STATE OF THE DEAD: NO INTERCESSOR

By HUNTER

WHERE DID WE COME FROM IN THE FIRST PLACE?
"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth... God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them." [Gen 1:1, 27]
OUT OF WHAT DID GOD ACTUALLY CREATE MAN?
"And the Lord formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and man became a living soul." [Gen 2:7]
WHAT ABOUT THE CREATION OF WOMAN?
"And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he woman, and brought her unto
the man." [Gen 2:21-25]
WAS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN MAN BEING FORMED AND WOMAN BEING
MADE?
These two words in Hebrew clearly reflect God "forming" man out of one substance changed to
another (dust to flesh) whereas woman was "made" or extracted from an already existing matter
- the rib of Adam (flesh and bone to flesh and bone) [Gen 2:23]
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul. [Gen 2:7]
This text tells us that a formed body only became a living body by G-d having breathed [ruach]
into its nostrils the breath of life. Could this text be implying that a SOUL [nephesh] is a
combination of two things: a BODY + BREATH OF LIFE from G-d.
ANIMAL WITH THE BREATH OF LIFE
"And every beast after his kind ....went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life" [Gen 7:14-15]
This seems to be a good demonstration of how the Breath of Life [ruach] works as these
animals were to Moshe.
IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENS TO MAN AT DEATH
AND WHAT HAPPENS TO ANY OTHER LIVING CREATURE OR BEAST AT
DEATH??
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the
one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man have no preeminence
above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust
again" [Eccl 3:19-20]
Could this text be making a comparison that gentile nations [goyim] are equal to beasths? And,
through the subtitles could this imply that G-ds people [King Solomon, Judah] have a different
status?
DOES THE BIBLE PRECISELY REAFFIRM WE ARE A SOUL (A LIFE) AND THAT
WE MUST DIE?
"The soul that SINNETH, it shall die." [Eze 18:20]
Does this just maen that a man that breaks the Law must physically die? Or, is this paricope
speaking in a spiritual sense?
IF THE SOUL MUST DIE, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BODY AND THE SPIRIT AT
THAT TIME?
"till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return." [Gen 3:19]
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave
it." [Eccl 12:7]
"...thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust."
Is this for every man or is this for every man except His chosen people? Is this just for those that
turn against G-d? Do the righteous have a different fate? [Ps 104:29]
HOW TO MAKE ATONEMENT
The Bible is clear, and it is consistent: one person cannot die for the sins of another. In other
words, the sins committed by one person cannot be wiped out by the punishment given to
another. In Exodus 32:30-35, Moses asks Gd to punish him for the sin committed by the people
in regards to the Golden Calf. Gd tells Moses that the person who committed the sin is the one
who must receive the punishment. Then, in Deuteronomy 24:16, Gd simply states this as a basic
principle, 'Every man shall be put to death for his own sin.' This concept is repeated in the
Prophets, in Ezekiel 18: 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die... the righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.' The prophet Jeremiah
looks to the day when the mistaken belief that one man's death atones for another man's sins shall
no longer be held by anyone: in Jeremiah 31:29-30, the prophet says: 'In those days they shall
say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But
every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be
set on edge' [Rabbi Stuart Federow].

SINCE ONE CANNOT ATONE FOR ANOTHER, HOW ARE WE TO MAKE
ATONEMENT FOR OUR SINS?

SACRIFICE:
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for
yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. [Leviticus 17:11]

SACRIFICE NOT NEEDED:
If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an offering for
his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or incense on it,
because it is a sin offering. He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a
memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Etrnl by fire. It is a
sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has
committed, and he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the
case of the grain offering. [Leviticus 5:11-13]

NINIVAH FORGIVEN WITHOUT SACRIFICE:
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn
every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will
turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their
works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he
would do unto them; and he did it not. [Jonah 3:8-10]

ISAIAHS SINS FORGIVEN WITH COAL
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs
from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt
is taken away and your sin atoned for. [Isaiah 6:6-7]

GOD REBUKES THEIR SACRIFICES, SO WHAT DOES G-D REALLY WANT?
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to
know wisdom. [Psalms 51:6]

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin
offering hast thou not required. [Psalm 40:6]

Samuel said, Hath the Etrnl as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the
voice of the Etrnl? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams [1
Samuel 15:22]

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The
sacrifices of Gd are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O Gd, thou wilt not despise.
[Psalm 51:16-17]

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with
all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come
upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto
his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy
thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. [Dvarim 4:28-31]

*But if from there you seek the Etrnl your Gd, you will find him if you look for him with all your
heart and with all your soul. [Deuteronomy 4:29]

HOW DO I SEEK G-D?
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. [Psalm 34:14]

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with very secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil. [Ecclesiastes 12:13-14]

WHAT IS G-D TELLING US?
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to
know wisdom. [PSALMS 51:6]

The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. [Palms 37:30]

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
[Proverbs 3:19]

HOW AM I TO GET WISDOM?
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the
instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the
young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a
man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. [PROVERBS 1:1-2,5,7]

So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; [Proverbs
2:2]

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. [Proverbs
2:6]

