Lifting Holy Hands Without Wrath (Orgy)

Lifting.Holy.Hands.Without.Wrath.Orgy

It should concern us when people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to teach people "lifting holy hands" or "lift up the name of the Lord" as a structured act of "worship." Lifting hands over the head and waving them is a taught religious practice. It does not normally happen (except in utter lostness and hopelessness) unless it is in response to a charismatic leader with whom the worshipers have developed a too-close connection.

In 1 Timothy 1 Paul takes note of the dogs and sorcerers which plagued all religious assemblies.  The dogs were Catamites or male homosexuals who had a way of singing which attracted partners for the night. Paul told the Philippians that he worshipped in the SPIRIT as opposed to in the FLESH because outside there were dogs.  In Acts 20 Paul identified the Wolves which were elders who would open the gate to the effeminate and In Revelation 18 John identified the speakers, singers and musicians as sorcerers.

In chapter two after discussing lifting holy hands Paul addes WITHOUT WRATH: this was the musical, charismatic worship which was always based on the notion that the "gods" would hurt you.  Click for the meaning of WRATH as ORGE or orgy which invovled musical performance often by prostitutes or homosexual musicians arousing people.

The old wives tales point to Jewish and pagan myths:

Arnobius Heresies V For whence could the violet's sweet scent have come had not the addition of those ointments modified the putrefying smell of the member? Pray, when you read such tales, do you not seem to yourselves to hear either girls at the loom wiling away their tedious working hours, or old women seeking diversions for credulous children, 92 and to be declaring manifold fictions under the guise of truth? Acdestis appealed to Jupiter to restore life to his paramour: Jupiter would not consent, because he was hindered by the fates more powerful than himself ; and that he might not be in every respect very hard-hearted, he granted one favour-that the body should not decay through any corruption; that the hair should always grow; that the least of his fingers alone in his body should live, alone keep always in motion. Would any one grant this, or support it with an unhesitating assent, that hair grows on a dead body,-that part  perished, and that the rest of his mortal body, free from the law of corruption, remains even still?

92 [ graw/deij mu/qouj 1 Tim. iv. 7. Compare Ignatius, vol. i. p. 62, note 3. But even the old wives' tales among Hebrews were clean in contrast with the horrible amusements here imputed even to the girls at the loom, and children , among the Gentiles.]

It is impossible to take verses out of their whole "thought process context."  In chapter one Paul warns about the self-speak or "preacher's tales":

1 Tim 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

G3454 muthos moo'-thos e as G3453 (through the idea of tuition); a tale, that is, fiction ("myth")fable.

G3453 mueo moo-eh'-o From the base of G3466 ; to initiate, that is, (by implication) to teach; instruct.

"Now Iamblichus (De Mysteriis, III.ix) goes into the matter of the so-called Corybantic and Bacchic 'frenzies' produced by musical instruments in the Mysteries of Ceres and Bacchus; and in his Life of Pythagoras (xxv) he, further, tells us that:

The whole Pythagoric school went through a course of musical training, both in harmony and touch, whereby, by means of appropriate chants, they beneficially converted the dispositions of the soul to contrary emotions

For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue (babbling) speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit (in his/her mind) he speaketh mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:2

"the condition is that of Ecstasy, the utterances are words or sounds of prayer or praise but are not clear in meaning, and give the impression to the hearer of being mysteries or insane expressions."... This phenomenon seems to include sighs, groanings, shoutings, cries, and utterances either of disconnected words (such as Abba, hosanna, hallelujah, maranatha) or connected speech of a jubilating sort which impresses the observer as ecstatic prayer or psalmodic praise." (Schaff-Herzog, Speaking in Tongues, p. 36)

The second problem in all of these "just out of paganism" was the musical-homosexual performers. Paul said that the Law was for:

1 Tim 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind,

for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons,
and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Paul warned the Philippians that they should worship in the PLACE of the human spirit because OUTSIDE there be dogs. He was speaking of the Cynics and other homosexuals who prowled around the religious institutions seeking whom they might devour.  In The Iamblichus:

13. The agurtes or begging priest generally belonged to the worship of Rhea [ZOE] or Cybele, the Mother. He is frequently depicted in a most unfavorable light. Apuleius speaks of a company of these emasculate priests in the eighth book of the Metamorphoses. They are also described in the Republic of Plato:

"Agurtæ and Mantics frequent the houses of the rich and persuade them that they possess a power granted by the gods to expiate,
by sacrifices and chants any unjust act that has been committed and that they induce the gods by blandishments and magic rites to help them. They collected money in this way, and they also followed the selling of nostrums and telling of fortunes."

Peter warned that the MANY or MOST were not sincere.

