The Chain Of Transmission
Rabbi Leib Keleman recently gave a shiur and gave out a paper in which he traced his Rabbeim back to Moshe [it took a LONG time to assemmble the list]. Thanks to the "Passaicer Tzaddik" - Reb Yosef Tzvi Ehrman Shlita [known to me as "Brother Jon" - but make no mistake, he is NOT a Monk but a heiliger Yid] who passed this on to me from Benjamin Hirsch.
How Most Religions Start
Newer Religions
Church histories of the Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) report that their founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., had a vision in 1820. Two personages, whom he later identified as G-d the Father and Jesus, appeared and revealed to him that all existing churches were counterfeit. In 1823, Smith was visited again, this time by the angel "Moroni," who informed him of the existence of "golden plates" containing an inscription in "Reformed Egyptian" about the ancient inhabitants of North America. In 1827, the angel reappeared to reveal the plates' exact location. Smith immediately set to work translating them, and that translation became the Book of Mormon. Later, Smith and an acquaintance, Oliver Cowdery, had a joint vision of John the Baptist, who conferred upon them "a restored Aaronic Priesthood." In another vision, Peter, James, and John gave Smith and Cowdery "the higher priesthood of the Apostles." Smith continued to have regular revelations, which he related to his followers and published in another book -- The Doctrines and Covenants.1
"I AM" (or the "Saint Germain Foundation") was founded by Guy Ballard in 1930. Hiking alone near Mt. Shasta in California, Ballard claims to have been approached by the reincarnation of the Comte de Saint Germain, an eighteenth-century French occultist, and appointed to spread a new, true religion. Ballard published the account of his initial interchanges with Saint Germain (Unveiled Mysteries) in 1934, and over the next four years he wrote half a dozen more books describing Saint Germain's more than 3,000 discourses and decrees. Thousands attended Ballard's seminars in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles until his death in 1939. His followers continue to teach about Ballard's revelations, and in 1990 there were more than 300 "I AM" centers in more than twenty-five countries.2
The Unification Church, popularly known as "the Moonies," also began with one man's revelation. On Easter morning, 1936, Jesus came to sixteen-year old Sun Myung Moon and told him to proclaim himself the new Messiah. In 1980 the Church reported over 120 centers worldwide.3
Eckankar also started with John Paul Twitchell's revelations and "astral" (out-of-body) travel. Before his death in 1971, Twitchell claimed to be the 971st ECK Master and a spiritual descendent of "an unbroken chain of Vaiargi Masters." In 1988 Twitchell's Church reported 127 U.S. centers and 284 worldwide.4
The beginnings of Christian Science5, Theosophy6, Children of G-d7, and Elan Vital8 are virtually identical. In fact, brief histories of almost all new religious groups sound the same: one or two people have a revelation and persuade others to follow. In all of these cases, the religion's credibility rests on the credibility of its one or two founders.
Older Religions
According to Buddhist texts, Buddhism began when a wealthy eastern prince, Siddhartha Gautama, abandoned his family's plush estate to search for the truth. After a nearly fatal immersion in asceticism, Gautama retreated to the "Middle Way," studied with teachers of yoga and philosophy, and eventually settled beneath a Bodhi tree to "put himself into a trance, intent of discerning both the ultimate reality of all things and the final goal of existence."9 With no one present, Prince Gautama succeeded, and the week-long trance carried him to infinite heights of awareness and peace: "He passed through the eight stages of Transic Insight, and quickly reached their highest point. . . . Then he had achieved correct knowledge of all there is to be known, and he stood out in the world as a Buddha."10 According to Gautama's report, in his vision "the whole universe was illumined, rain and blossoms fell from the heavens, and even the sages in heaven, recognizing the supremacy of [Gautama's] enlightenment, bowed [to him]."11 Gautama emerged from that solitary revelation to begin his 45 year career as a religious teacher and leader.
Islam is another religion rooted entirely in the experiences of one man, Muhammad, born in Mecca, Arabia around 570 C.E.. At the age of forty, Muhammad "had an experience in which a message somehow became present in his mind; and eventually he came to believe that this was a message from G-d."12 Eventually G-d told Muhammad that he had been chosen as the Divine messenger and "Seal of the Prophets" (khatm). Muhammad continued to receive messages throughout his life, and slowly these messages were gathered into suras (chapters) and written down, eventually forming the Koran.
The Koran describes other people who witnessed oddities indicating that Muhammad was a legitimate prophet. Muhammad's mother reportedly experienced "none of the difficulties of pregnancy," and she "heard a voice one day which told her that her son was to be a ruler and prophet, and that she should name the child Ahmad, this is Muhammad the illustrious."13 The Koran reports that Muhammad was born clean, circumcised, and with the umbilical cord already cut and tied; and that when Muhammad was twelve years old, a Syrian monk noticed a tree lowering its branches to shade the boy from the sun.14
Christianity
Traditional Christian claims about Jesus' divinity rest on the virgin birth, resurrection, and the miracles he performed during his lifetime. These claims have varying levels of verifiability.
