Numbers Week 42 - Matot (Tribes) Notes

These are my first ever Torah Portion notes from 2018 and 2019, drawn from these sources. Every Saturday starting from Friday sunset, God's people get together and read portions from the Torah to learn and look deeper into His word, starting after the 8 days Feast of tabernacles until.Tabernacles the next year:

• The Way Biblical Fellowship: Tribes and Journeys (Torah Portions: Mattot and Masei) 2015 - 2016
• Rob Skiba Virtual House Church

1. 2013 Broadcast   

Scriptures in Week 42:

TORAH:

Numbers 30 - 32

PROPHETS:

Jeremiah 1 - 2:28; 

Judges 11:29-40

NEW TESTAMENT:

Matthew 5:33-37; 23:1-39
Revelation 7 

TORAH

When people make vows or promises, you cannot break it. You also find yourself in a trap by manipulating God by feeling to do something for Him due to what He has done. Not always, it can lead to dictating God. We should ideally be listening to what He says and doing it.

"When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow." Ecclesiastes 5:4

Verse 3-7 doe snot mean that the father of the house has some masculine power over the house, it says that the father is the one reasonable if he is the one that makes one to sin or stop a vow or good deed from happening. It is nothing patriarchal, it is saying that God will have the husband held reasonable for all the decision that the couple makes. In an actual fact, it would be better to be the woman in this case, since if the man is not responsible enough, he will be the one sinning. They are one flesh. The husband is the one to not abuse the responsibility to make good decisions in a marriage.

If a wife vows something to YHWH, at that point she is under an obligation to do it. But if her husband forbids her or prevents her from conducting that vow, then the guilt, for her not fulfilling that vow rests on the husband. Does not sound very misogynistic to me. It sounds rather reasonable. This should make feminist think twice about the God of the "Old Testament" that is supposedly "misogynistic."

"But if he shall make them null and void after that he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.” Numbers 30:15

I also want to remind you all that it was Yeshua that bore our iniquity too and took the curse instead of us. Hallelujah!

What does this mean? After a issue that Pinchas dealt with, a massive census, long lists of sacrifices on feast days and laws about vows, YHWH all of a sudden says: "oh yeah, take full vengeance on the Midianites for what they did with Balaam and the prostitution!" Sounds too abrupt and incoherent does it not? You can imagine Moses sitting there,like, okay so vows yep got what's next? You are going to war and soon you will die..... Unfortunately, the Torah does not tell us Moses' reaction which i believed might have been quite perplexed and possibly a bit frightened. Remember last week, all this interruption was very necessary.

See the work of Tony Robinson

"The Holy One gave the commandment to go to war with Midian in Numbers 25:16-18; however, the account of the war doesn’t actually occur until Numbers 31:1-12! What about all of the text between those verses? Wouldn’t it have made more “chronological” sense to place the narrative of the war (Numbers 31:1-12) right after the commandment (Numbers 25:16-18)?

Remember, our goal is to determine why Numbers 26-30 was placed between the command to attack Midyan and its actual fulfillment. We will do this by searching for a common theme between the section (Numbers 26:1-30:17) that was "inserted" and the war with Midyan (Numbers 25:16-18 and Numbers 31:1-12). Understanding the War I. Since we are searching for a theme between Numbers 26:1-30:17 and the war with Midyan, it makes sense to look at each section thematically. We will start with Numbers 25:1-9 even though it was part of last week’s sidra, because this passage contains the events necessitating the war against Midyan. 

"Vengeance is mine, and recompense,

    at the time when their foot slides;

for the day of their calamity is at hand.

    Their doom rushes at them.” Deuteronomy 32:35

Proverbs 20:22 World English Bible (WEB)

22 Don’t say, “I will pay back evil.”

    Wait for Yahweh, and he will save you."

"Romans 12:19-21 World English Bible (WEB)

19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

    If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

    for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." 

We cannot take vengeance on someone if a person attacks us and does kills a child of ours, because that will be playing God - just like judging others. To make it right, we should leave the situation in YHWH hands. When He executes His vengeance, it is always done perfectly.

When Phinehas and the army going to battle parallels when Yeshua comes back with His hosts of heaven into battle between Antichrist. Because it mentions "the son of Eleazar the priest (Phinehas)", "the trumpets for the alarm," all contain verbiage seen in descriptions of the battle of Armageddon.

The Midinates that they killed contained Nephlilm genes (or to be more specific, were Elioud/Elgo and demigods). By fighting them, Israel will be bringing to extinction the physical seed of Ha'satan from the gene-pool.

These people had taken YHWH's bride and had tried to turn His bride astray that would ultimately kill her. Pretend you were God, and your wife was kidnapped and taken to be killed. How just would it be to intervene, removed the offender or to sit and do nothing? It would be the ultimate blessing to kill  these possibly Nephilim descendant nation from the face of the earth before causing anymore harm.

The women were spared. But where they the problem to begin with? This is why Moses is angry because the sins was not completely removed. The Israelites, like Saul with the Amalekites had only partially obedient God. 

Here is an article that i read last week that is in tune with this week's Torah study. Jim Staley here gives us amazing insights that i think we should all take to heart.

Got a Mole Problem?

Written by Jim Staley

 

Numbers 31

Have you ever had a mole problem? One that just keeps coming back and ruining your yard or garden? They seem to go away for a while and then come back with vengeance. I recently learned that moles love grub worms and they seek them more than any other food. I personally have a mole that just won't stay out of my garden. An old timer told me that all you have to do is get rid of the grub worms (thereby removing its food source) and it will move on. And because moles are like besetting sins that just don't seem to go away, I got to thinking about this week's Torah Portion and the "mole problem" that the Israelites had with the Midianites. So. If you've got a mole problem in your life, this article might be for you. 

"Vengeance is Mine, says the LORD."
-- Deuteronomy 32:35

If vengeance is His, then why is He instructing the Israelites to take vengeance on the Midianites? Well, in short, it's because, many times, Yahweh uses people to carry out His plans. Revenge is forbidden in the bible because it is ultimately self-serving (Lev. 19:18). It is only when the Almighty gives very specific instructions to do so that it becomes permissible. In most cases, the Father takes His vengeance out on those that deserve it in very creative ways that will not include the person seeking the justice. Sometimes it's immediate and sometimes it's years down the line. And many times when the Lord finally DOES bring justice, the person being punished doesn't even connect the result to an action they committed in years past. But the vengeance that Yahweh has toward His enemies gives us the blueprint for how to take vengeance on the pesky moles in our lives.

Read Numbers 31:1-18

The chapter starts off with Yahweh telling Moses to go after the children of Midian in war. It was now time to get revenge on them for partnering with Balaam and seducing the men of Israel to fornicate with the daughters of Midian so the Israelites would curse themselves. During the battle, the Israelites chose one thousand men from each tribe and utterly annihilated all five cities of Midian without losing a single soul in battle. Phineas was charged with being the leader because of the instant claim to fame he garnered when he stopped the plague with his righteous zeal. When they returned from battle, they were expecting a high five from Moses. Unfortunately, Moses was furious. Why? Because they didn't kill all the same women that had seduced them to begin with! Moses required them to immediately put to death all of the women that had been with a man and every male, regardless of age. He allowed all the girls that were underage to live.

