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Who's Your Momma?

8/1/2015

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WHO’S YOUR MAMMA?
by Dr. John Conrad


                “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
                In this day when God has promised to restore all things, putting the house of Israel back together seems as impossible as making Humpy Dumpty whole. The life of our patriarch, Jacob, provides insight into this restoration.
                Genesis 35:16-26: Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.”  It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).  Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
                 It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob – the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin;  and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher.
                In the Torah a person’s name describes his mission. Yahweh promises Abram in Genesis 12:2-3, “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Name in both Hebrew and English refers not only to the given name but includes the character and reputation of the man. God changed Abram’s given name to Abraham to underscore his mission as “father of a multitude.”
                Yahweh’s promise to Abraham transferred to Isaac (not Ishmael) then to Jacob (not Esau) and thus to Jacob’s 12 sons. In this passage the sons are grouped according to their mother. Two sisters, Leah and Rachel, were Jacob’s wives. Jacob chose Rachel, but he was tricked by the girls’ father, Laban, into marrying Leah first. This subterfuge undermined the marriage. Leah and Rachel spent their lives as Jacob’s wives fighting a battle to win the approval of both Jacob and God. Leah had six sons which she named. Every name was not only the son’s mission but a repudiation of her sister and a calculated move to give her an advantage in the ongoing war:
• Reuben, “Look, a son.”
• Shimon, “The Lord has heard.”
• Levi, “Attached, joined or connected.” (“Now my husband will be attached to me.”)
• Judah, “Praise.” (“This time I will praise Him.”)
                The Bible makes clear that these names were attempts by Leah to “show up” Rachel.
                After Leah bore these four sons, Rachel demanded that Jacob “give me children or I die!” Jacob retorted, “Am I in the place of God to withhold children from your womb?” In desperation, Rachel commanded her handmaid, Bilhah, to go into her husband that she “too may have children.” Israel conceived two sons with Bilhah. Both boys are named by Rachel.
• Dan, “Judge.” (“Yahweh has vindicated me.”)
• Naphtali, “Wrestling.” (“I have struggled with my sister and overcome.”)
                Rachel, not Bilhah, named the boys using the names as weapons against Leah in the continuing turf war.
                When Leah saw she had quit bearing children, she forced her handmaid, Zilpah, upon Jacob. The names given by Leah continue to be adversarial:
• Gad, “Fortune.” (“How fortunate.”) 
• Asher, “Happy.” (“Happy am I for women will call me happy.”)
                Inflaming this sibling rivalry, Jacob confined his nightly companionship to Rachel. Leah’s young son Reuben found mandrakes and brought them to his mother Leah. Mandrakes were believed to assist in conception and pregnancy. When Rachel saw the mandrakes she was jealous and asked for some. Leah angrily replied, “Now that you have taken my husband, will you take my mandrakes as well? You can have my mandrakes if Jacob comes to sleep with me tonight.” Rachel gladly accepted this bargain, somehow not realizing that mandrakes are not what produce children. Surprise, surprise! Leah became pregnant and delivered Issachar. Leah follows with another son Zebulun.
• Issachar, “Wages or recompense.” (“God has given me my wages.”)
• Zebulun, “Dwelling.” (“Now my husband will dwell with me.”)
Finally, Rachel bore a son:
• Joseph, “He will add.” (“May Yahweh give me another son.”)
                She was grateful for Joseph, but saw him as just the start of her quest to get even with Leah. This brings us to our initial passage in Genesis 35 where Rachel gave birth to Benoni, “son of my suffering.”
                Oddly, the father finally intervened and changed his name to Benjamin. This is the only son that Jacob names.
• Benjamin, “son of my right hand.”
                All things work together for good – but not all things are good. Polygamy is not good. It rends the heart. It shares that which cannot be shared. It destroys intimacy. Similarly, idolatry is evil. It shares the worshiper’s heart for Yahweh with another god. However, God uses Jacob’s polygamy for his purposes. Through Israel’s struggling sons he will raise up the redemptive nation of Israel. Israel’s family is a picture of reality, not perfection.