2 Cor 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Kapeleuo (g2585) kap-ale-yoo'-o; from kapelos , (a huckster); to retail, i.e. (by impl.) to adulterate (fig.): - corrupt

kapêl-euô , A. to be a retail-dealer, drive a petty trade... kapêleu' drive a trade, 

2. metaph., k. ta prêgmata, of Darius, Hdt.3.89; k. ta mathêmata sell learning by retail, hawk it about, Pl. Prt.313d; k. ton logon tou theou 2 Ep.Cor.2.17 of prostitutes,  ton bion playing tricks with life,

The lifting of HOLY hands--meaning PALMS UP--was to silence the usually females who called attention to themselves while seeing customers. The phrase WITHOUT WRATH repudiates the ORGE or ORGY which defines all forms of institutional religion which depends on arousal speakers and singers to create "spiritual anxiety" which Jesus died to silence.  Jesus quoted Isaiah and Ezekiel to define the sect of hypocrites as performance speakekrs, singers and musicians.

In another paper I have picked off the PERVERTED forms of religion which would be performed by the dogs and sorcerers and sorceresses if they were permitted to DIALOG. That is why Paul silenced them in Romans 14 before he defined the synagogue in Romans 15.

Worship of a female goddesses.

Two-sided and three-sided tokens are sometimes sexual symbols. On this the ritual motifs are the young man and the lady with lifted arms, "I am ready". On the other seal the lady sits with spread legs over a Crab. That is the asterism which is above the head of Water-snake, i.e. it is the original Inanna myth when she leaves the seed to Ereshkigal in Underworld. There also some tokens with the Snake / Water-snake symbol of pregnancy.

Hippolytus notes that:

This is, he says, the great and ineffable mystery of the Samothracians, which it is allowable, he says, for us only who are initiated to know. For the Samothracians expressly hand down, in the mysteries that are celebrated among them, that (same) Adam as the primal man.

And habitually there stand in the temple of the Samothracians two images of naked men,

having both hands stretched aloft towards heaven,
and their pudenda erecta, as with the statue of Mercury (Hermes, Logos) on Mount Cyllene.

And the aforesaid images are figures of the primal man, and of that spiritual one that is born again, in every respect of the same substance with that man.

This, he says, is what is spoken by the Saviour: "If ye do not drink my blood, and eat my flesh, ye will not enter into the kingdom of heaven; but even though," He says, "ye drink of the cup which I drink of, whither I go, ye cannot enter there. [John vi. 53 ; Mark x. 38.]

Worship of the masculine God.

Here is the masculine priests doing, as David insisted, lifting their holy hands to God and His Word:

Difference Between the masculine god and the feminine goddess in Syria according to Lucian:

Twice each day sacrifice is performed to which all come.
To Zeus they sacrifice in silence,
neither singing nor playing on the flute;

but when they present offerings to Hera [Atargatis],
then they sing and flute and shake rattles.

So: "I will lift up my ARMS as an act of Worship to Get Power from God"?

Well, not quite. The message is "lift up holy HANDS" but not thy arms! Can't care about latter day comments about modern practices. If thy hands are holding thy "Word" above thy head then thou cannot "read" God's Holy Message.

"Lifting of unholy hands" was to the pagan priestess who seduced you with music. Lifting up Hands is not the message: it is lifting up HOLY hands. That means hands dedicated to God and not to public performance "worship." We are lifting up unholy hands if the musical performance impels us to do it.

"Who do not worship through vain deceits
The works of men, of gold, and brass, and silver, and ivory,
And images of dead men, of wood and stone,
Which other men, led by their foolish inclinations, worship;

But raise to heaven pure arms:
When they rise from bed, purifying themselves with water,
And worship alone the Eternal, who reigns for ever more." Clement

Inanna/Ishtar was worshiped by the Women in the Jerusalem Temple while the men bowed and raised their hands to the sun image in the east. They lamented for Tammuz with the flute to try to arouse him from the dead to help Inanna restore the FERTILITY (children, calves, church members).

Lifting Unholy Hands

As the goddess of war and strife, she held the title Ninkur-ra-igi-ga, "the queen who eyes the highland" meaning that other lands feared her. Battle was called the "dance of Inanna, and she was at the very heart of it. She was "the star of the battle-cry, who can make brothers who have lived together in harmony fight each other". She is known for causing the fall of the city of Agade.

Inanna is seen as cruel and violent paradox, a "combination of male aggressiveness with the force of a superabundance of female sexuality". She intentionally breaks the boundaries between the sexes as well as between the classes:

Though I am a woman, I am a noble young man,
Her coming forth is that of a hero...lordship and kingship he placed in her hand.

When I take my stand at the rear of battle, verily I am the woman who comes and draws near. When I sit in the ale-house, I am a woman (but) verily I am and exuberant man.

When I am present at a place of quarrelling, verily I am a woman, a perfect pillar.
When I sit by the door of the tavern, verily I am the prostitute who knows the penis. The friend of a man, the girl-friend of a woman.
Needless to say, she also carries the rank of "harlot" "The goddess's roles as prostitute and warrior place her outside of the female domestic domain and in the extradomestic.