QUESTION: Why was Moses upset? How do we apply this today? What is the spiritual principle?

This part of the story gives us a great spiritual principle: The only way to truly defeat temptation is to completely destroy the root and source of it. The little girls could be retrained in the ways of Yahweh and would pose no threat to drawing the men away when they grew older. The boys, on the other hand, would grow up to be men and would likely seek revenge for their parents' death. In this same way, we have to make sure that we leave no stone unturned when fighting an enemy in our lives. Whether it be depression, anxiety, lust, anger, or fear, we must destroy all the sources from which those besetting sins are attacking us. Whether your enemy is small or large, you must take it seriously and create a strategy to utterly eradicate it so that it doesn't ever overtake or bother you again.

Too many times the children of God are kept in bondage by sins and habits that entangle them because they continue to allow the same thought patterns and situations that are causing those sins to be present in their lives. You may believe that the instructions of Moses to his brethren were radical, but that is the kind of action it takes to eradicate sin. Sin radically affects the soul and is powerfully addictive. So to remove it, we sometimes have to be just as radical. Someone once said that the definition of "insanity" is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." If we want to experience the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control), we have to be a radical Phineas in order to achieve them. It does not matter what kind of personality you have. All you have to do is have discipline to change your habits and kill the giants. Even a giant will eventually starve to death if it is not fed.

SO STOP FEEDING THE GIANTS!

Let's say that you are prone to anxiety and fear. You hate the way you feel when you give into it. Your decisions are based off of it and sometimes you find yourself swamped with all of the crazy thoughts that are swirling through your mind like a tornado picking up an entire town. It destroys your shalom and prevents you from really enjoying life and doing what the Spirit desires you to do. How do you eradicate it? How do you kill that mole? You can't. That's right. You can't kill the mole. Just like the real mole, that demonic spirit operates underground and in the dark. Why spend all your time trying to kill the mole when all you have to do is get rid of its food source?

When it comes down to it, all besetting sins, in my opinion, can be destroyed by just doing the following four things:

1. Accountability: Confessing our sins to one another
2. Changing what we believe: Renewing our minds
3. Getting an eternal perspective
4. Getting radical

ACCOUNTABILITY

If you want to kill something that operates in the dark, you have to come into the light first. This means your first line of action is to tell someone what you are struggling with and ask for help. Leaning on someone that does not have the same struggle as you can do wonders in creating an environment of hope and encouragement that you can thrive in. James says this in his book:

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed."
-- James 5:16

Having someone stand with you and help create the strategy to keep the moles out of your life is a powerful first step. James goes on to say that "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Find someone that you can not only confess to but is also dedicated to helping you and praying with you all the way to the finish line.

CHANGING WHAT YOU BELIEVE

We do what we believe. We eat when we believe we are hungry. Some people take diet pills that fool the brain into thinking they are not hungry. If the brain thinks it's not hungry, it will not desire food. It's not about reality. It's about what you believe. In the same way, what you believe about your "mole" determines the mole's future. Most people don't hate sin the way God hates sin and herein lies the problem. They don't see the damage, the destruction, and the power it has over a person like He does, affecting generations after they are long gone.

So how do you change what you believe? You have to change what you put into your mind. There's an old saying in the computer world, "Garbage In, Garbage Out." In other words, you cannot get out of something any more than you put in. In this case, even if you know something is wrong intellectually and you don't want to be like that anymore, if the mole keeps coming back, it's because there is a breech in your perimeter. Your belief system has been compromised.

To fix this, you must first search your heart. You must give permission for the Father to dig into your heart and discover where the belief system that is negatively affecting you started. Did it come through a trauma of your past, a generational problem that was passed to you, personal sin? Find the source and confess it and ask the Father to deliver you from that pain. Many times the "sin" is not the root. Pain is. Heal the pain and the sin goes away. This can be a difficult process that may require a friend or a counselor's help. But when the Spirit begins to heal the pain, then you can renew the mind.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
-- Romans 12:1-2

Once the root is discovered, then we fill that void with the very word of Yahweh. We search the scriptures looking for everything we can find on our subject mole and write all those scriptures down, reciting them daily. We memorize them and repeat them all day long. When the mole comes around, we simply quote those scriptures and the mole goes running.

GETTING AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

In my experience, this is one of the most powerful steps one can take. We are so used to living inside of time and inside of our own bubbles of reality that we forget that we are eternal beings. We forget that every action we take is creating another reality that will be waiting for us when we die. Did you know that every single thing you do on this earth determines where you live in heaven and what kind of dwelling place you live in? If we truly turned our minds toward the eternal and constantly evaluated our lives based on the barometer of eternity, many issues in our lives would melt in comparison. If we could see the real angels that have been assigned to us, following us everywhere we go and watching everything we do and say, we would certainly change many things in our lives. If we really believed and feared Yahweh because we knew that every word will be judged and every thought will be on display on Judgment Day, we would see instant changes and the moles would scramble away, never to return. We simply need heaven's perspective and the Spirit's understanding that we are not living for this earth. We are simply interviewing for eternity.

GET RADICAL!

The last several stories in Numbers are all about being radical. Joshua and Caleb went radical when they refused to see the giants before them and instead chose the perspective of Yahweh. Yahweh went radical on Korah and company because they chose to challenge God's anointed authorities. Balaam came up with a radical idea to try to get the Israelites to curse themselves. Phineas went radical when he grabbed his javelin and killed Cozbi and Zimri. And Moses went radical when he told the Israelites to kill everyone but the little girls so that the Israelites would never again be tempted to sin before Baal of Peor.

So how do you get radical? You change everything you can to get rid of those evil moles. You change your schedule. You post scriptures all over the house. You set your alarms for prayer times. You tie reminders on your hands. You change friends if need be. You kill every temptation at its root and you go buy a nun's habit and wear it all day as a uniform. Okay, maybe the last one is taking it a bit too far. But hey...whatever works! The point is you must take your javelin and meet this mole head on. No more responding to it after it's too late. You have to strike preemptively! You know it's coming eventually, so get your bulletproof vest on, load your gun, and be ready!

Although the above four steps are not a cure-all for every situation, the enemy tries to deceive us that it is more complicated than it is. He wants us to believe that it is too hard, we've been dealing with it for too long, etc... He is the father of lies and he knows how to get in our heads. That is exactly why we need to take every thought captive and constantly renew our minds.

In the end, when you are successful at destroying the Midianite "moles," what you are left with is beyond imagination. Gold, silver, precious metals, cities you did not build, wells you did not dig, etc... What you end up with is your inheritance, rich for the taking. But first, like the Israelites, you must declare war!

Shalom,
Jim Staley

This sounds disgusting for those that do not know its meaning. YHWH says to kill the woman that are not virgins but take Midianite women that are virgins your your own? It sounds like they are raping the women but it dose not say that. It takes a fallen mind to take something like this and see such a heinous deed in it, so inconstant with the rest of the Torah. If the Word is perfect then we are misunderstanding it and to see where we went wrong and fix the mistake.

