Tag Archives: Genesis

The Significance of Circumcision Past and Present

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Genesis 17:1, 22, YHVH appears to Abraham and establishes circumcision as a sign of the covenant. 

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, YHVH appeared [Heb. ra’ah meaning “to see, look, behold, show, appear, observe, have vision, present oneself, be seen”] to Abram, and said unto him, I am El Shaddai; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

YHVH proceeds to lay out to Abraham the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant including circumcision and the fact that Sarah would give birth to a son with whom YHVH would also establish his covenant. When YHVH was done Scripture records the following in verse 22,

And [YHVH] left off talking with him, and Elohim went up [Heb. alah, to go up, ascend, climb, depart] from Abraham. (KJV)

And when He had finished speaking with him, God ascended from upon Abraham. (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach)

And He ceased speaking with him; and the Glory of the Lord ascended from Abraham. (Targum Jonathan)

And when He had ended to speak with him, the Glory of the Lord ascended up from Abraham. (Targum Onkelos)

And be left off speaking with him, and God went up from Abraham. (LXX)

This text does not state how YHVH appeared or spoke to Abraham, just the fact that he did. According to the Hebrew rules of biblical interpretation (and the rules of common logic when reading anything), a scriptural text is to be taken at its literal or plain (peshat) meaning, unless the text itself suggests an allegorical (drash) or mystical (sod) interpretation. The Talmud (the Jewish Oral Law) states this in Talmud b. Shabbath 63a ( … that a verse cannot depart from its plain meaning”) and Talmud b. Yevamoth 24a (“Although throughout the Torah no text loses its ordinary meaning …”). Therefore, it is evident that YHVH appeared to Abraham in some tangible form with which humans are capable of interacting. If he did so once, we have to ask, cannot he do it again in the Person of Yeshua of Nazereth, the Messiah?

Let’s note some reasons why YHVH chose circumcision to be the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. Remember, physical circumcision is not passé, but is still a requirement for those desiring to be priests in YHVH’s future (spiritual?) temple (Ezek 44:7, 9):

  • It is a token or sign of spiritual things—a sign which always goes before us. (Gen 17:11)
  • It signifies purification of the heart from all unrighteousness by cutting away a piece of the flesh which would otherwise be a carrier of filth and disease.
  • It is a holy seal of righteousness—the foreskin removed is round like a ring. A ring signifies a bond or union and is worn constantly even as the seal of circumcision is worn constantly.
  • Circumcision occurs at eight days of age. Eight is the number meaning new beginnings. A new heart, a consecration of the person to YHVH; the commencement of a covenant. (Gen 17:12) 
  • The rite of circumcision is painful and humiliating. So is repentance and self denial of which circumcision is a picture.
  • From the penis flows the seed of life. Circumcision is a sign that the seed should and could be righteous and consecrated to YHVH.
  • In Romans 4:11, Paul teaches us that circumcision is a sign, mark or token, and a seal (placed on someone) or an impression or stamp made by a signet ring signifying ownership. Circumcision spoke of Abraham’s righteousness and the faith he had in YHVH and YHVH’s “ownership” of Abraham. A modern-day example of this would be the marriage ring. One can be legally married without wearing ring; however, a wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of one marriage covenant. The same is true of circumcision. It’s not a salvational requirement, yet it’s an outward sign of an inward spiritual reality.

The Scriptures make it clear that circumcision is not a requirement for salvation (see Acts 15) or else women couldn’t be saved. Circumcision is, however, an act of obedience that indicates one’s identity with the Abrahamic Covenant model of salvation and with the people of Israel. Additionally, the Torah makes it clear that circumcision is required for all men who desire to take Passover, and those who do not keep the Passover will be cut off from Israel (Exod 12:47–48), although in the New Covenant, circumcision of the heart is now the chief requirement (Rom 2:25–29; Gal 6:15; Col 2:11). 

 

The Appearance of Christ or the Messiah in Genesis?