Nobody but Jesus' mother, Mary, could have known if he were really the product of a virgin birth. Regarding the resurrection, former president of the Catholic Biblical Association Raymond E. Brown admits that "the New Testament does not make claim that anyone saw the resurrection," and therefore "the reality of the bodily resurrection hinges on the missing body or the empty tomb and, above all, on the validity of the experiences of those who claimed they saw Jesus risen."15 According to Christian tradition, eleven (of the twelve) disciples and Mary Magdalene saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion,16 and "the apostles" saw Jesus ascend into the heavens at the conclusion of his earthly mission.17
Christianity's credibility derives mostly from its descriptions of the miracles Jesus performed. For instance, "the disciples" saw Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee.18 The text fails to mention who the disciples were, or how many of them were present, but, given the plural reference, there must have been at least two or as many as all twelve.19 Also, three disciples (Peter, James, and John) witnessed Elijah and Moses materialize, confer with Jesus, and then disappear again.
One might argue that Christianity has an even more solid basis. Many times "a crowd" saw Jesus "heal" the disabled, blind, and insane. (See, for example, Mark 2:12; 8:24-5; and 5:15.) Christian sources also describe how Jesus fed "as many as 5,000 men" with only five loaves of bread.20
[Sweetest friends - Something seems to be missing here! But maybe we can fill in that everything written in the New Testament was recorded LOOONG after Jesus died, so there was nobody around who could possibly deny it. Try proving that my great great grandfather didn't feed as many as 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread in his Polish Shtetl 150 years ago. You can't! But did he really do it? I will let you make the call....]
The Torah's Revelation Narratives
"The Israelites traveled from Rameses toward Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 adult males on foot..." (Exodus 12:37)
"G-d said to Moses, 'I will come to you in thick cloud, so that all the people will hear when I speak to you. They will then believe in you forever.' Moses told G-d the people's response. G-d said to Moses, "Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow. Let them even immerse their clothing. They will then be ready for the third day, for on the third day, G-d will descend on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." (Exodus 19:9-11)
"The third day arrived. There was thunder and lightning in the morning, with a heavy cloud on the mountain, and an extremely loud blast of a ram's horn. The people in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp towards the Divine Presence. They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all in smoke because of the Presence that had descended on it. G-d was in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a lime kiln. The entire mountain trembled violently. There was the sound of a ram's horn, increasing in volume to a great degree. Moses spoke and G-d replied with a voice. G-d came down on Mount Sinai, to the peak of the mountain. He summoned Moses to the peak, and Moses climbed up." (Exodus 19:16-20)
"G-d spoke all these words, saying: 'I am G-d your Lord, Who brought you out of Egypt, from the place of slavery. Do not have any other G-ds before Me. (Exodus 20:1-3)
"G-d said to Moses: 'This is what you must tell the Israelites: You have seen that I spoke to you from heaven...'" (Exodus 20:19)
"To the Israelites, the appearance of G-d's glory on the mountain top was like a devouring flame. Moses went into the cloud, and climbed to the mountain top." (Exodus 24:17)
"Only take heed and watch yourself very carefully, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes saw. Do not let [this memory] leave your hearts, all the days of your lives. Teach your children and children's children about the day you stood before G-d your Lord at Sinai. It was then that G-d said to me, 'Congregate the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words. This will teach them to be in awe of me as long as they live on earth, and they will also teach their children. You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was burning with a fire reaching the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud and mist. Then G-d spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sounds of words, but saw no image; there was only a voice. He announced to you rules and laws, so that you will keep them in the land which you are crossing [the Jordan] to occupy." (Deuteronomy 4:9-14)
"You might inquire about times long past, going back to the time that G-d created man on earth, [exploring] one end of the heavens to the other. See if anything as great as this has ever happened, or if the like has ever been heard. Has any nation ever heard G-d speaking out of fire, as you have, and still survived?... You are the ones who have been shown, so that you will know that G-d is the Supreme Being, and there is none besides Him. From the heavens He let you hear His voice admonishing you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, so that you heard His words from the fire." (Deuteronomy 4:32-35)
"G-d made a covenant with you [at Mount Sinai]... It was not with your ancestors that G-d made this covenant, but with us, we who are still alive today. On the mountain, G-d spoke to you face to face out of the fire." (Deuteronomy 5:2-4)
G-d spoke these words in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the mountain, out of the fire, cloud and mist... When you heard the voice out of the darkness, with the mountain burning in flames, your tribal leaders and elders approached me. You said, 'It is true that G-d our Lord has showed us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that when G-d speaks to man, he can still survive. But now, why should we die? Why should this great fire consume us? If we hear the voice of G-d our Lord any more, we will die!'" (Deuteronomy 5:19-22)
"G-d gave me the two stone tablets written with G-d's finger. Upon them were written all the words that G-d declared to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the Day of Assembly." (Deuteronomy 9:10)
"G-d wrote on the tablets the original script of the Ten Commandments which he declared to you from the mountain out of the fire on the Day of Assembly." (Deuteronomy 10:4)
One of the Many Chains of Torah Transmission
God (Mt. Sinai=1312 B.C.E.)
Moses
Joshua
Pinchus
Eli
Samuel
David
Achiah
Elijah
Elishah
Yehoyada
Zechariah
Hoshea
Amos
Isaiah
Michah
Yoel
Nachum
Chavakuk
Tzafaniah
Jeremiah
Baruch
Ezra
Shimon Hatzadik (310 B.C.E.)
Antignus of Socho (305 B.C.E.)