"Deuteronomy 21:10-13 World English Bible (WEB)

10 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands, and you carry them away captive, 11 and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and desire to take her as your wife; 12 then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails. 13 She shall take the clothing of her captivity off of herself, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife." It says not to have sex, but to marry the person you desire. What they would do, went the women were captured they would put on clothes or even lack of clothes to beatify and tempt men. YHWH knows man's heart and knows how he created the sexual drive, so if a man sees a woman behaving like this, then he is probably going to lust after her and have very adulterous thoughts plaguing their minds or even worse - go to bed with them. So YHWH says that if a man wants to take the woman home to get married, she needs to shave her head and cut her nails so she will not be able to entice and tempt the man she had been taken to. As someone that is wrestling with lust and sexual temptation, i say amen to this! It gives the woman freedom to go through her mourning practise for her lost country destroyed in war, which is to cut off her hair. I know about you, dealing with this for one mouth would teach you respect and be compassionate about those that have suffered from war. Obviously, a consent has to be made as well.

The war captives that were spared are to be purified with the other Israelites. That means they are grafted into the House of Israel - thus showcasing the acceptance and welcoming nature of the church. The process of doing this on the third and the second day reflects the purification of the red heifer.

Verse 23 speaks on a spiritual level.

"Numbers 31:23 World English Bible (WEB)

23 everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity. All that doesn’t withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water."

When Yeshua comes back, the world will be purged by fire. The only thing that will be left is the only thing that can withstand the fire, is righteousness which is founded by His salvation. As we go through our life, we are sanctified by the impurities in life by going through hardships. The water that cleans us is the water of the Word.

"2 Peter 3:10-13 World English Bible (WEB)

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness, 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."

"Hebrews 12:26-28 World English Bible (WEB)

26 whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.”[a] 27 This phrase, “Yet once more”, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,"

"1 Corinthians 3:11-15 World English Bible (WEB)

11 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; 13 each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. 14 If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire."

"1 Peter 1:3-7 World English Bible (WEB)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been put to grief in various trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—".

Balaam was killed but his donkey was still alive and taken to be used by the Israelites.

These are the spoils of war Israel took from Midian. The numbers are so great it gives us an insight that this war was absolutely gigantic and epic on massive area of land:

• 675,000 sheep. 337,500 sheep were kept by the Israelites. 675 for YHWH.
• 72,000 cattle. 36,000 cattle for Israel. 72 for YHWH.
• 61,000 donkeys. 30,500 for Israel. 61 for YHWH.
• 32,000 virgin women that were grafted in with welcome instead of living them alone to die. 16,000 women for the Israel and 32 for YHWH.

Gad and Reuben have so much livestock they desire to stay on the east side of the Jordan in order to raise their livestock.  By staying where they were, they were committing the sin of the spies that gave a bad reports of the land and to not take it. 

However, the Gadites and Reubenites say that they will fight to take the land, but they will leave their families on the eastern side so went the conquest is done, they can crossover.

Verse 20 to 22 in Chapter 32, really empathises "before YHWH" which stresses that we should never impress men, but rather YHWH. 

Each of these tribes mentioned have got something interesting that links them together. Reuben had the opportunity to have the firstborn blessing taken from him, Gad was the firstborn of Zilpah but he is not the leader of Zilpah's children. Manasseh is Joseph's firstborn but he never got Ephraim's blessing. Since they are the ones that have been rejected, they are finding confront by camping together.

The tribe of Manasseh had gone by command to fight Amorites giants and took their land.

PROPHETS AND NEW TESTAMENT

"Jeremiah 1:19 World English Bible (WEB)
19 They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you”, says Yahweh, “to rescue you.”

The noble vine is the seed of the woman and the degenerate plant and strange vine is the seed of Satan.

Jephthah's daughter had let her father fulfil his vow. Did he have to sacrifice his daughter!!?!?!?

Jephthah's Vow:Did He or Didn't He?

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Forerunner, "Ready Answer," July 1994

The Bible contains the story of a man of God, Jephthah, who went beyond these customary vows before the big battle of his career (Judges 11:29-40). A Manassite from Gilead, a fertile region just south of the Sea of Galilee and east of the Jordan River, Jephthah was born into an influential and wealthy family. However, he was illegitimate. Unwilling to share the family's wealth, his half-brothers forced him into exile. It was the sort of thing that generals and kings have done throughout history. Before the great battle that will determine the fate of nations or empires, military leaders have prayed for divine help. Soldiers in the trenches and on the front lines do it often. Many vow to reform themselves, to do some act that will please their god or to give themselves to his service.

He traveled northwestward to an area east of Syria called Tob. Like David in his years of running from Saul, Jephthah lived as a vagabond and a soldier of fortune, collecting a band of riffraff and outcasts around him. His reputation as a brave and brilliant military commander grew and spread.

When Ammon began to raid parts of Israel, mostly Gilead, the elders of the land came to him for help. They offered him the position of commander of their armies, but he refused to fight for them unless he was also granted power as head of Gilead. Backed against the wall as they were, the elders could only accede to his request.

So, with his power as head and commander, he recruited an army throughout the area. Meanwhile, as biblical law requires (Deuteronomy 20:10-12), he sent emissaries to Ammon to negotiate peace, but they were rebuffed. With no other choice left, Jephthah marched on Ammon, and during this march he made his vow.

A Promise Made and Kept

And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." (Judges 11:30-31)

Evidently, God heard, and Jephthah secured a complete victory over Ammon. Word of his success raced across the land. Soon, the people of Mizpah, Jephthah's home, heard the news and prepared to greet him with a victory celebration when he returned.

Unfortunately, leading the celebrants was Jephthah's only child, a daughter. Fully aware of his part of the vow, Jephthah scanned ahead to see who or what would come to meet him first. But when his eyes fell first on his own daughter, his jubilation suddenly turned to bitter grief.

After her father explained what he had done, Jephthah's daughter amazingly put up no resistance. Agreeing that he must keep his vow, she asked only to mourn her virginity for two months before he did. When the two months were over, Jephthah performed his vow, and his daughter's great sacrifice was commemorated yearly by the women of Israel.

Scholars and theologians throughout the ages have wondered, "Did Jephthah really sacrifice his daughter? Or did he dedicate her to God for the rest of her life?" Until the Middle Ages, every commentator of record (even Josephus, cf. Antiquities, 5.7.10) wrote that he actually killed her, but enough evidence exists to suggest that he did not offer her on an altar, but made her a lifelong Nazirite, totally dedicated and holy to God (Numbers 6:8).

Jephthah's Character

It is unfortunate that he made the vow at all. However, unlike Gideon and others, God never appeared or spoke to him. In fact, God dealt with him much as he does with us—through law, experience and personal circumstance. Apparently, he needed the vow to bolster his faith, to secure God's favor however he could, though obviously God was with him (verse 29).

But Jephthah knew the law. He knew that God requires parley before battle to give the opponent a chance to surrender or retreat. He knew that vows are sacred promises to be kept (Numbers 30). He also knew the history of Israel's approach to the Promised Land and Moses' negotiations with the kings of Edom, Moab and the Amorites well enough to make a legal point in his own negotiations (Judges 11:15-27). Obviously, Jephthah knew that human sacrifice is a detestable and hated act to God (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31).

