“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

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Preachers Should be Tearing their Clothes and Weeping

King Josiah of Judah and the Book of the Law

There is an interesting bit of information tucked away in 2 Kings. King Josiah of Judah was born in 648 BC. He was 8-years-old when he became king in 640 BC. Josiah was king for 31 years, and he died in 609 BC. That was one year before the Babylonian Captivity began.

2 Kings 22: 2 says this about King Josiah:

He did what was right in the sight of Yahweh and walked entirely in the way of his father David, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. (2 Kings 22: 2)

The following verses explain what Josiah did that Yahweh deemed to be correct. The incident occurred during his 18^th year as king, so he was 26-years-old when it happened:

Now in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of Yahweh, saying, “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and have him count all the money brought into the house of Yahweh, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. And have them hand it over to the workmen who have the oversight of the house of Yahweh, and have them give it to the workmen who are in the house of Yahweh to repair the damage to the house: To the carpenters, the builders, the masons, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the house. However, no accounting shall be made with them for the money handed over to them, because they deal honestly.”

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Yahweh.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Then Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have handed it over to the workmen who have the oversight of the house of Yahweh.” Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of Yahweh for me and for the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for the wrath of Yahweh that burns against us is great, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to act in accordance with everything that is written regarding us.” (2 Kings 22: 3-13)

Josiah was right. Yahweh’s anger burned against Judah because of the wickedness that prevailed in the Southern Kingdom. The wickedness started at the top. King Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, was the worst king of all. Josiah instituted reforms that Yahweh liked, but it was too late for Judah, as the following verses make clear:

So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (and she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. Then she said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’” But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, this is what you shall say to him: “This is what Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel says: ‘Regarding the words which you have heard, since your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become an object of horror and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,’ declares Yahweh.” Therefore, behold, I am going to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not look at all the devastation that I am going to bring on this place.’” So, they brought back word to the king. (2 Kings 22: 14-20)

In 609 BC, Josiah died from a wound he received in battle. The following year, the Babylonian Captivity began. It lasted 70 years.

Is 2 Kings Scripture?

In The Trilogy, I explain that with the exception of Revelation, the New Testament is not Scripture. I will not defend that statement here. The book presents the facts that prove my point. Read it and see for yourself.

This is the crucial point, though. Every time you see the word “Scripture” in the New Testament, it refers to The Septuagint and the Hebrew and Aramaic documents from which it was translated. The Septuagint was completed in the 3^rd century BC or about 250 years before the Messiah was born, so the New Testament can’t be Scripture.

That does not mean the New Testament is not important. It presents the Messiah’s words; it presents eyewitness testimony to the events that took place while the Messiah was with us; it presents a lot of historical information and explanations that are very helpful; and of course, it includes Revelation, an important prophetic book that is Scripture. But the New Testament as a whole is not Scripture.

In the four gospels, when the Messiah talked about “the Law and the Prophets” and “the Books of Moses” and “Scripture” and “the word of Elohim”, He was referring to The Septuagint. When the apostles talked about those things in the New Testament, they were referring to The Septuagint, too. The Septuagint was the biblical canon at the time of the Messiah and the apostles. Not once did the Messiah or any of the apostles question the authenticity, legitimacy, or accuracy of The Septuagint. That’s a crucial point.

2 Kings is in The Septuagint, so it is Scripture. I don’t want to get too much in the weeds here, but 2 Kings is called 4 Kings in The Septuagint. 1 and 2 Samuel are 1 and 2 Kings in The Septuagint, and 1 and 2 Kings are 3 and 4 Kings in The Septuagint.

It is perfectly clear from 2 Kings 22 that Yahweh’s word was lost for time. It was hidden away in the Temple, and it was discovered when Josiah ordered repairs to be made to the Temple.

When Josiah heard Yahweh’s word, he tore his robes and wept, because he knew how evil Judah had become. Josiah instituted reforms, but that did not prevent Yahweh from punishing Judah.

Josiah’s actions may have had a lot to do with the fact that Judah’s punishment lasted for only 70 years, though. The Northern Kingdom’s (Israel’s) punishment was destined to last until the time of the end.

Are Preachers Up to the Task?

In “We have Become ‘Dull of Hearing’”, I talked about what I think are the 5 most egregious sins people who profess to have been “called to the ministry” have committed. Yahweh inspired me to address those concerns when The Lockman Foundation released NASB 2020 and referred to “time-honored” traditions to which they adhered. Those “time-honored” traditions are the root of the problem, and “people who have been called to the ministry” embrace them unabashedly.

Unabashed means not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed. In other words, most preachers are shameless. That is not an exaggeration. They should be held up for public scorn and ridicule.

