Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #47: Only one ancient source gets bashed, the Christian one
Friday, September 26, 2025
Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #46: Venerating false Messiahs as men who pleased God
Thursday, September 25, 2025
An incredible story of God's love chasing after his lost sheep: A family's 20-year journey into the Hebrew Roots Movement & back out again.
In a powerful story of God's grace and faithful love for us, Joshua and Carla share their own story spanning twenty years and three countries as they journeyed into the Hebrew Roots Movement, wandered from the Church they had been raised in, and were pursued by God until his grace called them back home to a place where Jesus Christ is the absolute center of their relationship with God (and not their own effort at Torah observance).
This story also is a message to family and loved ones who are concerned about someone in the HRM: (1) Pray for them, (2) Be patient, (3) show compassion, (4) and don't let the relationship be broken for the sake of an argument.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #45: Gnostic mysticism, Sabbath idolatry, and elevating heretical extra-biblical sources
There are many topics connected to our faith about which the average Christians is mostly or entirely ignorant. Some of that is a failure of education/discipleship, but much of it is simply the breadth and the depth of ideas and concepts that touch on the faith that steers our lives. In all honestly, even scholars who spend their whole lives in study are a long way from knowing everything. With that in mind, we shouldn't be surprised that people in Torah Clubs don't run away as soon as Daniel Lancaster and FFOZ starts to teach them Gnostic mysticism. Our ancestors in the faith, however, who spent generations fighting against the malign influence of that philosophy during the 2nd to 4th centuries would have recoiled in horror because they knew how dangerous it was. FFOZ is taking advantage of our collective ignorance of Early Church history, and particularly of the heresies that the Early Church rejected. That needs to end.
The primary heretical error in this lesson is gnostic mysticism, but with FFOZ there is typically room for several other dangerous ideas. Here we see that they are uncritically citing the Midrash Rabbah to concur with its (false) assertion that the Israelites who died in the wilderness because of unbelief will be welcomed into the Promised Land (i.e. Heaven) by God because of the faithfulness of Moses. This isn't the first time that FFOZ has taught that human beings can share salvific merit with others, an idea utterly rejected by the Apostle Paul, particularly in Romans. This isn't the first time they've elevated Moses' exploits to the level of hero-worship. There is nothing wrong with citing Jewish rabbinical teaching to illustrate a point, however, the uncritical way in which Lancaster does this leads to dangerous errors like this one.
If not for my research into FFOZ, I would probably assume that this is an orthodox statement by assuming that when they say, "seeks the LORD" they mean in this New Covenant era, "any person accepts Jesus as Savior." But that's not what this is. This isn't simply a statement expressing confidence in the Grace of God to ensure Gospel acceptance on the part of all who seek him. Instead, we are once again seeing FFOZ toy with ideas of Universalism. We've already noted the times that FFOZ has hinted that Jews don't need Jesus because they're already the Chosen People, here they are hinting at an even further extension by saying that some who will be saved won't even be a part of "His people." Word choices matter in theology. When the one being saved isn't spoken of as being a part of God's people, but instead as being "with" them, it raises eyebrows. When the person/organization making such a statement is already known to subvert the Gospel, there is apt reason to be concerned. Read the statement again, compare it to Jesus' own words, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but my me." (John 14:6).
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Lesson 45, page 14 "The early Jewish believers in Yeshua taught the same concepts. The collection of teachings and fictionalized narratives titled Clementine Homilies." |
Thus Lancaster elevates the Clementine Homilies to the level of a trusted, even authoritative source. See how simple that was? All he needed to do was connect it in one sentence to Jewish followers of Jesus, no further explanation needed. Except we really need one. The Clementine Homilies were not written by Clementine of Rome, as with many ancient manuscripts the name of someone famous is used to lend authenticity or weight. While the original was written earlier, our only surviving version dates from the 5th century. The Early Church historian Eusebius dismissed it in this manner, "And now some have only the other day brought forward other wordy and lengthy compositions as being Clement's, containing dialogues of Peter and Appion, of which there is absolutely no mention in the ancients." (Ecclesiastical History, 3.38)
So, what is it from the Clementine Homilies that FFOZ wants its followers to embrace?
Gnostic mysticism is the answer. Gnostic philosophy is NOT compatible with faith in Jesus Christ. The attempt was made to meld them together by Gnostics, but we can see that combination being rejected even in its earliest form in 1 John. Long story short, the Gnostics believed that the divine and physical realms could not touch because it is matter that is corrupted but spirit that is pure. The result is to remove God from direct connection to this world, a real problem for those who believe in the Incarnation.
