Ecclesiastes 9—Natan’s Commentary Notes

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Ecclesiastes 9:1, The hand of Elohim. As the Preacher comes to the end of his treatise on the meaning (or lack thereof) of life, he begins to narrow his focus on the missing link, the key ingredient that gives an otherwise pointless life any meaning whatsoever, and that missing piece of the puzzle is the God principle. 

Solomon begins by stating that those who are righteous and wise along with all that they do are in the hands of Elohim. In other words, Elohim is with those who seek him and he guides their activities. This is huge! Up to this point, the Preacher has demonstrated that all of life’s activities are basically meaningless and pointless, although one can squeeze some bits of joy out of life here and there, but even then, all humans end up in the same place—dead. Everyone is a condemned prisoner, who is a victim to the never-ending cycles of the time space continuum called life on this earth. So what is the point of it all? Minus some outside entity or force from without reaching down to man and lifting him out of his trapped condition, there is no hope of escape. However, the Preacher tosses the God principle into the mix and offers his reader a glimmer of hope. Somehow, if one will follow the path of wisdom and righteousness, the Creator will actually take notice of this poor, hapless human creature and will an alternative to those who will begin to look up. This is the beginning point of faith…

So who are righteous and wise? Righteousness and wisdom are not terms that are open to capricious and subjective human interpretations, but are specifically defined in Scripture.

Righteous is the Hebrew word saddiq meaning “just, lawful or righteous” and derives from the root verb sadeq meaning “to be just or righteous.” The root verb basically connotes conformity to a moral or ethical standard, according to The TWOT. So in a biblical context, what is the moral and ethical standard by which a righteous person is defined? It is the laws or commandments of YHVH Elohim, who is ultimately the Source of the Truth found in the Bible. So biblically, a righteous person is one who obeys the commandments and instructions of YHVH including his Torah-laws.

My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness. (Ps 119:172)

Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful. (Ps 119:138)

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah-law is truth. (Ps 119:142)

Wisdom is the Hebrew word chockma and derives from the Hebrew root verb chokam meaning “to be wise or act wisely.” According to The TWOT, the essential idea of chokam represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life’s experiences. This includes matters of general interest and morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts and moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of YHVH. Scripture reveals that the beginning of wisdom is the fear and reverential awe of YHVH Elohim. Moreover, wisdom, fearing Elohim and walking in his ways are all synonymous concepts.

The fear of YHVH is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. (Ps 111:10)

The fear of YHVH is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

Love or hatred. Love, perhaps, is the number one thing that people are seeking their entire lives. We are creatures who want, no need, to be accepted, to be appreciated, to be loved. We are social beings; we were not made to be alone. Not only that, to one degree or another, each of us is dependent upon other people. 

As evidence of the importance of love and acceptance, the marriage and family unit remains the bedrock basis of the society, and this is where it all starts. After that come the extended family including clans and tribes, villages, towns, cities, counties, states or provinces and, finally, nations. These are all social constructs where humans interact with each other in a somewhat orderly manner based on their need for and dependence on other humans. 

Love for one’s fellow man, in fact, is the glue that holds society together. Hatred is what tears it apart resulting in conflicts. 

People talk about love, but do they really know what it means? For example, a large percentage of our popular music concerns the subject of “love.” Many if not most movies either have “love” and romance as a main theme or at least as a subtheme woven into the main plot. Dogs are the most popular pet of humans in part because they transmit so much unconditional love. The sad things, though, is that according to the wise Preacher, what the popular culture considers to be love is not love at all. What is even sadder is that as vital to human existence as love is, few have discovered its true definition. This is because the true definition of love cannot even be discovered by looking to the popular culture.

Ecclesiastes 9:2, One events happens. Even though the Preacher has just stated that one the righteous and wise are in the hand of Elohim, death still happens to everyone whether they are righteous or wicked, religious or non-religious, a good person or a sinner and whether one fears Elohim or not.

