Messianic? Which Shall Christians Accept?

There are basically three types of Messianics now:

Traditional orthodox Messianics;
Reformed Jewish/Catholic Messianics;
Apostolic New Testament Messianics.

Traditional orthodox Messianics;

The orthodox observe the Torah (laws of Moses), while believing the son of David has not come yet. They hold all the traditions of Phariseeism, Kabbalism (mysticism), mixed with their theories about the Messiah they look for to come. They have concocted a long list of requirements for their Messiah to fulfill and qualify. Their Messiah must comply with this job application BEFORE he can come to them or to their new Sanhedrin Council, and ask for approval and acceptance. Because the requirements are so so strict and no Jew will ever be able to fulfill them, there is no chance in the next 10,000 years a man will come into the world to give them their utopia dream in Israel. I might say here, the requirements for this job position as Messiah was put together by men who want to make sure another Jesus cannot come forth.

Orthodox Messianics often cry against a personal son of David being the Messiah. Many of them claim the actual nation of Israel itself is the suffering Messiah. Well, I checked this idea against the job application criteria and Israel as a nation failed to meet the requirements. This means all of Israel is an unemployed messianic failure.

These Messianics have created several items with which to celebrate their religious rituals. They have created the messianic dances most of which seem to have Turkish and cultic origins. These circle dances and the moves used in them are connected to ancient pagan rituals. They cannot be proved to be biblical and practiced among those Israelites that came out of Egypt or those who lived afterwards for 1400 years. They have created use of the tallit as a symbol of the yoke of the law upon their shoulders. When this prayer cloth is pulled up from the shoulders and draped over the head, the man has his head covered to indicate he is law observant and has submitted to the authority of God over his life and soul. The knotted fringes represent the laws of Moses also. Then there is the kippa, the round moon tire that is placed upon the head to also indicate law observance and being under the canopy of God's authority. Wearing this head covering the person gives a sort of public witness they are peaceful and have no mental design to harm or hurt anyone. If they do plan such an act they are to remove these bits of clothing and cast them and all the other law-keeping symbols down off of them before proceeding (see Acts 7:58).  It is a sin to wear these decorations while committing a sin. The kippa must then be removed when a Jew knows he plans to sin. Then there is the tzit tzit. This is a knotted collection of white strings and a blue one. These must be tied in special knots as described in the Babylonian Talmud. They must be tied in strict observance of laws of gematria (numerology). So, there is a secret numerical number attached to this device. These are worn on the tallit as a fringe or tied to belt loops of a man's pants. They hang way down and swish as the man walks. These are also decorations claimed to fulfill the requirements of a fringe worn on clothing in Numbers 15:38-39. Some think they keep away evil spirits. But a careful read of the Torah at this point shows us the fringe is on the borders of the garments of both male and female. These garments and the fringe have no connection to the tallit or the tzit tzits. The wearing of the tallit and the tzit has no real purpose in the Messianic hope. They are all invented trinkets by Kabbalists trying to pass upon the men some gematria secret meaning. That these are mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, shows us the inventions go back many hundreds of years. There is no proof these existed in the days of Jesus. If they did, there is no proof Jesus or the Apostles ever made use of them.

Then there is the shofar, the ram's horn that many think the blowing of which somehow signals the beginning of worship or summons God to come into their pending worship program.

So we have among the messianic orthodox Pharisee sect of Judaism, the use of the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, and the shofar. These are decorations used in religious expression and a part of messianic circle dances. Circumcision, dietary regulations, observing religious holiday and feast days, and other parts of the Torah must be acknowledged and practiced. These do not believe Jesus was the Messieh. They are proud to speak evil of him. And they still resent other Jews who believe in Jesus and count them no longer as Jews.

Reformed Jewish/Catholic Messianics;

There are a number of Jews who believe Jesus was the Messieh. These are generally Catholic and trinitarian and no longer believe in one God. They accept the Catholic councils and the decrees and creeds. They accept the use of the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, and the shofar. They also continue to practice circumcision and generally observe all the holiday and feast days. The ones I have met accept also the Babylonian Talmud and Kabbalistic mysticism. They are heavily into the circle dances and moves as part of their religious expressions. Only two things separate them from the orthodox and that is belief in Jesus as the Messieh and in the trinity. The majority of Jewish messianic synagogues and prayer centers are of this trinitarian Catholic type.

Apostolic New Testament Messianics.

There is no evidence Jesus or the Apostles or early Christians ever used the tallit, the kippa, the tzit, or the shofar in any religious expressions or during worship or Church services. Since the tallit, the kippa, and the tzit specifically identify the person wearing them as Law-keepers, these would not have been worn by the first Jewish and Gentile Christians. The tallit for instance is referred to as a yoke about the neck of men to signify they accept upon them the responsibility of keeping and observing the law. The kippa and tzit likewise signify the same thing. First Jewish and Gentile Christians would not have worn these man-made devices. The tzit as a fringe is a false Jewish substitute for the real "wing-fringes" that were to be upon the borders of the garments of both men and women. A fringe on the borders of a garment is not the same as a couple strings tied in mystic knots and hung from a belt loop. We know Jesus did not have these trinkets on him when he was arrested and or when he was at Calvary because there is no mention of any gambling for these items. Apostolic Messianics agree to accept upon them the yoke of Jesus. Jesus said his yoke was easy and his burden light. This is spiritual. The yoke of Jesus is not Torah but it is the grace and love of God.  That the law was a yoke none could bear is seen in Acts 15:10. The Apostles saw it clearly that the yoke of the law was not to be put upon the lives of the Christian community. There was then no requirement to wear the tallit, the kippa, or the tzit which represented the yoke of the law upon the individual wearing them.