Yosi ben Yoezer and
Yosef ben Yochanon (280 B.C.E.)
Yehoshua ben Prachya and
Nitai of Arbel (243 B.C.E.)
Yehuda ben Tabai and
Shimon ben Shetach (198 B.C.E.)
Shmaya & Avtalyon (140 B.C.E.)
Hillel & Shammai (40 B.C.E.)
Rabban Shimon (10 B.C.E.)
Rabban Gamliel Hazaken (20 C.E.)
Rav Shimon ben Gamliel (50)
Rabban Gamliel (90)
Rabban Shimon (140)
Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi (180)
Rav, Shmuel, and Rabbi Yochanon (230)
Rav Huna (270)
Rabbah (310)
Rava (340)
Rav Ashi (420)
Rafram (443)
Rav Sama B'rei d'Rava (476)
Rav Yosi (514)
Rav Simonia
Rav Ravoi Me-Rov (589)
Mar Chanan Me-Ashkaya (608)
Rav Mari
Rav Chana Gaon
Mar Rav Rava
Rav Busai (689)
Mar Rav Huna Mari
Mar Rav Chiyah Me-Mishan
Mar Ravyah
Mar Rav Natronai
Mar Rav Yehuda (739)
Mar Rav Yosef (748)
Mar Rav Shmuel
Mar Rav Natroi Kahana
Mar Rav Avrohom Kahana (761)
Mar Rav Dodai
Rav Chananya (771)
Rav Malka (773)
Mar Rav Rava
Mar Rav Shinoi (782)
Mar Rav Chaninah Gaon Kahana (785)
Mar Rav Huna Mar Halevi (788)
Mar Rav Menasheh (796)
Mar Rav Yeshaya Halevi (804)
Mar Rav Kahanah Gaon (797)
Mar Rav Yosef
Mar Rav Ibomai Gaon (814)
Mar Rav Yosef
Mar Rav Avrohom
Mar Rav Yosef (834)
Mar Rav Yitzchak (839)
Mar Rav Yosef (841)
Mar Rav Poltoi (858)
Mar Rav Achai Kahana
Mar Rav Menachem (860)
Mar Rav Matisyahu (869)
Rav Mar Abba
Mar Rav Tzemach Gaon (891)
Mar Rav Hai Gaon (897)
Mar Rav Kimoi Gaon (905)
Mar Rav Yehuda (917)
Mar Rav Mevasser Kahana Gaon (926)
Rav Kohen Tzedek (935)
Mar Rav Tzemach Gaon (937)
Rav Chaninah Gaon (943)
Mar Rav Aharon Hacohen (959)
Mar Rav Nechemiah (968)
Rav Sherirah Gaon (1006)
Meshulam Hagadol
Rav Gershom Meor Hagolah (1040)
Rav Yaakov ben Yakar (1064)
Rav Shlomo Yitzchaki - "Rashi" (1105)
R' Shmuel ben Meir (Rashbam) (1174)
R' Yaakov ben Meir (Rabbenu Tam) (1171)
Eliezer Me-Metz (1175)
Rokeach (1238)
R' Yitzchak of Vienna (Ohr Zaruah)
Rav Meir of Rothenberg (1293)
R' Yitzchak of Duren (Shaarei Durah)
R' Alexander Zusiein Hakohen (Agudah) (1348)
Meir Bar Baruch Halevi (1390)
R' Sholom of Neustadt
R' Yaakov Moelin (Maharil) (1427)
R' Yisroel Isserlein (Trumas Hadeshen) (1460)
R' Tavoli
Rabbi Yaakov Margolies (1501)
Rabbi Yaakov Pollak (1530)
Rabbi Sholom Shachna (1558)
Rabbi Moshe Isserles "Rama" (1572)
Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz (1614)
Rabbi Naftoli Hirsch ben Pesachya (1650)
Rabbi Moshe Rivkas - "Be'er Hagolah" (1671)
Rabbi Avraham Gombiner (1682)
Rabbi Moshe Kramer (1688)
Rabbi Eliyahu Chasid (1710)
Rabbi Yissachar Ber (1740)
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman (1765)
Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer - "Vilna Gaon" (1797)
Rabbi Chaim Voloziner (1821)
Rabbi Zundel of Salant (1866)
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter (1883)
Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm (1888)
Rabbi Yerucham Lebovitz (1936)
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (2005)
How Most Religions Start
Newer Religions
Church histories of the Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) report that their founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., had a vision in 1820. Two personages, whom he later identified as G-d the Father and Jesus, appeared and revealed to him that all existing churches were counterfeit. In 1823, Smith was visited again, this time by the angel "Moroni," who informed him of the existence of "golden plates" containing an inscription in "Reformed Egyptian" about the ancient inhabitants of North America. In 1827, the angel reappeared to reveal the plates' exact location. Smith immediately set to work translating them, and that translation became the Book of Mormon. Later, Smith and an acquaintance, Oliver Cowdery, had a joint vision of John the Baptist, who conferred upon them "a restored Aaronic Priesthood." In another vision, Peter, James, and John gave Smith and Cowdery "the higher priesthood of the Apostles." Smith continued to have regular revelations, which he related to his followers and published in another book -- The Doctrines and Covenants.1
"I AM" (or the "Saint Germain Foundation") was founded by Guy Ballard in 1930. Hiking alone near Mt. Shasta in California, Ballard claims to have been approached by the reincarnation of the Comte de Saint Germain, an eighteenth-century French occultist, and appointed to spread a new, true religion. Ballard published the account of his initial interchanges with Saint Germain (Unveiled Mysteries) in 1934, and over the next four years he wrote half a dozen more books describing Saint Germain's more than 3,000 discourses and decrees. Thousands attended Ballard's seminars in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles until his death in 1939. His followers continue to teach about Ballard's revelations, and in 1990 there were more than 300 "I AM" centers in more than twenty-five countries.2
The Unification Church, popularly known as "the Moonies," also began with one man's revelation. On Easter morning, 1936, Jesus came to sixteen-year old Sun Myung Moon and told him to proclaim himself the new Messiah. In 1980 the Church reported over 120 centers worldwide.3
Eckankar also started with John Paul Twitchell's revelations and "astral" (out-of-body) travel. Before his death in 1971, Twitchell claimed to be the 971st ECK Master and a spiritual descendent of "an unbroken chain of Vaiargi Masters." In 1988 Twitchell's Church reported 127 U.S. centers and 284 worldwide.4
The beginnings of Christian Science5, Theosophy6, Children of G-d7, and Elan Vital8 are virtually identical. In fact, brief histories of almost all new religious groups sound the same: one or two people have a revelation and persuade others to follow. In all of these cases, the religion's credibility rests on the credibility of its one or two founders.