None of the evidence about "lifting hands" as a magical, power device has any Biblical foundation. We don't know that any of the evidence points to a ceremony of lifting hands which is usually a charismatic response to musical performance as "the idolatry of talent." It is simply impossible to "penetrate through" the image (idol in Willow Creel parlance) of the performing musician and see Christ. It is impossible to listen to the musician's self- composed words (in violation of so many proofs) and listen to Christ's Words. Therefore, it seems impossible to this engineer who has run the experiment many times to remotely think about God or spiritual things with other's mouth open. I contend that it is impossible! And the STARS know it!

In Gnosticism which is built on the Ancient Near Eastern Myths, Zoe is the "female instructing principle." She is is defined in Lucifer terms as the BEAST. She/he is personified by the king/qeen of Tyre who is called The Harp-Paying Prostitute because he/she used music, sex and perverted sex ans POWER DEVICES in his/her COMMERCIAL SEEKER SYSTEM. See the real Story of Wen Amun who was a cedar buyer from Egypt. The people used musical deceit to tell him "let not your heart be troubled" you can believe our performing girls.

In Gnosticism Sophia-Zoe system, Zoe is the superior to the LOGOS and she sits at his right to instruct him. She forces the "lesser jehovahs" to be her MUSICAL WORSHIP TEAM.

Of course, in this system things are reversed: it is the male leadership which praises and worships her as the presides over.

Of late many restorationists, however, have revived the ancient practice of lifting the hands in worship because they have sought to emulate the Biblical models. It is not to be like others such as Pentecostals. In contrast, childhood instruction to fold little hands in prayer (probably to keep them out of mischief) finds no antecedent in Scripture. Our hands are reflective of our being. Many of us, like the proverbial Italians, cannot talk without our hands.

Yes, we remember Jubilee 98 (on our computer screen) as Madison people as co-founders brought people from all over the country to force them (psychologically intimidated) to LIFT HOLY HANDS. That had nothing to do with the Restoration Movement and most such movements have eradicated the name of Christ from their sign and become Community churches which means "we will take any one's money."

Most Restorationists understand that the focus is not on ARMS but HANDS; but not on HANDS but on HOLY. No one with unholy hands has a right to lift them publically. Lifting holy hands says: "I am innocent of causing division, I honor the demand to 'teach only that which has been taught' and I would never offend one of these little ones." Lifing hands was not to get the BAM power but was evidence that one was remembering the Word of God and lifting that up.

"If folding hands for child's prayer which has no Biblical command" then we are authorized to raise holy hands even when we are "giving heed" to the "awesome song leader and his words. God can read minds and does not depend on sign language. Therefore, promoting a "posture" of prayer or devotion is promoting an Old Testament legalism.

As people begin to yield their hands in expression to God, there often is a corresponding release in their worship. Our own culture suggests meaningful gestures which communicate these various expressions. Palms lifted up might express openness, invitation, surrender. Reaching out signifies entreaty, supplication, and dependence. Hands extended palms out may symbolize extending a blessing to God much as a minister's benediction with hands stretched over the congregation imparts a blessing to them.

No, lifting hands or prayer never has any connection with "releasing worship" in the entire Bible. WORSHIP is giving heed to the Word of God as TRUTH as we teach and meditate on it in our SPIRIT which is the ONLY Place worship takes place to a Holy Spiritual God. What the writer is discussing is getting herself stroked in the Vineyard, Carol Wimber "having a climax with God" which you should pay for in the fifth stage: "Giving of means."

"Without regard to the background of the pastors in attendance, Damazio attempted to lead them into a revival mode through charismatic worship:

"Come on! Lift your hands with me! Holy Spirit, rain on these leaders right now. Oh, rain! Rain! Fall upon these leaders. Let today be one of the first rains. A time where they will open heavens in the presence of God, and they would say out loud,

"Oh, God, it's been so long since I have felt the enthusiasm. Let the rain begin to fall on me right now. Open my spirit. Open my heart. Oh, rain of God, come! Come! Come!"

Now, do you know how to worship? Do you know how to sing praise? Open your mouth and just begin to sing praise out loud. Try it. Come on, just sing it.

"[Singing] Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, this day. Lord, I lift my voice to you right now. Come on, men! Open the floodgates! [Singing) Lord, I lift my voice to you right now. Lord, I praise your name. I praise your name. Let the rain come upon me, Lord. Let the rain come upon my home. Let the rain come upon my ministry right now. I lift up holy hands to a holy God. I open my spirit right now. I open my heart right now.

Oh, come Holy Spirit. Oh, visit me; come upon me. Oh, visit me, Lord God. Oh, Jesus. Oh, rain.

"For the most part the pastors resisted Damazzio's attempt to manipulate their worship. But notice his implication that,

unless they worship in this manner, they don't know how to worship.
This is characteristic of charismatic arrogance that sees as less spiritual those who do not follow the charismatic emotional method of worship and praise.

[This was tried at Jubilee 98 when Mike Cope tried to get everyone to lift up their hands while the musical praise team worshiped at the foot of the Asherah poles. Click Here for Jubilee 98. Jubilee 99's theme with Lynn Anderson was Lifting Up the Name of the Lord.]

See Signs of a Cult.