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Genesis 16:7–13, Hagar and Ishmael encounter Messenger of YHVH. The first place in Scripture that the term “Angel [Messenger/Malak] of YHVH is used is in Genesis 16:7. Here Hagar flees into the wilderness with her son, Ishmael, escaping from Sarah, her mistress and is resting by a pool of water when the Heavenly Messenger (Hewb. malak) of YHVH suddenly appears to her. He commands her to return to Sarah and then proceeds to pronounce a prophetic blessing upon Ishmael:

10 And the angel of YHVH said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of YHVH said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because YHVH hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

What was Hagar’s response (Gen 16:13)? Christian translations of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) record that she believed that she had (incredibly) seen YHVH and lived:

So she named YHVH who had spoken with her El of Seeing, because she said, “Have I really seen the One who sees me [and stayed alive]?” (adapted from the CJB)

Then she called the name of YHVH who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me? (NKJV)

Then she called the name of YHVH who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” (NAS)

So she named YHVH who spoke to her, “You are El-roi”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” (NRSV)

As we can see, the Christian translations give the impression that Hagar actually saw YHVH.

The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash (the modern Orthodox Jewish translation) translates verse 13 in this manner:

And she called the Name of HASHEM Who spoke to her “You are the God of Vision,” for she said, “Could I have seen even here after having seen?”

The Jewish Soncino Edition of the Pentateuch translates it this way:

And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou art a God of seeing; for she said: ‘Have I even here seen Him that sees me?’

Nineteenth-century Orthodox Jewish sage Samson Raphael Hirsch in his commentary translates this verse as follows,

And she called the name of God that spake unto her: Thou art a God of seeing; for she said: Have I then also up to here too looked after anyone who might see me? [sic]

As we can see, modern rabbinic translations of this verse are ambiguous as to whether Hagar had a vision or actually saw YHVH with her natural eyes.

The Targumim translations (Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Scriptures from the pre-Christian era made by Jewish religious officials) translate verse 13 this way,

And she gave thanks before the Lord whose Word spake to her, and thus said, Thou art He who livest and art eternal; who seest, but art not seen! for she said, For, behold, here is revealed the glory of the Shekina of the Lord after a vision. (Targum Jonathan)

And Hagar gave thanks, and prayed in the Name of the Word of the Lord, who had been manifested to her, saying, Blessed be Thou, Eloha, the Living One of all Ages, who hast looked upon my affliction. For she said, Behold, Thou art manifested also unto me, even as Thou wast manifested to Sara my mistress. (Targum Jerusalem)

And she prayed in the Name of the Lord who had spoken with her; and she said: Thou art Eloha, seeing all: for she said, I also have begun to see after that He hath been revealed to me. [14] Therefore she called the name of the well, The well at which appeared the Angel [Malak] of the Covenant. (Targum Onkelos)

These pre-Christian era Jewish translations of this passage are less obscure and ambiguous about what Hagar saw. The first says that “the Word spake to her” through his manifest Presence in a vision; the second speaks of the Word of YHVH manifesting himself to her as to Sarah; the third says that YHVH spoke to her and revealed himself to her through the Messenger [Malak] of the Covenant. 

So what did the Jews believe in the pre-Christian era? Did she have a vision or see a literal Heavenly Messenger? It would appear that they were more open to the latter interpretation than are some modern, post-Christian, Jewish translations.

How do the Jewish rabbinical commentators explain this verse? Rashi, the preeminent Torah commentator of the modern era says she actually saw a messenger or an angel (Rashi: the Torah – Bereishis/Genesis, p. 159). The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash states that an angel or “God’s emissary” spoke to her (p. 73). Hirsch in his commentary claims that Hagar saw an angel (a Messenger or Sent One) (Genesis, p. 289). The ArtScroll Breishis/Genesis commentary also states that YHVH spoke to Hagar through an angel (p. 553).

So these commentaries unanimously agree that a literal Heavenly Messenger visited her, but upon what basis does this Messenger use the first person in pronouncing a blessing upon Ishmael? Here, as in other scriptures where the term “Angel [or Malak] of YHVH” is used, the Jewish sages insist that the Messenger is not YHVH and is not divine, but is only acting as an agent of YHVH and therefore is mandated by divine authority to speak in the first person, as if he were YHVH himself. The Jewish sages have not always had this interpretation—one which seems to have arisen during the Christian era to counteract the Christian concept of the incarnation of deity, and hence the deity of Yeshua the Messiah. Even the venerable Jewish Encyclopedia admits this. The sages of the pre-Christian era viewed this Messenger of YHVH as a manifestation of the Word or Presence of YHVH rather than as simply an angel in the common sense of the word. Many if not most Christian scholars recognize the Angel or Messenger of YHVH to be the Word of Elohim (see John 1:1) who would later be incarnated as Yeshua the Messiah (John 1:14). There is even a Christian theological term for this: a Christophany.

