Category Archives: Weekly Scripture Readings

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 →

 

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).

 

How the Two Goats Point to Yeshua

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Leviticus 16:7, The significance of the two goats. Why were there two goats? Do both goats represent Yeshua and the atoning work he accomplished on the cross, or will accomplish yet in the future? If so, how does each goat represent a different facet of this work? Some see in the meaning of the name azazel some satanic implications leading them to believe that this goat represents the adversary himself and his ultimate exile from mankind. This belief derives from Jewish folklore, but has no scriptural support. What does verse 10 say the azazel goat was to accomplish? Is this something Satan did? However when we read John 3:14, we see that Yeshua, while on the cross bearing the sins of the world, in a sense, became like the serpent—a picture of devil who was the first sinner and the one who led man into sin. He become man’s sin offering (see Isa 53:6,10). When this occurred, what did Yeshua accomplish in the spiritual realm for our benefit? (See Gen 3:15; Col 2:15; 1 Cor 15:54–56.)

Leviticus 16:8, The scapegoat. The Soncino Pentateuch says of the azazel goat of Leviticus 16:10 that the word scapegoat, as used in the KJV, is a poor translation and should be rendered as dismissal. In the Septuagint it is translated as the one to be sent away which agrees with the term used in the Mishnah. Azazel is not a proper name, but a rare Hebrew noun meaning “dismissal, or entire removal.” It is the technical term for the Continue reading →

 

Isaiah 61:10–63:9, YHVH to Defeat Israel’s Enemies and to Give Israel’s Exiles Salvation

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Isaiah 61:10, He has clothed me with garments of salvation … robes of righteousness. The Hebrew word for salvation is Yesha (Strong’s H3468), which forms the root for the word yeshua meaning “salvation,” which, of course is the derivation of the Messiah’s personal name, Yeshua. How does Scripture define the word righteousness? (For the brief answer, reference Ps 119:172.) We see in this verse an interplay between the concepts of being clothed in Messiah’s salvation and works of righteousness, which is Torah obedience. Now relate these two concepts to Ephesians 2:8–9, which describes how we are saved spiritually, and then to Ephesians 2:10, which describes the proof of our salvation.

Now let’s take the next step in our line of logic by turning to Revelation 12:17 and 14:12 to discover what are the identifying marks of the end-time saints. Now relate this to the robes of righteousness the bride of Yeshua will be wearing in Revelation 19:7–9 with special emphasis on verse 8. The KJV reads, “for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints,” while both the NIV and NAS read “righteous acts” for “righteousness.” What are the Continue reading →

 

After Passover, why do we need the Day of Atonement?

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Leviticus 16:1–34, Passover and the Day of Atonement compared. A cursory reading of the Scriptures seems to indicate that there exists overlapping similarities between some of the blood atonement ceremonies of Passover or Pesach and the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.

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What are the differences between the sin atonement offerings of Pesach and Yom Kippur?

Perhaps realizing the fact that the Passover occurs during the spring feast day season and the Day of Atonement occurs during the fall feast day season may answer this question.

Prophetically the spring feast days picture Messiah Yeshua’s first coming, while the fall feast days prophetically point to his second coming. How does this understanding shed light on the answer to this question?

Both Pesach and Yom Kippur picture redemption through the shed blood of Yeshua; that is, being delivered from bondage to sin and the rudiments of this world.

Passover symbolizes the first steps a new believer takes when coming out of spiritual Egypt and accepting Yeshua, the Lamb of YHVH, as one’s Savior and Master.

Yom Kippur, on the other hand, pictures the blood of the Lamb covering over the sins of the individual and the corporate sins of the nation of Israel. Yom Kippur also prophetically points to the time when Yeshua will return to the earth to initiate the final regathering of lost Israel, and to prepare to marry his bride, redeemed Israel.

Perhaps this understanding will help to answer why another Passover-like feast is needed. Yom Kippur doesn’t focus so much on leaving Egypt, but rather on YHVH’s people preparing to enter the millennial kingdom under the Messiah.