- The Way Biblical Fellowship: Words (Torah Portion: Devarim) 2015 - 2016
- Rob Skiba Virtual House Church
- 2013 Broadcast
Scriptures in Week 43:
TORAH:
Deuteronomy 1 - 3:22
PROPHETS:
Isaiah 1:1-27
NEW TESTAMENT:
Mark 14:1-16;
John 15:1-11;
Acts 7:2-60; 9:1-21;
1 Timothy 3:1-7;
Hebrews 3:1-4:11
TORAH
The last book of the Torah! Man, time has flown! Wow... The Book of Deuteronomy (devarim) is just a summary of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. It consists of Moses massive speech which is towards the second generation that were too young to hear the commandments at Sinai or where not born yet. It is good to see how Moses' has developed and changed since we meet him in Exodus. Moses had very poor public speaking skills but now, we get to see how God has changed him and this whole book is Moses' speech to a whole nation. Quite a character arch. Nothing is impossible with God. Anyways, God's people are now ready to entire into the land of Canaan after 41 years. This would be in the year around 1400 BC.
Deuteronomy literally means "second law". This is not to imply that a "first law" is being replaced by a "second". What is happening here is Moses is "repeating" Torah principles to the children of Israel, that rejected the Promise Land and ended up dying in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy, according to Tony Robinson, follows the order of the listing of the words of the Ten Commandments.
Moses had no earthly monument stone. In fact no one even knows where he is buried, which is interesting since he had lived with the Pharaohic regal families of the middle kingdom and would have been involved in elaborate burial practises. Instead of an exotic coffin, it is Moses' words... his devarim that become his memorial and his remembrance.
"Deuteronomy 34:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day."
So mysterious is his burial, that even Satan himself got involved.
"Jude 9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
This book is therefore all about the power of language and speech. Encouraging words builds us up like no other. But, it is the evil tongue that is the ultimate weapon for mass destruction. Power is in the the tongue.
Most of devarim is written from the first person as it includes the parting words which Moses addresses to the nation just a matter of weeks before his death.
FROM ROB SKIBA:
How interesting that early on in the call of Moses’ life, we read that he was a man who had trouble speaking (or so he thought anyway). And yet, we see that YHWH has clearly equipped him with eloquent words. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy is really one long speech from the man who was “slow in speech.” EXODUS 4 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. Was Moses really a bad speaker or was he just being humble and feeling unworthy of the calling in which YHWH wished to use him? Perhaps a little of all of that may be true. One thing I’ve learned in my own life though is that God does not generally call the equipped, but rather He equips the called. I certainly see this to be true in the life of Moses. What an amazing journey he had! From escaping death in a basket floating down a river to being raised as a son of Pharaoh, to exile leading to a life of herding sheep in the wilderness, to being perhaps the greatest leader of men the world has ever known. Now, here we are at the end of his long journey, which unfortunately included him failing to actually enter the Promised Land. Nevertheless, you see his shepherd’s heart at work as he recounts the Exodus, the wandering in the wilderness and the commandments, ordinances and statutes of YHWH to the generation that would enter the land. He was about to die and thus he wanted to leave the people with some final “words” to both encourage and warn the people about the blessings and curses, which come from obedience and/or disobedience to the most high Elohim.Of all the books of the Hebrew Tanakh, many scholars have noted that Yeshua quoted the most from the book of Deuteronomy. In fact, the words from this book enabled Him to pass His testing in the wilderness. Could this also serve as an example for us as His followers? Could the 40 days He spent in the wilderness correspond with the 40 years the Israelites spent being tested in the wilderness? Could their testing in the wilderness parallel a future testing for us in the Last Days? I suppose that’s all food for thought. Suffice it to say, if it was good enough for Yeshua to use in thwarting the temptations of the Devil, it will surely do the same for us. Wisdom From The Torah: DEUTERONOMY Introduction by Rob Skiba x In an article on the Koinonia House website, Dr. Chuck Missler has this to say about Deuteronomy: Not surprisingly, the New Testament authors mentioned Moses more frequently than any other Old Testament person. His concluding remarks after a 120-year lifetime have been handed down to us as the Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is essentially a series of sermons by the greatest Old Testament prophet. Jesus Himself quoted more from Deuteronomy than from any other portion of the Old Testament. (In a sense, Deuteronomy is the “Book of Romans” of the Old Testament.) * * * Moses’ words were addressed to all Israel, an expression used at least 12 times in the book. Its frequent occurrence emphasizes the unity of Israel which was brought about by God’s mighty deliverance of the nation from Egypt, and by her acceptance of His covenant at Sinai. They were uniquely God’s people, the only nation on earth that had as its “Constitution” the Word of God. — Dr. Chuck Missler[1] Indeed, I agree. The Torah is the “Constitution of the Kingdom.” It is the standard by which we determine right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteous living.