                The family was torn by preference; Rachel over Leah, Joseph above his brothers. Israel’s wives were consumed by contrasting desires springing from specific deficits and blinding them to everything else in life. Leah ached for the love of her husband, Jacob. Rachel yearned for a son. In their single minded quest to achieve their goals they destroyed the relationships in their lives and objectified all the people that were important to them. The sisters permanently alienated each other. Their handmaids lost their humanity and became pawns just like the sons. Jacob stopped being a husband--he became the herd sire. All became weapons to use against each other. This internal warfare became so fierce that Reuben, the firstborn son of Leah and Jacob, slept with Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, in an incredible display of hatred, revenge, and repudiation directed at his father, his aunt, and the mother of Dan and Naphtali. This violation cost him his birthright. When, in a future chapter, the brothers, led by Judah, sold Joseph into slavery, it demonstrated a terrible reality. The fault lines drawn in the family, based upon the identity of each son’s mother, had opened wide enough to induce murder.
                The reconciliation of Joseph to his brothers only became possible when they realized they all had one father. When Judah offered himself as a slave to Joseph to avert the damage that losing Benjamin would cause Israel, Joseph is undone. Judah’s evident love for Jacob and for Benjamin removed the last shred of his resistance to reconciliation.
                Genesis 44:30-45:1 “Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ “Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
                “For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me – for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?”
                Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
                The history of Israel, both Ephraim and Judah, reeks of battle lines drawn over the identity of our “mothers” – our cultures, our churches, our fellowships. The apostle Paul consented to the death of Stephen, a fellow Jew, because of Stephen’s faith in Yeshua. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and rival Christians died at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church during the Inquisition. The Crusaders invited the Jewish population of Jerusalem to the Great Synagogue promising them safety and then burned it to the ground with everyone in it. When Cromwell conquered Ireland he was responsible for the destruction of possibly one fourth of the entire population because he was on a crusade against the hated Roman Catholic heretics. Hitler successfully recruited Christians in Germany to assist in his final solution against the Jews because of the deep collective memory of German Christians distrusting and hating all things coming from the “mother of the synagogue.”
                Also we can see in the names of our denominations and fellowships the continuing trend of the battle launched by Leah and Rachel. For example, man created The Roman Catholic (Universal) Church (i.e. “the only church”) and The Orthodox Church (i.e. “the one with good teaching, so you know what this says about the rest.”) Furthermore, each Orthodox group is delineated by its geographical origin; Greek, Russian, Armenian, etc. Anabaptists are against baptism, that is, infant baptism, so take that Catholics. Baptists are not only opposed to infant baptism, but against sprinkling. Then, if you are a Berean Baptist, you diligently search out the scripture to show what is true (i.e. “sorry about your Mickey Mouse group.”) And the beat goes on.
                Furthermore, research into the histories and roots of these different groups may reveal idolatry and other grievous sins--enough to declare them heretics and outside the Abrahamic inheritance. For instance, we forget that those who see themselves as Ephraim have Rachel as their mother. Sadly, Rachel hid stolen idols from her husband and from her father (Genesis 31:19).
                Benjamin, the only son named by his father, became the instrument for bringing together Israel’s 12 sons. Truly, he was a “son of trouble or suffering” whose birth caused his mother Rachel’s death. But Israel’s prophetic gift correctly identified him as the “son of my right hand.”
                Our Father reconciled us to himself by sending Yeshua, a son of Judah and David. Yeshua’s death and resurrection gave us the ultimate good deal. For accepting his death on our behalf, he, who knew no sin, takes our sin and grants us the righteousness of God. There is no bargain in history approaching this one.
                However, we mustn’t forget this statement: “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through the Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in the Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
                This good deal hinges on one fact; Yahweh chooses not to count our sins against us. Joseph’s touching scene – where he breaks down weeping and calls his brothers to him – only happens when all the participants stop counting past hurts. They love their mothers, but they lay down the historical pain and mistreatment and choose to be defined by their one father. For Joseph and Judah to be joined together each had to forgive the sins of their mothers and forget the angry past of retribution and revenge. Similarly today, Judah and Ephraim will come together by acknowledging Malachi 2:10’s question; “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us?” This reconciliation seems impossible, but through our God all things are possible.