Older Religions
According to Buddhist texts, Buddhism began when a wealthy eastern prince, Siddhartha Gautama, abandoned his family's plush estate to search for the truth. After a nearly fatal immersion in asceticism, Gautama retreated to the "Middle Way," studied with teachers of yoga and philosophy, and eventually settled beneath a Bodhi tree to "put himself into a trance, intent of discerning both the ultimate reality of all things and the final goal of existence."9 With no one present, Prince Gautama succeeded, and the week-long trance carried him to infinite heights of awareness and peace: "He passed through the eight stages of Transic Insight, and quickly reached their highest point. . . . Then he had achieved correct knowledge of all there is to be known, and he stood out in the world as a Buddha."10 According to Gautama's report, in his vision "the whole universe was illumined, rain and blossoms fell from the heavens, and even the sages in heaven, recognizing the supremacy of [Gautama's] enlightenment, bowed [to him]."11 Gautama emerged from that solitary revelation to begin his 45 year career as a religious teacher and leader.
Islam is another religion rooted entirely in the experiences of one man, Muhammad, born in Mecca, Arabia around 570 C.E.. At the age of forty, Muhammad "had an experience in which a message somehow became present in his mind; and eventually he came to believe that this was a message from G-d."12 Eventually G-d told Muhammad that he had been chosen as the Divine messenger and "Seal of the Prophets" (khatm). Muhammad continued to receive messages throughout his life, and slowly these messages were gathered into suras (chapters) and written down, eventually forming the Koran.
The Koran describes other people who witnessed oddities indicating that Muhammad was a legitimate prophet. Muhammad's mother reportedly experienced "none of the difficulties of pregnancy," and she "heard a voice one day which told her that her son was to be a ruler and prophet, and that she should name the child Ahmad, this is Muhammad the illustrious."13 The Koran reports that Muhammad was born clean, circumcised, and with the umbilical cord already cut and tied; and that when Muhammad was twelve years old, a Syrian monk noticed a tree lowering its branches to shade the boy from the sun.14
Christianity
Traditional Christian claims about Jesus' divinity rest on the virgin birth, resurrection, and the miracles he performed during his lifetime. These claims have varying levels of verifiability.
Nobody but Jesus' mother, Mary, could have known if he were really the product of a virgin birth. Regarding the resurrection, former president of the Catholic Biblical Association Raymond E. Brown admits that "the New Testament does not make claim that anyone saw the resurrection," and therefore "the reality of the bodily resurrection hinges on the missing body or the empty tomb and, above all, on the validity of the experiences of those who claimed they saw Jesus risen."15 According to Christian tradition, eleven (of the twelve) disciples and Mary Magdalene saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion,16 and "the apostles" saw Jesus ascend into the heavens at the conclusion of his earthly mission.17
Christianity's credibility derives mostly from its descriptions of the miracles Jesus performed. For instance, "the disciples" saw Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee.18 The text fails to mention who the disciples were, or how many of them were present, but, given the plural reference, there must have been at least two or as many as all twelve.19 Also, three disciples (Peter, James, and John) witnessed Elijah and Moses materialize, confer with Jesus, and then disappear again.
One might argue that Christianity has an even more solid basis. Many times "a crowd" saw Jesus "heal" the disabled, blind, and insane. (See, for example, Mark 2:12; 8:24-5; and 5:15.) Christian sources also describe how Jesus fed "as many as 5,000 men" with only five loaves of bread.20
[Sweetest friends - Something seems to be missing here! But maybe we can fill in that everything written in the New Testament was recorded LOOONG after Jesus died, so there was nobody around who could possibly deny it. Try proving that my great great grandfather didn't feed as many as 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread in his Polish Shtetl 150 years ago. You can't! But did he really do it? I will let you make the call....]
