Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-8 Through 5-14-16

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Kedoshim — Leviticus 19:1 – 20:27
Haftarah —Amos 9:7-15
Prophets — Jeremiah 3:1 – 9:26
Writings — Job 20:1 – 26:14
Testimony — Acts 23:1 – 27:44

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 5/8 through 5/14/16.

 

Is YHVH Raising Up Modern Day Jeremiah’s?

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Jeremiah the prophet received a direct call from YHVH Elohim to warn the nation of Judah, YHVH’s people, of impending judgment if they would not repent and return to his Torah. YHVH commissioned the prophet to warn and to rebuke those at all levels of society: kings, princes, priests and people (1:18). Is it likely that YHVH will raise up a prophet or prophets in the last days prior to the return of Yeshua the Messiah who will be doing the same thing as Jeremiah?

Jeremiah did not feel adequate to the job (1:6), yet YHVH assured him that he was, for YHVH personally had called and empowered him to do what seemed to be an impossible task: for one man, as YHVH’s representative, to set his face against an entire nation and to survive the resulting wrath of the wicked against that righteous man of YHVH (1:7–10; 18–19).

In the end times, will there yet arise true prophets in which the Word of YHVH is shut up like fire in their bones (Jer 20:9) who will utter forth the fiery oracles of YHVH, which like a hammer will smash to pieces the rock-hard hearts of YHVH’s obstinate, rebellious and sinful people (Jer 23:29)?

Yeshua prophesied that in the last days false prophets would arise, and if possible, would deceive the very elect (Matt 24:11, 24). If Satan the adversary has his false prophets on Continue reading →

 

Examples of Deluding Lies in the Hebrew Roots Movement

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15125293I got this comment from Bill in response to my recent blog post entitled “Will you be deluded into following the big lie?” It is so excellent and expresses my exact thoughts so well that I have decided to post it in its entirety without editing. My response follows. — Natan

Bill’s comment:

Would this explain the phenomena of those being deluded by the “flat-Earth” movement? It seems to be a very strong “heart idol” to those who have succumbed to it. It’s way more than just an errant understanding of astronomy and the natural world. It involves interpreting selective parts of Scripture to “prove” a “flat-Earth” and it gets wrapped around the axial of “righteously” endeavoring to expose the vast, conspiratorial lie of NASA and Science which has satanicly been deceiving the world about a “flat-Earth” – because, their delusion asserts, if the spherical Earth “deception” was exposed, then people would know YHWH is real, He would be “proved.” The focus of these adherents shifts away from The Way of Yahshua and becomes supplanted with endless “witnessing” that the earth is “flat” and that we must awaken those deceived by a “ball Earth.” They actually think they are in alignment with His will by pursuing such a quest (and some, too, pursue side-tracking, itching ear topics like the Nephelim (with emphasis on the Book of Enoch), etc.). Even worse, there are some self-appointed leaders of our Hebraic Roots understanding, who get empaneled at conferences, who spout-off such side-tracking issues and get carried away by them. When others who are considered legitimate leaders of Hebraic Roots are informed about this delusion coming upon, and being propagated by, fellow “teachers,” instead of rebuking it, they just evade the matter under the concept of “echad,” unity….go along to get along…we can still fellowship and break bread with one another even though we have different opinions; as if this were the same kind of “difference of opinion” matter as the cslendar. It’s not, imo. The hyper Conspiracism inflicting the hearts, minds, and souls of a growing number of those in the Hebrew Roots movement is alarming. It needs sine very bold rebuking by legitimate leaders and teachers who are truly inspired by Elohim and not self-promoting false teachers inciting intrigue about matters such as the “flat-Earth” and distorted emphases on the Nephelim, etc. / Natan, are you aware of this developing delusion coming over a growing segment of our brothers and sisters?

Natan’s response:

Thank you for your post. Yes, I am aware of these issue and totally agree 1000 percent with everything you have said and have been trying to deal with these things behind the scenes with people who contact me about the flat earth and hyper-conspiratorial viewpoints. THE FLAT EARTH, BOOK OF ENOCH AND OTHER SUCH SUBJECTS ARE A GREAT DISTRACTION TO TAKE OUR EYES OFF YESHUA AND THE BASIC GOSPEL MESSAGE! I can’t emphasize this point enough! These side topics DO NOT bring us into a closer walk with Elohim through Yeshua; therefore, they are not edifying the body of Yeshua in anyway. Rather they are taking us away from him. They are moving us into the area of Hebrew roots gnosticism! Satan is having a heyday as he spews out his flood of deceptive words (see Rev 12:15) through the vehicle of the internet’s tree of knowledge of good and evil.

 

Will You Be Deluded into Following “the Big Lie?”

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Isaiah 66:4, I choose their delusions. When people who know the truth of YHVH apostatise from his truth, in an effort to bring them back to him, he will discipline them as a loving parent to bring his children back to him. This process begins when people allow false gods or heart idols to replace devotion and obedience to YHVH (Ezek 14:1–5).

Many times, people seek YHVH’s blessings and favor, while at the same time worshiping the idols of their hearts. When a person is in this spiritual condition and they ask for YHVH’s guidance in a matter, a person isn’t able to clearly hear the will of YHVH, since any light of truth they may receive from him will be filtered through the tinted windows of their idolatrous hearts. They will hear only what they want to hear from him. In fact, YHVH promises to answer a person “according to the multitude of his idols” because he is “estranged from me by [his] idols” (Ezek 14:5). This is part of the humbling and testing process YHVH puts his people through as they trek through the wilderness of life en route to the Promised Land of their spiritual inheritance. He wants to see what’s in their hearts and determine whether they will obey all of his commandments whole-heartedly or not (Deut 8:2–3).

