Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

The Feasts, Yeshua the Sun of Righteousness and the Calendar

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Leviticus 23, The Biblical Feasts. Yeshua the Messiah is the Light of the world or the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2) or the Greater Light to show man the path of spiritual darkness of this world. The saints are like the moon or lesser light that reflects the light of the sun or the greater light into the darkness of this world.

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The biblical feasts are calculated based on the lunations of the moon. They YHVH’s plan of salvation to show man the way to Yeshua who is spiritually the Greater Light as represented by the sun. The feasts are like a tract or sermon by which the saints preach the gospel message of salvation to the world. The saints as the lesser light reflect the message of salvation through Yeshua the Greater Light into the darkness of this world through their adherence to the biblical feasts. This is why the moon — the lesser light — is so pivotal to YHVH’s calendar and feasts.

Judah’s calendar is off; it’s not in accordance with the moon. It claims to be, but it’s not. At the same time, they’re not bring the gospel message of Yeshua to the world — only the doctrines of men and men’s traditions. Their whole message is askew and fails to reflect the Greater Light of Yeshua.

Similarly, the mainstream church tries to preach the gospel, but without understanding the moon, feasts and biblical calendar their message of the gospel is only a partial one and is also off.

A time may come in the future when the calendar and feasts will go off the sun and not the moon. This may occur when there is a new heaven and a new earth when Yeshua is ruling on this earth and he will be the only Light of the world. That time isn’t yet, though, for it’s still the saints’ job as the lesser light to be like the moon to reflect the truth of Yeshua, the Greater Light, to this world through a lunar-based calendar and the biblical feasts.

 

Should Men Wear Beards?

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Leviticus 19:27, You shall not shave around the sides of your beard.

Some Torah scholars say that there is no place in the Torah, or anywhere else in the Scriptures, that explicitly commands men to wear beards. Others who are of the opinion that men should wear beards agree that while there may be no direct command to wear a beard, the Scriptures give an implied or indirect command to do so. In other words, it’s assumed that men will have a beard. I am of the latter opinion.

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Some will point to Leviticus 19:27 and 21:5 in attempts to prove that men are to wear beards — that they are not to shave their beards. In reality, this command related specifically to shaving the beard in honor of the dead according to some ritual the ancient pagans practiced. In other words, YHVH is telling the Israelite men not to shave their beards as the pagans did in honor of the dead. What exactly that pagan practice was, we don’t know for sure.

Can these two verses be taken as a prohibition against a man shaving his beard? Those who say no will say that there is no direct command in the Bible to have a beard, but if you do have one, don’t shave it in honor of the dead as the pagans did. Those who say yes will say that these two verses imply a command for men to have a beard; that is, how can you cut something that you don’t already have? There are well-meaning people on both sides of this debate.

These things we know for sure. Aaron the high priest had a beard (Ps 133:2). Yeshua had a beard or else Isaiah 50:6 was a false prophecy. Ezekiel had a beard (Ezek 5:1), Ezra had a beard (Ezra 9:3); David had a beard (1 Sam 21:13); and many Israelite men wore beards (2 Sam 10:4-5; 1 Chr 19:5; Jer 41:5). It is also a religious Jewish tradition to this day for men to have beards, and we know that this tradition is rooted in antiquity.

In addition to this, sometimes a man comes to a point in his life that his hair refuses to grow up top, and wearing a beard can be great compensation for this loss, although this isn’t a scriptural reason for sporting a beard.

As for me, I have chosen to wear a beard. At the very least, it’s quite a Hebraic thing to do. Besides, Yeshua had one, and I like imitating him as much as possible.

Beyond this, what you do is your choice.

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-10 Through 5-16-15

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Behar – B’chukotai — Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34 
Haftarah — Jeremiah 16:19 – 17:14
Prophets — Jeremiah 10:1 – 16:21
Writings — Job 40:1 – 42:17; Song of Solomon 1:1 – 4:16
Testimony — James 3:1 – 5:20; 1 Peter 1:1 – 4:19

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 5/10 through 5/16/15.

 

Judgment on America at the Hands of Edom

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What follows is a heavy message. The excerpt below is from a larger work I wrote and published about ten years ago. The full article can be found at http://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/america.pdf. I encourage you to read it. It discusses how we know that America (and other so-called Christian nations) are in Bible prophecy. In the article below, it assumes the reader has read what precedes it. 