Ecclesiastes 9:3, This is an evil. In this physical existence, the Preacher views death as the ultimate evil to befall every human. What person can disagree with the fact that death is the ultimate enemy?

Ecclesiastes 9:4, There is hope. As long as one is alive, there is hope. But what is that hope that the Preacher seems to be dangling in front of his reader, but still remains just out of reach?

Ecclesiastes 9:5–10, Enjoy life to the fullest. Even though death comes to all people, and after that, “the dead know nothing” and “the memory of them is forgotten” (v. 5), the Preacher encourages each of us to go and live one’s life to the fullest. “Eat your bread with joy,” “drink your wine with a merry heart,” (v. 7), wear nice clothes and keep yourself looking good (v. 8), enjoy your marriage and family (v. 9), and enjoy your work, for when the grave comes, there is nothing (v. 10).

Ecclesiastes 9:11–12, Time and chance. Life is full of countless unexpected twists and turns. Things that seem that they should be a certain way often are not. No one knows what evil will suddenly befall him or when he will die. So in the face of such stress-causing uncertainties, what is one to do? How does one cope with this?

Ecclesiastes 9:13–18, Wisdom. Wisdom is better than folly, yet even those who are wise and are able to avert many of the evils of life through the employment of wisdom still die and are forgotten. So now where does this live the reader?

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 8-22 Through 8-28-21

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Parashat Ki Tavo — Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8 (9)*
Haftarah — Isaiah 60:1-22
Prophets — Amos 6:1 – 9:15; Obadiah; Jonah 1:1 – 2:10
Writings — 2 Chronicles 1:1 – 8:18
Testimony — Hebrews 1:1 – 7:28

Our annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2020-2021 with daily readings that began on 10/11/20 is available to download and print. The link to the previous 2019-2020’s Scripture Reading Schedule will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links” into next year. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

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 or the “share your thoughts” box 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.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian English Bibles when they differ from Hebrew Bibles or the Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 8/22 through 8/28/2021.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Hebrews 1–4

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Hebrew 1

A page from Natan’s 1790 KJV Bible.

Hebrews 1:2, He made the worlds. Yeshua was the agency through which YHVH the Father created all things. (Also see v. 10.)

Hebrews 1:3, Upholding all things. Yeshua is not only the Creator of all things (v. 10), but he bears or carries all things, that is, he is the Sustainer of all things by his word and miraculous or dumanis power. Without him, everything would fall apart. This is why his death on the cross was such a cosmologically climactic event.

Hebrews 1:9, Loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. To the degree that we love righteousness, we will hate Torahlessness and vice versa. To love righteousness and the laws of Elohim is to love his him, to love his Word and to love Yeshua. To the degree we disdain his Torah is the degree that we disdain him and Yeshua the Messiah, the Word made flesh regardless of our protestations to the contrary, regardless of our religious activities and regardless of how much we throw our emotions at him and call it praise and worship. Obedience to his Torah-Word from Genesis to Revelation is barometer indicating the depth of our love for him.

Hebrews 1:8, 10, To the Son…You, YHVH. These two verses prove beyond a doubt that Yeshua is YHVH and that he is the Creator of the all things physical. (See also John 1:3, 10; Heb 1:2; Col 1:16).

Hebrew 2

Hebrews 2:1-2, Lest we drift away. One can lose one’s salvation (see also 1 Cor 9:27; Heb 6:4–6; 10:26 cp. 1 Tim 1:19; Matt 13:20–22) if one neglects (v. 2) and doesn’t carefully guard and maintain their spiritual relationship with YHVH and his Word.

Hebrews 2:7, A little lower. See notes at Ps 8:5.

Hebrews 2:18, He is able to aid. To receive the aid of Yeshua, our Great High Priest, all we have to do is to humble ourselves and recognize that we are sinners and need help, and then to ask him for help as well as to avail ourselves of the help that he has already give us, namely, the light of his Word, which, if we study and feed on, will guide us and keep us in the straight and narrow path. 