Moses was not mad keen: me? i don't think so. Sounds good, but please chose someone lease that can actual do what you said properly. I feel like this. Sometimes, i feel overwhelmed at what Era of 303 might become since i have been given ideas by YHWH that seen too much to write down and be adapted. But, slowly but surely, YHWH will work with us and we will make it in the end. We think others are better than us. But YHWH dose snot chose those that are already good at something because it is all for His glory. Perhaps YHWH sees something us (me) that you (I) don't.
Devarim is broken down into four defined speeches:
Deuteronomy literally means "second law". This is not to imply that a "first law" is being replaced by a "second". What is happening here is Moses is "repeating" Torah principles to the children of Israel, that rejected the Promise Land and ended up dying in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy, according to Tony Robinson, follows the order of the listing of the words of the Ten Commandments.
"Deuteronomy 34:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day."
So mysterious is his burial, that even Satan himself got involved.
"Jude 9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
This book is therefore all about the power of language and speech. Encouraging words builds us up like no other. But, it is the evil tongue that is the ultimate weapon for mass destruction. Power is in the the tongue.
Most of devarim is written from the first person as it includes the parting words which Moses addresses to the nation just a matter of weeks before his death.
FROM ROB SKIBA:
How interesting that early on in the call of Moses’ life, we read that he was a man who had trouble speaking (or so he thought anyway). And yet, we see that YHWH has clearly equipped him with eloquent words. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy is really one long speech from the man who was “slow in speech.” EXODUS 4 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. Was Moses really a bad speaker or was he just being humble and feeling unworthy of the calling in which YHWH wished to use him? Perhaps a little of all of that may be true. One thing I’ve learned in my own life though is that God does not generally call the equipped, but rather He equips the called. I certainly see this to be true in the life of Moses. What an amazing journey he had! From escaping death in a basket floating down a river to being raised as a son of Pharaoh, to exile leading to a life of herding sheep in the wilderness, to being perhaps the greatest leader of men the world has ever known. Now, here we are at the end of his long journey, which unfortunately included him failing to actually enter the Promised Land. Nevertheless, you see his shepherd’s heart at work as he recounts the Exodus, the wandering in the wilderness and the commandments, ordinances and statutes of YHWH to the generation that would enter the land. He was about to die and thus he wanted to leave the people with some final “words” to both encourage and warn the people about the blessings and curses, which come from obedience and/or disobedience to the most high Elohim.Of all the books of the Hebrew Tanakh, many scholars have noted that Yeshua quoted the most from the book of Deuteronomy. In fact, the words from this book enabled Him to pass His testing in the wilderness. Could this also serve as an example for us as His followers? Could the 40 days He spent in the wilderness correspond with the 40 years the Israelites spent being tested in the wilderness? Could their testing in the wilderness parallel a future testing for us in the Last Days? I suppose that’s all food for thought. Suffice it to say, if it was good enough for Yeshua to use in thwarting the temptations of the Devil, it will surely do the same for us. Wisdom From The Torah: DEUTERONOMY Introduction by Rob Skiba x In an article on the Koinonia House website, Dr. Chuck Missler has this to say about Deuteronomy: Not surprisingly, the New Testament authors mentioned Moses more frequently than any other Old Testament person. His concluding remarks after a 120-year lifetime have been handed down to us as the Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is essentially a series of sermons by the greatest Old Testament prophet. Jesus Himself quoted more from Deuteronomy than from any other portion of the Old Testament. (In a sense, Deuteronomy is the “Book of Romans” of the Old Testament.) * * * Moses’ words were addressed to all Israel, an expression used at least 12 times in the book. Its frequent occurrence emphasizes the unity of Israel which was brought about by God’s mighty deliverance of the nation from Egypt, and by her acceptance of His covenant at Sinai. They were uniquely God’s people, the only nation on earth that had as its “Constitution” the Word of God. — Dr. Chuck Missler[1] Indeed, I agree. The Torah is the “Constitution of the Kingdom.” It is the standard by which we determine right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteous living.
