PETER'S FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE JEWISH BELIEVERS

Now it happened that after the great fire that destroyed Rome, that Nero set about to apprehend all those he considered subversives and malcontents in the city. So he rounded up all those involved with Jewish messianic movements, and among them were included the leaders of the sect of the Nazarenes. Thus Simon Kefa once again found himself in prison. Having been judged by the People and the Senate of Rome of the crime of rabble rousing and sedition against the Emperor, he was sentenced to die by crucifixion. On the eve before the sentence was to be carried out, the Jewish believers in Rome who were at large came to visit him, to hear his final words of exhortation.

And looking about the crowd that had come to visit him and to say farewell, he smiled upon them. He spoke:

Beloved, my heart is heavy, knowing what great trial by fire shall befall Israel. For evil-doers shall arise, anti-Christs who shall speak in the name of the master, to profane his name by lies and slander as touching the Elect of G-d, the House of Israel, over whom he is king. And they shall slay many of us, and many more shall they exile to the far corners of the earth; and they shall persecute our people, mocking the TORAH, until the very name of Israel shall become a curse among the gentiles. All this shall come to pass in the name of the kingdom of Heaven and in the name of the Son of Man. Remember then his words,

     'Not every one that saith unto me, lord, lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, lord, lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I say unto them, I never knew you! Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. For when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall say unto the righteous, I was hungry, and ye gave me food. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me in, naked, and ye clothed me, sick, and ye visited me, in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say unto them that despised his brethren, the House of Israel, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. For I was hungry, and ye gave me no food. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me not in. I was naked, and ye clothed me not. I was sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them that despised his brethren, the House of Israel, saying, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of my brethren, ye did it not to me. And they who have hated us shall go to everlasting punishment.'

But before the end times, darkness shall descend upon the world when the powers of Satan are let loose. When our children shall be thrown into the fires, then those who call themselves by the name of our master, falsely, shall turn their backs to the tree which should have nourished them but which they shall let be consumed; so shall they allow the beast to have his way. Then the grafted branches shall boast against the true vine, saying, 'You do not bear us! Begone from us!' But in the last days, when the fires shall have abated, then the remnant of Israel shall once again return to their Land to rebuid it and to give praise to Heaven. Yet the nations will continue to rage against us and rebuke us, even in the face of great miracles which HASHEM our G-d shall perform before them. All these things shall continue until our master shall return, descending from the clouds of heaven - to execute judgment and vengence upon our enemies.

And lastly, my beloved brethren of the House of Israel, I abjure you to be watchfull of deceivers, and of false prophets, and of those who claim to be apostles tough they deny that Jesus of Nazareth whom WE have known after the flesh, and they that declare the TORAH of Israel's G-d to be void. For THEY, in the end, will also make void the G-d of Israel and His true Chosen People!

My brethren, remember the words of Malachi, the final prophet whom HASHEM sent to comfort us, that we should not forget the TORAH of Moses, His servant, and the words of Jacob, the master's brother, that he who had not MITSVOT to his credit shall not inherit G-d's Kingdom, and did not the master himself say that only those who do the will fo the Heavenly Father shall get eternal life? For know one thing, my brothers and sisters, even as our Sages have said,

     "He who profanes that which is holy, such as SHABBAT, and despises the Festivals, and puts his fellow Jews to shame publicly, and annuls the circumcision covenant of Abraham our father, and interprets the Torah in ways that do not agree with our HALACHAH, even though he knows the TORAH, and had practiced good works, that man has no share in the world to come."

You all know that G-d made choice that the gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel. And our people who believed said TORAH of Moses. Nevertheless, Yakov, the master's brother, and I had determined that the gentiles would not be forced to become Jews against their will. But that they were to abstain from idols, and from lewdness, and from NEVELAH, and from blood.

Yet false men arose, even false teachers among them, who brought in damnable heresies, and many have followed their pernicious ways. They have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his iniquity, the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure the ignorant. for while they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy MITSVOT delivered unto them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan, because they hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

If a man tell you that he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is circumcision outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and not circumcized, if he say that there is a remnant according to the election of grace which are not Israel, he is a liar and an impostor using the name of Jesus. Shun him.