Apostolic Messianics do not engage in circumcision, the observing of Old Testament holidays or feast days. We do not observe sabbath days, new moons, or dietary regulations. We do not perform circle dances or the blowing of the shofar. We cannot find these in the Christian New Testament in any Church.

I want to be perfectly clear here: Apostolic Messianics are not Pharisee Judaizers. They are not trinitarians. They are Oneness men and women who believe Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. Apostolic Messianics do not accept the Babylonian Talmud or any part or use of the Kabbalah. We totally reject any use of mysticism in the tying of knots, use of strings, and the men having their heads covered.

I am writing this because I have been made aware of Apostolics going off into chasing after Orthodox and Catholic Messianic traditions and thinking they are somehow getting closer to God. True Apostolic men of God will never place a tallit around their neck. They will never put a kippa on their head. They will never wear a tzit on their belt loops. And they will never partake in any circle dances.

Messianic? Which shall Christians Accept?

They shall accept Apostolic Messianic Christianity because it is in line with the New Testament Gospel of faith and grace salvation WITHOUT the deeds of the law.


Jesus bless us all to be greater people of God,

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

Walking In The Light

When I made my personal decision to be saved back in 1968, little did I know this choice was a far greater decision than repentance, water baptism in Jesus name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).

As a babe in Christ, my first years in Church developed in me a foundation of spiritual strength. When I look back I can see the worth and value of faithfulness. I never missed a Church service. In fact I loved Church and each service held for me something new. I cannot put my finger on all these little things that each service brought to my soul. But I know they happened. I cannot recall for instance the service where holiness and my dedication to it started. I, like others, just dressed the way other people did who went to Church. But at some point holiness was not someone else's standard, it became mine. I do not recall a single moment of fighting or arguing about holiness standards. This, while at the same time I was surrounded by those who claimed their personal convictions allowed them to do all sorts of sins uncondemned. I can recall hearing people tell the Pastor they did not care what he preached, they would live their life like they wanted. I heard them say their light on a matter was not the same light the Pastor had. While I was surrounded by all manner of malcontents and other misfits among the Apostolic Oneness people, it did not effect me or my spiritual life. I had made a decision to be saved and this included staying saved. Staying saved and walking in the Light was not something I thought about the night I turned loose of the seat back and walked the isle to the altar. At that moment, all I was thinking about was being saved. I had been under conviction for several Church services. The Holy Ghost moved upon me during the song service. And when the Pastor preached it was like he was reaching for me with all the anointing of his preaching he could muster. It is hard to explain sometimes how preaching can shake the soul loose from all that holds it back from saying YES LORD.

My formative years were not spent trying to find fault with Pentecost or the Apostolic way. I had no desire to have the haughty spirit of many who always seemed to find some fault in what the preacher preached. I took no joy in trying to catch something the preacher may have said that he seemed to contradict himself on. I was not one of those who ate the meat and spit out the bones. Or ate the grass and spit out the briars. These two sayings were the way others described how they would take from the Pastor's preaching what they wanted and the rest they would spit out on the ground and reject it. Frankly, I never experienced bones and briars in the preaching. I guess because my flesh was under control of the Spirit and there was nothing I was so brave about to be spitting out parts of the message. All those who did this I noticed over the past 40 years died lost and backslid. After I got saved, I always released myself into the preaching and ate it all up. As the Pastor brought his anointed message to its close, I was there with him in spirit knowing he was pulling for souls. I wanted the altar call so I could go up and pray with those making a decision and who would cry out in repentance and begin seeking for the Holy Ghost. I loved the altar time more than any other part of the service. How many I helped pray through to repentance and being filled with the Holy Ghost I do not remember. But there were many. The altar time was my time of the service when all of my own fasting and prayer unleashed in me a love for souls and a burden for their salvation.

Love of souls and a burden for their salvation: that was not at all in my mind or heart the night I went forward to be saved. How did these two things ever come into my heart? I remember, looking back how many who came to Church would leave the service as soon as they detected the Pastor was ending his message. They would up and walk out. The whole family would leave (whole families that ended up lost. You do not walk out on a move of God). Here and there some woman or man would leave. They did not want to be there in the Church during the altar service. I learned later they were going home to catch Sunday evening TV programs.  I still do not understand this contradiction to my own heart. The night I got saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, was the last night the TV played in my house. I moved it out because I saw in my own weakness of the flesh, how this tool of the devil would influence so many to be spiritually weak and many would lose out with God as it became more an inspiration to their flesh than praying around the altar in a passion for souls. But, now that I look back I can see, that after my own salvation, walking in the Light was what I was doing. This inner experience with God was something I loved and no sacrifice for the Church, for the Truth, for souls was to much. Indeed, I learned what making provisions for the flesh was all about. I learned also, that the closer I drew near unto God, the farther away the world became and the less power it exerted upon my heart and mind. I saw in this, that walking in the Light was a journey with God out of and away from all darkness.