Moses was not mad keen: me? i don't think so. Sounds good, but please chose someone lease that can actual do what you said properly. I feel like this. Sometimes, i feel overwhelmed at what Era of 303 might become since i have been given ideas by YHWH that seen too much to write down and be adapted. But, slowly but surely, YHWH will work with us and we will make it in the end. We think others are better than us. But YHWH dose snot chose those that are already good at something because it is all for His glory. Perhaps YHWH sees something us (me) that you (I) don't.
Devarim is broken down into four defined speeches:
- History lesson - 1:6-4:40
- The Commandments in the Land - 5:1-26:19
- Renewal of the covenant - 27:11-28:69
- Repentance 29:1-30:20
What Moses is going to say is going to encourage people. Parts of the ways he will encourage them to by telling them to recall all the amazing victories that God has won. Us against the 30 foot giants. Today, in such a tumultuous and dull world, YHWH wants us to be encouraged. He wants us to remember the victories He has done in our lives.
"1 Samuel 17:47 World English Bible (WEB)
47 and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
Like Moses, David was the one overlooked at first - the one disdained by his brothers - shows that YHWH looks on the heart, seeing what others may not see. Showcasing that if you can walk with YHWH the you will walk in victory counting on Him and not your own strength. So do not go saying to Him that i am rubbish, just ask Him to "Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Or these words:
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14
Moses reproves the people of Israel in chapter 1 of Devarim by reminding the, of the failures of the first generation in mistrusting and disobeying YHWH which led to their deaths in the wilderness.
Our clue as to why these particular events are mentioned is a phrase that is repeated twice, in different contexts:"Deuteronomy 1:6-7 World English Bible (WEB)
6 “Yahweh our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all the places near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the seashore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates."
"Deuteronomy 2:2-3 World English Bible (WEB)
2 Yahweh spoke to me, saying, 3 “You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward."
So, Moses is now making a parallel or hopefully a contrast between a generation who failed to set foot in the Promised Land and a 2nd generation who are hoping to soon enter into the Land.
Soon after the Israelites learned that they would die in the wilderness, there was more rebellion, Some decided, against Moses' advice, to still enter the Land.
The 2 generation. We saw from our summary of events that there were different ways of handling the nations. With some nations, the Israelites were to be careful not to fight against them:
"Deuteronomy 2:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 Don’t contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession."
With other nations, they were encouraged to enter into war:
"Deuteronomy 2:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 “Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle."
To summarise what we have so far: we have two stories about two generations on their way to the promise land. The questions are the same. To enter or not to enter? To fight or not to fight? The only way they had any answers, was to look to the word (devarim) of YHWH.
The 1st generation failed because they did not enter when the Almighty said "ENTER!" And then they attempted to enter when He precisely told them not to. Both were causes of rebellion. With the second generation, they were much more successful in obeying His words.
FROM ARDELLE:
The prophet Hosea makes a connection between the return (shuv - bWv) of Israel and “words”:
Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return (shuv - bWv) to hwhy your Elohim, For you have stumbled because of
your sins;
2 Take words (devarim - ~yrIêb'D>) with you, And return (shuv - bWv) to hwhy….
As we study the “words” (devarim - ~yrIêb'D) of Moshe in “Devarim” (words - ~yrIêb'D), isn’t it
fascinating that Hosea tells us that “words” are exactly that method of “return” to hwhy? Taking
another look at Hosea reveals to us that we are not only understanding “return” in the narrower
dimension of the individual, but that it is also a national process of repentance and restoration of all
of Israel. It is a process of a nation “returning” to hwhy through His “Word”. It is a journey of
national revival. It is the reunification of the “Word” with a people. “Returning” is made possible
because we listen to and accept His “Words”. Of course we’ll connect this with Yeshua, who is the
“Word” of hwhy in the flesh in just a little bit.
As Moshe used “words” to point the people towards the Promised Land, he contrasts the road to
failure (1st generation) with the road to success (2nd generation). The Israelites are a people who are
meant to be on the move – out of Egypt, into the wilderness and ending in the Promised Land. The course of the journey mirrors faithfulness, or lack of faithfulness.
Yeshua said repeatedly that His “Words” would never be changed or become obsolete:
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away.