Hebrew 3

Hebrews 3:3, He who built the house. Yeshua is the builder of his spiritual house—the church. Interestingly, his earthly father trained him to be a carpenter. Often the physical or natural and spiritual dimensions parallel each other. The idea of Yeshua being the Creator of all things including humanity (Heb 1:10; John 1:3, 10) and being the builder of his spiritual house provides us with an important truth. How is it that the death of Yeshua—one human—could pay for the sins of the whole earth—many humans? Simply this. Yeshua in his pre-incarnate state as the Word of Elohim created all humans. His life is more valuable than the lives of all those he created, since he is the Creator, even as life of the builder of a house has more value than all the houses he builds. This is why Yeshua could pay for the sins of the whole world, and why his life was more valuable than those of all the humans that have ever lived in the history of the world.

Hebrews 3:6, Hold fast…firm to the end. Ultimate salvation—the redemption of our bodies, our glorification and inclusion in the family of Elohim (or theosis) occurs after we have overcome the world, the flesh and the devil and remained firm to the end. The end is either our physical death, or our spiritual transformation or the first resurrection at Yeshua’s second coming.

Hebrew 4

Hebrews 4:2,The gospel was preached. The children of Israel heard the gospel message, even as it was preached in the time of Yeshua, the apostles as well as in our day. They were without excuse for not accepting the gospel message. As the writer goes on to show, they rejected it because of the hardness of their hearts. People still reject the gospel today for the same reason.

Hebrews 4:3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, Rest. The term rest is also a biblical Hebraic idiom or Hebraism (see Deut 12:9, 10; 25:19; 1 Kgs 8:56; 1 Chron 23:25; Ps 95:121; 1 Thess 1:7) for the rest from one’s enemies and that one obtains once one has come into the promised land of their inheritance that YHVH has prepared for his saints. For the Israelites, this was the physical Promised Land in which they settled after having defeated the Canaanites. For the saint, ultimately, this is the Promised Land of the kingdom of Elohim and the New Jerusalem, which they will obtain in the final sense at the second coming of the Messiah when they receive their glorified bodies at the resurrection during the millennium, of which the seventh day Sabbath is a prophetic picture.

Hebrews 4:9–10, Rest. The Greek word sabbatismos means “a keeping of the Sabbath” and is derived from the Hebrew word sabbaton meaning “the seventh day or Sabbath.” In Hebrew the word for Sabbath is shabbat, which originates from the root verb shabat meaning “to cease, desist, rest.” Those who have entered into the Sabbath rest do so by following the example of YHVH the Creator who not only rested spiritually, but literally rested on the seventh day after the creation. He did not rest because he was tired, rather he did so to set this humans an example to follow, that is, to rest after six days of work. 

Some people see this verse in Hebrews only as a mandate to rest from their spiritual works by putting their faith in Yeshua. Such a rest is only a partial rest. We must follow the example of YHVH who literally rested on the seventh day as well. 

Yeshua in his preincarnate state was and is YHVH the Creator (Heb 1:2, 8,10; John 1:3, 10; Col 1:16). He kept the Sabbath as YHVH the Creator, and as Yeshua the Messiah as well. (If Yeshua didn’t keep the Sabbath, then he was a sinner in that he violated the law, and is not our perfect, sin-free Savior! If he kept the Sabbath, and the Gospels record that he did do so, we are to imitate him as his obedient disciples and imitators by doing what he did (1 Cor 11:1; 1 John 2:6). 