Oh yes, those who promote raising hands as an act of worship always get around to believing that body posture has some supernatural power over God. Again, this is not a "spiritual" or mental concept but a body-worship form of legalism. What is happening is that self-hypnosis gets the juices flowing and one might confuse a chemical overdose to "worshiping." Howeever, that is an ancient superstition.

Harmony melody magic by Plato In Timaeus

The phenomena of medical cupping-glasses and of the swallowing of drink and of the projection of bodies, whether discharged in the air or bowled along the ground, are to be investigated on a similar principle; and swift and slow sounds,

which appear to be high and low, and
are sometimes discordant on account of their inequality, and
then again harmonical on account of the
equality of the motion which they excite in us.

For when the motions of the antecedent swifter sounds begin to pause and the two are equalised, the slower sounds overtake the swifter and then propel them.

When they overtake them
they do not intrude a new and discordant motion,
but introduce the beginnings of a slower,
which answers to the swifter as it dies away,

thus producing a single mixed expression out of high and low,
whence arises a pleasure which even the unwise feel,
and which to the wise becomes a higher sort of delight,
being an imitation of divine harmony in mortal motions.

If you lift your holy hands then I am supposed to believe that I are not as spiritual. Therefore, you make me uncomfortable not because I am not "hip-hopping with the Spirit" but because you are flaunting your "spirituality." Because body language cannot be communicated to me unless you have an inspired interpreter, you are SPEAKING IN TONGUES. God gave us hands to "lift" in the sense of exercising personal power; he gave us breath, lips (double-edged swords) and tongue to communicate. Unless you are deaf I don't need your sign language speaking in tongues.

We have no evidence that Paul was speaking of a legalistic "act of worship" because individuals always offered their own prayers and sang their own songs and there were no "performance prayers" as there were no "performance singers." Even under the Law of Moses, individuals offered their own prayers because you cannot get into my spirit where I meet God and you will run into the Sword of the Spirit if you even try.

We must never allow lifting our hands to become an empty form; they are to express the inner being to God. As we use our hands to bless God may there be a fresh release of expression from our hearts in prayer, worship, and love to God. "Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name" (Psalm 63:4, KJV).

Our "spirit" communes with God''s Holy Spirit. Our spirit (Romans 8) groans out our weakness in utter silence in the Holy Place of our spirit. We do not worship God with our hands or the works of our hands: that is legalistic.

"Restoration Churches" learned their practices of a "new style worship" with a "new style song book" from the Vineyard movement. Most "song book" publishers have followed suit with contemporary "christian" songs which are mushy sentimental, teach doctrinal error and create the endorphins which create or respond to the impulses of FIGHT, FLIGHT OR SEX.

"After we started to meet in our home gathering, I noticed times during the meeting -- usually when we sang -- in which I experienced God deeply... occasionally we sang a song personally and intimately to Jesus, with lyrics like 'Jesus, I love you.'

Those types of songs both stirred and fed the hunger for God within me... Thus we began to see a difference between songs ABOUT Jesus and songs TO Jesus. "About that time we realised our worship blessed God, that it was for God alone and not just a vehicle of preparation for the pastor's sermon. This was an exciting revelation.

After learning about the central place of worship in our meetings, there were many instances in which all we did was worship God for an hour or two.

"At this time we also discovered that singing was not the only way to worship God. Because the word worship means literally to bow down, it is important that our bodies are involved in what our spirits are saying. In scripture this is accomplished through bowing heads, lifting hands, kneeling, and even lying prostrate before God. ... we are blessed as we worship him.

He visits his people with manifestations of the Holy Spirit. "Thus worship has a two-fold aspect: communication with God through the basic means of singing and praying, and communication from God though teaching and preaching the word, prophecy, exhortation, etc. We lift him up and exalt him, and as a result are drawn into his presence where he speaks to us."

"In the Vineyard we see five basic phases of worship, phases through which leaders attempt to lead the congregation.... as we pass through these phases we are headed toward one goal:

intimacy with God.".... The fourth phase is described as "God Visits His People when "Expression then moves to a zenith, a climactic point, not unlike physical lovemaking... We have expressed what is in our hearts and minds and bodies, and now it is time to wait for God to respond.

Stop talking and wait for Him to speak, to move. I call this, the fourth phase, visitation:"

The fifth phase is called "Generosity "The fifth phase of worship is the giving of substance. The church knows so little about giving, yet the Bible exhorts us to give to God. it is pathetic to see people preparing for ministry who don't know how to give. That is like an athlete entering a race, yet he doesn't know how to run. If we haven't learned to give money, we haven't learned anything... " From Source

Jesus said that God only "seeks" us as we worship "in spirit" or in the mind. And Isaiah 11:4 in defining the "seven spirits of knowledge" which would rest upon Jesus said that God doesn't judge by what He sees with His eyes or hears with His Ears. So, God does not take notice "the works of human hands" and lifting human hands seems to have the BAM power to work supernatural power. What the Psalmist really said had nothing to do with a public display of his worship--which he never did:

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Psalm 63:3

Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. Psalm 63: 4
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: Psalm 63: 5
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Psalm 63: 6

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Psalm 63: 7

"It should not concern me when a brother chooses a posture that differs from my preference. However, it does concern me when it is suggested that the efficacy of one's worship to God is enhanced, or conversely diminished by the particular posture one may assume. Recently, a brother wrote an article saying, "In the privacy of your home, worship the Lord using your hands. Clap for joy as you sing songs of praise. Raise your hands as you pray, giving him honor and receiving his touch. See if your communication with him is not enriched."