About ten years ago I publicly gave this message and I stated to a large number of people that it was likely that a pro-Edom/Moslem would become the president of the the U.S. This was when it appeared that Hillary Clinton would become the Democrat nominee for president. At that time, it seemed  unlikely that Barack Obama, the Moslem sympathizer and friend of Muslims and the Muslim Brotherhood and the enemy of Christians, would be elected president. Now not only do we have “Edom” in the White House, but Islam is being given a pass in this nation while true Christians are becoming more and more a persecuted minority. Additionally, Islam is slowing taking over Europe and is killing Christians worldwide. Now it is reported that Isis in on our doorsteps on our southern border and the U.S. is  reportedly disarming our border guards and threatening them if they take a stand against Isis who’s publicly avowed goal is to terrorize this nation — especially Christians and Jews. What’s going on here? You tell me…

Perhaps these events shed some light on some ancient end time Bible prophecies. You be the judge as you read what follows.

Natan

The Descendants of Esau Are Ephraim and Judah’s Arch-Enemy in the End Times

The Ancestry of Modern Arabs

Esau and his army stood in the way preventing Jacob from returning to his homeland. This event is prophetic of what will happen in the end times.

We have already identified who the sons of Jacob are, how they were divided into two camps, or two houses, and two kingdoms (the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Israel). But who are the descendants of Esau?

Many, if not most of the modern Moslems (especially the Arabs) trace their lineage back if not biologically then spiritually to Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar. Islam in its unholy book, the Koran, claims that it was Abraham and Ishmael who built the Kaaba, which is the small building containing a stone that supposedly fell from heaven. This shrine is located in the midst of the great mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

In Genesis 16:11–12 YHVH prophesied the following concerning Ishmael and his descendants:

The angel of YHVH said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because YHVH has given heed to your affliction. And he will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

The modern Moslems have twisted the biblical account of Abraham’s giving the birthright blessing to Isaac and believe instead that Ishmael was the promised son of blessing. Both Israelites and Arabs, therefore, believe that they have a right to the Promised Land of Canaan, and, hence, this disagreement roots of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict.

Scripture further records that Esau, the disinherited son of Isaac, also had ought against his brother Jacob, who, in a sense, stole the birthright promise from him. Scripture also records that Esau married the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28:9) thus combining two peoples in his descendants who had a jealous feud with the sons of Jacob or Israel.

The Bible has more to say prophetically about the descendants of Edom than about those of Ishmael. Edom is portrayed as an aggressive and bloodthirsty people who are opposed to Israel at every step. We will discover what Scripture has to say about this below.

In the mean time, let’s take a closer look at Edom.

  • Esau and Edom (meaning “red”) are synonymous (see Gen 25:25, 30; 36:1, 8–9, 19, 43).
  • Esau intermarried with the descendants of Ishmael (Gen 28:9).
  • Seir is another name for the land of Edom (Gen 32:3; 33:16; 36:8).
  • Esau intermarried with the people of Canaan (Gen 36:2). He intermarried with the Hittites, the Hivites, as well as the Ishmaelites.
  • His descendants included the Amalekites (Gen 36:12, 16) who fought against the children of Israel upon leaving Egypt and as soon as they had entered the wilderness en route to the Promised Land (Exod 17:1).
  • Esau’s sons were dukes or chieftains (leaders of clans) and kings (Gen 36:15–16, 40–43).

Although Esau’s direct lineage was confined to the area of the traditional land of Edom, it is clear from the biblical record that he and his descendants intermarried with many of the neighboring nations, so that his descendants were scattered far and wide over the region that later became known as the Holy Land.

The entire one-chapter Book of Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom. Let’s note several key points in this prophecy that might help us to understand some things about Edom in Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 5-3 Through 5-9-15

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Emor — Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23 
Haftarah — Ezekiel 44:15-31
Prophets — Jeremiah 3:1 – 9:26
Writings — Job 33:1 – 39:18
Testimony — Acts 25:1 – 28:31; James 1:1 – 2:26

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 5/3 through 5/9/15.

 

Warning Against an Apostate Nation

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I will continue to sound an alarm like a watchman on the wall concerning the judgments I see coming upon the people of Elohim because of their spiritual apostasy.

Because I read the Bible and not only see history repeating itself, but see end time Bible prophecy about to be fulfilled, does this make me an alarmist? Perhaps. And what’s wrong with sounding the alarm? Alarms exist for a reason: to warn and to protect people from impending danger! The biblical prophets were alarmists. This puts the modern day watchmen in good company. The problem is that people seldom listen to the watchman on the wall. Life is nice and comfortable in the city. Most people don’t want to be believe it could be any other way. Complacency is perhaps our worst enemy!

This is a tough message to give, and it’s even tougher to know how to respond to it. What do we do? I can do no better than to quote Yeshua who after having given his disciples some dire warnings about things that would come to pass, he admonished them to watch and pray (Luke 21:36). To this I would add: repent of sin (Torahlessness) and stop living a sloppy, lukewarm, lax, carnally-oriented spiritual life. Seek to love and obey Yeshua with all your heart like never before. Only the fear and love of Elohim will get you through the hard times that are about to come!