In addition to a flawed cosmology, Gnosticism is also built upon the idea of "hidden" or "secret" knowledge available only to a select few. You've probably never heard of a hebdomad unless you're a real math geek. You can look in vain through the entirety of sacred scripture without finding anything like this, but that's of little concern to Gnostic mysticism. Why? Because those of us who follow Jesus through orthodox methods have limited ourselves to the divine revelation of scripture, and the mystics are seeking the answers within themselves. If the answers are within, they're not coming from God. If the answers are within, we are the ultimate authority not God. Mysticism, Gnostic or otherwise, has never been the path to Truth given by God to humanity. God reveals to us what we need to know, it is made plain by God, not hidden away.
Another reason beyond mysticism that FFOZ wants its followers to treat the Clementine Homilies as authoritative is that it contains the type of Sabbath idolatry that they themselves are promoting. Sabbath theology is a too big of a topic to do justice to here, but one thing that we can know for sure: Keeping the Sabbath does not earn you a "portion" of God's "own presence." The mysticism being promoted here leaves no room for Sabbath keeping to be optional. It is being described as if it is the key to communion with God.
Yeah, I'm going to pass on the idea that Sabbath keeping is the path to "participation in the Oneness of God." The mysticism is so thick here in this description that it makes Sabbath keeping sound like a drug trip in which those who participate lose themselves entirely for a while. "Just say, 'No!'" sounds appropriate here.
It was a good thing that I wasn't eating while I read this page or I might have choked on my food. The Gospel of Thomas???? Did FFOZ really just drop that deeply heretical fake Gospel into a lesson as if it too deserves to be given respect? Once again, FFOZ is hoping that Christians are ignorant, it is the only explanation that makes sense. The Gospel of Thomas was found buried in the Egyptian desert in 1945. It was written by unknown Gnostics a couple of centuries after Christ, who attached the name of the Apostle Thomas to it. To say that it is heretical is an understatement. The Jesus portrayed in this abomination of a gospel is NOT the Jesus whom we worship as Lord and Savior. The only value that this document has are the insights we can gain from it into the heresies that the Early Church resoundingly rejected through the Ecumenical Councils. To drop it into a lesson, without explanation, is the height of careless toying with heretical teachings.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #42-43: Afterlife uncertainty and more mysticism
One of the challenging things that I have found in my efforts to expose the false teachings of First Fruits of Zion is that there continue to be more dominoes that get knocked over by their abandonment of orthodoxy. In this case, the orthodox belief that is now being cast aside by FFOZ is what is known as eternal security. Since the Apostles, the followers of Jesus Christ have operated with the understanding that we have all the knowledge about the Afterlife that is necessary for faith and practice. We don't know everything we want to know, in particular that whole "day and hour" piece of the puzzle, but we know everything we need to know to live with the certainty of faith in the here and now. Using an unsound (non-contextual) interpretation of Ecclesiastes 7:14, FFOZ is proclaiming in this lesson that faithful certainty about what the future holds must be replaced with "glimpses" that cannot be pulled together to form an understanding that is true for all of us.
Did God create you so that you could obtain memories?? Is that why you were born? My friends, we have a higher purpose than this. We were created to love. To love God and love each other. To overcome evil with good. To live self-sacrificially in this life in the hope of God's justice in the next. What FFOZ is teaching here is built on a false premise (the pre-existence of the human soul), and far too shallow to reflect God's glorious purpose in Creation.
Lesson 42-43, page 20 "one day, we will experience what we did unto others as if it was done unto us." |
Lastly, one more new false teaching from FFOZ is introduced in this lesson, the "life review." Borrowing from the testimonies of those who have been through Near Death Experiences, FFOZ is teaching that as you die you will actually experience your life over again, and on top of that, you will experience your life through the view of everyone else you have every interacted with. They are saying that you will, literally, experience the impact of every good and bad choice you ever made in life by having that action done to you.
Friday, September 5, 2025
Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #41: More disparaging of grace and using a folktale to interpret scripture
I'll admit, I'm a fan of God's grace. That isn't a hot-take, nor should it raise anyone's eyebrows. If there are a few folks down through the years who have misunderstood grace, or who have tried to take advantage of God's grace, throwing it overboard in response would be ludicrous in the extreme...