"Such statements suggest that the efficacy of one's worship is enhanced by the posture one assumes (in this case, lifting up one's hands). But surely this is not the case. For if the effectiveness of our worship depended upon our posture, would not God have told us? Would He not have left us instruction concerning this matter (II Peter 1:3)? Would He not have advised us to adopt that most effective posture? Surely He would have, but He did not. Steve Higginbotham

The "Holy Spirit" is the Mind of Christ: "Spirit" does not speak of "person" but of mental disposition in both Hebrew and Greek.

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 2 Cor 3:15

Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 2 Cor 3:16

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Cor 3:17

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor 3:18

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1:11

Our flesh cannot be revived with flesh: the spirit must be changed by the Spirit of Christ through His Words:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:

the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Eph 5:18	Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom
Speaking to yourselves	teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs	in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
singing and making melody in your heart	singing with grace in your hearts
to the Lord; Eph 5:19	to the Lord. Col 3:16

If you confuse your own body with Jesus or God Incarnate, you are in a heap of trouble. And if you believe that one third of the God "family" personally lives in your carnal flesh then you are mistaken. Therefore, when your body begins to move when Jesus Christ is trying to speak His Spirit to you then you are not worshiping a Holy Spirit but who knows what.

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant,

and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God:

for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10

The "testimony of Jesus" is the only thing which can be used and still worship Him. If we use our own words and body then we are assuredly worshiping our own body.

The Vineyard Connection: From Worship at the Vineyard (DEAD) believes that:

"As the worship begins and the Holy Spirit touches hearts, an attitute of thanksgiving and surrender sometimes causes us to lift our hands. "Yadah" is the Hebrew word found in the Bible which was translated "praise." It actually means to worship with an extended hand. Examples of lifting holy hands in worship are found throughout the Bible (e.g., Nehemiah 8:6) and it is actually encouraged by Paul in his letter to Timothy (I Timothy 2:8).

First, notice that this hand lifting is claimed as defacto proof that the Holy Spirit has operated directly upon their heart.

Charismatic impulses naturally arise when we see God divided into three co-equal persons with the Holy Spirit Person now "more equal than others." Old legalistic Father is retired to the throne (person-trinitarianism of liberalism means that He is dead), Son is sitting by his literal side having fulfilled his short "Bible" dispensation. Finally, Spirit person is the "god of this age." However, when we understand that God is One and that Spirit is Mind then the full Deity lives among us and we lose the sense of hand-waving lostness.

Handlifting in the literal sense is a sign of hopelessness and surrender rather than superiority as it is often practiced. One does not sing, dance, clap, smile from ear to ear when lifting hands to God:

Yadah (h3034) yaw-daw'; a prim. root; used only as denom. from 3027 (open hand indicating power); lit. to use (i. e. hold out) the hand; phys. to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; espec. to revere or worship (with extended hands); intens. to bemoan (by wringing the hands): - cast (out), (make) confess (- ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank (-ful, -s, -sgiving).

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Is.25:1

This, as we will see below, is holding out and not up the hands. See Neh 8:6 below to show that this is not the typical hand waving.

Those whom the seekers would like to enlist, however, see lifting holy hands as a magical device like an antenna to permit the Holy Spirit as a wee-little person to steal in and make a fool of you. This was the literal hope and practice of David who praised in the halal sense of boasting with instruments.

After discussing the physical abuse (like musical-mental abuse) to get people to prove that they were "getting it" Dr. Cathy Burns notes how dangerous it is to trust yourself to a leader who, in time, doesn't have to manipulate the mind to get the automatic response:

'Look, just come up when you're ready and lift your hands and God will touch you.' I was sitting on the platform -- just sat there and watched them for about an hour and a half. People came right up, got to the front, lifted their hands --BAM!-- on the floor. I just sat there. I didn't even pray. You say, 'What'd you do?' I just sat there and twiddled my thumbs. I thought, 'Lord, I wish every meeting was as easy as this.' Now I had preached the word already and taught the word of God, and then I went and sat down. And they came walking up, got to the front, lifted their hands --BAM!-- under the power of God."(21) READ THE STORY (DEAD Click for similar and More)

If a hypnotist (charismatic preacher) told you to go out and eat grass like a cow and you would get the bam then many of you would go out on all fours, eat grass and sure enough you would get the bam. You see, there is a little love affair going on with any performance person and you may lust to please them!<

Laughter like music is a charismatic device to induce endorphins (morphine-like) drugs to make you feel high. This fight, flight or sex is peddled as the Holy Spirit crawling around in your literal body. And you love it, don't you!