Matthew 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Torah till all is fulfilled. We are to repent and turn to His words, which includes the Torah.
The Jordan river - the place where Moses delivers his words - begins at a high point where there is a lot of life, but it finishes at the lowest point on the surface of the earth (the Dead Sea) where there was no life (i use the lexis was because reports claim that life has been found in the Dead Sea recently, therefore fulfilling the Ezekiel 47).
"1 Samuel 17:47 World English Bible (WEB)
47 and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
Like Moses, David was the one overlooked at first - the one disdained by his brothers - shows that YHWH looks on the heart, seeing what others may not see. Showcasing that if you can walk with YHWH the you will walk in victory counting on Him and not your own strength. So do not go saying to Him that i am rubbish, just ask Him to "Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Or these words:
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14
Moses reproves the people of Israel in chapter 1 of Devarim by reminding the, of the failures of the first generation in mistrusting and disobeying YHWH which led to their deaths in the wilderness.
Our clue as to why these particular events are mentioned is a phrase that is repeated twice, in different contexts:"Deuteronomy 1:6-7 World English Bible (WEB)
6 “Yahweh our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all the places near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the seashore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates."
"Deuteronomy 2:2-3 World English Bible (WEB)
2 Yahweh spoke to me, saying, 3 “You have encircled this mountain long enough. Turn northward."
So, Moses is now making a parallel or hopefully a contrast between a generation who failed to set foot in the Promised Land and a 2nd generation who are hoping to soon enter into the Land.
Soon after the Israelites learned that they would die in the wilderness, there was more rebellion, Some decided, against Moses' advice, to still enter the Land.
The 2 generation. We saw from our summary of events that there were different ways of handling the nations. With some nations, the Israelites were to be careful not to fight against them:
"Deuteronomy 2:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 Don’t contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession."
With other nations, they were encouraged to enter into war:
"Deuteronomy 2:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 “Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of the Arnon: behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle."
To summarise what we have so far: we have two stories about two generations on their way to the promise land. The questions are the same. To enter or not to enter? To fight or not to fight? The only way they had any answers, was to look to the word (devarim) of YHWH.
The 1st generation failed because they did not enter when the Almighty said "ENTER!" And then they attempted to enter when He precisely told them not to. Both were causes of rebellion. With the second generation, they were much more successful in obeying His words.
FROM ARDELLE:
The prophet Hosea makes a connection between the return (shuv - bWv) of Israel and “words”:
Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return (shuv - bWv) to hwhy your Elohim, For you have stumbled because of
your sins;
2 Take words (devarim - ~yrIêb'D>) with you, And return (shuv - bWv) to hwhy….
As we study the “words” (devarim - ~yrIêb'D) of Moshe in “Devarim” (words - ~yrIêb'D), isn’t it
fascinating that Hosea tells us that “words” are exactly that method of “return” to hwhy? Taking
another look at Hosea reveals to us that we are not only understanding “return” in the narrower
dimension of the individual, but that it is also a national process of repentance and restoration of all
of Israel. It is a process of a nation “returning” to hwhy through His “Word”. It is a journey of
national revival. It is the reunification of the “Word” with a people. “Returning” is made possible
because we listen to and accept His “Words”. Of course we’ll connect this with Yeshua, who is the
“Word” of hwhy in the flesh in just a little bit.
As Moshe used “words” to point the people towards the Promised Land, he contrasts the road to
failure (1st generation) with the road to success (2nd generation). The Israelites are a people who are
meant to be on the move – out of Egypt, into the wilderness and ending in the Promised Land. The course of the journey mirrors faithfulness, or lack of faithfulness.
Yeshua said repeatedly that His “Words” would never be changed or become obsolete:
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away.
Matthew 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Torah till all is fulfilled. We are to repent and turn to His words, which includes the Torah.
The Jordan river - the place where Moses delivers his words - begins at a high point where there is a lot of life, but it finishes at the lowest point on the surface of the earth (the Dead Sea) where there was no life (i use the lexis was because reports claim that life has been found in the Dead Sea recently, therefore fulfilling the Ezekiel 47).
COMMENTARY: Dead Sea Comes to Life!
Didn’t the Bible say something about the Dead Sea coming to life around the time we should expect Messiah?
A remarkable thing happened to me last week. I was studying the Book of Ezekiel in preparation for a weekend retreat when a friend forwarded a YouTube clip announcing the most incredible news, which is surely another significant sign of the imminent return of Jesus.