Some deceptive Christian “teachers” will state that Yeshua broke the Sabbath by quoting John 5:18. First, again if Yeshua had broken the fourth commandments, he would have become a sinner (1 John 3:4), but we know that he was sinless (Heb 4:15), so this was not the case. Second, John records that it was the misguided Jews who were accusing Yeshua of sin, even though he had done nothing to break any of the Torah’s laws regarding the Sabbath. Third, the word “break” as used in John 5:18 is the Greek word luo, which in its primary definition means “to loosen literally or figuratively.” Yeshua was “breaking” or “loosening” the man-made, extra-biblical laws or constraints that the Pharisees had put on people with regard to how to keep the Sabbath. Yeshua was brushing aside or “breaking” or “loosening” some of these non-biblical and man-made restrictions to bring people back to a Sabbath observance that was less burdensome and restrictive. He in no way was violating the Torah, which would have made him a sinner.

When we rest both physically and spiritually, we are walking out a higher level of truth by walking out both the letter and the spirit of YHVH’s Torah-law as Yeshua taught us to do in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:17–48), and as such, we have positioned ourselves before YHVH to receive more divine revelation from him (as well as blessings for obedience to his commandments). 

In other words, the more we obey him faithfully in love, the more truth he can entrust us with for safekeeping, for he knows we won’t take for granted or trample his precious truth nuggets. To those who are faithful in much, YHVH gives more. That is how it works in his spiritual economy. 

To this day, many of religious people keep the Sabbath by physically resting on this day (e.g. the Jews and some Christians), but they have missed the revelation of our spiritual rest in Yeshua. Conversely the mainstream Christians have rejected the physical Sabbath rest but they accepted the spiritual rest in the Messiah. Both sides have half the truth. Let’s put the two halves together and walk out the full truth—both the physical and the spiritual side of the Sabbath as Yeshua and his disciples did! 

Keeping the seventh day Sabbath with this fuller understanding is another way of connecting the gospel message to its Hebraic, pro-Torah roots.

Hebrews 4:12, Soul and spirit. (See notes at 1 Thess 5:23.) Here the writer attests to the separateness of the soul and the spirit of man. They are not indistinguishable from each other.

Hebrews 4:14,Great high priest. How could Yeshua, a non-priest (non-cohen) be our Great Heavenly High Priest, since he was from the tribe of Judah and not from the tribe of Levi, much less a descendant of Aaron? (See notes at 7:14; Exod 19:2, 4). 

Hebrews 4:16, Come boldly. The veil (Heb. porechet) in the Tabernacle of Moses separated the compartments of the holy place and the holy of holies which housed the ark of the covenant and the was where the glory or presence of Elohim resided. The holy of holies pictured the heavenly throne room of Elohim, and only the high priest could enter it once a year on the Day of Atonement (or Yom Kippur). It was forbidden for anyone else to come into the holy of holies (except Moses, who as a prophetic picture of Yeshua the Messiah, who often went there to receive instructions from Elohim). That veil separating Elohim from the people thus preventing the common person from entering into the holy of holies was miraculously ripped in two when Yeshua died on the cross (Luke 23:45), thus symbolizing that now the way was open way for every saint to come boldly through the “veil” of Yeshua’s flesh (i.e. through the atoning blood of and a personal spiritual relationship with Yeshua; Heb 10:20) into the very presence of YHVH Elohim.

 

Welcome to the Epistle to the Hebrews

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Background and Outline of the Epistle to the Hebrews

Photo is from Natan Lawrence’s 1790 KJV Bible

A debate exists among scholars as to when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written. Some believe it was written just before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, while others maintain that it was written just after 70 AD. This author favors the former position since the author of Hebrews speaks of the sacrificial system in the present tense as if it were still functioning (Heb 10:11; 13:10, 11).

At the same time, the author of Hebrews seems to be addressing the concerns of early believers that without the temple standing and the sacrificial system functioning, there is no longer remission for sins. He assiduously points out how the patterns and prophecies of the Tanakh are pointing to the greater priesthood of Messiah Yeshua in the heavenly tabernacle. As such, the author seems to have in view the destruction of the temple, yet while the temple is still standing. After all, Yeshua predicted the temple’s demise and that its destruction would be so complete that not one stone would be left standing on another (Matt 24:2; Luke 21:20–21).