![]() Lesson 41 page 6: "The church's loud and predominant teachings about God's grace also make it difficult for people to believe in God's wrath. Ever since the Protestant Reformation, the emphasis on grace has tipped the scale so severely off balance that many Christians anticipate no consequences for sin whatsoever. That's a good recipe for neutralizing the fear of the LORD, neutering the gospel message, and storing up wrath." It turns out that First Fruits of Zion has a problem with grace. Technically, they have a problem with the Protestant Church's emphasis on grace because they think it undermines God's wrath. Once again in this Torah Club lesson we have the Straw Man brought out to tell us that "many" Protestants think that there are no consequences, at all, to sin. Why would Protestants think something so foolish? Apparently because they spend to much time praising God's grace. Set aside for the moment that this is patently false. There is no substantial part of the Protestant Church that teaches that believers are free to sin because grace has "neutered" God's wrath. Given that there are hundreds of thousands of pastors worldwide, I'm sure FFOZ could trot out a few examples of crackpots in defense of their spurious claim, but to claim that this is so widespread that it needs a correction (that's coming) is ridiculous. This is a logical fallacy known as argumentum ad absurdum. If you claim that your opponent (and FFOZ's opponent is most assuredly the Church) believes something so foolish, those listening to you will be more likely to believe your "cure" for the non-existent disease. What then is the point? Why would FFOZ make such an explosive claim, attacking the fundamental viewpoint about the Gospel of 1/3 of the Church? What are they trying to put in the place of grace? |
Lesson 41,page 7: "It's important to remember that the New Testament Greek word translated as grace (charis) is the Greek equivalent to the Biblical Hebrew word we see translated as 'favor.' It's the same concept and should be translated consistently to avoid confusion." First Fruits of Zion wants to redefine grace. Redefine it how?? In a way that contradicts what the Church, particularly Protestantism, has long celebrated about God's grace. Why would it matter if FFOZ wants to equate grace in the NT with favor in the Old? The 2023 edition of HaYesod lays forth the whole plan {HaYesod's 2023 edition (First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club) heretically redefines grace: "grace is earned" and claims humans can atone for sins by suffering}: Grace = favor = earned. FFOZ has built its false teaching on the foundation of an eternal, perfect, and unchanging Torah that must be observed by all peoples, in all places, for all time. When rule keeping is the heart and soul of what you say and do, the natural result is to drift ever further into legalism. This is human nature, it happens every time. Conveniently, then, FFOZ now teaches that because Moses earned God's favor, and favor equals grace, we too can earn God's grace. Not only that, the HaYesod chapter proclaims that human beings can share their extra grace (earned by unjust suffering) with others. In case you're wondering, grace in the NT and favor in the OT are not one and the same. Word usage determines word meaning, context is king. The argument that FFOZ is making doesn't hold water, to simply proclaim that two words in different languages from texts written many generations apart are equal does not make it so. However, FFOZ must proclaim absolute continuity between the testaments on even things like word definitions because they are viewing all of scripture through the lens of Torah, but that's not how communication, and certainly now how translation, works. Nobody is earning the grace connected to the Gospel that is proclaimed in the NT. God chooses to whom he will give it, and God freely gives it. To say otherwise is an abomination. Lesson 41 page 9: 'The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah' (Numbers 26:46)...The census mentions a woman named Serah, the daughter of Asher. She's the granddaughter of the patriarch Jacob, and she also appears in the list of Jacob's seventy children who entered Egypt about three hundred years earlier: 'The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah' (Genesis 46:17)" To warn about the disparagement of grace in this Torah Club lesson is the proper focus. That's one of the most dangerous ideas that FFOZ has ever put forth (tough competition there). So, why am I also highlighting this odd embrace of Jewish folklore as the means of interpreting Genesis 46:17, Numbers 26:46, and 1 Chronicles 7:30? The answer is simple enough: poor hermeneutical methods result in foolish teachings, or worse. Why is FFOZ telling Torah Club members that the Serah in Jacob's day was still alive during King David's reign? Jewish folklore says so. Lesson 41, page 10: "At the very least, she must have had longevity comparable to that of the earliest generations recorded in the Bible. Jewish folklore depicts her...According to one legend, she lived into the days of King David, and it was she who saved the inhabitants of Abel from the king's wrath. You certainly don't need to take that literally or believe it all, but, for the record, there really was..." I've seen this type of caveat many times in FFOZ materials. A bold claim is made that is pulled from extra-biblical literature, the lesson says "you don't have to believe it," and then the lesson moves ahead with that bold claim assumed as fact. The "but, for the record" reveals where the heart of the author of this chapter lies. In case you are wondering, there are plenty of names in the Bible that occur a few times over spans of generations. To assume that it is the same human being who is still alive solely on the basis of the name is NOT a normal exegetical conclusion. If the interpretation is just a folktale, and whether Serah lived the normal spans of years or 600 doesn't have any real theological significance, why should we care? We should care because FFOZ is using these extra-biblical sources to interpret holy scripture. The other times they use this method are much more consequential. It is part of a dangerous pattern of treating God's Word as if it is putty to be molded and shaped as needed. Do other teachers and ministries also selectively utilize and interpret God's Word to suit their viewpoint? Absolutely, it is sadly far too common. "What about..." is no excuse. All who treat God's Word in this manner should be held accountable. In the end, Lesson #41 of the Beginning of Wisdom is yet another reminder of why no follower of Jesus Christ ought to entrust his or her discipleship to FFOZ. |