Not only did Jephthah know it was wrong, the people of Gilead would also have abhorred the practice and were commanded to kill one who did it (Leviticus 20:2-5)! They—especially the priests—would never have been a party to it, nor would the maidens have commemorated it (the Hebrew word translated "lament" in Judges 11:40 is actually "praise," "commemorate" or "rehearse").

Nor was Jephthah an impetuous or rash person. His vow was spoken, not on the eve of battle, but on the march to it. Rather than leaping at the chance to command Gilead's army, he patiently negotiated for a more powerful position. He did not rush into battle with Ammon, but recruited and trained an army, negotiating with the enemy all the while. If he remained in character, his vow must have been well considered.

The vow itself has been misunderstood too. His vow is in two parts: whatever comes out of the house "shall surely be the LORD's and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." Bullinger in the Companion Bible says: "The Hebrew Vav [translated ‘and' in the KJV/NKJV] is a connective particle, and is rendered in many different ways. It is also used as a disjunctive, and is often rendered ‘or' (or with a negative ‘nor')." So Bullinger concludes Jephthah vowed to dedicate to God whoever came out to meet him, or if it was an animal, to offer it as a burnt offering.

This agrees with Jephthah's character. He considered the scenario, decided a human being or an animal could fulfill it, and provided for both circumstances. Another factor is the term "burnt offering" (Hebrew olah), which has no connotation of fire or burning. It literally means "that which goes up," and implies total consumption (as one "consumed in his work") or complete surrender. Thus, even without changing the conjunction, the wording of the vow can technically mean that she was completely devoted to God.

Why Such Grief?

If that is so, why was there such great grief, anguish and mourning? A little background in Israelite culture helps here. Remember how distraught Abraham and Sarah were that they could not have a son? And Rebekah? And Rachel? And Samson's parents? And John the Baptist's parents? Barrenness was a source of great distress and grief to the Israelites. They thought God was displeased with them.

Spinsterhood was almost unknown as well—a woman's whole life revolved around marriage, family and children. Thus, as it states specifically, Jephthah's daughter mourned with her friends over her virginity, not her impending death. She knew she would not die, but remain a virgin for the rest of her life.

Also, she was Jephthah's only child. This is triply stressed in verse 34. Literally, it reads, "She only was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter." So she also mourned the end of Jephthah's line. He would have no natural heirs to carry on his name, titles or wealth. Recall Abraham's great distress about this too (Genesis 15:2).

In verse 39 the writer repeats, "She knew no man" immediately after he writes that Jephthah performed the vow. If he had truly sacrificed her, would it not have been better to write, "And she died"? But she did not die! She lived out her life without knowing a man! This is why the maidens of Israel praised her so much! She gave up—sacrificed—the one thing that they prized most highly: their ability to have children.

Also, the words "he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed" show that he had divine approval for his actions. God would not have approved of human sacrifice. If God had not approved, the writer would have written of God's displeasure, as he did with Gideon's making of a golden ephod (Judges 8:27). And certainly it would not have become a tradition of praise, a customary event in Israel, if God was not pleased.

Incidentally, human sacrifice, though known among the pagans, was not introduced to Israel until the reign of Manasseh of Judah (c. 697-642 BC). Jephthah began judging about 1096 BC. When the king of Moab sacrificed his son on the walls of his city during a combined siege by Israel, Judah and Edom in about 850 BC, the Israelites were so repulsed that they immediately lifted the siege and went home (II Kings 3:27).

How Does This Help Us?

A final proof is that Jephthah is listed as a hero of faith in Hebrews 11:32. In the next verse, the writer says that these faithful people "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness [and] obtained promises." If we apply this to Jephthah, his vow, in which God fulfilled His part, was an act of righteousness.

And though others listed in this list sinned horribly, would God have listed in "so great a cloud of witnesses" a man who sacrified his only child? True, Abraham, the father of the faithful, was willing to do so, but he also said that God would provide a sacrifice (Genesis 22:8). In Abraham's case, God stepped in, as He probably would have for Jephthah. Generally, the Bible speaks too highly of Jephthah to infer that he participated in a human sacrifice.

What does this teach us? Obviously, it is a reminder to be careful about what we vow. God takes vows seriously and expects them to be kept. Failing to keep a vow violates the ninth commandment and indicates weak character and faithlessness.

More important, we need to remember that we have already made our own vow—at baptism. We vowed to take Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, and in effect we gave our lives to Him for His use and His service. Jephthah offered his daughter; we offer ourselves (Romans 12:1).

Our lives are not our own to do with as we please (I Corinthians 6:19-20). We have the responsibility, now that we have been redeemed from our lives of sin, to live up to the high standards of God's way of life and to glorify God in whatever we do. This means growing in His image and bearing fruit, putting on the holy character of God and helping our brethren in their development. This means total devotion to God and fulfilling our parts in His plan.

We have made our vow; there is no turning back without great pain and loss. Our vow should be constantly on our minds, and we must strive to our utmost to keep it. We cannot afford to rest on our accomplishments or become satisfied with our present state of growth.

Are we ready to face the horrors and temptations of the time of the end? We will have to endure the birth pangs of the Great Tribulation if Israel's experience with the plagues in Egypt are a type. Are we truly strong and faithful? Are we firmly anchored in God and His Word? Can God trust us to be faithful witnesses under persecution and threat of death? God promises that those times are coming, like it or not. Are we ready?

Can we sincerely say, "Your will be done"? Have we completely put ourselves in God's hands? We need to remember Jephthah's daughter, her willing attitude, her selfless sacrifice. Like her, it is time to make ourselves completely devoted sacrifices to God.

© 1994 Church of the Great God
PO Box 471846
Charlotte, NC  28247-1846
(803) 802-7075

We need to be careful what we say. What said is said and what is done is done.

Replica of the Seat of Moses in Chorazin.

We are to do what the church says. In other words, at mass one time, they read a Torah portion proclaiming Moses' words to chose life by following the commandments. But what is ironic about it, the priest reading it is far from doing that. This is what Yeshua means. Do not do what they do, do what they say.

What Yeshua was referring to when making a vow, according to those of "old time" is that they said that it was wrong to make a vow in YHWH's name or make a vow to Him. Yeshua is saying to not swear by anything. Because the Torah does not actually say to swear to YHWH. The whole purpose in this law is to show that the things that you speak are important that we carry them out.

The 144000 are going to be warriors.
"Numbers 31:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war."
"Revelation 7 World English Bible (WEB)
4 I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."


In this episode, Doug Hamp and Rob Skiba dive into Revelation chapter 7 and discuss who the 144,000 are and what they believe their purpose is.

In this episode, Rob and Doug pick up where they left of in Revelation chapter 7. They discuss whether or not this chapter has anything that can be considered a reference to the Rapture. Toward the end, they also discussed a number of verses from Revelation chapter 8, regarding the Trumpets and whether or not the 1st Trumpet may actually start the Seven Year Tribulation Period (according to Ezekiel).

Shalom
Jonathon Karagiannis - 27/7/19

Nephilim Hybrid Chart

I wish to create this due to seeing a trend in the Nephilim research community who have made charts similar to this one. The Titans were upwards of 100 to 450 feet tall (3,000 ells in book of Enoch). Clearly, we have no account after the Flood of Giant being that big. We have accounts of giants growing to 45 feet. Characters like Nimrod (Zeus, Gilgamesh, Apollo, Shiva, Baal, Osiris ect) would fall into the Elioud/Elgo category due to his description in the Septuagint as a giant hunting giants.