 

Lot and Sodom’s Liberation—A Severe Warning to Us All!

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Genesis 14:14, Three hundred and eighteen trained servants. This was a venerable fighting force for a nomadic chieftain to possess. If each of these soldier-servants had a wife and two children, this would have represented more than 1200 people associated with Abram’s army alone. No doubt Abram’s entourage could have been much larger considering those soldiers who had larger families as well as elderly people.

The size of Abram’s personal community along with his wealth is likely why the sons of Heth referred to Abram as “mighty prince [Heb. nasiy meaning “one lifted up, chief, captain or leader”]” (Gen 23:6). This would have been true especially in consideration of the fact that Abram’s personal army probably marched about four hundred miles round trip to defeat the six Babylonian kings in his rescue of Lot (Gen 14:14–16). This was a tremendous feat for a local chieftain-warlord to accomplish. This accomplishment likely made Abram into a legend among the local Canaanites who would have greatly feared and respected him.

Abram’s rescue of Lot and the residents Sodom from the six Babylonian kings brings to remembrance YHVH’s later promise to Israel that he would put the fear of YHVH into the hearts of their enemies and that one Israelite would put a thousand of their enemies to flight and two would put ten thousand to flight (Deut 32:30 cp. Lev 26:8).

This promise is exemplified in the story of Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites by his band of three hundred men—a similar number to that Abram’s army. May YHVH’s servants in our day be walking in such righteousness and holiness before YHVH as to warrant this kind of favor from the Almighty to receive the same blessing when they go up against their enemies!

Not only was the freeing of Lot and the other Sodomites a specular and miraculous feat—a testimony of the power of the Elohim of Abraham, but it was a testimony to these people of Elohim’s grace and mercy in that he rescued the Sodomites despite their wickedness. In spite Elohim’s warnings and grace, they still refused to turn from the wicked ways necessitating Elohim’s later judgment and destruction of that wicked city. The lesson is this. Elohim as a just and righteous judge warns people first by bringing upon them judgments onto repentance before imposing upon them his severe and ultimate judgments unto death. The problem is that most sinners are willingly oblivious to the initial warning signs, which if heeded, would bring them to repentance, thus sparing them Elohim’s ultimate and most severe judgments.

YHVH’s methodologies don’t change; he is the same yesterday, today and forever. He warns people, gives them space to repent before judging them; he is not an unjust judge. Be assured, those wicked rebels who at the end of the millennial age will pass before Elohim’s white throne of judgment and who he will deem worthy to be cast into the lake of fire will have had plenty of warning and time for repentance (Rev 20:11–15). The fiery destruction of Sodom in the Dead Sea Valley, the lowest place on earth, is a prophetic picture of the final lake of fire judgment and should be a lesson to all humanity of what is to come if they fail to submit to Almighty YHVH.

 

Abraham, a man of reluctant faith?

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The story of Abraham leaving Babylon reveals the great mercy of Elohim in one man’s life. Romans 12:2 talks about finding the good, better and perfect will of Elohim for our lives. As much as we may respect and even venerate Abraham as the father of the faithful, it appears that he didn’t follow Elohim’s instructions perfectly at first. It wasn’t that Abraham was out of the will of Elohim, but that he may not have been in the perfect will of Elohim. Despite human weakness and reluctance to immediately follow the Creator’s instructions, YHVH was still merciful and gracious with the spiritual father of our faith.

Genesis 12:1, Get thee out of thy country. Did Abram immediately leave his father’s house and go directly to the country that YHVH would show him, or did he fulfill YHVH’s will for his life in incremental steps? (Compare Gen 11:31 with 12:1.) Did Abram leave his father’s house completely, or take part of his father’s house with him including his father and nephew? Haran is located in northern Mesopotamia and is nowhere near Canaan. When Abram finally made his way to Canaan minus his father, did he still have part of his kindred with him, something YHVH instructed him to leave behind (Gen 12:1)? Did his nephew Lot prove to be a help or a hindrance to Abram in fulfilling YHVH’s mission for his life in a new land?