The Torah's Revelation Narratives
"The Israelites traveled from Rameses toward Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 adult males on foot..." (Exodus 12:37)
"G-d said to Moses, 'I will come to you in thick cloud, so that all the people will hear when I speak to you. They will then believe in you forever.' Moses told G-d the people's response. G-d said to Moses, "Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow. Let them even immerse their clothing. They will then be ready for the third day, for on the third day, G-d will descend on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." (Exodus 19:9-11)
"The third day arrived. There was thunder and lightning in the morning, with a heavy cloud on the mountain, and an extremely loud blast of a ram's horn. The people in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp towards the Divine Presence. They stood transfixed at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all in smoke because of the Presence that had descended on it. G-d was in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a lime kiln. The entire mountain trembled violently. There was the sound of a ram's horn, increasing in volume to a great degree. Moses spoke and G-d replied with a voice. G-d came down on Mount Sinai, to the peak of the mountain. He summoned Moses to the peak, and Moses climbed up." (Exodus 19:16-20)
"G-d spoke all these words, saying: 'I am G-d your Lord, Who brought you out of Egypt, from the place of slavery. Do not have any other G-ds before Me. (Exodus 20:1-3)
"G-d said to Moses: 'This is what you must tell the Israelites: You have seen that I spoke to you from heaven...'" (Exodus 20:19)
"To the Israelites, the appearance of G-d's glory on the mountain top was like a devouring flame. Moses went into the cloud, and climbed to the mountain top." (Exodus 24:17)
"Only take heed and watch yourself very carefully, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes saw. Do not let [this memory] leave your hearts, all the days of your lives. Teach your children and children's children about the day you stood before G-d your Lord at Sinai. It was then that G-d said to me, 'Congregate the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words. This will teach them to be in awe of me as long as they live on earth, and they will also teach their children. You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was burning with a fire reaching the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud and mist. Then G-d spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sounds of words, but saw no image; there was only a voice. He announced to you rules and laws, so that you will keep them in the land which you are crossing [the Jordan] to occupy." (Deuteronomy 4:9-14)
"You might inquire about times long past, going back to the time that G-d created man on earth, [exploring] one end of the heavens to the other. See if anything as great as this has ever happened, or if the like has ever been heard. Has any nation ever heard G-d speaking out of fire, as you have, and still survived?... You are the ones who have been shown, so that you will know that G-d is the Supreme Being, and there is none besides Him. From the heavens He let you hear His voice admonishing you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, so that you heard His words from the fire." (Deuteronomy 4:32-35)
"G-d made a covenant with you [at Mount Sinai]... It was not with your ancestors that G-d made this covenant, but with us, we who are still alive today. On the mountain, G-d spoke to you face to face out of the fire." (Deuteronomy 5:2-4)
G-d spoke these words in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the mountain, out of the fire, cloud and mist... When you heard the voice out of the darkness, with the mountain burning in flames, your tribal leaders and elders approached me. You said, 'It is true that G-d our Lord has showed us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that when G-d speaks to man, he can still survive. But now, why should we die? Why should this great fire consume us? If we hear the voice of G-d our Lord any more, we will die!'" (Deuteronomy 5:19-22)
"G-d gave me the two stone tablets written with G-d's finger. Upon them were written all the words that G-d declared to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the Day of Assembly." (Deuteronomy 9:10)
"G-d wrote on the tablets the original script of the Ten Commandments which he declared to you from the mountain out of the fire on the Day of Assembly." (Deuteronomy 10:4)
One of the Many Chains of Torah Transmission
God (Mt. Sinai=1312 B.C.E.)
Moses
Joshua
Pinchus
Eli
Samuel
David
Achiah
Elijah
Elishah
Yehoyada
Zechariah
Hoshea
Amos
Isaiah
Michah
Yoel
Nachum
Chavakuk
Tzafaniah
Jeremiah
Baruch
Ezra
Shimon Hatzadik (310 B.C.E.)
Antignus of Socho (305 B.C.E.)
Yosi ben Yoezer and
Yosef ben Yochanon (280 B.C.E.)
Yehoshua ben Prachya and
Nitai of Arbel (243 B.C.E.)
Yehuda ben Tabai and
Shimon ben Shetach (198 B.C.E.)
Shmaya & Avtalyon (140 B.C.E.)
Hillel & Shammai (40 B.C.E.)
Rabban Shimon (10 B.C.E.)
Rabban Gamliel Hazaken (20 C.E.)