WHAT IS THE RESULT IF I SEEK G-D WITH ALL MY SOUL?
He prays to Gd and finds favor with him,he sees Gd's face and shouts for joy;he is restored by
Gd to his righteous state. [Job 33:26]

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. [Psalm 32:1]

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the daylong. [Psalm 32:3]

HOW DO I BECOME FORGIVEN OF SIN?
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the Etrnl; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. [Psalm 32:5]

Seek the Etrnl while He may be found;Call upon the Etrnl while He is near.Let the wicked
abandon his ways,and the evil his designs.Let him return to the Etrnl and He will have mercy
upon him;let him return to our Gd, for He is ever ready to forgive. [Isaiah 55:6-7]

"To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." [Proverbs 21:3]

SACRIFICE YOUR SINS TODAY THROUGH PRAYER.
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening
sacrifice. [Psalms 141:2]

"...turn to the Lord, say to Him Forgive all iniquity and receive us graciously, so we will offer the
prayers of our lips instead of calves." [Hosea 14:3]

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise. [Psalms 51:7]

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of Gd rather than burnt offerings. [Hosea
6:6]

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Etrnl a man avoids evil.
[Proverbs 16:6]

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Etrnl than sacrifice. [Proverbs 21:3]

...and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel -- each one aware of the
afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple -- then hear from
heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does,
since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men)... [I Kings 8:38-39]
As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land
because of your name -- for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your
outstretched arm -- when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your
dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth
may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel and may know that this house I
have built bears your Name. [I Kings 8:41-43]
When they sin against you -- for there is no one who does not sin -- and you become angry with
them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;
and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead
with you in the land of their conquerors and say, `We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have
acted wickedly;' and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their
enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward
the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your
dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your
people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you,
and cause their conquerors to show them mercy. [I Kings 8:46-50]

HOW DO I KNOW THIS WILL WORK?
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening
sacrifice. [Psalms 141:2]

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.I cried to him
with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the
Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my
prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love
from me! [Psalm 66:16-20]

The Etrnl is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. [Psalm 34:18]

[G-d] will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he
sware unto them. [Dvarim 4:28-31]

Therefore, I pray, let my Etrnl's forbearance be great, as You have declared, saying, 'The Etrnl!
slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression...' Pardon, I pray,
the iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people
ever since Egypt. [Numbers 14:17-19]

SACRIFICAIL PRAYERS THAT ARE ABOMINABLE
If one turns away his ear from hearing the Torah, even his prayer is an abomination. [Proverbs
28:9]

So now I, the Lord, warn them that I am going to bring destruction on them, and they will not
escape. And when they cry out to me for help, I will not listen to them. [Jeremiah 11:11]

HOW DOES YOU KIPPUR FIT INTO THIS SENERIO?
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean
from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict
your souls, by a statute for ever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall
consecrate to minister in the priests office in his fathers stead, shall make the atonement, and
shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: And he shall make an atonement for the
holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for
the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the
congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the
children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
[Leviticus 16:30-34]

Rosh HaShanah begin this process of reflecting and afflicting oneself in preparation for the final
judgment and the closing of the Gates of Heaven (Yom Kippur). This is a time if for individual
and community rededication and purging of sinsthe renewing of vows by hearing the Word of
G-d again. This is done yearly because humans easily forget the directions given by G-d. The
community is to turn from their ways and live righteously as prescribed by G-d.

HOW IS OUR SINS PAYED FOR?
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for
the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin [Deut. 24:16].
But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall
be set on edge [Jeremiah 31:30].

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall
the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and
the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him [Ezekiel 18:20]
Consider the following excerpt from The Way of G-d, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, pp. 110]
Our deeds incorporate an intrinsic quality of perfection and excellence into man's body and soul.
Evil deeds, on the other hand, incorporate in him a quality of insensitivity and deficiency, all
with a precise measure depending on the deeds, no more and no less.
The righteous man may attain in himself a large measure of brilliance and excellence. From
another side, however, because of the minority of evil deeds that he has done, there is in him an
admixture of darkness and insensitivity. As long as he still has this admixture, he is neither
prepared nor suited to experience God.
The Highest Mercy therefore decreed that some sort of purification exist. This is the general
category of suffering. God gave suffering the power to dispel the insensitivity in man, allowing
him to become pure and clear, prepared for the ultimate good at its appointed time. The amount
of suffering needed to purify the individual would then depend on the amount of insensitivity
that he has acquired as a result of his deeds.
In many cases, it is possible that physical suffering alone would not have the power to dispel this
insensitivity, and in such cases, spiritual purification in the Soul World is also necessary (p.101).
OUR PHYSICAL DEATH PAYS FOR OUR SINS
Consider the following excerpt from The Way of G-d, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, pp. 117].
Suffering may come to an individual in order to make him examine his deeds and motivate him
to repent. This is particularly true in the case of a righteous person who may have commited a
few sins, or in the case of an intermediate individual, whose sins are balanced by good deeds.
Such suffering, however, is not the same as that discussed earlier, which was an atonement for
sin. What we are speaking of now are sufferings meant to motivate a person and awaken his
heart to repent.
Punishment was only created to exist in the absence of repentance. What God truly desires is that
man not sin in the first place, and if he does sin, that he should repent. If one does not repent,
however, he can still be purified through these punishments and thus not be annihilated
completely.
Suffering therefore initially comes to an individual to motivate him to repent. If this is not
effective, then he must also undergo further suffering to cleanse him of his sins. Regarding this,
Elihu told Job (Job 36:10), "[God] opens their ear to discipline, and bids them repent from sin.
THE MASHIACH/MESSIAH
The mashiach will be a great political leader descended by a pure male line from King David
(Jeremiah 23,5). The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (The Mashiach, son
of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah
11,2-5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a
great military figure who will win battles for Israel, freeing the Jews of foreign domination and
establishing a Torah-based kingdom in Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous
decisions (Jeremiah 33,15). But above all, he will be a fully normal human being, not a god,
demi-god, or other supernatural being.