Over the years as I walked in the Light and did not turn back to the beggarly elements of a carnal life, or compromised my holiness standard, or added some ways of the old olive tree life back into the mix, I became a "real" Apostolic. I then knew how Jesus must have felt as he was in the world but not of it. How being holiness does not exclude us from the presence of others, but does make us a separate person. How no sin of others can cause us to approve it because they are family or friends. I developed a Jesus mind on love for souls and a burden for their lost condition. I could see something that stuck with me. These were people that God loved. And when I saw this, although I did not make a distinct connection to my own situation with God: I learned by loving others, that GOD ALSO LOVED ME!  It was this very tiny revelation that caused me to say GOD LOVES ME. This also became the underlying reason why today I can write

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

I know some of you hate me saying this. I am still puzzled by all the emails I get from some of you hating me because of my saying this. You actually want God to hate me. I got that message. Actually I am shocked. I have gotten a few emails from people who have said:

Bishop, God does love you and I love you also.

But these are very few as compared to the hate emails I get by ending my post this way. After my first hate email I decided to do this because it was true, but also to make my enemies go rabid everytime they read it.

I am a man who believes in walking in the Light. If this infuriates others, if it causes them anxiety, if it makes them cringe in anger, if it causes them to break out in sweats of contempt, and they can send me rebuking hateful emails of scorn: I know I am doing something RIGHT! When the flesh screams out against me like the demons did against Jesus, I know my walk in the Light is the cause.

In the days of Jesus there were people who did not have a single eye toward God and walk in the light. They were double minded and claimed they were in the light: but they were really in darkness and didn't know it.

LUK 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
LUK 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
 
When others walked away from the Light and lived a life of darkness and paraded their sins before me, like I was missing out or it didn't take all that to be saved: I knew they had dark hearts. They never really had the same Holy Ghost experience I got back in 1968. And they never got any of the same subsequent spiritual development that God wrought in me. This was very clear to me, that the reason why, was because they were not sold out. They were bargain hunting for a church where they could do as they wanted and the pastor never preached against sin and living a holiness standard. They loved the sermonizers with their fancy titles in which there was no conviction power of God in any of the preaching. Laodicae was born.
 
As my own life developed and God began using me in many different ways, I made a conscience decision I would die in this Apostolic Light doctrine that was born in me the night I got the Holy Ghost. I made a decision I would not die and pass into eternity WITH THE LIGHT OUT IN MY SOUL.
 
I saw in my own personal relationship with God, that if I am going where the Lamb is the Light;
If I am going to the New Jerusalem where the only Light is God;
If I am going to leave a dark world and approach unto the eternal Light:
 
Then let me die when the Light in me:
 
IS THE BRIGHTEST.
 
I refuse to die with the Light out in my soul.
 
I also refuse to make darkness Light.
 
Some of you hate me and send your nasty emails because you are in darkness and your speech betrays you.  You cannot resist sending those evil hateful words because in some way, you feel better. You are so proud of yourself with your scorn, mockery, and jealous hearts.  Yes, you are jealous for sin and the world, while I am jealous for the God who loves me.
 
And because I love a God in whom there is no darkness, not even a shadow;
And because this God loves me;
 
I will let my light so shine before men and they shall see my good works.
 
I encourage young men who love Truth to follow my way of life and love the Light as much as I have.
 
I will match my life with that of any liberal reprobate.
 
Let all who love the Lord Jesus Christ depart from all darkness.
 
Let there be NO PART dark.
 
And when you depart this life: let it be when your light is the brightest.
 
Walking in the Light is all of this and more.
 
Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

Butterball Turkeys, Meat, Products Boycott?

Got a call today about the Butterball turkey scare now going around the world. Scare, or maybe fear or better yet, anger. Here is the story:

In October 2010 Jewish writer and author Pamela Geller, came out that some meat companies and processors were slaughtering animals and draining the blood from them according to Islamic religious law "halal." In the "halal" slaughter the throat is cut so the blood can drain out. The head is not totally cut off. According to Islamic sources, for an animal to be "halal" or holy, or kosher, (not being touched by an infidel to defile it), a prayer is said as the blood comes from the animal body: "bismillah allahu akbar" (in the name of Allah the greatest). It is this prayer to Allah that is said to make the animal meat now holy or halal.