Printed in the MIA Herald, December 2010.
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Tending the Lamps

8/1/2015

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by Dr. John M. Conrad

The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, The Lord turn His countenance toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).  In the name of Yeshua (Jesus) our Lord, Amen.

An applicable analogy?There lived in India six friends who were all blind. One day as they sat together talking they heard a great trumpeting roar.

"I believe that is an elephant in the street," one said. "Now is our chance to find out what kind of creature the elephant is." Being blind none had ever seen an elephant. Eagerly, they filed out into the street.

The first blind man reached out and touched the elephant's ear. "Ah," he said to himself, "the elephant is a rough, wide thing like a rug."

The second blind man felt the elephant's trunk. Understanding dawned upon him. "An elephant is a long, round thing, like a snake."

The third blind man gingerly patted the leg of the elephant. "Well, well," he muttered. "An elephant is large and stout like a tree."

The fourth man walked up to the elephant's side. Fanning his hands out to feel the vast expanse he pondered, "Mmm, an elephant is wide and smooth, like a wall."

The fifth man grasped the elephant's tusk. "My goodness," he thought. "An elephant is a hard, sharp animal resembling a spear."

The sixth man seized the elephant's tail. "Amazing," he opined. "It gives a mighty roar but an elephant is very like a long, thin rope."

After their investigation they sat down to discuss the elephant.

"It is rough and wide, like a rug," said the first.

"No, it is long and round, like a snake," said the second.

"Don't be silly," laughed the third. "It is large and stout, like a tree."

"No, it is not," growled the fourth. "It is wide and smooth, like a wall."

"Hard and sharp, like a spear!" shouted the fifth. "Idiots! Long and thin, like a rope!" yelled the sixth.

Utter chaos ensued. Each one insisted he was right. After all, each had touched the elephant with his own hands, hadn't he?

Sadly, those of us who believe in the Messiah and his word, reenact this scenario when we attempt to describe the Kingdom. When it comes to spiritual realities our eyes are blinded—we do not accurately perceive the unseen world around us. 

Kingdom lessons In this day God has promised to restore everything spoken through the mouths of his holy prophets. The history of God's people reveals the greatest opposition to new truth comes from the guardians of the previously revealed truth. Thus the Sadducees and Pharisees fought the truth of the Messiah.

The established church resisted the Reformation message of justification by faith, the evangelicals fought the wave of the Holy Spirit birthed by Charismatic Movement, and now many Christians and Messianic Jews find themselves struggling with the truth of a restored Israel.

Sadly, in much of modem Christianity, the most coveted position is not to be great in the kingdom, or to be the servant of all. No, most seem intent on being least in the kingdom.  Yeshua stated clearly in Matthew 5:17-19 that anyone who breaks the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. 

Touchstones and signposts of Israel’s Restoration Too many of us have seized a single portion of the kingdom and in our blindness we are hanging on to our position with a death grip. As God restores Israel many truths or principles will be restored. There are particular areas of blindness in the modern church and even, in some measure, in Messianic Israel. God describes these concepts or principles as being everlasting, forever, perpetual, throughout your generations, and eternal. Examples of these are the 7th day Sabbath, the Law or Torah (Israel’s Constitution), the Feasts of the Lord, and the priesthood covenant with Levi.

Even in Messianic Israel many are hanging on to truths they have discovered, but are neglecting the perpetual covenants to the tribe of Levi. There can be no restoration of Israel without a concomitant restoration of the tribe of Levi. In Hebrews 7 the writer states that there is a change of the Law and the priesthood. Yeshua declared I came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.   Change does not equal abolition nor does the word fulfillment. God made numerous perpetual covenants to the House of Aaron and Levi. If He can cancel these covenants capriciously, what confidence can we as Gentile believers and Messianic Israelites have in the efficacy of the death and resurrection of our Messiah?