Natan

And now for today’s lesson:

Jeremiah 2:4–28 and 3:4, In this scripture passage, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet (lamenting for the apostate condition of the nation of Israel), speaking on behalf of YHVH, pleads with Israel to return to YHVH, the Elohim (God) of Israel, who had graciously blessed that nation. Under YHVH’s watchful care, Israel had prospered, yet eventually, like the first century believers in Laodicea (Rev 3:14–22), material prosperity had led to their forsaking YHVH for secularism.

Jeremiah addresses all levels of Israelite society: kings, princes, priests, prophets, pastors and the people. No one escaped his stinging rebuke. In our day, kings and princes would correspond to our political leaders, while prophets, priests and pastors to our spiritual leaders. The people would be everyone else.

In verse 13, Jeremiah states that Israel was guilty of two sins: they had forsaken YHVH, the Fountain of Living Waters, and had exchanged his divine and life-giving truth for the stagnant waters of man-made cisterns, which in Hebraic poetic symbolism is a metaphor for false, humanistic religious and philosophical systems of men. In verse 27, Jeremiah accuses Israel of turning its back on YHVH and exchanging worship of the Creator for worship of the creation and material objects (idols). This is reminiscent of what the Apostle Paul declares in his Epistle to the Romans (chapter one) of a society that rejects the divinely revealed truth of YHVH as found in the Scriptures, and then begins worshipping that which the Creator created including the earth, animals and their own bodies (resulting in hedonism and sexual perversion). In verse 21, Jeremiah declares that Israel had become like a degenerate plant and a strange or foreign grape vine, which can be related to the wild olive tree Paul speaks of in Romans 11. (See also Jer 11:16.)

With all this in mind, can we identify any spiritual parallels between ancient Israel and modern America? If Jeremiah were alive today what might he say to America?

A Wake Up Call — The Battle For the Soul of America

For several generations now, a righteous remnant of end-time warriors has been fighting an uphill battle against immorality, abortion, rebellion against the biblical laws of YHVH, humanism, Marxism/socialism, Eastern “spirituality”/New Age and the global takeover by the corporate-governmental fascist elite called the New World Order. The latest addition to this list is the Antichrist religion of Islam and anti-Semitism. Both are raising their demonic heads at home and abroad in the traditional Judeo-Christian nations of Europe. Islam began knocking on the spiritual door of America a few decades ago, and now because of the large numbers of Moslems in this country, Islam has become a threat worth noting. The goal of Islam is definite, for the Koran states it clearly: to take over the world and to dispossess both Christians and Jews of their lands, property and lives, if they fail to convert to Islam.

We find ourselves in this situation because we as a nation have failed to repent of the sins listed above and now the judgment of Islam and Continue reading →

 

Blood on the Mercy Seat…Facing Mount of Olives

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Leviticus 16:14, Mercy seat eastward. What possibly could be the significance of YHVH’s command to specifically sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed animal on the east side of the mercy seat? Simply this. If one has ever had the privilege of standing on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, it all makes sense. The east side of the mercy seat faces directly toward the Mount of Olives, where the altar of the red heifer was located. It was likely near this exact spot that Yeshua was crucified just outside of the Jerusalem city gates (Heb 13:12), and where he sprinkled his blood as an atonement for men’s sins (Heb 11:24).

View of the Mount of Olives taken from the Dome of the Spirits on the Temple Mount. Some scholars believe this was the location of the holy of holies in the original Temple of Solomon.

View of the Mount of Olives taken from the Dome of the Spirits on the Temple Mount. Some scholars believe this was the location of the holy of holies in the original Temple of Solomon.

At this same spot, one had a full frontal view of the temple, which is why those attending Yeshua’s crucifixion were able to see the rent veil in the temple from the spot where he was crucified (Matt 27:51 cp. 54).

Therefore, the high priest sprinkling the blood of the bull and goat sin offering on the east side of the mercy seat on Yom Kippur was a prophetic act pointing to what would take place some fifteen hundred years later on the Mount of Olives.

Yeshua’s shedding of his blood there as an atonement for men’s sins was a fulfillment of the high priest sprinkling blood on the mercy seat on Yom Kippur. When Yeshua was crucified, although his cross faced the mercy seat in the temple, the holy of holies no longer contained that item. To this day, no one knows what became of it.

The sprinkling of blood on the east side of the mercy seat is a small detail that’s easily overlooked in the Scriptures, but it has profound spiritual and prophetic significance. This detail meshes with other seemingly insignificant details found elsewhere in the Scriptures. When these puzzle pieces are placed together, they form another picture of Messiah’s work. This is another proof that only the hand of YHVH Elohim could have inspired the writing of the Bible. May your faith in the divine origination of the Scriptures be strengthened to the glory of Elohim!