What lessons can we learn from this account? First, YHVH is gracious to us even when we don’t obey him completely and immediately. Scripture still refers to Abraham as the father of the faithful or faithfulness (Rom 4:12, 16). Second, Abram was a man of prominence in Babylon (or Chaldea), was recognized as a mighty prince (Gen 23:6), and was 75 years old when YHVH asked him to leave the comforts of life in Babylon to trek across the desert to the backwoods region of Canaan. No doubt, this was not an easy move for Abram for the reasons stated above.

What did Yeshua tell his disciples about the sacrifices that would need to be made to be a follower of YHVH? (Matt 10:35–39). What did Yeshua say would be the eternal rewards of those, who like our father Abraham, set out in faith for a new spiritual destiny? (Matt 19:29) What physical obstacles stand in your way of fulfilling YHVH’s spiritual calling, mission and destiny for your life?

Presently, YHVH is calling his people out of the spiritual Babylon (Rev 18:4) of man-made religious systems that, to one degree or another, have supplanted the simple truths of YHVH’s word with doctrines and traditions of men. Anything that takes precedence in the hearts and minds of men that is contrary to the Bible is, by biblical definition, an idol. End times spiritual Babylon is full of idolatry. It is a confused mixture of truth and lies. YHVH called Abram out of Babylon, and he’s calling his people out of Babylon today to worship and obey him in Spirit and truth. His end time saints will be those who follow Yeshua the Messiah unconditionally wherever he goes (Rev 14:4–6). Their chief identification mark is that they follow the Torah-commandments of Elohim and have the faith of Yeshua—their lives have been transformed by the message of the gospel (Rev 14:17; 12:14).

 

The Gospel Preached Through Noah and the Flood

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Genesis 6–8, Noah’s flood provides allegorical insights relating to end-times prophecy. In Matthew 24:37, Yeshua compares the end times to the days of Noah. The story of Noah has allegorical implications that give hints about end-times prophecy.

In 1 Peter 3:18–22, we learn that the story of Noah is also a picture of salvation and water baptism. Noah is a prophetic antetype of Yeshua.

To start with, Noah building the ark is a prophetic picture of the redeemed believer working out his own salvation (Phil 2:12), yet while doing so according to YHVH’s exact plans or specifications (e.g. repentance from sin, faith in Yeshua, baptism for the remission of sins, and faithful obedience to YHVH’s commandments).

Noah builds an ark of safety from Elohim’s wrath or judgments against sinful man. The ark is a metaphorical picture of the believer’s salvation, and Noah is a spiritual picture of Yeshua. The flood is also a picture of water baptism for the remission of sins, which ceremonially pictures the death of the old sinful man, and the birth of the new spiritual man (Rom 6:3–6). Water can both clean one of dirt and kill. The same water cleanses the repentant sinner but kills the unrepentant sinner. Unregenerated sinful or carnal men perished in the floodwaters in Noah’s day, while the new, redeemed man (as pictured by Noah and his family) who had found grace in the sight of Elohim (Gen 6:8) found refuge on the ark. While the flood is a judgment against sinful man who has violated the Torah-laws or divine instructions of YHVH, the ark is a picture of the grace that YHVH offers to those who will repent of their sins (i.e. Torahlessness, see 1 John 3:4) and will turn to him through Yeshua. Since Noah found grace in the eyes of YHVH because he was “perfect in his generations” (Gen 6:8, 9), he was spared from YHVH’s judgments against sin (or the wages of sin which is death, Rom 6:23). YHVH offers the same gift of grace to all men today (2 Pet 3:9).

The ark had three levels indicating the three levels of salvation rewards that YHVH offers to his saints, which is analogous to the three sections in the Tabernacle of Moses. The highest level where Noah lived is the section of the ark that was the closest to heaven, where YHVH abides, and is a picture of the kadosh hakadoshim (the holy of holies, also known as the d’veer meaning “oracle”), which was the place in the tabernacle from which Elohim spoke to the Moses and the Israelites. It is in that highest place that one hears Elohim’s instructions directly from him.