One of Ezekiel’s famous prophecies – widely thought to be allegorical rather than literal – is now being fulfilled just as he said it would 2,600 years ago!
In short, the Dead Sea is coming alive! Fresh water is now flowing into this Rift Valley expanse that has been unable to support life since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah thousands of years ago, useful only for drawing tourists to sample its healing properties while floating unsupported. And freshwater fish have now been seen swimming in the surrounding sinkholes that have opened up in recent years as the sea, made up of 33% salt, has been receding. See this CBN News clip at https://youtu.be/XzXw3fGP2Tw
In chapter 47 of Ezekiel, who prophesied while in exile in Babylon from 597 BC, the prophet describes a vision of an increasingly deep river flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem down towards the Dead Sea, bringing new life wherever it flows and supporting the same kind of fish as those inhabiting the Mediterranean.
Ezekiel wrote: “He said to me: ‘This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah (the Jordan Valley), where it enters the Sea (the Dead Sea). When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea (the Mediterranean).”(Ezek 47.8-10)
The vision comes amid the latter part of the book dealing with the promised restoration of the Jewish people both to their Land and their Lord. And I believe the ‘resurrection’ of a dead stretch of water reflects a time (near the end of the age) when the fortunes of Israel – long forsaken and persecuted – would be turned around.
This is what the world is now witnessing with the Jewish state emerging as a major player on the world scene with a thriving economy borne out of extraordinary innovation.
At the same time there is a growing movement of those who believe that Jesus is the long-promised Jewish Messiah, fulfilling the word that when the Jews are finally restored from all the nations to which they were dispersed because of forsaking God’s ways, they would be given a ‘new heart’ and, as with the Dead Sea, cleansed and ‘sprinkled clean’ of their sins. (Ezek 36.24-26)
You can be sure that all prophecy of Scripture will be fulfilled to the letter. Around three-quarters of Ezekiel’s predictions (81% of Bible prophecies on the whole) have already been fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy.
Take, for example, his prophecy of Tyre’s downfall. The Eastern Mediterranean fishing port would, he said, one day be razed to the ground and thrown into the sea, and the bare rock where it once stood would become a place for fishermen to dry their nets. (Ezek 26)
No other city, before or since, has ever been thrown into the sea, writes author and Bible teacher David Pawson in his masterful work Unlocking the Bible. “When Alexander the Great came marching down towards Egypt with his great army, the people of Tyre simply got into their fishing boats and sailed to the island half-a-mile offshore, knowing that Alexander had an army but not a navy.”
But when Alexander saw this, he commanded that every brick, every stone and every piece of timber in the city be used to build a causeway to the island, after which his army went across and defeated the people of Tyre.
Even today, fishermen’s nets are spread out on the bare rock of old Tyre, just as Ezekiel prophesied, while the modern city is out on the island with sand having silted up against Alexander’s causeway. If it’s in the Bible, you better believe it!
Ezekiel also had a profound impact on my personal life almost exactly 18 years ago when a verse from chapter 9 confirmed to my then new girlfriend Linda that she should marry me! I was widowed at the time and she had asked the Lord for assurance as to whether I was the right choice for her life’s partner, and he subsequently spoke to her heart directly from a rather obscure verse which told of “a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side”. (Ezek 9.2)
The Lord then said to her: “I want you to support the man with the writing kit!” And of course I’m forever grateful for that. I couldn’t believe the extraordinary change in her demeanour towards me when I next called at her home. She had heard from the Lord – and that changed everything!
But we can all be assured that God is returning to his holy city because the end of this prophetic book actually tells us that it will be named ‘The Lord is there’ – a wonderful thought also reflected in Charles Wesley’s hymn on Christ’s return, which includes the majestic line, “God appears on earth to reign!” (See Zech 14.4)
A river of life from God’s throne is also depicted on the last page of the Bible in the Book of Revelation, which is all about what will happen in the days immediately preceding the Second Coming.
The biblical symbolism of life from the dead relates both to Israel (see Romans 11.15) and their Messiah. We are living in momentous times that could well usher in the return of our Lord. Watch and pray so that you (and your loved ones) are not caught unawares.
Most scholars contend that the word Jordan originates from the verb yarad meaning "to descend". Descend usually has a negative connotations as it refers to going down to Egypt and being cast down from something. The last part of the Hebrew word for Jordan is dan which means "judgement". Could it be that the Jordan River symbolises a rover that descends from judgement?