Pamela Gellar wrote again about this Islamic ritual in her Atlas Shruggs web site a few days ago. Her purpose was to get Christians and others who oppose Islamic infiltration of America to boycott Butterball turkeys for Thanksgiving. According to her, there is a hidden tax in the price of all Butterball turkeys and this money is given to Islamic societies who in turn use that money to assist in Jihad against Americans. The Butterball turkeys that have this tax associated with them are marked in big letter "Halal".  Ms Geller hopes by her warning that Christians will not purchase Butterball turkeys and thus help stop money flow to Jihad supporting organizations. But for Christians she warns, if you eat one of these Butterball turkeys you are eating something offered in some way to Allah who is not the Christian God. Therefore, to eat a Butterball turkey on Thanksgiving while thanking God, would be a form of idolatry.

In telephone calls to Butterball company, there is no representative who says that this Islamic prayer is said over each killed turkey. Or, is there an Iman or some other qualified Islamic person present on the day of slaughter to do one prayer over all the turkeys? Or, is there an Iman or some other Muslim present to make sure the blood is drained without the whole head removed? I am sure in the coming months we will learn more about the so-called "halal" slaughter methods.

Pamela Geller cries the alarm to Christians in particular. Most oppose the Islamic religion while they believe Muslims can have what ever religion they choose. But Pamela's goal here is to boycott the Butterball company who is exporting millions of pounds of turkeys to Islamic countries where Muslims will eat this meat and enjoy the taste of this great bird. She does not want Muslims to eat turkey from America. And if they do, she does not want a prayer said over the birds to Allah. It appears she does not accept Allah as the same God she worships. But there are plenty of Jewish rabbis who believe Allah is the same God the Jews worship. You can Google this and it is there on thousands of pages. So what then is the problem for Jews to eat a Butterball turkey that some Iman or Muslim has chanted the name of Allah over? Or is this objection really a way to turn Christians into Islamicphobics?

I know for Christians the Islamic "halal" issue will be a big one. Many are already going to the frig, snatching the bird out, and have a private cremation in the back yard, or they are marching out to the garbage bin and tossing it. Or they are going to give it to non-christian friends so they can increase their sins against God by eating meats offered to an idol. I am sure there will be other disposal methods used.

What does all this mean to we Apostolics? It means nothing or little at all. Is there a New Testament law, commandment, ordinance, teaching, doctrine on the eating of meats? Or eating meats offered to idols? Or on foods or drinks that go into the body? Yes.

As all of you know, Jesus said it was not what entered into a man;s mouth that defiled him but what came out of his mouth (Matthew 7:18-19). This was Jesus talking about eating things not considered kosher by religious inspectors watching what other people eat. And especially if they ate something with unwashed hands which in their traditions made not only the food defiled the moment it was touched, but that going into the mouth and stomach, the person was now damned.

We also have the doctrine in Acts 15:20 of eating meats where the slain animal has been strangled, that is, its neck has been wrung, or twisted off, or even simply choked to death. The purpose is said to keep the animal from strangling on its own blood as it breathes to continue living after its head is removed. Blood gushing out of the arteries of the neck of the animal is sucked back into the windpipe and back into the lungs, and thus the animal is strangled on its own blood. The ordinance in Acts 15 seems to deal with killing any animal in which the blood is sucked back to the body through the wind-pipe and the animal dies partly due to strangling on its own blood. Now, have Christians in the past ever preached against wringing off a chicken's neck? Or has any Christian hunter ever killed an animal and then hung it up quickly so it does not strangle on its own blood? Has any deer hunter or other game hunter for rabbits, squirrils, or other game done this to keep blood out of the lungs of their kill? Have they eaten animals that strangled on its own blood before dying? Have Christians inspected slaughter houses to make sure the beef, chickens, turkeys, fish, etc. etc. were quickly hung upside down so the the animal does not strangle on its own blood? What ever turkey you eat for Thanksgiving this year have you certified it did not die by strangulation? Or will you simply throw up your hands and eat peanut butter sandwiches instead of any meat?

Then we have another important doctrine here: eating of meats "sacrificed" to idols. Since I cannot verify any prayer was said over any particular turkey chicken in a sacrifice ritual etc., I have no proof it was offered to an idol as a sacrifice. Is saying a prayer over something the same as a sacrifice? What about a dinner prayer, is this the same as saying the meal was a sacrifice?

If something is marked "Halal" it may be an indication an Islamic prayer to Allah was pronounced but is this a sacrifice? But so was a prayer over many foods we eat by Jewish rabbis and they are marked with a circle and a U in the middle or a K, or an L, or some other letter. Did these Jews say the name of Jesus or some name they invented for a God they also say is Allah? But we eat all these foods and meats with all these Jewish symbols indicating they are kosher, that is, not touched by an infidel, a Christian, or some other idolater. Are we going to boycott all these alleged kosher foods with these symbols?

The Acts 15 text teaches us not to eat meats we know were offered to idols in a sacrifice. The Apostle Paul lets us know there are times when it cannot be known if a meat was so offered. He said not to ask questions just eat. But, he also said, if a person informs us they are witness a certain meat was offered to an idol, not to eat of it. But it takes witnesses. If we cannot condemn a person for a sin without two or three witnesses, how can we judge a turkey, or a piece of meat, based upon hearsay, or someone who was not a witness?