Additional notes:

Kaiju is a Japanese term meaning “strange beast or monster” used to describe animals of extremely enormous size, examples would be creatures like Godzilla, the Kraken, Jormungandr of the Norse myths, Leviathan of the Bible and the Hecatoncheires of Greek mythology etc.

Seraphim are the most powerful and most superior class of spiritual beings. They are not angels. The Hebrew word that describes them literally means snake or serpent.The prophet Isaiah tells us that the seraphim are six-winged “fiery” angels who surround God. However, in the Book of Enoch, it hinst to us that there was a class of angels or Satans that has caused the Watchers (Fallen Angels) to sin. Three are listed as Jeqon, Asbeel and the serpent or the true Satan - Gadreel (Enoch 69.) Some believe there are seven shape-shifting seraphim that fell, and it is these three that began the ultimate Fallen Angel rebellion and may have also had children. It is my belief that the being Samael is one of these Seraphim that had a child with Eve named Cain. The offspring with a Seraphim and a daughter of Cain (demigod) would become a giant reptile humanoid as depicted in Greek mythology as the gigantes. 

The Book of Jasher describes strange beasts called Yemim.  They were described as small men, or children, with the heads of bears, and long tails that came out from behind their shoulders. So in other words, they are animal human hybrids or deformed humiods like goblins or greys.

Elioud/Elgo. Giants from 100 feet to 8 feet tall. Thus characters like Zeus, Poseidon, Odin, etc., They the first generation of Olympians, who when mating with humans produced demigods such as Hercules and with other gods produced the second generation of Olympians like Athena and Ares. And as these various combinations of mating took place, the genetics, attributes and abilities get "watered down" with each step.Then, after the Flood, you have "cedar tree" sized Amorites (35 - 150 feet tall). The Anakim (later generation Amorites) the Hebrew spies encountered in Numbers 13 were most likely in the 25 - 35 foot range. Until you finally get to the runt of the litter - Goliath - who was only 9 - 12 feet in stature.

Demigod’s are hybrids but they appear to be the most human in appearance. At times, you would not be able to tell at all if they are even a hybrid! Many of these characters like Achilles, Percy Jackson, Shi-Ji and Simbad are human sized but may have some unusual power or extra advantages that far exceed normal humans.

We're most familiar with the Greek characters, like the Titans and the Olympians but this step-down demographic appears in many ancient writings. For instance, in the Sumerian texts, we find the Annunaki, then the Igigi, then human-hybrids. In the Hebrew texts, we have the Nephilim, the Elioud/Elgo, the Raphaim, Giborim. This concept of original hybrids, the offspring of the Heavenly beings, thus having offspring of lessor stature/ability is quite common in the ancient literature.

Seraphim + human = demigod
Seraphim + animal = yemin
Seraphim + titan = gigantes
Seraphim + elioud/elgo = gigantes
Seraphim + demigod = gigantes
Seraphim + yemin = kaiju
Seraphim + gigantes = elioud/elgo
Seraphim + kaiju = kaiju

Angel + human = titan
Angel + animal = kaiju
Angel + titan = titan
Angel + elioud/elgo = titan
Angel + demigod = titan
Angel + yemim = kaiju
Angel + gigantes = titan

Titan + titan = elioud/elgo
Titan + gigantes = titan
Titan + animal = kaiju 
Titan + elioud/elgo = demigod
Titan + kaju = gigantes
Titan + angel = titan
Titan + seraphim = gigantes

Gigantes + seraphim = elioud/elgo
Gigantes + angel = titan
Gigantes + titan = titan
Gigantes + gigantes = elioud/elgo
Gigantes + kaiju = kaiju
Gigantes + elioud/elgo = titan 

Kaiju + kaiju = kaiju
Kaiju + elioud/elgo= yemim
Kaiju + animal = yemim
Kaiju + titan = gigantes
Kaiju + gigantes = kaiju
Kaiju + angel = gigantes
Kaiju + seraphim = kaiju

Elioud/Elgo + elioud/elgo = elioud/elgo
Elioud/Elgo + human = demigod 
Elioud/Elgo + animal = yemim
Elioud/Elgo + demigod =  elioud/elgo
Elioud/Elgo + kaiju = yemim
Elioud/Elgo + titan = demigod
Elioud/Elgo + yemim = kaiju
Elioud/Elgo + angel = titan
Elioud/Elgo + gigantes = titan
Elioud/Elgo + seraphim = gigantes

Demigod + demigod = demigod 
Demigod + human = demigod 
Demigod + animal = yemim
Demigod + elioud/elgo = elioud/elgo
Demigod + angel = titan
Demigod + seraphim = gigantes

Yemim + yemim = yemim
Yemim + human = demigod
Yemim + animal = yemim
Yemim + demigod = elioud/elgo
Yemim + angel = kaiju
Yemim + seraphim = kaiju

Human + human = human 
Human + animal = yemim
Human + yemim = yemim
Human + demigod = human
Human + angel = titan
Human + seraphim = demigod
Human + elioud/elgo = demigod

Examples of cross breeding hybrids: 
Human + fish = fish god
Human + horse = centaur 
Human + goat = satyr 
Human + snake = gorgon
Human + crocodile = Draco Reptilian
Human + bird = harpy 
Human + wolf/dog = Cynocephali 
Human + bat = vampire 
Human + lion = Sphinx 
Human + ape = Bigfoot
Human + insect = fairy
Human + grey/goblin = Pleiadian
Lion + goat + snake = chimera 
Eagle + lion = griffin 
Bird + horse = Pegasus 
Snake + leopard = serpopard
Bull + human = Minotaur
Human + Crocodile + Eagle + Brachiosaurus = T-Rex
Human + Crocodile + Snake + Roster = Cockatrice/raptor
Wolf + horse = Dog horse
Puma + bear + ram = Ozark Howler

Numbers Week 41 - Pinchas (Phineas) Notes

These are my first ever Torah Portion notes from 2018 and 2019, drawn from these sources. Every Saturday starting from Friday sunset, God's people get together and read portions from the Torah to learn and look deeper into His word, starting after the 8 days Feast of tabernacles until.Tabernacles the next year:

• The Way Biblical Fellowship: Pinchas (Torah Portion: Pinchas) 2016 - 2017
• Rob Skiba Virtual House Church

1. 2013 Broadcast   

Scriptures in Week 41:

TORAH:
Numbers 25:9 - 30:1
PROPHETS:
1 Kings 18:46-19:21;  
NEW TESTAMENT:
Matthew 26:1-30; 
John 2:13-25; 7:1-39; 11:55-12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14; 
Acts 2:1-21; 12:3-4; 20:6-16; 27:9-11; 
1 Corinthians 5:6-8; 16:8; 
Hebrews 11:28

TORAH

This parsha is about:

• Sin and judgement
• Righteousness and reward
• It also is about taking hold of the physical inheritance.