Rav Shimon ben Gamliel (50)
Rabban Gamliel (90)
Rabban Shimon (140)
Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi (180)
Rav, Shmuel, and Rabbi Yochanon (230)
Rav Huna (270)
Rabbah (310)
Rava (340)
Rav Ashi (420)
Rafram (443)
Rav Sama B'rei d'Rava (476)
Rav Yosi (514)
Rav Simonia
Rav Ravoi Me-Rov (589)
Mar Chanan Me-Ashkaya (608)
Rav Mari
Rav Chana Gaon
Mar Rav Rava
Rav Busai (689)
Mar Rav Huna Mari
Mar Rav Chiyah Me-Mishan
Mar Ravyah
Mar Rav Natronai
Mar Rav Yehuda (739)
Mar Rav Yosef (748)
Mar Rav Shmuel
Mar Rav Natroi Kahana
Mar Rav Avrohom Kahana (761)
Mar Rav Dodai
Rav Chananya (771)
Rav Malka (773)
Mar Rav Rava
Mar Rav Shinoi (782)
Mar Rav Chaninah Gaon Kahana (785)
Mar Rav Huna Mar Halevi (788)
Mar Rav Menasheh (796)
Mar Rav Yeshaya Halevi (804)
Mar Rav Kahanah Gaon (797)
Mar Rav Yosef
Mar Rav Ibomai Gaon (814)
Mar Rav Yosef
Mar Rav Avrohom
Mar Rav Yosef (834)
Mar Rav Yitzchak (839)
Mar Rav Yosef (841)
Mar Rav Poltoi (858)
Mar Rav Achai Kahana
Mar Rav Menachem (860)
Mar Rav Matisyahu (869)
Rav Mar Abba
Mar Rav Tzemach Gaon (891)
Mar Rav Hai Gaon (897)
Mar Rav Kimoi Gaon (905)
Mar Rav Yehuda (917)
Mar Rav Mevasser Kahana Gaon (926)
Rav Kohen Tzedek (935)
Mar Rav Tzemach Gaon (937)
Rav Chaninah Gaon (943)
Mar Rav Aharon Hacohen (959)
Mar Rav Nechemiah (968)
Rav Sherirah Gaon (1006)
Meshulam Hagadol
Rav Gershom Meor Hagolah (1040)
Rav Yaakov ben Yakar (1064)
Rav Shlomo Yitzchaki - "Rashi" (1105)
R' Shmuel ben Meir (Rashbam) (1174)
R' Yaakov ben Meir (Rabbenu Tam) (1171)
Eliezer Me-Metz (1175)
Rokeach (1238)
R' Yitzchak of Vienna (Ohr Zaruah)
Rav Meir of Rothenberg (1293)
R' Yitzchak of Duren (Shaarei Durah)
R' Alexander Zusiein Hakohen (Agudah) (1348)
Meir Bar Baruch Halevi (1390)
R' Sholom of Neustadt
R' Yaakov Moelin (Maharil) (1427)
R' Yisroel Isserlein (Trumas Hadeshen) (1460)
R' Tavoli
Rabbi Yaakov Margolies (1501)
Rabbi Yaakov Pollak (1530)
Rabbi Sholom Shachna (1558)
Rabbi Moshe Isserles "Rama" (1572)
Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz (1614)
Rabbi Naftoli Hirsch ben Pesachya (1650)
Rabbi Moshe Rivkas - "Be'er Hagolah" (1671)
Rabbi Avraham Gombiner (1682)
Rabbi Moshe Kramer (1688)
Rabbi Eliyahu Chasid (1710)
Rabbi Yissachar Ber (1740)
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman (1765)
Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer - "Vilna Gaon" (1797)
Rabbi Chaim Voloziner (1821)
Rabbi Zundel of Salant (1866)
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter (1883)
Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm (1888)
Rabbi Yerucham Lebovitz (1936)
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe (2005)
The Snare of Judging Rev. Moon
At the coming of the Son of Man which precedes the Last Judgement we have the danger the Lamb warned us all of which would confront all christians or indeed any of the quick of understanding at the End: for to judge Rev. Moon without understanding who he really is will bring all who do so to share his fate; that of being "cut asunder" and given his reward with the hypocrites. And it is hypocrisy which is the "mark" of the beast; the "beast" being man's fallen nature. Thus it is of this the Lamb spoke when he told his disciples to do what the elder's of Judah said: but not what they did. This is the duality which is the dichotomy between rhetoric and ethic; saying and doing.
Rev. Moon earned his lot amongst the hypocrites by having judged John the Baptist as guilty for the death of Jesus in his flawed masterpiece "Divine Principle". This might mean nothing to most people who consider Rev. Moon to be a false christ or a false prophet: yet he is neither; being in Truth ( of which all say they revere ) the prophetic figure spoken of by Lord Jesus as "the Faithful and Wise Steward" in Luke and Matthew.
Judge not: lest ye be Judged!
Thus all who have now decided to judge Rev. Sun Myung Moon as a charlatan, a false prophet or a false christ I come to bring you all this warning: judge not; lest you earn what Moon himself earned with the hypocrites who call themselves christians but continue to judge others; and with the understanding that I offer in this article may all who wish to stand before the Son of Man escape this snare above all; for they who fail this small test will never pass the others.
The "snare" is that Rev. Moon is John the Baptist even though he denies it and even condemns John as responsible for the death of Jesus; yet Rev. Moon denies he is John today just as John the Baptist denied he was Elijah the Prophet 2,000 years ago; nor is this the end of the matter; for in condemning Rev. Moon we are drawn into his Judgement by God at the Coming of the Son of Man; for this is the "snare" that accompanies his Coming.
In reality Rev. Moon is the prophetic figure little known outside christianity called the "Faithful and Wise Steward"; whose Fate and Destiny are spelled out by the Lamb: and which all are now called upon to witness; at this: the Last Day. This I now reveal to all who read this so that they might consider and reflect on the possibility mankind has reached the Last Day; the last of the 7 last days of Noah.
To all reading of these things I offer you some counsel; for I did not bring up these aspects of Rev. Moon without knowing what a reception these remarks would receive. And a warm one it will be! Yet I love all of you; Bless you all!! For the Son of Man comes to seek and to save what was lost.