Our trust and confidence rests solely on God's unchanging faithfulness to his word! As we venture forth in this day of restoration let us send out a new call—to be great in the kingdom. Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. With unflinching faith in our Messiah and a yearning for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and ears we can be a part of this great restoration of all things! May God grant us revelation to see his coming kingdom in its fullness.
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Tending the Lamps

6/4/2015

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by John Conrad

The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, The Lord turn His countenance toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).  In the name of Yeshua (Jesus) our Lord, Amen.

An applicable analogy? There lived in India six friends who were all blind. One day as they sat together talking they heard a great trumpeting roar.

"I believe that is an elephant in the street," one said. "Now is our chance to find out what kind of creature the elephant is." Being blind none had ever seen an elephant. Eagerly, they filed out into the street.

The first blind man reached out and touched the elephant's ear. "Ah," he said to himself, "the elephant is a rough, wide thing like a rug."

The second blind man felt the elephant's trunk. Understanding dawned upon him. "An elephant is a long, round thing, like a snake."

The third blind man gingerly patted the leg of the elephant. "Well, well," he muttered. "An elephant is large and stout like a tree."

The fourth man walked up to the elephant's side. Fanning his hands out to feel the vast expanse he pondered, "Mmm, an elephant is wide and smooth, like a wall."

The fifth man grasped the elephant's tusk. "My goodness," he thought. "An elephant is a hard, sharp animal resembling a spear."

The sixth man seized the elephant's tail. "Amazing," he opined. "It gives a mighty roar but an elephant is very like a long, thin rope."

After their investigation they sat down to discuss the elephant.

"It is rough and wide, like a rug," said the first.

"No, it is long and round, like a snake," said the second.

"Don't be silly," laughed the third. "It is large and stout, like a tree."

"No, it is not," growled the fourth. "It is wide and smooth, like a wall."

"Hard and sharp, like a spear!" shouted the fifth. "Idiots! Long and thin, like a rope!" yelled the sixth.

Utter chaos ensued. Each one insisted he was right. After all, each had touched the elephant with his own hands, hadn't he?

Sadly, those of us who believe in the Messiah and his word, reenact this scenario when we attempt to describe the Kingdom. When it comes to spiritual realities our eyes are blinded—we do not accurately perceive the unseen world around us.

Kingdom lessons In this day God has promised to restore everything spoken through the mouths of his holy prophets. The history of God's people reveals the greatest opposition to new truth comes from the guardians of the previously revealed truth. Thus the Sadducees and Pharisees fought the truth of the Messiah.

The established church resisted the Reformation message of justification by faith, the evangelicals fought the wave of the Holy Spirit birthed by Charismatic Movement, and now many Christians and Messianic Jews find themselves struggling with the truth of a restored Israel.

Sadly, in much of modem Christianity, the most coveted position is not to be great in the kingdom, or to be the servant of all. No, most seem intent on being least in the kingdom.  Yeshua stated clearly in Matthew 5:17-19 that anyone who breaks the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

Touchstones and signposts of Israel’s Restoration Too many of us have seized a single portion of the kingdom and in our blindness we are hanging on to our position with a death grip. As God restores Israel many truths or principles will be restored. There are particular areas of blindness in the modern church and even, in some measure, in Messianic Israel. God describes these concepts or principles as being everlasting, forever, perpetual, throughout your generations, and eternal. Examples of these are the 7th day Sabbath, the Law or Torah (Israel’s Constitution), the Feasts of the Lord, and the priesthood covenant with Levi.

Even in Messianic Israel many are hanging on to truths they have discovered, but are neglecting the perpetual covenants to the tribe of Levi. There can be no restoration of Israel without a concomitant restoration of the tribe of Levi. In Hebrews 7 the writer states that there is a change of the Law and the priesthood. Yeshua declared I came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.   Change does not equal abolition nor does the word fulfillment. God made numerous perpetual covenants to the House of Aaron and Levi. If He can cancel these covenants capriciously, what confidence can we as Gentile believers and Messianic Israelites have in the efficacy of the death and resurrection of our Messiah?