The River Jordan in our Torah Portion posed as a barrier from entrance into the Promise Land. How would they be able to stop the flow of judgements? Only YHWH can stop the flow in the river as we see in Joshua. Note YHWH stopped the Jordan at the same place where Adam bathed in the Jordan in 1 Adam and Eve 32 and 34.
The city of Adam is 18 miles upstream in Joshua 3 where the people are waiting to cross. If the Jordan represents the flow of judgement, then the Jordan ceasing to flow from Adam would mean that the Almighty has chosen ti stop the flow of judgement going all the way back to the first man! To take part in the promises and the inheritance of YHWH, the flow of judgement has to end. We know that this happened through Yeshua the Messiah and it is no coincidence that the one to take the Israelites across the river Jordan was Yehoshua (Joshua, whose name means Yah is salvation.
Just as John the baptist asks his followers to repent at the Jordan river, Moses asks for the children of Israel to repent before entering into the land of the Promise. Where Moses is will be the same place where John the Baptist had been baptising 1433 years later. Everything is circular in the the scriptures. John is baptising Jews from Judah in the same area that the Jews and the other Israelites walked through the Jordan to the Promise Land. Did John pick this site so that the people would be following their repentance, be immersed in the Jordan? This is a repeat of the very footsteps of those following Joshua into the Promise Land.
Just as the Ark of the Covenant, containing the written word of YHWH stood in the midst of the Jordan, so the living Word (Yeshua) stood when He was baptised.
Elijah (which his spirit filled John the Baptist), also parted the Jordan River in the same location in our Torah Portion. He taught Israel not not partly follow God and mix it with paganism (Catholicism), but to instead, fully follow the words of God.
The Jordan speaks of national repentance, which is why it is here that Moses recounts the sins of the fathers to the second generation who are preparing to cross over into the promise land.
As individuals we have been saved by Yeshua's blood which is cleverly symbolised by the Red Sea (Blood is red). But to truly get to the Promise Land or the New Jerusalem (Heaven) the inheritance must be worked out as we follow the words of YHWH so we can cross the Jordan. At the moment, do not stop here in the wilderness, we still have the Jordan to cross. We will cross it in the Greater Exodus. As the bride of Yeshua.
Just like when you had to be mikvahed before entering into the Tabernacle, the children of Israel had to be cleansed by passing through the Jordan.
The first real test of the bridal commitment at Sinai was seen when YHWH required Abraham to "a land [He] will show [him]". The words are seen in the book of Ruth - "wither thou goest, i will go" Ruth 1:16. These words epitomise the basic Commandment of a bride to her bridegroom wherever He goes.
We are to judge righteously or not be afraid of the face of man.
When all is too hard or too overwhelming for us, we are to trust in Him and He will be faithful to sustain us in all our hardships. Remember, YHWH is in control of all things. That is so encouraging, especially for me as exams are coming up soon.
"Deuteronomy 1:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us."
This is really sad. Compare this to what the people said after they had seen the Egyptians defeated.
"Exodus 15:13-18 World English Bible (WEB)
13 “You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed.
You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.
14 The peoples have heard.
They tremble.
Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed.
Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab.
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread falls on them.
By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone—
until your people pass over, Yahweh,
until the people pass over who you have purchased.
17 You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance,
the place, Yahweh, which you have made for yourself to dwell in;
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.
18 Yahweh shall reign forever and ever.”
The River Jordan in our Torah Portion posed as a barrier from entrance into the Promise Land. How would they be able to stop the flow of judgements? Only YHWH can stop the flow in the river as we see in Joshua. Note YHWH stopped the Jordan at the same place where Adam bathed in the Jordan in 1 Adam and Eve 32 and 34.
The city of Adam is 18 miles upstream in Joshua 3 where the people are waiting to cross. If the Jordan represents the flow of judgement, then the Jordan ceasing to flow from Adam would mean that the Almighty has chosen ti stop the flow of judgement going all the way back to the first man! To take part in the promises and the inheritance of YHWH, the flow of judgement has to end. We know that this happened through Yeshua the Messiah and it is no coincidence that the one to take the Israelites across the river Jordan was Yehoshua (Joshua, whose name means Yah is salvation.