When the Lamb told his flock that anyone who taught the precepts of the Law of Moses and especially what he himself was revealing "wrongly" to others, so that the hearer's would be led astray, this person would be considered as the "least" in the Kingdom "; but he also said that as great as John the Baptist was, even one who was "least in the Kingdom" was greater than he.
There are then "two men in one bed" of "the least" who the Lamb characterized by saying one would be taken: and one left. Here it appears that Rev. Moon will end at the left hand; as of that "least" who taught men wrongly.
But here I also must stand as that one the Lamb also called the "least" to whom the Lamb referred when he said
"as you have done it unto the
least of them you have also done to me"
... thus putting the "least" in this category as equal to himself; and indeed it is the one who represents the "least" who stands in the position of the Son of Man at the end, thus I call myself "the least in the kingdom of heaven"; even as my servant John is the greatest.
The Bearer of the Cross of Jerusalem; even New Jerusalem!
John the Baptist denied he was Elijah the Prophet; and taught things contrary to what the Lamb and his followers were preaching. This stopped the Resurrection which was to have started with the Resurrection of Elijah himself at the "Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah" which was to have started with John the Baptist at the Jordan being baptized by the Son of God; and THIS was why everything was "Terrible" as in "Terribly wrong"; no Elijah: no Resurrection. This is why John said these words to Jesus; to wit: "I have need to be baptized by thee..."
John the Baptist ended up doubting Christ Jesus; and was cut asunder, losing his head. The loss of the one who was to have been his messenger caused the Lord to then announce he was going to Jerusalem: which was certain death. In fact it was suicide; and Peter said so. You remember what happened then; the Lamb called Peter "Satan" and told him to get behind him; a rebuke of cosmic magnitude. Yet we have a consecrated death; the only other one being that of Samson; whose hair was plaited into 7 plaits: the Nazarene with 7 horns; the Lamb with the 7 horns and 7 eyes being the Resurrection and the Life itself; and called a Nazarene for just this reason. Saul is an example of one who chose an unconsecrated death.
What I hopefully have brought to your attention is that the prophetic parallel in Sun Myung Moon's denial that he is John the Baptist is exactly the same situation as when John the Baptist denied he was Elijah the Prophet.
If I seem indeed know all of Rev. Moon's failings and shortcomings it is because my Father sent his Servant John to me to restore what Rev. Moon failed to do; but this brings us to why I am actually revealing to you and others that Rev. Moon WAS given a mission; a real mission; and is, in fact, the personage called "the Faithful and Wise Steward/ servant" mentioned in Matthew and Luke whose "Destiny" was to be "given all things" as the Messiah; yet whose Fate is to be "cut asunder" if found wanting.
Those who do not recognize Rev. Sun Myung Moon as this figure in the Gospel are then missing the "signs" in the "Sun and Moon" the Lamb promised. I warn the people of the earth that there is more to "Mr. Sun" and "Mrs. Moon" than might at first appear. Much more.
This might seem impossible in light of all you may have heard about our Korean friend; the small one who became the representative of his divided nation; but as few people have had the time to sit down and read his book "Divine Principle" from beginning to end as I have done I beg you in the Name of Christ Jesus, the Name of Love itself to NOT judge Rev. Moon as you will then deliver yourselves into absolute perdition: for his fall as that "evil servant" is written of; but the fact that he failed in his mission brings Christianity to the actual cause: he was to have Sealed the 144,000 of the 12 tribes in America; and kept himself virgin until his Master returned.
But Rev. Moon decided to marry and take the position of the Lamb by enacting the "Marriage of the Lamb" instead. Thus he is the "snare" that appears along with "The Day" who is "The Christ" that appears to take his place: for the Sun of Righteousness is the Son of Man himself.
For the Last Judgement which Rev. Moon inadvertently brought about starts with himself because he judged John the Baptist in his book; ignoring the fact he stood in John the Baptist's position itself until the Lord who put him in charge of the Providence returned.
Thus the world is now a Witness to the fate Rev. Moon has fallen to as being "cut asunder" instead of the destiny he was to have risen to as being given "rulership over "all things" written of in Luke and Matthew. Our Korean Moses thus missed the better of the 2 possible outcomes Christ spoke of he would face at his "final test"; and let us not forget; the definition of sin is to "miss the target".
This is the prophetic sentence Rev. Moon and his church does now face. Thus we have come to a real "Crossroads" as the place to identify where the Last Judgement begins: right here; right now.
It is this terrible fulfillment of the "cutting asunder" of this "evil servant" which is that "time of trouble" that is of the worst failings of those in high positions that humanity has seen in those given great responsibility in these dark times; and this one prophecy was written for a specific reason: which now confronts you who have had the moral temerity to read this far.
In Rev. Moon's decision to marry in 1960 instead of gathering the 144,000 Virgins who are the Children of the Resurrection "who do not marry: nor are they given in marriage" it is quite clear that he was the one "who knew the Lord's will; but prepared not himself" that the Lamb also mentions; but now it seems he was referring to Rev. Moon directly once again. Thus for the more astute or "quick" as opposed to the "dead' or unresponsive a pattern in the Gospel can be seen around the fate or destiny of Rev. Moon.