Below are my Top Five concerns. They are presented exactly the way I presented them in my editorial:

We must stop referring to our Creator as “God”. He is not God. He is Elohim. God is the name of a pagan deity. He is the god of fortune. His name is also pronounced Gad, Gawd, and Gaud. Calling our Creator “God” is a sacrilege. Try telling that to most preachers and churchgoers and watch how they react. It will surprise you.
Our Creator is Elohim, but that’s a title. His Name is Yahweh, and Yahweh commanded us to declare His Name, not His title, to the world. In the foreword to the NASB 2020, the translators explain that they adhered to “time-honored traditions”. One of those “time-honored traditions” is to remove Yahweh’s Name from the Scriptures completely. It’s as though His Name doesn’t exist. Instead of placing Yahweh’s Name in the Bible where it belongs, the translators of the NASB 2020 substitute “LORD”, “the LORD God”, “the Lord GOD”, and “LORD of armies”. That may be a “time-honored tradition” as they say, but it’s also a sin of the highest magnitude. How can people declare Yahweh’s Name if they don’t even know He has a Name? I should not have to say this to men of the cloth, but sin is not honorable no matter how long you have been doing it. Changes made in the NASB 2020 are trivial compared with changes that should have been made. Yahweh’s Name is of paramount importance for many reasons not the least of which are 1) we have salvation in the Name Yahweh and 2) the Messiah is Yahweh. (See His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition.) Again, try telling those things to most preachers and churchgoers and watch how they react. Most of them will look at you like you are from another planet. I’m not picking on the translators of the NASB 2020. Virtually every English translation of the Bible has followed that horrendous “time-honored tradition”. It is a truly sad state of affairs, and as I said, leaders in Christendom are responsible for it. They should be ashamed.
Saturday is the Sabbath, not Sunday. That fact matters enough to Yahweh for Him to include specifics about the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments. It’s number 4 on the list. Look it up. It’s the last day of the week, not the first day of the week. I hate it when a preacher responds to that fact by saying something like this: “I am not under the Law.” Oh really? Other things on that list include murder, adultery, lying, and stealing. I guess not being under the Law means that anyone can do anything he wants, and it doesn’t matter. Yahweh doesn’t see it that way. All of us are under the Law, but believers’ sin debts have been paid by the Messiah. Preachers need to understand that obedience and legalism are not synonymous.
The Big Two church events each year are Christmas and Easter. Both of them are pagan holidays. Christmas honors the sun god Sol Invictus, and Easter honors the Babylonian and Assyrian fertility goddess Ishtar. Of course, preachers talk about the Messiah during those services, but the trappings are pagan to the core. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. Why not obey Yahweh and celebrate Sukkot instead of Christmas and Passover instead of Easter? Yahweh commanded us to celebrate Sukkot and Passover. Ask a typical churchgoer what Sukkot is and watch her reaction. Some preachers will say, “He was talking to Jews.” That’s not true. He was talking to the Children of Israel. Whose tree were Gentiles grafted into?
The Messiah’s Name was not Jesus. The name “Jesus” was made up. At birth, He was given the Name Yeshua, but Yahweh gave Him the Name “Yahweh”. That simple, crucial fact is so well hidden in most English translations of the Bible that most preachers and churchgoers will think you are off your rocker if you tell them. I know, because I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years.

Also see:

It’s Time for Preachers to Fish or Cut Bait

Preachers should be tearing their clothes and weeping because of what they have done. They have blithely gone along with things that are abhorrent to Yahweh. Very few of them have even thought about it, but they are helping to perpetuate evil. When I have talked with preachers about it, almost all of them have looked at me like I was speaking a language that they could not understand. When I showed them the evidence, they casually brushed it aside and made a pedestrian comment or two. Almost every time, I felt like I was talking to a rock. The looks in their eyes showed almost no comprehension.

Are there no Josiahs around today? Are there no preachers who are willing to confront the evil in our midst?

I am positive that there are at least a few Josiahs around. They need to stand up and be counted. Until they act, Christian publishers like The Lockman Foundation will continue to adhere to abhorrent “time-honored” traditions, and preachers will continue to unwittingly spew evil venom from their pulpits.

We are experiencing Yahweh’s judgment now, because of what we have done. The sooner preachers get onboard with the changes that must be made, the sooner Yahweh’s anger will subside. This is not a trivial matter.

Are preachers as a group up to the task? For their own good and our good, I hope so.

What we need in the church is nothing short of a revolution. It’s coming whether preachers like it or not. Those who stand in the way of progress will experience things that they don’t want to encounter. The same is true for evangelists, Christian publishers, Christian broadcasters, Bible translators, and others who have been “called to the ministry”. Yahweh has had enough. If they can’t see it, they are blind.

Yahweh is separating the wheat from the chaff. He’s moving slowly now, but He will speed things up in the days ahead. I pity those who stand in His way.

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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”

John 10: 14-18