My conclusion is this: if there is one or two eye witnesses that all Butterball turkeys were offered to Allah in some mass sacrifice ritual, then I will not eat. According Pamela Geller said her Jewish people will not eat an Allah Butterball turkey because they will eat one only with Jewish symbols on it. And by the way, Butterball makes these also. So, if you buy a Butterball look for a circle with a U, a K, an L, or some other Jewish letter. Or, you can always buy ham.

No Jew or Muslim will be making ham sacrifices this year.

If I learn more I will post it here.

In the mean time, I think I will check out a Butterball turkey and see which symbols are on it so I can know if I need to eat only ham this year, or chicken. But then, I must make sure these did not die form strangling on their own blood. Oh, forget it, lets all just vow to eat peanut butter sandwiches for Thanksgiving.

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

What Would You Do?

Tampa Angels

What would you do?
Here are two homeless men who have just eaten dinner at Jesus House at our homeless feed. These men come every day for something to eat. Many times the one meal is their only meal of the day.

Today they went outside the gate and sat down talking. One decided to lay down and put his backpack for a pillow and went to sleep. In his fist he is grasping my last Sunday lesson "The Love of Sin". I am not sure what held his attention with what he read, but he fell asleep in a ditch along side this fence. Just a few feet from him, his friend laid down in the ditch and went to sleep. These men are alcoholics. Their lives are a wreck. And winter is coming. They have no place to lay down when the north winter winds come howling down from Canada.

Last year, we at Jesus House showed our charity to these addicted and lost souls. Pastor Reckart opened the Tampa Angels dining room and to let several homeless men come in out of the cold. He sent out a request of financial help and many of you responded. With your help we were able to feed them a hot supper with hot coffee and hot chocolate. We provided them with sleeping bags. And they slept on the floor. The next morning at 6am Pastor Reckart was there to fix them a nice breakfast. And allowed them to stay as long as they wanted. Some of you provided the $500 for the hot water heater and the shower for them. This year we want to add a shower for the women. This past year we added a washer and a dryer so the homeless could wash their clothes.

What would you do? I see this as the same thing as the beggar at the gate. The rich man would do nothing, not even give the crumbs so the beggar could eat. I observe these men and women living behind empty buildings. Some sleeping in trash dumpsters. Some sleep wrapped up in several blankets on a bus bench with their backs facing away from the direction of the wind.

Last year we could not take in any women because we did not have a separate bathroom or a room separate from the men. This year, Pastor Reckart plans to open up another part of the Tampa Angels building where we have things stored. Church members will move things around and we will try to make places for homeless women to come in out of the freezing cold. Pastor Reckart wants to make some beds out of 2 x 4s and plywood. Then find some mattresses and blankets.

Just to let you know, on Thanksgiving day at our Award Service, Pastor Reckart will be baptizing two homeless men and two homeless women. All of them now have a place to stay except for one homeless woman. Would it be right to baptize these and then tell them to go back and live in vacant building? Or go back and sleep in a garbage dumpster? Or should we try to find a way to help those who have turned to God?

What would you do?  Doing nothing is not an option.

Pastor Reckart takes a lot of hits every day from enemies of all kinds. Although he is strong. He is bold. He is unmovable and unshaken in faith. He is still a man of great charity and love for the lost. An although he stands strong on doctrine and the Word of God, he loves lost souls and reaches out to them every day.

Some of you have your own programs to support. Many of you do your best to show love for the outcast, the downcast, and the souls in the gutter. Maybe you are doing all you can do. I read something yesterday that shook me:

"We hate selfishness in others but all of us are guilty of it when we see someone in need and we shut up our bowels of compassion against them. We turn so many over to the grace of God and give them no grace from our own hearts."

Jesus said: "the poor you will have with you always."

Pastor Reckart is going to do something. You can count on that.

And some of you are going to do something.

Where ever you are go out and find some homeless man or woman and give them a brown bag lunch with a sandwich, some snack food, some fruit, and a drink. Just try it and see how much better you will feel.

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves
___________________

PS, if you have an extra million dollars give it.

Burial or Cremation?

Cremation is not a Jewish or Christian practice. Burning up the dead was and always will be a pagan and heathen practice.  Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism all mandate burning up the dead by means of cremation. These do not accept the same beliefs about the human body and the soul that Jews and Christians have.

Anyone can research this subject, but those who refuse to honor and respect the choice of God in the care of the body at death and in burial will accept paganism and cremation.

In pagan religious cremations it is an act of friends and relatives purifying the soul of the dead. The dead cannot do this salvation act for themselves. So their salvation or their future in the karma/reincarnation cycles will depend on friends and relatives to purify them by the fires of cremation. Family and friends can purify the dead of their sins and evils by the fires of cremation. Cremation is said by the religions that practice this fire-purifying, to release the soul and spirit of the dead to go to heaven for a short stop-over, allowing a space of time for them to come back to earth in a reincarnation. Or, as some believe, the fire/purifying allows them to ascend up to the next higher level of consciousness in another spiritual realm.

