From the Foreword

Writing a book about God’s Word is a serious undertaking, not to be entered into lightly. It comes with a weighty responsibility before God. The same can be said of publishing such a work. Therefore, it is with some consternation that we at First Fruits of Zion place this work before you. There are some risks involved. It is a dangerous business.

In the preface to his inspiring book Birthright, Professor David Needham points out, that any book about God’s Word which challenges mainstream, conventional notions of faith and practice is risky primarily for two reasons. The first danger is that the book will become fuel for religious radicals whose greatest source of delight lies in iconoclasm. Such a person has an unhealthy love for overturning the theological tables of other believers. He gets a perverse charge out of labeling other people’s sacred institutions as false or pagan, and feels smugly self-righteous when he does. He lives on radical teachings and leaps upon every opportunity to fracture harmony within his congregation and even within his own family.

But there is another risk, an even greater danger than fueling the misguided zealot. Because a book like this does challenge some of our most deep-seated, traditional Christian ideas, many sincere traditional Christians will reject it on this basis alone. Such a person is quick to shun any teaching that might force them to reexamine their understanding of biblical truth. Such a person might feel as if his narrow scope is a mark of special piety, and he will regard it as a religious duty to reject at first sight any suspicious teaching.

This book is intended for neither the iconoclast, nor the traditional Christian afraid to step outside of the box. This book is intended primarily for you—a believer who is committed to the authority of God’s Word, even if it means rethinking a few deep-seated belief systems or reluctantly engaging in a little bit of iconoclasm. You are an independent thinker; a serious student of the Bible. You are not afraid to step outside of the proverbial box and be different, if that is what God calls you to do for Him. You are careful and deliberate in your assessment of Bible teaching—critical enough to know bunk when you see it, but open enough to explore unfamiliar ideas. Your faith, up to this point, has been a persistent quest for biblical truth, and the Holy Spirit has directed you in that quest thus far. You find no personal gratification in overturning the theological tables of other believers, but neither are you afraid of seeing your own table overturned—so long as it is Christ who does the overturning. Therefore, you will not be intimidated by what this writer has to say. You will weigh it, consider it, pray over it, and then make your decisions.

My prayer for you is that wherever Messiah might lead you—whether you agree with Daniel’s conclusions or not—that your feet would be quick to follow.

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Boaz Michael
Founder/President
First Fruits of Zion

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