The unclean animals are a picture of lost and scattered Israelites returning to YHVH in the end times from the beast or heathen nations to where they have been scattered and where they have become like beasts of the field (Hos 2:16–19 cp. Acts 10:12, 28). In Peter’s vision of the sheet (Acts 10:12, 28), the Gentiles are likened to unclean animals that YHVH has redeemed (Acts 10:12, 28 cp. with the great and innumerable multitude of Rev 7:9, the lukewarm believers of Laodicea in Rev 3:14–21, the thief on the cross, and the foolish virgins in Yeshua’s parable in Matt 25:1–13). The clean animals may represent the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14, and who are those saints who have remained faithful in keeping YHVH’s Torah commandments, while at the same time maintaining faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Rev 12:17; 14:12).

Noah escaping the wrath of Elohim may be a antetype of the second exodus of end-times Israelites from the nations of the world. As a mixed multitude joined Israel in the exodus from Egypt, so even within Noah’s family there was a mixed multitude containing a spiritual tare; namely, Ham who later fell into sin (Gen 9:22–27) and become the father of the evil Nimrod (Gen 10). Even Yeshua had Judas, a tare, among his select group of disciples, and Yeshua teaches that the tares would coexist with the wheat up until the end times (Matt 13:24–30).

The waters that flooded the world gushed up from out of the bowels of the earth and rained down from heaven (Gen 7:11). Water can be a biblical metaphor for the spoken word (e.g. Deut 32:2; Eph 5:26); namely, it represents both the Word of Elohim from above, and the word (philosophies, thoughts, ideas, religions) of man that are counter to the Word of Elohim that have their source from below. In the last days, knowledge shall be increased, the devil shall spew out his mouth words or philosophies like a flood in an effort to spiritually drown the world and even the saints (Rev 12:15; Matt 24:14). Water can also be a judgment against men. YHVH will judge men for their words, philosophies and religions. Those who followed YHVH’s Word from heaven will be spared his wrath, while those who have subscribed to the words or philosophies of men from below will perish or be judged in a sea of men’s words that are often founded on doctrines of demons. Those who feed spiritually from the tree of knowledge (i.e. secular humanism and all the false religions and ideologies that have spawned from it) will die, while those who spiritually feed from the tree of life or the word of Noah (i.e. a prophetic picture Yeshua), the preacher of righteousness (i.e. the Torah, see Ps 119:172 and 2 Pet 2:5) will live. In the last days, the Word of YHVH will judge men, for when Yeshua returns to the earth on his white war stallion, the sword of the word of Elohim will be coming out of his mouth with which he will judge the nations (Rev 19:11–15). 

It rained 40 days. This is another picture of judgment, since biblically, forty is the number of trials, testing or spiritual refinement.

The ark came to “rest” (Heb. nuach meaning “repose, settle down, be quiet”) on the mountains Ararat (Gen 8:4). From there, Noah built an altar and begin to rule the earth. This is a prophetic picture of Yeshua, at his second advent, coming to Zion or the Temple Mount where he will have his temple and will establish his kingdom on earth, and it will be a time of peace on earth.

The word Ararat means “the curse is reversed.” The ark came to rest on Ararat during the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. This is a prophetic picture of the saints coming to a place of spiritual rest at the beginning of the Millennium after the judgments of Elohim have been poured out on this earth against sin and the wicked have been destroyed.

The dove is a picture of the bride of Yeshua who follows the Spirit of Elohim. The dove coming from the top window of the ark symbolizes the bride of Yeshua coming back to earth from the first heaven to rule with Yeshua on earth. The dove left and came back on the seventh day—the Shabbat. This is a picture of the Millennium or the seventh millennia of man’s existence on earth. Several times in the story of Noah, it is mentioned about the dove finding rest or not finding rest. This is another picture of the Millennium—a time of rest for the saints or the bride of Yeshua (Heb 4:1–10).

The raven who feeds on carrion is a metaphor for the devil who feeds off of dead meat, and who is actively trying to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) like a ravenous lion (1 Pet 5:8). Satan will be active at the end of the Millennium, as well, when he will be loosed from the pit for a short season from which he will go to incite Gog and Magog to come against Yeshua and the saints in Jerusalem (Rev 20:7–10).

Noah’s altar may well be a picture of the third temple (or Ezekiel’s temple, Ezek 40–48).