If a man tell you that he is an apostle and has not known our master after the flesh, he is a dissimulator. Such a man is compared to Balaam the prophet of the gentiles. Both he and Balaam have been known as those who fell down and saw visions. Regarding Balaam, our Sages have said that his visions were polluted. Therefore, so deduce from this about the visions of the liar. Has not the TORAH ever taught that, in order to avoid confusion, and to have an orderly universe, there must always be separation, HAVDALAH, in order to make a clear distinction between Israel and the gentile nations? How can it then be said that there is neither Jew nor Greek, but all are one in Jesus? It is foolishness!

If a man refer to us as dogs, evil workers, concision, as those who do not worship G-d in the spirit, and have only confidence in the flesh, he is anathema to us. If he has claimed to be of the stock of Israel, even a Pharisee, zealous, blameless in the TORAH, yet in the next breath, says that he does count these things but dung, he is a hypocrite, and an enemy of Israel, YIMACH SHEMO VEZICHRONO! Have nothing to do with such a one. For his goal is not to us or to Jesus our master. Nay, his wish is to annul us for his own hatefull reasons, that HE may glory in himself more than G-d.

If a man speak in the name of our master and say that we are enemies of the cross of our master, that our end is destruction, that our god is our belly because we wish to observe that which HASHEM commanded us regarding clean and unclean, and that we mind only earthly things, and as concerning the gospel, we are enemies, may his name be blotted out for he is a false apostle who wishes our destruction. If he say that we make a boast of the TORAH and yet disobey its commandments, and dishonor G-d, That circumcision profits only if we obey the TORAH, and that we are Law breakers, that our circumcision is made uncircumcision, turn your backs upon him. He is an enemy of Israel.

Does he say that G-d has given us the spirit of slumber, eyes that we should not see, and ears that we should not hear, and be damned! Cast him out and do not call him Brother.

Does he say to the gentiles who have found G-d only because of us that we have fallen that salvation shall come to the gentiles? That blindness has come upon Israel until the fulness of the gentiles has come in? Cast him out.

How can such a one say that he establishes the TORAH if he also says that the TORAH works wrath? Does he say that where there is no TORAH, there is no transgression? So do the gentiles say.

If any man tell you that TORAH was given in order that sin might abound, he is a madman and a blasphemer against the L--d G-d of Israel.

Does he say that no good thing dwells in his flesh? G-d has created our flesh good as He says in scripture. If he cannot do good but only evil in the face of his own desires, let him not implicate us. For we too know that we sin. Yet with G-d is forgiveness if only we do His will which is TORAH.

How can a man say of Israel to the gentiles that we have a zeal for G-d, but not according to knowledge, and that we are ignorant of God's righteousness, and go about to establish our own righteousness, and not be accounted a traitor? Spit upon such a one.

Did our master ever say that his coming is the end of TORAH for righteousness to every one that believes? No! For HE himself followed most carefully every YOD and TAGA of it. For Heaven itself proclaims that It does not impose a harsh Law upon us but that it is nigh unto us, in our mouth, and in our heart, to do it.

For if any be a hearer of the TORAH, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his face in a glass. He beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was. But a doer of the TORAH, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If you fulfil the Royal TORAH according to the scripture, you shall do well. Yet whosoever shall nullify one point is guilty. For no one can annul even one MITSVAH of it. What profit does a man have if he says that he has faith, and not MITSVOT? Can faith save him? Faith without MITSVOT is dead? Were not all our forefathers justified by works? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without MITSVOT is dead also. If a man stand in judgement of the TORAH, he is not a doer of the TORAH, but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are you that judges His TORAH? For the dead, small and great, shall stand before G-d, and the book shall open, the TORAH of life, and the dead shall be judged out of those things which are written in the Book, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.

Remember that you are a Chosen People, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. Therefore show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Sanctify HASHEM in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. Help one another, not by constraint, but willingly, and not for filthy lucre but of a ready heart. Then when the chief shepherd appears, you shall receive a crown of glory that does not fade away. Finally, be of one mind, having compassion one to another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but on the contrary, render blessing one to the other, knowing that you are so called, that you should inherit a blessing.

Now therefore - be of good faith and pray, Magnified and Sanctified be His great Name in the world which He has created according to His will, and may His salvation blossom and may His MESHIACH come, and may His Kingdom come during your lifetime and during your days, speedily and at a near time.

MARAN ATA! YAVO MAREYNU!

Peace be upon all Israel. Amen.


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