Our trust and confidence rests solely on God's unchanging faithfulness to his word! As we venture forth in this day of restoration let us send out a new call—to be great in the kingdom. Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. With unflinching faith in our Messiah and a yearning for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and ears we can be a part of this great restoration of all things! May God grant us revelation to see his coming kingdom in its fullness.
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STATEMENT FROM JOHN M. CONRAD 

6/24/2013

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Regarding the Article, "The Plain Truth about MIA's House of Aaron" posted on Facebook June 9, 2013


First, the title is misleading. The relationship between the House of Aaron and the MIA (now Alliance of Redeemed Israel) though mutually supportive is characterized by complete independence of each group. 

They are two autonomous entities working together for a common goal. Neither has any control or governmental authority over the other. In fact, I (John Conrad) have made it clear that if the House of Aaron's presence limits or hinders ARI and its ability to realize its objectives, the House of Aaron would quietly withdraw from the ARI. We share many common beliefs and the House of Aaron endorses the tenets listed in "The Hope of Redeemed Israel" wholeheartedly.

It would be simple to find out what the House of Aaron teaches and what I have specifically taught. There are many tapes, CD's, and DVD's that have been made of my teaching at different conferences and also recordings made here at EskDale. I would welcome questions targeting specific problems in what I have said or what the House of Aaron supports. Our passion and mission is to assist in the gathering of Israel into a Holy Nation with Yeshua as King and the Torah (Word) as its constitution. Our focus is on Yeshua.

Later I will go into some detail concerning areas where our background might trouble other Believers. However, I want to confront some dirty laundry staining the history of both houses. Scripture is consistent that we are judged by our works (mentioned over 50 times in the Bible.) Doctrine is important but particularly as it influences conduct. The stoning of Steven, the murder of Catholics in Ireland by Cromwell's troops, the drowning of Anabaptists by those supporting infant baptism, the murder and torture of millions of Jews, the Inquisition, the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith, the hanging by their thumbs of Pentecostals by evangelicals and many more thousands of examples reveal the worst doctrine. That is the idea that we must separate from those who have different ideas from us but we can overlook bad behavior and moral failure in those who think like us. This un-Biblical thinking seduces people into believing that God excuses and even loves the persecution and abuse of those with "bad" doctrine. The historical shame of the Crusades still injures Christian relationships with both Jews and Muslims. We didn't murder them because they were behaving badly-we murdered them because they didn't believe the right things. I have personally witnessed Christians spitting at Mormons because of the perceived doctrinal errors of Mormonism.

Today God's number one agenda is for Israel to gather. Gathering requires rubbing elbows with those with whom we have disagreement, those who have hurt us either specifically or historically, those we consider our enemies. We have been formally connected to the Messianic movement since 1999. In that short period of time the greatest sin of the movement is the inability to congregate, to cooperate, to coexist, to work together. We are prophetic voices calling the bones to come together, invoking Yahweh's Ruach to invade our bodies and raise us to life that we might be that people more numerous than the dust of the earth, the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky and yet we can't even sit in the same room. 

For a movement based upon the Hebraic mindset there is nothing more Hellenistic than our insistence that people "think" right. There is no better way to know how someone truly thinks than to observe how he acts. Yeshua drives this point home in many of his parables. "The Good Samaritan" pits two men with perfect doctrine, an Aaronite priest and a Levite, against a hated Samaritan, a perfect example of someone with bad doctrine. The Samaritans had a different priesthood, a different temple and a different holy site from Jerusalem. The one who is justified is the one with merciful behavior not the ones with good doctrine.