As a judgment against his wayward people, YHVH will allow them to come under spiritual delusion in an effort to bring them back to him in hopes of helping them to see that the proverbial grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence.

This is what happened to the prodigal son in Yeshua’s parable when he returned to his father’s house after having lived riotously for a season.

When people turn from YHVH and choose to serve other (or foreign) gods (or idols), YHVH may allow those gods to rise up to enslave his people (Jer 5:19).

Sometimes YHVH will even send a deluding or lying demonic spirit to further deceive his hard-hearted and rebellious people (2 Chr 18:22).

During the end times apostasy, YHVH will send a strong delusion to his saints who don’t love his truth enough to fully obey him. They will end up believing “the big lie”  of the man of sin. This man of sin is the agent of Satan and whom Paul characterizes as the lawless or Torahless one (2 Thess 2:8–12).

 

What Scripture Says About the Messianic Era or Millennium

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The Millennium or Messianic Era lasts for a 1000 years. (Rev 20:2–7)

The regathering back into the land of Israel (the Promised Land) of Israelites who have been scattered throughout the earth in fulfillment of YHVH’s promises to Abraham is to occur. (Jer 32:36–38; Isa 14:1–2; Isa 60: 4, 9)

Ancient Israel entering the Promised Land is a type of believers entering into the Millennium. (Heb 3–4)

During the Millennium the following is to occur:

Elohim will live with his people. (Ezek 37:26–28)

David will rule as King over Israel. (Ezek 37:24–25)

YHVH’s annual feasts will be kept by all people. (Ezek 46:3–6; cf Col 2,16–17)

YHVH’s government will be established on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Torah will go forth from Mount Zion and the nations will go up to Mount Zion to worship YHVH in the house (temple) of YHVH. (Mic 4:1–2)

A highway of YHVH, or a highway of holiness will lead to Zion. (Isa 35:8–10)

Whether literal or spiritual, living waters will flow from Jerusalem and Yeshua’s throne. In Ezekiel’s vision, water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east. (Ezek 47:1; also Zech 14:8)

On the banks of this river, there were very many trees on each side. (Ezek. 47:6–9)

People will live to a very old age. (Isa 65:20)

Crowds of people will flock to Jerusalem. (Zech 2:1–4; Isa 49:14)

The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt. (Zech 6:15; 14:20–21; Hag 2:6–9)

The Messiah will be king over the whole world. (Zech 6:9–13; Isa 11:1–5; Rev 20:6; 5:9–10)

The nations that do not want to serve and obey YHVH will be destroyed. (Isa 60:12; Zech 14:16–19; Isa 9:5–7)

The Millennium is the fulfillment of many glorious prophetic promises YHVH has made concerning his people of Israel (including Christians). Many Christians see the Millennium as the place where the righteous Israelites (i.e. Jews) will reign with Messiah, while the Christians will be reigning spiritually in heaven. In other words, the Jews have a physical inheritance or kingdom on this earth, while the Christians have a spiritual inheritance and kingdom in heaven. For those who believe this way, the Millennium is a symbolic metaphor for heaven.

For those who believe that the Millennium is merely a symbolic metaphor, the 70 or so scriptures in the Tanakh dealing with the Messianic Age are assigned to the “church.” To interpret Scripture in this manner is a form of spiritualization of the peshat or plain meaning of these prophecies and a form of replacement theology where the church as replaced the Jewish people. Much of this confusion stems from not knowing who Israel is as opposed to the Jews (descended primarily from the tribe of Judah, which is only one of the twelve tribes of Israel).

In my understanding of the Millennium, we take literally the words of Yeshua when he said that the meek would inherit the earth (Matt 5:5), not heaven. For us, this means that YHVH’s people, the saints, made up of both the Jews and those of the nations who combine in Yeshua to become the one new man and nation of Israel (Eph 2:11–19) and part of the olive tree of Israel (Rom 11:17ff), and are the seed of Abraham (Rom 4:16; 9:8–11; Gal 3:7,  8,  14,  28–29). These people will rule with Yeshua as kings and priests in his kingdom on earth for a thousand years during his millennial kingdom on earth (Rev 1:6; 5:10).

 

Job — the Heavenly Treasure Hunter

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Throughout the entire book of Job, Job is seeking higher spiritual truth beyond the conventional wisdom of the religious folks of his day.

It was the prevailing viewpoint that all human suffering was a direct result of sin, and that blessing was a result of obedience to the laws of Elohim. In the minds of those who held this viewpoint, there was middle ground between these two poles. Job’s wife took it a step further. She urged him to take the easy way out by admitting that he was a sinner and then to curse Elohim and give up and die (Job 2:9).

Not only was Job earnestly seeking the middle ground of truth, but also the higher ground. He knew there was a higher truth that his friends and wife were missing and despite the discouraging and misguided lectures from is so-called friends, he doggedly sought that revelation in the midst of his suffering.

His diligent persistence finally paid off when YHVH not only sent him a wise human counselor, but also himself showed up at the end of the book to answer Job’s longing question that begged an answer.

Yeshua said that those who would persistently ask, seek and knock would acquire the desires of their hearts (Matt 7:7). Likewise, Paul teaches us that we will reap in due time if we don’t grow weary and faint in the mean time (Gal 6:9).

This is the story of Job’s life, and should be our story too. Keep seeking the higher truth. Even as the earth doesn’t yield its gold nuggets without much digging and toil; likewise, heaven doesn’t give up its rich spiritual treasures except to those who will value them enough to earnestly and arduously dig for them.