By setting forth some ignored facts this writer does not side with either liberal or conservative side of the judgmental turf battle: they are obverse sides of the same coin.

Scripture does not forbid lifting holy hands if we understand it to mean the palms. Paul did forbid lifting those five-fingered things over the head in the unholy form of the male and female prostitute-prophetesses.

Many of our ancestors always prayed on their knees. And both male and female lifted holy hands as they prayed but not as leaders. However, when they used their hands arms were down by their sides and their palms turned up. This is about as much as you can manage when the head is bowed to the earth.

This would certainly be better than hands folded, gum cracking, "praise team" praising and no one able to penetrate the opaque darkness produced by the worship team to see Christ already in our midst. This was the model of the dedication of the unwanted and unneeded Temple of Solomon. The musicians played and darkness prevented the priests from ministering. But the "common people" outside the gates prayed directly to God and He answered from heaven without going through the team.

What people may not say along with most proponents of female worship leaders and "style over content," is that it is very hard to turn your face flat toward the ground and still wave lifting holy hands up toward heaven.

Prayer and opening the innocent palms toward God is symbolic or a prelude to hearing directly from God through His inspired Word:

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Neh 8:6

Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. Neh 8:7

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. Neh 8:8

We do not see this as a legalistic pattern. Turning palms up to God and bowing is symbolic of a contrite heart. Worship does not attack God like a tiger: it submits to Him, as the words for worship urge, with bashfulness yet boldness.

These people did not lift up their arms and hands expecting to get the BAM. They lifted up their palms expecting God to speak to them through His Word. This is exactly what Paul said in First Timothy as he spoke of lifting holy hands.

Opening the hands as if making a "bowl" is a symbol that you are empty and are turning to God to listen to His Word "as it has been delivered." Those who flail and perform their own songs to the applause of the "worshipers led into the presence of God" surely prove that they have no interest in "coming before Him in silence" as Habbakuk 2 demands.

The commentary of 'Sunan at-Tirmidhee' by al-Haafidh Abdur Raheem al-Mubaarakfooree (d.1353), rahimahullaah - 'Tuhfatul Ahwadhee bisharh Jaami at-Tirmidhee'(Vol2, pp.88-100).

"I saw the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) raise his hands up to his shoulders when he started the prayer, and when he went into ruku' and when he raised his head from ruku', and the son of ibn Umar added in his hadeeth, 'and he did not do that between the two sajdas'

"the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) taught us the prayer" so he stood and made takbeer and raised his hands, then he made ruku' and put his hands together between his knees. And this reached Sa'd who said, 'my brother has spoken truthfully. But we used to do that in the beginning of Islaam, then we were commanded with this. (i.e. placing the hands on the knees in ruku')' Imaam Bukhaaree said: and this is what is preserved according to the People of Research into the hadeeth of ibn Mas'ud"

Exposing the palms or lifting holy hands is symbolic of God's word coming in our direction as if written upon our heart. We have obeyed the direct command to teach to learn the Bible and we can therefore "read" God's word like holding a Book:

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls (protection) are continually before me. Is.49:16
O give thanks (yada) unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Ps 118:29

Those lifting unholy hands had better not be caught trying to prevail over God using their own signs of power to get the BAM. Rather, holding out the hands with palms up is a sign of lostness without God. Again, giving thanks is:

Yadah (h3034) yaw-daw'; to use i. e. hold out the hand... to revere or worship (with extended hands); intens. to bemoan (by wringing the hands): make confession), praise

You cannot show reverence while worshiping with the body.

It is legalistic to look at these statements and define a literal posture for prayer which must be followed. I have never seen a man holding his literal hands up toward God while leading in prayer. There are many postures. For instance, Jesus never prayed in public assembly. And His command was to enter into our closet and pray in secret so that God will answer openly. An increasing number of friends say: "I cannot lead public prayers any more. It is much too presumptious."

Were these people bumping and grinding to the beat of the well dressed musical worship team as they raised their face up and their hands raised threateningly toward heaven? No. Worship is never boasting (halal praise or self display). In both the Old and New Testament, worship connected with hand raising is:

Shachah (h7812) shaw-khaw'; a prim. root; to depress, i. e. prostrate (espec. reflex. in homage to royalty or God): - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down flat, humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

Paul will use a word which can be understood by looking at a crouching dog. He loves you and he wants you to love him. However, the dog is not arrogant nor presumptive.

It is the highest arrogance and the worst heresy and a return to ancient lostness of paganism to believe that you can seduce Jehovah-God with your own body parts, exulting with "praise the Lord's flying on magic carpets of spit."

God outlawed such boasting in His unalterable Law:

You can blow an alarm and make joyful sounds when going into battle to try to panic the enemy. Not so in assembly:

But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow (taqa or to clang an instrument, drive a nail into the head), but ye shall not sound an alarm. Nu 10:7

Alarm is: Ruwa (h7321) roo-ah'; a prim. root; to mar (espec. by breaking); fig. to split the ears (with sound), i. e. shout (for alarm or joy): - blow an alarm, cry (alarm, aloud, out), destroy, make a joyful noise, smart, shout (for joy), sound an alarm, triumph.