YHWH warns us what to expect from out enemy. If we consider ourselves to be the generation that will be led into the wilderness and then back to the promise land at Yeshua's return - then these events in the Torah are significant to us. We must never allow ourselves to be led away from our devotion to YHWH and walking whole-heartedly in His word.  

Phineas was Aaron's grandson. He was zealous and set-part as we should be. We know the days that we live in. Those who are in the world walk about oblivious to the truth, oblivious to what is about to come upon them. There are those that see things do not look good, but they have no idea as to the full scale of what is to be unleashed. Because we walk in the truth we know what is coming - let us never stop being thankful for all that YHWH has done for us.

In our parsha we have a false prophet and a spiritual whore that wish to destroy Israel. There will be a false prophet and a whore in the End Times as well. Everything is cyclical. The Second Beast of Revelation is called the False Prophet:

"I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon." Revelation 13:11

So, those who identify as Jews are waiting for a man named Messiah ben Joseph to destroy the enemies of Israel, march victoriously to Israel after these wars where he will be killed by his enemies, but then miraculously resurrected. Sounds like what Nimrod is going to do.   

So we have got Christians all over the world pledging allegiance to a nation born in a way that has been made to look divine, but which actually smacks of treachery and deceit. A nation that is hostile to Yeshua, a nation that is for the most part secular and in an excessive way. A nation that came form a promise to Lord Rothschild, whose flag carries the same satanic insignia as his family crest.   

Like Balaam, the Pope and those behind Cultural Marxism and 2030 Agenda are sneakily attacking us spiritually without need of brute force. The communist of old, who used guns and tanks to take over a nation, and the cultural Marxist of more recent times, who seek to take a nation over from within, have both made clear of their hatred of proper marriage and family, and have done all they can to destroy both. Just as the Israelites were seduced by Midianite women, sexual immorality in general is used as a weapon by these activist, from abortion, free sex, homosexuality have been prompted.

"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, American will collapse from within." Joseph Stalin (sounds exactly like Balaam.) 

They are creating a culture of hopelessness and despair and one of their biggest weapons is mass media. 

"We corrupt in order to rule." Giuseppe Mazzini, Freemason. Sums up the spirit of Balaam

The 'worship' of Baal Pe'or was in reality not worship of a god - even a false god - at all; it was the exact opposite of worship. It was the adoption of irreverence and nihilism - the fear of no god, and the acceptance of no bounds on personal behaviour - as one's way of life. If nothing is sacred, nothing is vile. Sounds like Satanism. "Do what thou wilt." Aleister Crowley.

The Israelites were blessed, they were just about to enter into the land, that is until they committed fornication, and kept company with workers of iniquity. Abstain from all that opposes the word of YHWH. Remove yourself from the company of all who choose to speak against His word. All who speak against YHWH's commandments, mishpatim and chukat are evil - as these were given by YHWH with a specific purpose or function.

Moab and Midian conspired by Balaam's agenda to send beautiful women into the camp of the redeemed to distract and entice and seduce as many Hebrew men as they could to the worship of Baal. It was an act of spiritual warfare.  

Phineas was zealous with "His" zeal, YHWH did not consume the children of Israel in His zeal. In other words, Phineas actually got all his emotions in touch with the heart of YHWH, began to feel within himself the very emotions of YHWH, and then actuality let YHWH's passions consume him and direct his actions.

Zeal can be shown to be negative or positive depending on motive and loyalties. Zeal must be coupled with knowledge.

"Romans 10:2 World English Bible (WEB)

2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge."

Positive zealousness brings about repentance:

"Revelation 3:19 World English Bible (WEB)

19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.

     

Phineas is from the tribe of Levi and the Israelite he killed was named Zimri from Simeon and his Midian partner was Cozbi. These two tribes were the ones in Genesis 34:25, that joined together in a conspiracy in order to avenge the honour of their sister Dinah, by destroying the city of Shechem. What began as a partnership for evil between the tribes of Simenon and Levi effectively ends in our parsha, when Phineas (representing Levi) kills Zimri (representing Simenon.) 

"Genesis 49:5 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers,

    instruments of violence are their knives."

"Genesis 49:7 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

7 Cursed be their anger for it was strong

    and their rage for it was cruel—

    I will disperse them in Jacob,

    I will scatter them in Israel."

The name Simeon is directly inked to the verb shama, meaning to hear (Zimri - my music/Cozbi - my lie.) This sounds like an apt descriptions of many Christians drawn away into spiritual fornication - dancing to their own tune having given themselves over to a lie.

The census in Numbers 26 is the result of the Israelites mixing with the daughters of Moab that saw the death of 24000 Israelites by the plague.

In Numbers 26 there are 22,000 Simeonites and in Numbers 1 there were 59,300. So because of this fornication, there was a 37,100 decrease in the population of Simeonites. It is easy to conclude that perhaps nearly all of the 24,000 who died from the plague were from the tribe of Simenon. Thus we could also conclude that Zimri was a powerful leader of the Simeonites and personally responsible for their deaths as he led them in rebellion against Moses and YHWH.

Both Simenon and Levi's zeal took different directions after the blessings of Jacob. Zimri's zealous behaviour had to be stopped. His energy was not dedicated to the Almighty. In fact, he had his own twisted personal agenda. Two tribes... Two directions. One tribe's zeal merited blessing and honour... one tribe disappeared from the radar. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives his final blessing to the tribes. Simeon receives no blessing whatsoever. No mention of his name. 

Simeon's inheritance was within the midst of Judah and it seems that you find them under Judah's wings off and on throughout Scripture.  

Cozbi and Zimri purposefully chose the Tent of Meeting as the location for their sex act. It was to be a public display of outright rebellion. Just like most famous Christian leaders, they were attempting to teach the Israelites how to be free from the freedom of Torah and the holiness that was part f the teachings of Moses. 

"1 Timothy 4:1-2 World English Bible (WEB)

4 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;"

"Jude 4 World English Bible (WEB)

4 For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ."

"Jude 11-13 World English Bible (WEB)

11 Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever."

Ephesians 5 gives us good advice:

"Ephesians 5 World English Bible (WEB)

5 Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. 3 But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; 4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks.

5 Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. 7 Therefore don’t be partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12 For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; 21 subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect. 28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; 30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 31 “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”[a] 32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. 33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

After the plagues that issued from the sin of the spies and the rebellion of Korah, YHWH had told Aaron and his sons and his father's family to bear the responsibility for offences against the Tabernacle. Zimr's offence was very obvious.

We defile our temples by setting up idols in our hearts. Let us pick up the javelin like Phineas.

In Joshua 22:10-34 we read that Phineas was a peace maker who helps avert civil war. The people of Israel were ready to attack Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh until he intervened. Obliviously Phineas is not some bloodthirsty maniac - but rather a righteous man. His actions were a response to YHWH's word - thus they were quite different from the actions of his ancestors in Shechem, who acted of their own volition.

See the work of Tony Robinson

"The Holy One gave the commandment to go to war with Midian in Numbers 25:16-18; however, the account of the war doesn’t actually occur until Numbers 31:1-12! What about all of the text between those verses? Wouldn’t it have made more “chronological” sense to place the narrative of the war (Numbers 31:1-12) right after the commandment (Numbers 25:16-18)?