Just as John the baptist asks his followers to repent at the Jordan river, Moses asks for the children of Israel to repent before entering into the land of the Promise. Where Moses is will be the same place where John the Baptist had been baptising 1433 years later. Everything is circular in the the scriptures. John is baptising Jews from Judah in the same area that the Jews and the other Israelites walked through the Jordan to the Promise Land. Did John pick this site so that the people would be following their repentance, be immersed in the Jordan? This is a repeat of the very footsteps of those following Joshua into the Promise Land.
Just as the Ark of the Covenant, containing the written word of YHWH stood in the midst of the Jordan, so the living Word (Yeshua) stood when He was baptised.
Elijah (which his spirit filled John the Baptist), also parted the Jordan River in the same location in our Torah Portion. He taught Israel not not partly follow God and mix it with paganism (Catholicism), but to instead, fully follow the words of God.
The Jordan speaks of national repentance, which is why it is here that Moses recounts the sins of the fathers to the second generation who are preparing to cross over into the promise land.
As individuals we have been saved by Yeshua's blood which is cleverly symbolised by the Red Sea (Blood is red). But to truly get to the Promise Land or the New Jerusalem (Heaven) the inheritance must be worked out as we follow the words of YHWH so we can cross the Jordan. At the moment, do not stop here in the wilderness, we still have the Jordan to cross. We will cross it in the Greater Exodus. As the bride of Yeshua.
Just like when you had to be mikvahed before entering into the Tabernacle, the children of Israel had to be cleansed by passing through the Jordan.
The first real test of the bridal commitment at Sinai was seen when YHWH required Abraham to "a land [He] will show [him]". The words are seen in the book of Ruth - "wither thou goest, i will go" Ruth 1:16. These words epitomise the basic Commandment of a bride to her bridegroom wherever He goes.
We are to judge righteously or not be afraid of the face of man.
When all is too hard or too overwhelming for us, we are to trust in Him and He will be faithful to sustain us in all our hardships. Remember, YHWH is in control of all things. That is so encouraging, especially for me as exams are coming up soon.
"Deuteronomy 1:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us."
This is really sad. Compare this to what the people said after they had seen the Egyptians defeated.
"Exodus 15:13-18 World English Bible (WEB)
13 “You, in your loving kindness, have led the people that you have redeemed.
You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation.
14 The peoples have heard.
They tremble.
Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed.
Trembling takes hold of the mighty men of Moab.
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread falls on them.
By the greatness of your arm they are as still as a stone—
until your people pass over, Yahweh,
until the people pass over who you have purchased.
17 You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance,
the place, Yahweh, which you have made for yourself to dwell in;
the sanctuary, Lord, which your hands have established.
18 Yahweh shall reign forever and ever.”
Moses' message in his first speech is going to be don't be like the first generation. It is always rebellion against and running from YHWH which causes the people to miss out on His prefect will. Moses pointing out the mistakes of the first generation will be for an example for the second will not commit them. Ultimately, it is a heart problem.
"Deuteronomy 1:32 World English Bible (WEB)
32 Yet in this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh your God,"
"In this thing". Whatever challenge you face in your life at this juncture - will you put your trust in YHWH you God? The Hebrew word in our English bibles translates trust, or believe in this verse from the Hebrew verb "aman". This is the Hebrew verb root of the word "Amen!". The Hebrew lexis aman is not based in or dependent upon thoughts and opinions, ideas and theories dreamed up by the human mind. To aman means to totality yield ones self to YHWH.
Remember that YHWH will fight for us even in the face of giant monster.
"Deuteronomy 2:20-21 World English Bible (WEB)
20 (That also is considered a land of Rephaim: Rephaim lived there before; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21 a great people, many, and tall, as the Anakim; but Yahweh destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place;" This is the whole purpose of the Nephilim surviving the flood. It is for victory and glory for YHWH.
"Deuteronomy 2:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 Today I will begin to put the dread of you and the fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole sky, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.”
These words form the once terrible speaker, Moses, are words of encouragement and life.
YHWH could not give Israel land He had promised to others. To do that He would have to had broken His covenant to the other nations. And breaking promises is not what YHWH is about to do - even if it would be convenient for Israel or not. From this we should take great comfort. YHWH is faithful and true.
Last Clash of the Titans Part 11: Og of the Rephaim
This is an excerpt from my new book Last Clash of the Titans, available now at Amazon.com and at SkyWatchTVstore.com.