While we come boldly before the throne of Christ we do not, like Judas in Psalm 41, try to triumph over Him. Rather, we approach Him with reverence. Raising their holy palms upward and their eyes diverted downward. Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 8 ommented that:

"They stood in their place (v. 7); several ministers were reading and expounding at some distance from each other, and every one of the people kept his post, did not go to hear first one and then another, to make remarks upon them, but stood in his place,

that he might neither give disturbance to another nor receive any disturbance himself. With great attention and a close application of mind: The ears of all the people were unto the book of the law (v. 3), were even chained to it; they heard readily, and minded every word.

The word of God commands attention and deserves it. If through carelessness we let much slip in hearing, there is danger that through forgetfulness we shall let all slip after hearing. (Matthew Henry)

Like Nehemiah, the Psalmist connects lifting holy hands (hands down, palms up as if reading from them) with listening to God through His Word:

And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. Ps 119:47

My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. Ps.119:48

Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Psa119:54

I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law. Ps 119:55

The Pearl-Seven Hymns on The Faith

Hymn I. Ephraim Syrus

1. On a certain day a pearl did I take up, my brethren; I saw in it mysteries pertaining to the Kingdom; semblances and types of the Majesty; it became a fountain, and I drank out of it mysteries of the Son.

I put it, my brethren, upon the palm of my hand, that I might examine it: I went to look at it on one side, and it proved faces on all sides. I found out that the Son was incomprehensible, since He is wholly Light.

In its brightness I beheld the Bright One Who cannot be clouded, and in its pureness a great mystery, even the Body of our Lord which is well-refined: in its undividedness I saw the Truth which is undivided.

It was so that I saw there its pure conception,-the Church, and the Son within her. The cloud was the likeness of her that bare Him, and her type the heaven, since there shone forth from her His gracious Shining.

I saw therein His trophies, and His victories, and His crowns. I saw His helpful and overflowing graces, and His hidden things with His revealed things.

2. It was greater to me than the ark, for I was astonied thereat: I saw therein folds without shadow to them because it was a daughter of light,

types vocal without tongues, utterances of mysteries without lips, a silent harp that without voice gave out melodies.

The trumpet falters and the thunder mutters; be not thou daring then; leave things hidden, take things revealed. Thou hast seen in the clear sky a second shower; the clefts of thine ears, as from the clouds, they are filled with interpretations.

And as that manna which alone filled the people, in the place of pleasant meats, with its pleasantnesses, so does this pearl fill me in the place of books, and the reading thereof, and the explanations thereof.

4. "Searching is mingled with thanksgiving, and whether of the two will prevail? The incense of praise riseth along with the fume of disputation from the tongue, and unto which shall we hearken? Prayer and prying [come] from one mouth, and which shall we listen to?

This lifting holy hands was not a panicky attempt to find the lost God or help bring the worshiper into the presence of God. It was to denounce one's personal worth and talent and turn silent, awe-struck attention toward God and His Holy, unalterable Word--

"I will lift up my hands to thy commandments, which denotes not only a vehement desire towards them (Ps. 143:6)--

"I will lay hold of them as one afraid of missing them, or letting them go;'' but a close application of mind to the observance of them

"I will lay my hands to the command, not only to praise it, but practise it; nay, I will lift up my hands to it,

that is, I will put forth all the strength I have to do it.'' The hands that hang down, through sloth and discouragement, shall be lifted up, Heb. 12:12. (5.)

That he should be thoughtful and considerate in his duty (v. 48): "I will meditate in thy statutes, not only entertain myself with thinking of them as matters of speculation, but contrive how I may observe them in the best manner.''

By this it will appear that we truly love God's commandments, if we apply both our minds and our hands to them. (Matthew Henry.)

Therefore, based on all of the evidence, if you are giving heed to the "awsome" song leader and his words, and you are raising and waving hands like lightening rods, you cannot be remotely LIFTING HOLY HADS TO GOD.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Ps.141:2

Maseth (h4864) mas-ayth'; from 5375; prop. (abstr.) a raising (as of the hands in prayer), or rising (of flame); fig. an utterance; concr. a beacon (as raised); a present (as taken), mess, or tribute; fig. a reproach (as a burden): - burden, collection, sign of fire, (great) flame, gift, lifting up, mess, oblation, reward.

UNTO thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me:lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry (yell for help) unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. Psalm 28:2

Nasa (h5375) naw-saw'; a prim. root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, lit. and fig., absol. and rel. (as follows): - accept, advance, arise, (able to, [armour], suffer to) bear (-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol,

AND Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. Ge.33:1

My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes. Ps.119:48

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. Psa 143:5

I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah Psa 143:6

The hand is not the five-fingered thing at the end of two arms waving above like an antenna trying to catch a secret signal from God or to get the BAM to make you quack like a duck.