Remember, our goal is to determine why Numbers 26-30 was placed between the command to attack Midyan and its actual fulfillment. We will do this by searching for a common theme between the section (Numbers 26:1-30:17) that was "inserted" and the war with Midyan (Numbers 25:16-18 and Numbers 31:1-12). Understanding the War I. Since we are searching for a theme between Numbers 26:1-30:17 and the war with Midyan, it makes sense to look at each section thematically. We will start with Numbers 25:1-9 even though it was part of last week’s sidra, because this passage contains the events necessitating the war against Midyan. 

What is the general theme of Numbers 25:1-3? 9 What term in Numbers 25:1 is used to describe their sin? 10 What is the sin of harlotry? The essence of harlotry is this; one who is married has sexual relations with someone other than their spouse. We know that Am Yisrael is married to the Holy One; therefore, Am Yisrael had broken her marriage vows. What specific sins were committed when Israel committed harlotry with Moab? 11 Thematically, what is the significance of mentioning that the people ate with the Moabites—is that so bad? 12 B. What is the general theme of Numbers 25:4-9? 13 Who participated in the sins of harlotry? 14 Considering those who participated in the sin of harlotry, has the judgment been equally and properly meted out and why (verse nine)? 15 C. What event stopped the plague? 16 In this example, we see that the Holy One’s wrath was appeased when representatives from both sinning groups were executed. Explain how this hints that we should expect judgment against the Moabites/Midianites. 

 We have seen that there were two groups of sinners, Am Yisrael and the pagans. So far, only thousands of Israelites have been judged. The appeasement of the Holy One’s wrath through the slaying of an Israelite and a Midianite suggests that perfect judgment should involve sinners from both groups! Therefore, we should expect judgment to fall on a larger number of Moabites/Midianites.

Now read Numbers 25:16-18. The theme again is judgment. This time though, the judgment pertains to Midyan. This helps balance the discrepancy we noted above where it seemed as though the Midianites weren’t going to be judged. At this point, we would expect to read something about the war with Midyan. Instead, the Torah “inserts” other Parshiot that are totally unrelated to war with Midyan. Let’s skip to Numbers 31 to finish our analysis of the war with Midyan.
Even though Am Yisrael was carried out the attack, whose vengeance is being appeased, Am Yisrael’s or the Holy One’s? 20 This is an interesting concept. The battle against Midyan occurred to inflict Adonai’s vengeance on Midyan. In other words, Am Yisrael was used as His instrument of vengeance against another nation."

Many may think this census was taken in order to count the number of men able to go to war against Midian. This would make chronological sense. If we compare and contrast this census with the census of Numbers 1:1-44. We see the major difference between these two censuses is that the census in Numbers 26 is more extensive, counting even the number of the names of the families, whereas the census of Numbers 1 did not specify names of families.

This census includes the names of families because the purpose of this census is to count the people to determine how to divide the Land. 12,000 fought against Midian with 1000 from each tribe.

The census is not for natural descendants of Jacob alone:
"Isaiah 56:6-7 World English Bible (WEB)
6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh,
    to serve him,
and to love Yahweh’s name,
    to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it,
    and holds fast my covenant;
7 I will bring these to my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
    for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
"Ezekiel 47:22-23 World English Bible (WEB)
22 It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23 It shall happen, that in what tribe the stranger lives, there you shall give him his inheritance, says the Lord Yahweh."   

The biggest gainer was Manasseh. It actuality increased during the wilderness by 20,500 men.

YHWH stirs in the hearts of the five daughters of Tzelofechad a passionate love for the land their father rejected as a land that devours its inhabitants. Their expectation that the word of YHWH would be performed in due season, and their desire for an interest in the promised inheritance; and the modest, candid manner in which they asked, without secret murmurings or discontents, are a good example. Cry out for an inheritance with the impassioned cry of Tzelofechad's daughters.

Moses missed out on the blessing of leading Israel because he "rebelled against" the Holy One's commandment. Joshua was allowed to enter the Land specifically because he remained faithful to the Holy One in the incident of the spies.

The Mussaf Offerings are extra offerings given on the Seven Modeim. 

The daughters of Moab were prominent players in the harlotry with Israel. They obviously forsook the covering of their fathers. To counter this, the daughters of Zelophechad remain under the covering of their father.

Numbers 25:3 states that Am Yisrael attached themselves to Baal Peor. How could they
attach themselves to Baal Peor except they first draw near to Baal Peor? Furthermore,
Numbers 25:2 states that Am Yisrael prostrated themselves to Baal Peor. This is
equivalent to dedicating themselves to Baal Peor. This is thematically related to the
continual burnt offering of Numbers 28-29, which pertains to drawing near to Adonai and
attaching themselves to Him! The daughters of Moab were prominent players in the harlotry with Am Yisrael. They obviously forsook the covering of their fathers. To counter this, the daughters of Zelophechad remain under the covering of their father (Numbers 27:1-11).

Numbers 26 gives the details of a census. As we noted, the purpose of the census was to
determine who would get a land inheritance. The Torah leaves us with the impression
that those who were to receive a land inheritance had received a reward for following

Adonai. 

These verses lead one to believe that those who were not faithful did not deserve the land inheritance. First, it states how Korach and his followers didn't survive (so as to inherit land). Then it states that the generation that left Egypt was denied a land inheritance. They weren’t receiving the inheritance because they were unfaithful. All of this is related to the passage above (Numbers 27:12-23) where Joshua is allowed to lead Am Yisrael into the Land because he was faithful.

It appears that the Holy One desires for us to understand a certain message pertaining to judgment for sin and reward for righteousness. As of Numbers 26:1, Israel has received its judgment (the plague); however, Midyan hasn't. Since Midyan doesn't get judged until Numbers 31, we surmise that the events of Numbers 26:1-30:17 had to take place before Am Yisrael were allowed to inflict judgment on them. 

The impending war against Midian is not a war between Midian and Israel. It is a war between YHWH and Midian! When Midian sent the daughters of their leaders under Balaam's command to seduce the leaders of Israel, they declared war against Him, not just against Israel.

The vengeance to be served upon Midyan is His vengeance, although He will use Am Yisrael as His instrument of wrath. Remember, one of the major themes of Numbers 26:1-30:17 is that it is a correction to Am Yisrael's behavior in the incident with Moab/Midyan. In other words, the judgment of Am Yisrael (the plague) and correction - the interlude (Numbers 26:1-30:17) needed to occur before He was able to use them as instruments of His righteous indignation. 

How could He use a sinful Israel to judge the heathen. It had always been Adonai's plan to judge the nations of Canaan because of their sin. This is clearly taught in Genesis 15:13-16. What was not revealed previously was that Am Yisrael would be the instruments of His wrath. Considering Adonai is judging the nations of Canaan because of their multitude of sins, would it be appropriate for Him to judge them with Israel if Israel is just as sinful. He had to purge the rebel form among them.

Therefore, the judgment against Midyan will not occur until Adonai first cleans up Israel. The first generation of rebels have already perished in the wilderness and the last group of rebels perished in the plague after the incident with Moab and Midyan. The last order of business was for the Holy One to correct the behavior exhibited in the incident with Moab and Midyan. Afterwards, Israel will be a fit vessel to execute His righteous judgment. Thematically, this may be the reason why Numbers 26:1-30:17 was inserted between the command to attack Midyan and its actual fulfillment.