Discipline in the Apostolic writings focuses on behavior. In Matthew 18 Yeshua recommends excommunication for those refusing judgment from the body. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul angrily prods the assembly at Corinth to expel the man living in open immorality. He even says he will "deliver such a one to Satan." Paul also tells us the supreme importance of removing contentious people from the assembly. Titus 3:9-11 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,  knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Every instance of Biblical condemnation is based upon behavior. In Matthew 25 Yeshua does not separate the sheep and goats based upon their acceptance or rejection of the Trinity, their correct rendering of Yeshua's name, their repudiation of the Book of Mormon. The separation is based upon behavior toward other people, those created in His image. 1st Corinthians is a rebuke to the divisive tendencies of the early assemblies. Paul confronts them in 1 Corinthians 3:3  For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?  Mature spirituality displays itself by harmony amongst Believers. Division is a sign of immaturity and carnality.

Nevertheless, we all agree that doctrine is important and some doctrines critically important. A brief look at a couple of passages reveals God's assessment of doctrines with crucial significance.

Solomon in Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things which Yahweh hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:  Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,  A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,  A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8  Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...

My problem with this paper is the author's insistence that the House of Aaron and ARI be shunned by God's people until they bring their thinking into line with his thinking. According to the paper continued fellowship between the House of Aaron and ARI requires faithful Israelites to "sever all ties with the House of Aaron and the Messianic Israel Alliance[now ARI]."

Doctrinally, both of our ministries have signed on to the three things Paul states are of "first importance" in 1 Corinthians 15:3. I am not aware of moral failures in the leaders of either our groups nor of persistent divisive behavior which Paul calls being "factious" or "contentious." We passionately try to avoid those things which God hates none of which is "bad doctrine." ARI's supposed sin is fellowshipping with the House of Aaron and the House of Aaron's supposed sin is in their bad doctrine. The question becomes - are these "sins" Biblically proscribed?

Sometimes it appears that we in the Messianic movement are more upset by bad doctrine than bad behavior. Yeshua tells us that the weighty matters of Torah are "justice, mercy and faithfulness." On this basis many Christians and Mormons are more Torah observant than some Messianics.

Please don't misunderstand me. I believe doctrine is important. We in the House of Aaron realize we still have much to learn. However, as faulty as our doctrine might possibly be, watching these rocky splits in the early years of the Messianic movement continue to remind me that in some areas our "doctrine" seems to be working better than some of the exalted "Torah Teachers."

The House of Aaron does have the book mentioned in the article. As stated it is titled the "Levitical Writings" (LW). These are a collection of angelic messages received by Maurice Glendenning over a 46 year period and also include some of his letters and recorded dreams and visions. A complete history of the LW is not possible here but a few comments are in order.

1-  The speaker (an angel not Maurice) claims an Elijah mission - to assist in the restoration of all things and to call all people to faith in Yeshua and to repentance. The accusation that Maurice was a false prophet comes from ignorance of the LW which states plainly he is not a prophet but a mediator.
2-  The LW maintains that the covenants with Israel are still intact and not done away.
3-  The LW also affirms that the "commandments given unto My people by Christ Jesus and the prophets are sufficient and according to the laws of God; and I do say unto you that they shall not be changed at all." LW 150:1
4-  A writing was given on February 10, 1954, wherein the people were told to "hold all those things which I have given unto you; and thou shalt not teach them unto any until I again command you..." LW 265:1. The basic gist of the writing is that the people don't know the scriptures and need to study the Bible alone for a season. This was observed for over 10 years. At the present the LW is mentioned and studied on occasion but by far the greatest amount of our study is the Bible. It is the undisputed basis of our doctrine and teaching.
5-  The LW teaches flatly that Yeshua is the only path to the Father. LW 293:5 "for hath not our Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, spoken of Himself that no man cometh unto the Father except through Him and that in Him abideth all life and light that leadeth unto the kingdom of God?"
6- The LW is a consistent witness to the prophetic reality of the two houses coming together. In 1926 the LW recorded "And it [faith and truth becoming one] shall be taken unto Judah, the unbelieving, that they may be unto me one with Ephraim; and in that day they shall not be blind, for God shall be their light."