In Hinduism, children under two are not burned up. Because their soul is considered pure until they reach their third birthday. Children three and up are cremated so they can be purified. They make their dead children pass through the fire of cremation exactly like the ancient pagans in the land of Canaan. Something God forbid the Israelites to do. God called this cremation ritual an abomination. If it was an abomination for children, we see no reason God would change his mind about this heathenism if adults were burned up.

Within these religions, cremation is the time the soul is redeemed. A person will pass through the fire to be redeemed. Passing through the fire in cremation was practiced by Gentile heathens before the time Israel came out of Egypt. God hated this pagan invention of salvation. Man created this alternative religious ritual. God is not needed to purify, man will do it on his own by fire.

According to Leviticus 18:21, God said to Israel: "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech."

Molech was a god of the children of Ammon (Ammonites). The Ammonites descended from Lot and his youngest daughter. This god was a god of those enemies of Israel. The Ammonites were a profane and ungodly people. Their god was the example of their immoral and ungodly practices and rituals. Their god Molech demanded the worshippers of the Ammonites to burn up their dead, to cremate them. And by this act of fire, the souls of these dead were believed to pass "to" the presence of the god Molech. So far as I am concerned, every idol god was nothing but a facade of the devil himself. It was satan who was behind all idol gods and they in some manner represented something about him. In the god Molech, and in the cremations involved, the dead would pass through the fire to satan himself. Cremations are not a funny matter. This is not a subject to be treated with stupidity.

According to my research, prior to the cremation ritual, there was a final purification of the body of the dead with special "holy water." Something similar to the last rights observed by Catholics where the body must have its last sprinkle of holy water before going to be purified by the fires of purgatory so they can go to heaven. This "holy water" was sprinkled upon the dead and prepared the body for the final purification of the soul by the fire of cremation. The special holy water is said to come from a worship ritual by the friends and relatives of the dead. Once the special ritual has been completed, the flowers and water used in the ritual are now considered to possess special purifying powers. The ritual is called Puja. And the flowers and water are Puja. At lease one source said Puja is Pu=meaning continuous repetitious praise; Ja is the same as Ya and refers to some god. So the special holy water comes from a ritual were the worshippers have been chanting the name Ja or Ya. And by the chanting of this name over the flowers and the water, they are transformed into having a purifying power for the dead.

It is interesting that Baal and the worship of this god also included cremation rituals together with dancing, shouting, and joy as the dead children and adults were consumed.

This special holy water is now acceptable to sprinkle on the body of the dead. With this application of water upon the dead, the body is now purified, all sins have been removed, and the cremation by fire can now commence and release the soul.

It is believed by those who follow this religious belief, that the soul of the dead cannot be saved if they are not burned up. The soul must be released from the body by the fires of cremation. As the flames of fire from the body jump and leap upward toward heaven, the celebrants of the cremation will rejoice and dance that the soul has been released. There is happiness, joy, dancing, and shouting as the fires get higher and higher. This is said to signify there was a great and good release from the body. According to one source of my research, the pagans believed that by burning up the body of the dead, it prevented the deceased from being a vagabond ghost. By burning up the body the soul would not be cursed to be a homeless spirit trapped in this condition. It was believed that by burning up the dead, evil spirits are prevented from taking possession of the dead body. The Romans and Greeks held to some form of this belief.

I am sure those of you who are honest Christians can see that all of this cremation ritual totally rejects the Lord Jesus Christ and the finished work of Calvary. We also can see that salvation depends upon each individual's acceptance of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This great salvation of being born again is something we must do while we are alive and have our appointed day. There is nothing in the Christian faith were someone can purify us by their works after we are dead. And there is nothing in the Christian faith of the dead being released from their sins and evils by the fire of cremation. Cremation is an act of saving the dead. In the Christian faith, no one can do anything for the dead. There is nothing anyone can do for the dead once they are dead. All these rituals of Catholicism and Protestantism for the dead are all from pagan sources.

Cremation is not and never will be a Christian or a Godly way of disposing of the body of the dead.

God has his way, the devil has his way.

Burial is God's way and cremation is the devil's way.

If someone ask you to participate in their cremation after they are dead, I advise do not do it.

In fact, I will not conduct a funeral for anyone who will be cremated. I will not even attend their funeral. I refuse to participate in a funeral where the body of the dead will pass through the fire to satan by means of cremation.

No Jew or Christian can find cremation and burning up the dead in the Bible among the true followers of God.

It is my belief that anyone who wants to be cremated is turning from Christ to paganism in their death. Jesus was buried. Our water baptism is by faith in this burial. And so at our death we expect our family who remains to give us a proper Biblical burial.

I heard recently that many backsliders from the Apostolic faith are now saying they want to be cremated. I can understand this choice. I mean if they are going to reject salvation in Christ to die a sinner, why not go ahead and start the fire early.  Sure, some of them are so silly to think if they are already burned up God will not restore them to a body he will then make suffer the eternal flames of hell. So they psych themselves out believing as they will not know about the fire of the crematory furnace, they will not know of the fires of hell.

I want to be perfectly straight-forward here, if you choose a pagan and heathen way of disposing of the body, you are not showing faith in the Biblical manner God has accepted.

God will never accept cremation.