Rather, this hand is like a humble handshake of old. One extended their right hand with palm up showing that there was no weapon of superiority. This was the seat of personal power. They abandoned all of their power and authority to God. The hand is not a magical wand but:

Kaph (g3709) kaf; from 3721; the hollow hand or palm (so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); fig. power: - branch, / foot, hand ([-ful], -dle, [-led]), hollow, middle, palm, paw, power, sole, spoon.

When my daughter's beagle really wants my attention, she crawls up and turns over with her paws up. However, when she runs and stomps and barks I know that she is just playing.

The word "hand" usually translates either yad--"hand" or kap- -"the palm of the hand, hand (opened or turned upward so as to expose the hand in contrast with yad 'hand' in general, whether open or closed in a grasp or fist)" (Gleason L. Archer, Jr., in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [abbreviated TWBOT], R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, editors [Chicago: Moody Press, 1980], vol. 1, p. 452). The words seem to be used interchangeably on the subject of lifting hands in prayer and worship, yad 11 times, kap 17 times.

This hand is like a bowl of incense and is related to bowing self down in humble submission to God. People even now hold out their hands at waist level and make a bowl of them:

Kaphaph (g3721) kaw-faf'; a prim. root; to curve: - bow down (self).

The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Ps.145:14

Speaking in tongues would just make people think that you are insane. Indeed, insanity was proof that the "gods" were literally indwelling you. However, by one or two teaching the Words of Christ worship results.

The Corinthians were not "worshiping" but trying to find the lost God. The only person who might worship if they quit their ritual drama would fall on his face and it is really tought to raise hands in that position:

But if all prophesy (teach from inspiration or the Word), and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: 1Cor 14:24

And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 1Cor 14:25

But wouldn't the tongue speakers also be worshiping? Not according to the definition of worship which is like the Hebrew Shachah:

Proskuneo (g4352) pros-koo-neh'-o; from 4314 and a prob. der. of 2965 (mean. to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship.

There are various postures for worship and we are not to suppose that Paul demands a literal falling on our face to make the assembly edifying. However, the assembly was not primarily for ceremonial worship rituals but for the Lord's Supper and teaching.

The halal form of praise was "lifting self up" to try to force one's attention upon God. No wonder that this form of musical worship to bring the worshiper into the presence of God is related to the self-shining Lucifer manifest in the king of Tyre and the king of Babylon:

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials (broad shallow cup like palms) full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Re.5:8

From a similar statement in the Psalms, both the harps and bowls are figurative:

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Ps.141:2

The Jews tried to attract God with loud ritual and musical noise. The bowls of incense were literal. The harps were literal but only connected to animal sacrifices, at the temple and at Jerusalem and for dedicatory or purification ceremonies.

These "harps" make melody "in the heart" (Eph 5:19). The sacrifices are "the fruit of the lips" and the incense is the prayers of our heart issuing from vials or our palms turned up like a bowl.

You can't raise literal holy hands and play literal musical instruments while flat on your face and that is a fact. However, from that position the prayers came from the hollow of their hands as they spoke to the Great God from a humble position. Their prayers were the melody of the heart and their songs the plucked fruit of the lips.

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. Re.8:3

Paul wrote Timothy that men should lift holy hands (as opposed to unholy hands) in public prayer. Men is specifically male and not female. When he said, "likewise concerning" he was defining what women should be doing at the same time. He did not give women permission to "likewise" raise holy hands in the sense of leading the prayer. Everyone has the right to literally or spiritually bow and open their palms upward toward God.

Lest they pervert the Word as it has been today, Paul follows up as in his other letters by denying women the right to teach or exercise their pecularly female authority over the assembly. Attractive, talented women cannot stand before the assembly without exercising sexual power and those who want to attract customers like a pied piper to become dues-paying members know it and use it and abuse it. And your problem is that you believe anything coming over the elevated brow of the pulpit.

Paul's restriction is for those short periods when both men and women are gathered for collective worship. At other times anyone can come before God with prayer because he or she is the only one who knows how to pray for themselves:

If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; 1Ki 8:37

What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague (affliction) of his own heart, and spread forth his hands (palms) toward this house: 1Ki 8:38

Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) 1K 8:39

The musical Levites actually cut off the inner temple and the priests from serving God because it was filled with darkness. Isn't that amazing! Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Amos show that music is the method of those trying to cut off communication with God.

However, the people lifted their own palms to God and prayed literally bypassing the priests and their little box. God heard their prayers from heaven well above and beyond the priests, musical Levites and the physical temple!

You cannot think about two things at the same time and your preacher knows it. You will think about Christ during that communion meal or you will think about the music and the musicians. This is scientific fact and your preacher knows it. If these things are practiced the change agent is not employed by Christ. He is trying to divert your mind from Christ because he cannot stand competition.

What applies to women applies to everyone not inspired or duly selected as presiding elders competent to teach the Word to those willing to be taught. Lifting holy hands must put the emphasis upon the word holy and not hands.

Lifting Hands in Timothy and Titus lifting holy hands, lifting holy hands, lifting holy hands,

Lifting Hands in Corinth

Speaking in Tongues Index

Kenneth Sublett

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