The LW was a major factor in the formation of the House of Aaron in 1942. Its primary impact was to move the adherents to a more Biblically based worship of Yeshua and a return to the covenants of Israel - clean and unclean foods, 7th day Sabbath, and eventually to celebration of the Feasts. 

We understand that the vast majority of Christians and Messianics believe the canon was closed with the book of Revelation. However, the scripture quoted to justify this belief is a restatement of Deuteronomy 4:2  "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you." We know some might disagree with our position. However our understanding is that God continues to speak but his Word will never disagree with itself. We do not make this an issue with other Believers and do not bring up the LW to those who are offended by it. Furthermore, it is a step on our path to full restoration but not something everyone needs to embrace. Also, as it is an Elijah work, it may correspond to John the Baptist's proclamation about Yeshua - "He must increase and I must decrease." 

I would never say that I understand all things written in the LW. But I can say that either it agrees with the Bible or it is wrong. This was also Maurice Glendenning's position. The "evidence" that Maurice Glendenning is a false prophet springs from a superficial understanding of the writings and complete ignorance of Maurice's life. We do not teach nor believe in reincarnation, we do not teach the progression of Godhood and we do not practice baptism for the dead. (However, we admit that baptism for the dead is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:29 and it is obvious from the text that at least some of the Corinthians were following the practice.) 

Anyone that wants to know our position on eternal progression, baptism for the dead, reincarnation, etc. needs only to ask us or come and observe our teaching. Finding what seems to be affirmation of these teachings in the LW and then assuming we teach these doctrines is a faulty strategy. This would be similar to finding that Nazarene Judaism supports the Torah and thus concluding they teach the stoning of rebellious sons. Sound research requires a little more work and a genuine attempt to understand those being examined.

The article identifies the passage in LW 157:8  "for yet sixty years and the third day shall be, and then shall the temple be built for Judah and Ephraim."  It then claims that since the Temple was not built in 1990 this is a false prophecy. The "third day" mentioned is a 1000 year period that is seen as concurrent with the 7th day or Millennium. We do believe that a physical temple will be built for all of Israel but that the main meaning of this text is that the two houses will unite and become one house. We also believe that the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century marks the beginning of the third day which is also the seventh. This teaching of a 7 day or 7000 year plan of God is not unique to us or the writings. The apocryphal gospel of Barnabas refers to this 7 day plan of God and with some variations this concept is taught in both Jewish and Messianic literature. 

Our many-years-old former link with Mormonism is a fact of our history. And it is just that, "history." We simply are not Mormons today. Many of us, including me, have never been Mormons. Maurice Glendenning was a member for just over a year and the vast majority of early House of Aaron members were formerly LDS. However, while we bear no bitterness toward the LDS church it is not our work. We do believe that many of returning Ephraim are within the various groups who trace their origin back to Joseph Smith.

According to the paper the prescriptions for our rehabilitation are listed as follows: To become acceptable we must agree that: 

1-  Maurice Glendenning was a false prophet and was not visited by Elias/Elijah.
2-  The doctrines taught in Maurice Glendenning's revelations are false.
3-  Maurice Glendenning's revelations did not come from Elias/Elijah.
4-  Maurice Glendenning's claims to the Aaronic Priesthood were and are spurious. 
5-  Joseph Smith Jr. and Brigham Young were false prophets.
6-  The Book of Mormon is false.
7-  And cease making claims to being a restored Aaronic Priesthood.
8-  Until this happens I would call upon the Messianic Israel Alliance to sever all ties with the House of Aaron. 


"Until one of these two things happens, I would call upon all two housers to sever all ties with the Messianic Israel Alliance and the House of Aaron."