All who choose cremation are going against God's will.

And if you do this, cremated or not, you will still burn in the eternal fires of hell.

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves

What is a novice?

The word "novice" is found one time in the Bible (1Tim 3:6).

Here, the subject matter in which the word is found concerns qualifications for a Bishop.

A novice cannot be a Bishop.

The Greek meaning of "novice" is someone who is newly planted. Strong gives his opinion that this means a young convert. I believe it goes much further than this. But taking a young convert as a starting point, a novice is then a man who has no experience in matters of doctrine, faith, practice, conduct, and order. A man may know a lot of things, he may even have a measure of intelligence, but he has not been tried in areas of important doctrines. A Bishop cannot be a man who flip-flops, wavers, changed his doctrine all the time, who is not faithful in Word or Deeds, and who has a record of giving false doctrine acceptance. A novice is an unskilled man. He has not perfected himself in areas of important doctrines. This is why the qualifications of a Bishop must be applied to all men who desire to claim this office.

There are many levels to being a novice. How does a person ever leave being a novice? How do they become a seasoned Man of God? Is there a set time of months or years for a novice and then he graduates? Does a man cease to be a novice when he gets a ministers license or is ordained?

I will use myself. I began preaching in 1972 although I had been preaching before this. But because I was preaching did not promote me from being a novice. Instead, it was my preaching that granted me to be called a novice. I was a beginner. But I was not skilled. I was not doctrinally sound in all the Apostolic doctrines. I lacked understanding in many areas of Apostolic theology. I was unlearned in many areas of Apostolic faith and doctrine. I had beliefs I later found out were false. I was a novice. I was a newbie. I was a new minister. And I had no answer to many of the complex questions about the Bible. My Pastor was a seasoned Man of God. I could not hold a candle to him in preaching, teaching, knowledge, understanding of Scripture, prophecy interpretation, and in holiness standards. My Pastor was a great Man of God who made few if any mistakes in doctrine and judgment. He was a very intelligent Man of God. He did not waver in doctrine, faith, practice, conduct, and order. I was taught that when I became the man my Pastor was, that was the day I was no longer a novice. I had to measure to some Man of God's life who was the most perfect example around me of purity in Apostolic doctrine.

I look back and I was a novice for over ten years. I gradually learned and became a Man of God who earned a higher standing in the Ministry. I did not promote myself. I let the Holy Ghost teach and promote me. I had lots of things to work out, give up, change, and begin to be faithful in all matters of Apostolic doctrine. I was confronted by all manner of false doctrines to test me. I stood the testing and remained unshaken. As I passed from being a novice into a Man of God, I could see the importance in being rooted and grounded. I could also see that being faithful to doctrine was a very high priority. So I dedicated myself to apologetics. I was confronted over and over to defend Apostolic doctrine. And each time I was confronted I took up the challenge and began debating. I never lost a single debate. Because I was never in the wrong. This is where a Bishop comes in. A Bishop should not be off in any doctrinal area. Men who are not well grounded and who are off on all kinds of doctrines will remain novices until they correct themselves or they die.

Novices train themselves and allow themselves to be trained by other great Men of God. They never exalt themselves above their teacher. They are humble men who do not offer opinions but always offer the true interpretation of Scriptures. By standing for the Truth, this will promote a man.

A novice is inexperienced because he either has not been at his calling for very long or he is not maturing as he should to be able to stand alone as a Man of God.

What we need are not more men with opinions but more men who are seeking perfection in doctrine, faith, practice, conduct, and order.

Fulfill these areas of doctrinal importance and you can graduate from being a novice.

Bishop Reckart

Wonders Never Cease

Yesterday I spent a very long time with a 25 year old novice who believes he is an expert in ancient languages, in Hebrew, in Greek, in Latin, in ancient manuscripts, in Biblical theology, and especially about the name of God.

I spent more time than I should have knowing his mind was concrete. The Yahweh people, regardless of who they are, make themselves the ones with all the truth. They are so good at perversion they convince themselves among themselves. Well I am not convinced.

I asked this 25 year old Gentile Hebrew scholar to say hotdog in Hebrew and there was silence on the end of the phone. Finally he said he couldn't. Of course I told him he was no Hebrew scholar.

We covered a lot of territory in our long discussion. In every single department of our talk he perverted and turned everything around. I caught him up again and again. But he was not to be corrected. These novices are like that. They lift themselves up in pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil. He said he called to lift up the tetragrammaton and the name of Yahweh. And I told him, well I answered the phone to lift up the name of Jesus higher than anyone on earth. He said something then that kinda took me for a loop:

"I am Apostolic Brother Reckart. I am Oneness. And I believe in the name of Yahweh and the name of Jesus. I believe Yahweh is God. I also believe Jesus is God. Yahweh is the name of the Spirit of God and Jesus is the name of the humanity of God. So there are two names here that are both ok. Yahweh is the highest name of God in the Spirit and Jesus is the highest name of God in humanity."

Well, I came out of the loop quickly, saying Acts 4:12 settles all that mess. There is only one name and that name is Jesus.