There are parallels with the book of Revelation: Balaam in the False Prophet and Midian is the harlot which i believe is Edom modern state of Israel.

In the book of Revelation we see YHWH's people told to forsake the harlot.  How did Moses choose his army to fight against Midyan and how is that process related to the
book of Revelation? He chose 12,000 men, 1,000 from each tribe. In Revelation, Adonai chooses 12,000 from each tribe for His army! Making 144000!

A major theme developed in this week's study was that Am Yisrael was chosen as the instrument to mete out Adonai's wrath/vengeance upon His enemies. This is how the Torah
teaches us that Messiah has chosen us to be His soldiers in His battle against hasatan! Why didn't Adonai supernaturally execute judgment on His enemies? Because, He wants to teach us that the battles between Am Yisrael and her enemies are pictures of our battles against hasatan. The Holy One has an enemy named hasatan and He has an army. Just as the Canaanites tried to hinder Am Yisrael from entering the Promised Land, so likewise, hasatan will try to keep us from entering into the Millennial Kingdom. He will use the dragon, the false prophet, the whore and all unbelievers to wage war against us. 

YHWH will once again in the Greater Exodus will use His people as instruments of His judgements. We see the very next generation is lead by Joshua (Yeshua) and Caleb. If so, then all those who are rebellious and do not cling to Him will have to be purged out from among them.

Israel wept at the tent of meeting, repenting. Pinchas acted according to YHWH's word, even though it was not the easy thing to do. He did it anyway. 

We have seen that this study is all about the Land. Please note that those that entered the land were a people that wepted over their sins. It is Joshua that will lead them into the land, and so for us it will be Yeshua.

For all those who have been having their ears tickled, for all those hearing that no harm will be done unto them even though they have despised the Word of YHWH. They will wish the had heard the strong rebuke of the wise rather than the song of fools.

The second generation of Israelites were desperate for the promised inheritance. They were not afraid of those that opposed them. Those that would enter the land were a people who had repented as a nation. They had not fallen for the wiles of the Whore and the False Prophet, they were a people who would not allow the temple to be defied. Their story is our story. Are you a rebel like Korah that needs to be purged out or are you zealous for YHWH like Pinchas? Do you wholly follow him like Caleb and Joshua/Yeshua?    

PROPHETS AND NEW TESTAMENT

Elijah against the prophets of Baal:

Elijah's name means: "My God is Yah"

He went from the Mt. Carmel showdown to Jezreel, then to Beersheba, then 40 days to Sinai

NOTE: The three 40 day fasters of the Bible are:

• Moses - went to Mt. Sinai
• Elijah - went to Mt. Sinai
• Yeshua - did He go to Mt. Sinai too?

Yeshua went from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized:

Matthew 3

King James Version (KJV)

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

He went from there "into the wilderness" for 40 days:

Matthew 4

King James Version (KJV)

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Is this a coincidence? Or is that how long it takes to go from roughly the middle of Israel down to Mt. Sinai? Could be. I admit it is pure speculation, but based on what we have been learning, I think it is a reasonable assumption to suggest that Yeshua also went to Mt. Sinai, just like Moses and Elijah... coincidentally, the same two who appeared with Him on the mount of Transfiguration:

Matthew 17

King James Version (KJV)

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountainapart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias [Elihah] talking with him.

Note also that IF Yeshua did go 40 days out to Mt. Sinai, that He did not have to travel the same distance/time back. He got a quick ride back (by Satan):

Matthew 4:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Mt. Hermon is described as a "high mountain" - and indeed it is as compared to others in the region. If my theory is true, how interesting that Satan may have taken Yeshua away from the mountain of His Father (Sinai) and brought Him to the mountain of the Genesis Six Experiment (Hermon)!?

Jezebel is literally a picture for the Whore. She is also a picture of the Midianite women that came with her spirit to lead astray the children of Israel. In this video, it is highlighted that there will be to contrasting women: the bride of Yah without spot or blemish from the wine of fornication (Phineas) and the Whore/Jezebel/Semiramis who interestingly, is from the tribe of Dan (Phoenicia). See The Antichrist's Danites - Super Soldiers, Heracles, Depopulation and Sparta

Following the idea that Jezebel and the Whore are Israelites (Jezebel being from Dan) it will make sense that the identity of the scarlet women in Revelation becomes very clear that it is referring to the Edomite state of Israel today and the third temple and not Rome (the False Prophet and Second Beast).

Other instances in the Bible where God made
major changes and transformations after the period of 40

[source]

• It rained for 40 days and 40 nights when God wanted to cleanse the world and start over.(Gen 7:12 KJV) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
• Noah waited another 40 days after it rained before he opened a window in the Ark.(Gen 8:6 KJV) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
• Embalming required 40 days (although this was an Egyptian custom, the Egyptians recognized the period of 40 for the preparation of going into a new life, what they called the afterlife) (Gen 50:3 KJV) And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
• Moses was on the mountain with God (fasting) for 40 days (TWICE) (Exo 24:18 KJV) And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. (Exo 34:28-29 KJV) And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Deu 10:10 NIV) Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time, and the LORD listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you.
• Moses' face shone after the 40 days on the mountain. (Exo 34:29 KJV) And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
• It took the spies 40 days to search out the promised land and bring back fruit (Num 13:25 KJV) And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
• The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness, one year for each day they explored the Promised Land. (Exo 16:35 KJV) And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. (Num 14:33-34 NIV) Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. {34} For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land-you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.
• Goliath came for forty days before being killed by David (1 Sam 17:16 NLT) For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army.
• Elijah strengthened by one angelic meal went 40 days to Mount Horeb where the Lord passed by and he heard the voice of God (1 Ki 19:8 KJV) And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
• Jonah warned the City of Nineveh they had 40 days until God would overthrow the city. The people repented in those 40 days and God spared the city. (Jonah 3:4 and 10 KJV) And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
• Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Mat 3:17 KJV) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mat 4:1-2 KJV) Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. {2} And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
• Jesus was seen in the earth 40 days after His crucifixion (Acts 1:3 NIV) After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God

The woman that poured the oil on Yeshua reflected the faithfulness and goodness of the daughters of Tzelofechad.

Yeshua had the zeal of Phineas when He overthrew the merchants in the Temple.

Yeshua did not come unto the Feast of Sukkot because it was not yet His time to fulfil it. He will fulfil it in the End Times.

Yeshua went into Ephraim. This tells us that He will seek the lost House of Israel that have dispersed among the gentiles and He will graft them back in.

Paul was celebrating the feast days as it says in Acts 20:16 he was zealous and wanted to return to Jerusalem for the feast that required those to go to Jerusalem as a pilgrimage feast.
"For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost."

Beware those like Zimri who dance to their own tune and have embraced a lie. Beware those who sh'ma a different voice, those who would lead you away from following YHWH and off into spiritual fornication. Evil is not something from a western mindset. It is something that fails to fulfil its purpose or is prevented. So those that stop you from fulfilling your purpose in YHWH is evil. We need to walk humbly with God, to serve Him and to be a light in a dark world.

Shalom

Jonathon Karagiannis - 20/7/19