To explain this I would say that while Jesus was talking and walking in Israel his Angel was at the same time far in the future talking to Sun Myung Moon on that Korean hillside on 4-18 1936; as angels do have this ability. Thus Jesus spoke as one seeing the one who he was talking about at the moment he made his prophecy; a fact which should surprise no one.
Rev. Moon married in defiance of the Will that he remain celibate until the Day and Hour of his Master's return: and this current situation in which he now faces a mortal defeat instead of an immortal victory is the result of this defiance: in my book "The Revelation of Salvation" of which I am now doing the final edit I reveal this disaster and it's typically impossible solution; and a harder mission was never given; for the Second Fall of our fledging "Adam" and his Korean "Eve" is even worse than many of you might think.
Yet it can be done by the Child of the Children of the Resurrection who are the Clouds of the Lord's Second Coming: and this is from the Holy Spirit of Truth; the seventh of the 7 Spirits of God; whose blast is the gospel truth of the 7th trumpet: for the Dead in Christ do rise first: and I speak for them as being one of them.
The Children of the Resurrection
The 144,000 Virgins are the Clouds! The Children of the Resurrection!
The fact that I have had to stand in the shoes of the Son of Man to point out that Sun Myung Moon is John the Baptist is due to the Lamb once having had to point out that John the Baptist was Elijah the Prophet: and thus a mere scribe in the position of Eliakim must now despoil his fallen Shebna; and that is prophetically what is happening here as it was written of at Isaiah 22; for it seems I was raised from the dead for this reason: as the prodigal son; the lost sheep of Israel; Solomon himself at this: the Last Day of the 7 last days of Noah.
"For as it was in the Days of Noah: so shall it be in the days of the Coming of the Son of Man."
In Rev. Moon's fall from grace is then the rise of one standing in the mythic position of the Offspring of David; seemingly brought back from the dead by His servant John; like Lazurus; yet the name of this rise so one could possibly save our Korean friend is "Jedidiah"; for Solomon is no more; sadder indeed and wiser at his rescue from the Abyss into which he fell.
It seems that the "Prodigal Son" who said he "would not go" ( hell no! we won't go! ) is our Generation; but the one who said he "would go" was Rev. Moon: who did not; so we repented: and did. Thus we have done our Father's will: and this is then the Judgement which threatens to fall upon Rev. Moon.
I stand then for My Generation as that mythic Manchild of Israel; and yet I will leave the intrepid and dedicated reader a further piece of what happens at the return of the "lost sheep of Israel"; for it is the coming back to the Father that He celebrates this by the death of the "fatted calf" whom my Father kills with the Sword.
So who is the "fatted calf"? It is the Antichrist: Osama bin Laden; the Judas of the Table of Islam. Thus is the Table now set for all the players of the Last Day: for now approacheth the Last Hour; and a time of trouble never seen before is when people kill each other in the Name of Allah who is called "The Compassionate; the Merciful"; thus they have proved they do not know Him.
This is why Muhammed said that Islam came as a stranger: and would depart as one.
Denial or not Sun Myung Moon stands as John the Baptist; thus by blaming John for the death of Jesus in his book "Divine Principle" thus condemned only himself; and they who judge him all shall join him in his hypocrisy by their ignorance; for the Day dawns black over the prophets.
I call all who read these words to be "prophets" because I can bring any who suspend their disbelief into their signal company by simply revealing that the Revelation of St. John the Divine is The Word of God; and it is the One who is Faithful and True that represents this written Truth on the White Horse: and it is this I was given from His servant John that God had me reveal in the book "The Revelation of Salvation: the Regeneration of John the Divine". Who hath? He who has "an ear to hear".
All the Lord's people will be prophets because all will be given the Understanding of the Word of God itself at the End; for like Moses we must all ascend the Holy Mountain of the Gospel and enter the Revelation that is the Holy City which rests on it's summit.
Visually the relationship of the Holy City to the Holy Mountain can be seen representing the position of the first tabernacle ( as of the Holy Place ) with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the second tabernacle ( of the Holy of Holies ) with the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
And it is these Two as Single or "One" that are the Tabernacle of God; for as the 12 gates are open to the Holy City there is no "veil" in this Tabernacle between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies; and we all know who removed the Veil of Mystery which hid the Mystery of God; the Lord God Himself did it when His Son forgave those who killed him and proved he sat upon the Mercyseat "upon which no man had ever sat" itself; at which time God removed the Veil. This I also do for you: dear reader.
And "Revelation" itself means "the removing of the Veil".
Here I ask you not to bother with any question about me; rather concern yourselves with the appearence of John of Patmos; last of all the Apostle's; and servant of all: for he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven: and it is his coming which is part of the Undeniable and Everlasting Sign of the Coming of the Son of Man.
"Behold! I come as a thief"
Even that thief who defended the Lamb at his right hand at the Cross; who was in the position of Michael the Archangel; even as the evil thief at the left hand was in the position of Satan the Devil attacking Christ Jesus to the very end: and at which hand one will stand I now give that choice to the reader to thus render their fate or destiny..
In the Name of Christ Jesus; the Name of Love; the Name of God;
christopher
the Offspring of David:
( for the Child he lifted up in the midst of the 12 Apostles at the Last Judgement is the Head;
the Wrath of the Lamb )
www.NewUnificationChurch.com
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Salvation Rose |
6:46 PM
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