According to Christian commentator Matthew Henry, Noah’s ark was an early Christian metaphor for salvation and YHVH’s delivering his people form evil and judgment against wickedness. We see this allusion in 1 Peter 3:20–22 where the flood is a picture of salvation, deliverance by baptism and the resurrection of Yeshua.

The ark was covered with pitch, which is a picture of the redeemed believer being covered by the blood of Yeshua to keep the spiritual ark of his life from sinking under the judgment of Elohim against men’s sin. This truth of this imagery is revealed the Hebrew words for pitch and atonement,which share the same root word.

The name Noah means “rest.” Yeshua bids all who are heavy laden and need rest to come to him (Matt 11:28–30).

Noah was 600 years old when he went into the ark and the flood came. YHVH’s final judgment against wicked men will be at the end of the 6000 years of men’s rebellious tenure on this earth.

Noah didn’t leave the ark and set foot on the earth until YHVH bade him to do so (Gen 8:15). Likewise, Yeshua won’t return to the earth from heaven until the Father permits it.

The Noachic Covenant that Elohim made with all humanity (Gen 9:1) is a picture of the New Covenant being ratified in the Millennium with “all Israel.” No non-Israelites (i.e. no sinners) will be permitted to live, but will be burned up in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium (Rev 20:11–15). 

 

Only One Cure for Guilt and Shame!

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Genesis 3:7, Naked…fig leaves. Guilt and shame. Guilt and shame are different. Guilt is a result of sin and brings conviction of sin leading to confession, forgiveness and cleansing from sin.

Shame, on the other hand, drives us to hide and tells us that we can’t truly be forgiven—that we need to hide. We have to hide behind something. Usually it’s a religious mask to make people think we’re different than we really are—to hide our true identity, who we really are. Adam and Eve used fig leaves. There was no church to hide in where they could play childish religious games of pretend.

Religious people are especially adept at play-acting with masks. This is often fueled by a sincere but misguided desire to please Elohim and others. In reality, we’re hiding our guilt, shame, scars, imperfections, hurts and sins without dealing with them.

The reality is that the shame and condemnation of sin doesn’t lift until one confesses sin and trusts Elohim to forgive them and then let him provide them with his own sin-covering. Elohim covered Adam and Eve in skins—probably a sheep skin, which was a picture of Yeshua—YHVH’s Lamb—dying for them at the cross.

Likewise, our sin must be covered in the atoning blood of Yeshua. Wearing masks instead of dealing with sin causes us to become smug, self-sufficient, dishonest, self-righteous and arrogant. This was the spiritual state of the Laodiceans.

 

The Activities of Satan the Devil

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Genesis 3:1, The serpent .

  • He has a false trinity/godhead (i.e. the beast, false prophet and whore). Rev 13:2–10; 16:13; 17:1–2
  • He is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
  • He comes to kill, steal and destroy. John 10:10
  • He has his own synagogue. Rev 2:9
  • He has his doctrines. 1 Tim 4:1
  • He has his mysteries. Rev 2:24
  • He has his throne. Rev 2:13
  • He has his kingdom. Luke 4:6
  • He has his worshipers. Rev 13:4
  • He has his miracles. 2 Thess 2:9
  • He has his angles. Rev 12:7
  • He has his ministers. 2 Cor 11:15
  • He has his sacrifices. 1 Cor 10:20
  • He has his fellowship. 1 Cor 10:20
  • He has his armies. Isa 24:21
  • He sows his tares (workers) among Elohim’s wheat (people). Matt 13:24–30
  • He instigates false doctrine. 1 Tim 4:1–3
  • He perverts the word of Elohim. Gen 3:1–4
  • He hinders the work of Elohim’s servants. 1 Thess 2:18
  • He resists the prayer of the Elohim’s servants. Dan 10:12–13
  • He blinds men to the truth. 2 Cor 4:4
  • He steals the word of Elohim from human hearts. Matt 13:19
  • He accuses the saints before Elohim. Job 1:7–12
  • He lays snares for men. 2 Tim 2:26
  • He tempts people to sin. Matt 4:1
  • He afflicts people with pain and suffering. Job 2:7
  • He deceives. Rev 12:9
  • He undermines the sanctity of the home. 1 Cor 7:3–5
  • He prompts both saints and sinners to transgress against the holiness of Elohim. Matt 16:22–23
  • He lurks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet 5:8