Perhaps, the author was writing Hebrews in the four-year time period (between A.D. 67 to A.D. 70) when the Romans besieged Jerusalem, then pulled away for one year, then rebesieged and finally destroyed the city in A.D. 70. The events of A.D. 67 to 69 may have caused the writer to feel that Jerusalem’s fall was imminent in fulfillment of Yeshua’s earlier prophecies.

Main Themes

In his Epistle to the Hebrews, the author emphatically asserts that:

  • Yeshua is over all. 
  • Yeshua is leading his people to the ultimate higher spiritual reality.
  • The Tanakh (Old Testament) validates the gospel message.
  • The Epistle to the Hebrews is about transformation, shifting, growing from a lower level to a higher level spiritually. It is about one coming closer to the reality of heaven in their spiritual walk; about one approaching and growing closer to Elohim.
  • Though Hebrews doesn’t deal directly with this issue, we have to ask the following question: While in this flesh on the earth, do we abandon the letter of the Torah-law’s types and shadows and live in a spiritual dimension only? We know from Hebrews that through Yeshua’s death and resurrection, we have moved from the higher spiritual level with regard to the tabernacle system, and the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial systems. But does this apply to the rest of the Torah as well (e.g. the Sabbath, feasts, dietary laws, etc.)? Christianity by in large teaches that it does. But this is not what the writer of Hebrews is saying. The transformation of the priesthood and sacrificial systems to the higher level of reality in Yeshua doesn’t invalidate the rest of the Torah. Believers are still required to keep the rest of the letter of the Torah law as best they can. As physical beings living in this earthly dimension, we still have to follow the Torah-Word of Elohim as it applies to our physical walk (e.g. don’t murder, steal, commit adultery, lie, worship idols, etc.). But at the same time, we are to walk, as much as possible, in the heavenly dimension by following spirit of the Torah, being led of the Spirit in our walk and by focusing our attention on Yeshua, our heavenly High Priest. As such, redeemed believers are caught having to walk between the physical and the spiritual dimensions. We are in the process of being transformed from the physical to spiritual. Until this total transformation takes place, we must meld the physical or letter of the law and the spiritual realms, and we must keep progressing toward the ultimate goal of the higher Torah, which is total spiritual existence and oneness as Elohim’s children in his eternal kingdom as characterized by the New Jerusalem. 

Outline of Hebrews

Overview: Yeshua is priest, prophet and king

In the Tanakh, the priest, prophet and king were the three principal leaders in ancient Israel. No one except Moses was all three. David was a king and prophet, but not a priest. Samuel was a priest and a prophet, but not a king. Scripture tells that Moses was all three. Yeshua was the only other Person who was all three. Deuteronomy 18 tells us that Moses was a prophetic shadow picture of a greater Moses who would come. The writer of Hebrews validates this and shows that Yeshua was that greater Moses.

Hebrews 11:1 explains this process by defining faith. We live in the physical world, but we hope through faith for the spiritual world to come. Our spiritual forefathers went through this process successfully, though they paid a great price physically, anticipating in faith their heavenly reward. This is the story of Hebrews 11—the faith chapter.

Yeshua is the vehicle that leads us onward and upwards to the higher spiritual dimension. He is the ladder to and gate or door of heaven. He proclaims this in John 1:51 and John 10:7. Jacob dreamed of this ladder or highway to heaven, which was a picture of the Written and Living Torah (literally, a Torah scroll). (See telios: Col 1:28; Eph 4:13; Phil 3:13)

Hebrews and other places in the Testimony of Yeshua (NT) talk about coming to this higher goal (e.g. Matt 5:17; Rom 10:4; Heb 9:9, 11; 10:14; Heb 6:1; Heb 7:19; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 12:23).

The Tanakh prophesies that the Messiah to come would be a priest, prophet and king.

It is important to note that Hebrews focuses on Yeshua’s role as that greater heavenly high priest that the Tanakh prophesied would come.