The "two things" I assume are 1- for the House of Aaron to renounce its faulty doctrine or 2- for ARI to denounce the House of Aaron. If Yahweh were calling us to do these things we would obey instantly.  I am perplexed why we in the House of Aaron need to certify Brigham Young and Joseph Smith as false prophets. Joseph Smith practiced polygamy (abhorrent and disgusting) and sent Orson Hyde to Israel in 1843 to consecrate the land for the return of the Jews (inspiring and prophetic). I would prefer to judge specific behavior rather than blanket condemnation or approval. David, a man after God's own heart, was a treacherous liar, a murderer, an adulterer and by his actions brought tremendous harm to his fellow Israelites. Condemning the Book of Mormon and then attempting to work with those who believe in it is like the Christians who reach out to Jews by raving about the dead traditions in the Talmud and how evil they are. Just as I have discovered I can learn a lot from the Jews I have learned much from those in the LDS and RLDS traditions. It is ironic that the author of the paper was given the LW by a someone who is angry with the House of Aaron because we don't teach or uphold the Book of Mormon. 

Asking us to renounce our past would be tantamount to dishonoring our father and mother. In Acts 17:26  and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. While we all have things in our past that need to be discarded I have observed a spiritual principle that those who hate and renounce their God-ordained path find that things "do not go well for them." The leadership of Maurice Glendenning and my father, Robert J. Conrad, the LW, the experience of many in the LDS church, are all part of our "appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." To throw out our heritage would be very ungrateful. What God calls for us to give up we will willingly surrender. As we walk on our focus is on Yeshua and the restoration of his nation, Israel.

I realize that many would doubt our claim to be part of the restored priesthood of Aaron. I can only say that God says it will happen so if not to us then to someone else. Malachi 3:3  "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness." This promise follows God's sending a curse upon the House of Levi/Aaron where even their blessings would be cursed. Pronouncing the blessing was a great part of Aaron's inheritance and just as Israel needs to be restored to her inheritance so do Levi and Aaron. Whether or not the House of Aaron will be part of this remains to be seen. We believe it with all our hearts, but observers are within their prerogative to demand to see the staff of Aaron in our hands bud, bloom and bear fruit. We agree that Believers should judge others based on the evidence of their fruits.  

Also, I believe any serious student of scripture can easily see that there are many Aaronites and Levites among returning Ephraim. For example, in Acts 6:7 we read that "a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." Whatever your doctrinal position the descendants of these priests would be found among Ephraim or the Gentiles and not among Judah. HoWe do not deny or ignore God's eternal call upon the Levites and Aaronites among the Jews.

Also, there is an undeniable historical trail connecting the Glendennings to the House of Aaron. A blessing written in 1799 by Maurice's direct paternal ancestor John Glendenning identifies a connection between their family and Joseph, Ephraim and Aaron. Another blessing given in 1863 to Maurice's father, Milton, states that in his seed would come forth a restoration of the keys of the priesthood of Aaron. Both of these blessings were given on February 15 which later was Maurice's birth date in 1891. It is worth noting that the phrase "keys of the priesthood" is mentioned here a full 70 years before any Glendenning had connections to the LDS. The keys of the priesthood are well known to those who served in the temple. The keys were given to a special Levitical family and were used to open the doors of the temple each day. Thus the keys of the priesthood would be similar to the keys of the kingdom. They are spiritual principles that open the way for God's people to return to Him. 

None of this proves us right. Only God truly knows and we in the House of Aaron are endeavoring to serve Him with everything we have. We have made many mistakes and will likely make many more. However, as Believers and Aaronites, we are committed to being builders, restorers, gatherers and edifiers.  We rejoice as we see God regathering Israel and bringing people to a true sense of their identity in Him and as a part of His nation. Where we are in error, we ask our fellow Israelites to be patient and kind and to please continue to walk with us. For as Paul says, it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Anyone who would like more detail or other information we will be glad to try to answer your questions.

Sincerely,
John M. Conrad
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    Please remember that these resources represent the understanding of the author and the conditions at the time of their presentation.  Any reference to particular groups or persons is for the purpose of  illustration and explanation. 

    The desire of the House of Aaron is always to promote unity within the Body of our Messiah as we gain understanding of His word and His will.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments on this material.



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