiah’s (Jeremiah 23: 5 and 33: 15-16) and Isaiah’s (Isaiah 4: 2-3 and 11: 1-5) prophecies that the One whose Name is Branch is the Messiah, that He made the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and that He is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Price of Peace. Yahweh confirmed Jeremiah’s and Isaiah’s prophecies by telling Zechariah that One whose Name is Branch (the Messiah) is both King and Priest, and those are the offices Melchizedek held. Therefore, I believe Melchizedek is the preincarnate Messiah—Yahweh. He is King forever and perpetual High Priest, and He established a new and better covenant and became our permanent Intercessor before the Father.

Melchizedek’s Messianic identity was not lost on the ancient rabbis. Many of them believed Melchizedek was the Messiah, and following Yeshua’s crucifixion this fact created quite a problem. After His resurrection, Yeshua’s disciples explained His priesthood by referring to Melchizedek, and the rabbis essentially abandoned any mention of Melchizedek from that time forward. For a complete discussion of this issue, read Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament by F.F. Bruce. (Bruce, F.F. Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984, pp. 64-65)

I have now completed putting up the manuscript for His Name is Yahweh in SnyderTalk Commentary. I urge you to read the entire manuscript. It’s easily accessible and free on two websites: His Name is Yahweh and SnyderTalk.

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“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4: 6)

News Items of Interest:

Cinco de Mayo: What Every American Should Know

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Since many of my readers don’t have a good understanding of what it’s about, I want to share the history of Cinco de Mayo with you. The material below is taken from the website “Cinco History”. Before you read any further, I want to extend a personal thank you to the people of Mexico. I appreciate what you did to help save our country at a critical moment, and I treasure the rich heritage Mexican Americans have brought to OUR country. They’ve added enormously to our culture and our traditions. Family values are important, and I haven’t seen more powerful family values from another group. On top of that, the food you introduced in the US is wonderful. I love it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m especially thankful that you introduced me to jalapeño peppers. They’re out of this world.

“The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon’s French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy — as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico’s president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.

General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz’ superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.

It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That’s why Cinco de Mayo is such a party — A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!”

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Montreal Jews fear ‘gang atmosphere’ amid rise in anti-Semitic incidents

Ottawa, Canada, October 2009

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Study: Stomach cancer up in young, white adults

Commonsense: Like Bob Dylan said, “You don’t have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.” It’s all about eating, or more precisely, overeating and eating the wrong things. If it turns out to be anything else, I’ll let you know, but you don’t want to bet against me on this one.

Speaking of Bob Dylan, did you know he’s a Christian? That’s right. He’s Jewish, and he’s a Christian. I really like this song—Gotta Serve Somebody. Click here to watch and listen.

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His Name is Yahweh:

There is a wealth of material available for free download on www.hisnameisyahweh.org including the book His Name is Yahweh. His Name is Yahweh is also available at Amazon on Kindle for just $5. If you haven’t read His Name is Yahweh, you should. The importance of Yahweh’s Name is becoming more apparent with each passing day.