Many are being led into law keeping and into the worship of the tetragrammation YHWH god. I have warned the world about this apostasy. All these guess names for YHWH are just that, GUESS NAMES. I will say once again, the name Jehovah was invented by a Catholic monk. And the name Yahweh was likewise invented by a Catholic monk. Even if we allow the tetragrammaton, no one, not even a single Jew can say how these letters are pronounced into a name. This idiot novice tried to bamboozle me by pronouncing the letters "yod-he-va-he" and said this was also the way to say this lost name of God. I of course informed him that was false. He was lying. I told him he would go to hell for his perversions.

He then quoted the scripture about Abraham calling God Elshaddai (God Almighty) and by the name of Jehovah he was not know to them (Exo 6:3).  Now keep in mind Exodus 6:3 was spoken by God to Moses who lived about 400 years after Abraham. And in this verse Moses quoted God here:

"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them."

God said this not Moses.

From the time of Adam unto the burning bush, God said no one knew him by the name of Jehovah.

How could they if a Catholic monk invented this name in 1225AD?

Jehovah here is certainly an interpolation.

Let me insert right here that Abraham NEVER SAID "Jehovah Jireh."

Moses never said: "Jehovah nissi."

Gideon never said: "Jehovah shalom."

All this Jehovah stuff is false. It is all fake. The name Jehovah does not belong in our Bible. It was not originally written in it anywhere. How can it if the name Jehovah was invented by a Catholic monk in 1225AD?

Quit using Jehovah in worship, songs, praise, and preaching.  It is a Catholic made-up name. It is false. Blot it out of your Bibles. Replace it with ADONAI or LORD or KURIOS. This would be more accurate.
What belongs where Jehovah is now interpolated?

God told Moses he was "EHYEH asher EHYEH" (HYH) translated I AM that I AM.  Now we have no problem saying I AM is a name of God. But convert this back to Hebrew to EHYEH and many begin to scream "your tampering with the Scripture. You're adding to the Word of God." This is silly. I am correcting known errors. The King James Version is NOT "infallible." It is NOT" inerrant." It has mistakes, errors, additions, and interpolations. EHYEH would have been the name of God BEFORE it was translated I AM that I AM. God gave EHYEH to Moses, not I AM that I AM. He told Moses Abraham and the others did not know him by this name. It is such a simple thing to see this Truth.  And it is also a simple thing to see that EHYEH was shortened to YEH and JEH and added to names afterward to signify the God of the burning bush.  Come on people. It is so simple.

Does God know how he appeared to these patriarchs? Does God remember what name they used to call upon him? Did he not say they used "GOD ALMIGHTY" (El-SHADDAI). And he said clearly Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob DID NOT KNOW THE NAME JEHOVAH.  I as well as Brother Harp and others have shown by this information from God that if the name Jehovah or a tetragrammaton appears in the Bible prior to Exodus 6:3 IT IS A FRAUD. It is a backward interpolation by Jews at sometime in history. Where they converted ADONAI (Lord) into the tetragrammation YHWH and then converted this to Lord, then into Jehovah and Yahweh and a thousand other guess names. Now they want us to believe LORD in the OT always means Jehovah or Yahweh. I say, if LORD was in the text BEFORE Exodus 6:3 is was ADONAI and not these other perversions. And the Jews who perverted the Word of God and interpolated the tetragrammation after the time of Moses (at the time of Babylonian captivity), these have made the world drunk on the wine of her fornication. I am not drunk. I refuse to drink from the whore's cup I do not care what rabbi says this or that, or some Catholic or Protestant scholar says this or that. I refuse to be spoon fed their slop and then say it is manna from heaven.

This foolish novice then proceeded to tell me Jehovah was a false name and the correct name there was Yahweh. And Yahweh was the God of the Old Testament. I said that is false. That is a lie. But, go ahead and change Jehovah to Yahweh. And then it reads they did not know God by the name of Yahweh. Then he tried to pull one of those perversions.

"Well, the scholars say Abraham did know the name Yahweh, but he just did not know the full revelation of that name, and this is why God said they did not know him by that name."

Hey everyone, does this kind of perversion make God a liar or what?

I want to tell all of you, if you forsake the name of Jesus and chase after these false guess names of the tetragrammaton, and you go back under law keeping, sabbath keeping, etc. etc., you will all go to hell.

This man then said by my saying this that I had blasphemed against the Holy Ghost. Sorry, I cannot be shamed into worship of the moon god. And I will not be intimidated into worship of a pagan god. Others may fall prey to these shyster novices making themselves into somewhat: but not me.

Listen everyone: Jesus is the name above all names. And this is the name of God for us. Deny it if you want. Cast down the name of Jesus and call it the pig god name if you want. Blaspheme the name on the Cross if you dare. But this man of God will stand up against you.

Acts 2:38 is still the plan of salvation. And it is in the name of Jesus Christ.

Believe it.

Peter said so.
I say so.
Now you say so, and confirm your faith and stand for the name of Jesus.

Cowards not accepted on this vital issue.

Put your name to your faith. I dare you!

Bishop Reckart
A Man God Loves