The Superiority of Messiah Yeshua Over OT Personages (1:1–4:13)

  • Yeshua as Creator, Sovereign and Sustainer of the universe is superior to all things including the prophets — 1:1–3 (Ps 110:1)
  • Yeshua is superior to the angels —1:4–2:18 (Ps 97:7)
  • Yeshua is superior Moses —3:1–19 (Deut 18:15–19)
  • Yeshua is superior to Joshua — 4:1–13

The Superiority of Messiah Yeshua’s Priesthood Over OT Priesthood (4:4–5:10)

  • Yeshua is superior to Aaron — 4:14–5:10 (Ps 110:4; Mal 3:1–3; Isa 53:12 —Yeshua, the Suffering Servant, to take the role of high priest as an intercessor for transgressors before Elohim)
  • Yeshua’s priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek — 7:1–8:5 (Ps 110:4)

Yeshua Mediator of a Better Covenant Than the First Covenant (8:6–10:18)

  • The Renewed Covenant: a better covenant — 8:6–13 (Jer 31:31–33)
  • The First Covenant’s sanctuary and sacrifices — 9:1–10 
  • Compared with the Renewed Covenant — 9:11–10:18

The Purpose of the Epistle to the Hebrews—Lift YOUR Eyes Upward to Our Heavenly High Priest

Let the Truth of YHVH’s Word ring clearly like a bell in the hearts and minds of Truth-seekers everywhere!

What follows you have probably never heard before. Hopefully the truth of it will ring loudly like a bell in your heart and mind!

Continue reading →
 

Deuteronomy 26 on the Joys of Charitable Giving

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Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy chapter 26 discusses the joy of giving financially to those who are called and ordained of YHVH to do his spiritual work on earth as well as to the poor among you and the blessings that come on the giver as a result (vv. 1–15, 19). Giving is a holy activity (v. 13), and when YHVH’s people obey him in this area and observe his other commandments as well, he proclaims them to be his special people and promises to promote them high above the nations of the world as his holy people (vv. 17–20). This YHVH did for ancient Israel when they obeyed him, and he promises to do the same for those who obey him now (2 Cor 1:20). These eternal and immutable principles of the Torah are for all people for all time and have not changed over time regardless of men’s traditions and religious doctrines that say otherwise. 

You may not feel like YHVH has presently exalted you above all those around you, but consider this: What is your salvation worth and what will your status be after you’ve received your glorified body and are ruling and reigning with King Yeshua over this earth after his return?

Deuteronomy 26:4–11, You shall answer.This was the prayer that one was to make when one brought their tithe to YHVH. Bringing one’s tithe to YHVH was an act of gratefulness and worship and was brought with a joyful heart for the blessing the Almighty had bestowed upon the tithe-giver.

Deuteronomy 26:11, You shall rejoice.Bringing one’s tithes and offerings to YHVH is to be a joyful event since it is a reflection of our gratitude to him for abundantly blessing us. (Compare this verse with 2 Corinthians 9:6–11.) Giving to YHVH is a form of worship since it allows us to put our treasure where our heart is (Luke 12:34). Please join me in praying this prayer: 

Father, help us to give to you out of the abundance of our hearts joyfully and with gratitude for your blessings and bounty in our lives. Help me not to be a fair-weather giver only, but to give out of obedience, even sacrificially, that we may learn to have faith in your promises of provision and to obey you no matter the circumstances. Amein.

(For a brief study on tithing and giving, please see my teaching entitled, “Is Tithing for Us Today?” which is available on our ministry website at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/tithing.pdf.)

Deuteronomy 26:12, You shall give to the Levite, to the proselyte, to the orphan, and to the widow.Throughout the Tanakh, YHVH has a special place in his heart for the “underdogs” of society, as did Yeshua in his ministry. There are those, who through no fault of their own, and some due to their own faults, need help and extra grace and mercy. What is your attitude toward those who fall into this camp? What are you doing to help them?