WHAT WILL MASHIACH DO?
Before the time of the mashiach, there will be war and great suffering (Ezekiel 38,16). Then the
mashiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing
all Jews outside Israel back to Israel, and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11,11-12; Jeremiah 23,8;
30,3; Hosea 3,4-5). He will establish a Torah government in Israel that will be the center of all
world government, both for Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 2,2-4; 11,10; 42,1). He will rebuild the
Temple and reestablish its worship (Jeremiah 33,18). He will restore the religious court system
of Israel, if it had not already been reestablished before him, and establish the Torah as the law of
the land (Jeremiah 33,15).

G-D WILL CAUSE ALLTHINGS TO HAPPEN
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of
battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem
on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward
the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward
the north, and half of it toward the south [Zach 14:3-4].

That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my
name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman
shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains
shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my
people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land
which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God [Amos 9:11-15].
37:15-22 Ezekiel is told to take tablet and write upon it for Judah and a second write for Joseph's
Ephraim and hold the two together. This suggests that in the messianic age the lost tribes which
were headed by Ephraim will come together and there will be one nation. It also is the first place
that is interpreted as the coming of two messiahs; the Messiah ben Joseph and the Messiah ben
David. This is first mentioned in the Talmud Succoth (52a) and then by the Saadia Goan. The
Talmud says the Messiah ben Joseph will die fighting perhaps in the apocalyptic war envisioned
by Ezekiel in chapter 38.
The idea of messiah god-man is not a Biblical concept that will come and restore all things. This
is considered a Messiah Cult inside Judaism and especially Xanity. God is the King of Israel
His first begotten. I Samuel 8:20 is a perfect example of G-ds people wanting such a person to
reign over them. The nations surrounding them had kings and in those days kings were
considered as god-kings. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the
people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me,
that I should not reign over them... Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel;
and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and
that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the
words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to
Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of
Israel, Go ye every man unto his city [I Samuel 8:7,19-22].
FINAL THOUGHTS
The bottom line is that G-d has always forgiven His people from sin when they repent at heart,
which means they correct their behavior through their actions. Then they are to hear the Word of
G-d and listen to its instruction in living their lives.

G-ds people have always had access to him when they cry with mercy [Psalms 116:1]. The
most abominable is the notion that we need an intercessor to G-d by creating idols. These idols
symbolize a channel to G-d and His Mercy that otherwise would not be accessible. These idols
do not have to be tangible; they can maintain a theological or ideological form: simple object,
Mithras, Tammuz, Zeus, and/or Jesus. G-ds hears His peoples voice because they have direct
access.

The sacrificial system was in place to show the effect of ones actions on others. It was to
influence the change of behavior of the offering presenter. It was a tragic experience to have to
give ones best animal that he tended for someone else to kill it. This was to be a process for the
person to suffer the pain of their sins and change their ways. This system became offensive to G-
d when people began to think that the animal or a person could/can/would pay for their sins. This
was the biggest downfall in causing others to sin without remorse. Continuing their behavior,
G-d punished them for it and did not hear their prayers because they did not repent in their heart.
HaShem has always asked for Israel to repent and come back to Him.

People do not need to wait for an intercessor of G-d to be obedient, improve on ones self, and
make this world a better place. People do not need to aimlessly wait for a messiah, for G-d will
establish all things to come including the two messiahs: king and priest. Israel is G-ds first
begotten and servant that is to be light unto all nations [Exodus 4:22; Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 60:13].
This is Israels purpose and Truly His people have a direct line to Him, for He listens to His
people and answers their prayers.

SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
This line of thought is what the Hebrew Bible says consistently and directly. Evidentially the
Bible states that we have a clear path to G-d and in order to receive forgiveness we must truly
repent, change our ways, for our actions on this "middle earth" determines our over-all fate
regardless of the sacrifice. What comes out is the closeness to G-d when we are brokenthe
meek shall inherit the earth. The humble are those that are more lowly. Still waters run deep.
"But his delight is in the Law of Yehovah; And on his Law doth he meditate day and night. And
he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also doth not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper The wicked are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the
judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" [Psalms 1:2-5].

The question remains of the two groups that the Bible depicts; whether or not someone is one of
G-ds people. This is evident by doing what is spoken of in His Commandments, which are His
Instructions; also known as Torah.