Deuteronomy 26:13–15, Prayer offered when giving. This is the prayer that the tithe-payer is to pray upon bringing his tithe to YHVH. Tithing leads to prosperity, but for whom? Just the individual? Notice in verse 15 the wording: “bless your people Israel…” The tithe-payer is praying for blessings not just upon himself, but upon the entire nation. What can we draw from this? Is there room for selfish prayers here? What happens when the whole community is tithing and everyone is praying for everyone else’s well-being and blessing?

Deuteronomy 26:17–19, You have distinguished YHVH…YHVH has distinguished you.What does this mean? What is YHVH’s attitude toward Israel? What does the word avouched or distinguished (some translations read: proclaimed or agreeing) mean here? What is transpiring here with the people distinguishing YHVH and YHVH returning the action in verse 18? The resulting action is in verse 19.

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 8-15 Through 8-21-21

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Parashat Ki Tetze — Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19
Haftarah — Isaiah 54:1-10
Prophets — Hosea 13; Joel; Amos 1:1 – 5:27
Writings — 1 Chronicles 23:1 – 29:30
Testimony — 2 Timothy 2:1 – 4:22; Titus; Philemon

Our annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2020-2021 with daily readings that began on 10/11/20 is available to download and print. The link to the previous 2019-2020’s Scripture Reading Schedule will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links” into next year. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

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 or the “share your thoughts” box 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 8/15 through 8/21/2021.

 

Could a COVID Passport Be Preparing Us for the Mark of the Beast?

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Could the COVID passport that some politicians are saying will not come, yet that is slowly and steadily being forced onto the lives of more citizens in more countries actually be a blessing in disguise for the saints? I believe that it could be. What do I mean by this?

The following is not a discussion about the merits or demerits of vaccines COVID or otherwise. That is another discussion for another time. Rather, this is about the implications of a COVID passport that may well determine who can do what, when and where or not. Such a passport would be about separating people into classes­—the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. Why does this matter and how does it affect you should the requirements of a COVID passport come knocking on your door?

Likely all those reading this believe in the veracity of the Bible, and the fact that Scripture predicts that certain events will happen before the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah. One of these prophesied events is the famous mark of the beast of Revelation 13 in the Bible. According to Scripture, only those who have the mark of the beast will be permitted by the State or the powers that be to buy and sell. In other words, to survive in a modern world in a somewhat normal fashion, it will be mandated that everyone takes the mark. Probably a few who live off the land in a self-sufficient manner and are off grid somewhere far away from others will not be too negatively affected by the mark of the beast, but this will be a small minority of people. For the rest of us whose lives are urban and depend on others for survival, not being able to buy or sell could be a real problem—even a life threatening one.

So at some point in the end times, as per Revelation 13:16–17, the world will be divided into two classes of people: those who take the mark and are able to buy and sell (i.e. survive in a contemporary culture), and those who refuse to take it. By now, it should not hard to see where I am going with this line of thought.

For the record, I do not for one second believe that either the COVID shot, or jab as it is being called, or the COVID passport are the mark of the beast. Neither one fits the biblical criteria for the mark. However, are these things conditioning people to eventually accept the infamous mark?

Let’s get real. Do you really think that all those folks who are promoting either the jab or the passport are knowing agents of the devil intent on helping to fulfill biblical prophecy so that Yeshua can return? Of course not. They are simply doing what they think is best for themselves and for humanity. Yes, of course, there are sinister elements, even demonic evil doers at the top who have their new world order, globalistic and Luciferian agendas. But there have always been and there always will be these type of people seeking world dominion at the expense of the rest of us. It all goes back to the snake in the tree in the garden, who from the beginning was intent on thwarting the will of the Creator. Nothing has changed since then. Satan is the god of this world, and he is opposed to all that is good, and he has his human agents that are helping to fulfill his nefarious purposes whether they know it or not. These people are his useful idiots.

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