Discovering that the Greek myths we studied in high school are a twisted retelling of key biblical theology is at the same time exciting and disappointing. On the one hand, finding that the stories of the Olympians, Titans, giants, and monsters are based on history is a thrill. On the other, I wish somebody had taught me this stuff when I was in junior high! Church would have been so much cooler.
Let’s be honest: The Bible has been drained of the really exciting stuff because we’ve been taught that most of the important characters in it are make-believe. The gods of the pagan world are dismissed as though the greatest civilizations of the ancient world—Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome—were built by grown-ups who talked to imaginary friends.
Really? Our ancestors were that primitive? They built towers out of mud brick before they developed writing, but they were too simple to realize that their gods were lifeless blocks of wood and stone?
I don’t think so. God called them “gods,” so I’m pretty sure these things are real.
Now, here’s a question for you: Why Og? Have you ever wondered about that? Why did God direct Moses to lead the Israelites against Og of Bashan first, before crossing the Jordan River? After all, the Promised Land, Canaan, was westof the river. Og’s kingdom was on the east side. What was so special about Og and Bashan that Yahweh was compelled to make Og’s small kingdom the first military objective of the campaign?
Okay, yes; Og was the last of “the remnant of the Rephaim.” Hopefully, that phrase has more meaning now than it did before you read the last couple of chapters of this book. The Rephaim weren’t just a warlike tribe who made traveling the King’s Highway dangerous; they were heirs of a tradition that took pride in its alleged origin as the union of gods and men.
So, was Og literally a hybrid, part angel and part human? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it doesn’t matter. Why? Because it’s not what’s in one’s blood that condemns a man. It’s what’s in the thing that pumps the blood—the heart.
Whether or not Og was a giant is irrelevant. Moses, under God’s direction, made it clear that Og represented the wickedness God had mentioned to Abraham more than four hundred years earlier—the iniquity of the Amorites. Let’s review the clues.
First of all, it’s a pretty safe bet that Og was the intended first target of the Israelites all along. His fellow Amorite king, Sihon of Heshbon, was given an opportunity to let Israel pass through his territory but opted for the sword instead. Sihon’s capital city, Heshbon, was due east of Jericho, so if the Jordan River crossing had been Israel’s immediate objective, Moses wouldn’t have offered to pass through Sihon’s territory on the King’s Highway, which carried the people north. Moses would have simply ordered the people to make a hard left through Sihon’s front yard on their way to knocking over Jericho’s walls. But God had other plans.
Og, as we’ve mentioned, was king of a land with a bad reputation. Deuteronomy 1:4 notes that “Og the king of Bashan…lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.” Remember that the Rephaim defeated by the Chedorlaomer coalition four hundred years earlier also lived at Ashtaroth. But Bashan was also the home of something else.
May Rapiu, King of Eternity, drink wine,
yea, may he drink, the powerful and noble [god],
the god enthroned in Athtarat [Ashtaroth],
the god who rules in Edrei.[i]
We mentioned this entity earlier. At the time of the conquest, the Canaanites believed a god named Rapi’u, the singular form of Rephaim, ruled the underworld from exactly the same two cities in Bashan that were the center of Og’s kingdom. The text cited above appears to be a ritual inviting a number of deities, including the war-goddess Anat and plague-god Resheph, to a feast at which Rapi’u asks Baal to “transmit the powers of the Rapaʾūma [Rephaim] to the living king.”[ii]
There’s more. The home city of Rapi’u, Ashtaroth, identifies the King of Eternity with a mysterious god whose career we traced in a previous chapter:
Mother Šapšu, take a message
To Milku in ʿAṯtartu [Ashtaroth]:
“My incantation for serpent bite,
For the scaly serpent’s poison.”[iii]
Mother Šapšu was the sun-goddess in Ugarit. In this ritual, she was asked to carry a message to a god of the underworld ruling in Ashtaroth—Milku, which was another form of the name Molech.
In short, Bashan was the entrance to the Amorite underworld. Og was its king, the last of the remnant of the living Rephaim. But Og had the power of the dead Rephaim on his side, or so he thought, and that’s why he had to go. To be sure his readers knew just how evil Og was, Moses gave us the dimensions of Og’s bed: Nine cubits by four cubits, or about thirteen and one-half feet by six. So, Og was a giant, right?
Not necessarily. Yes, the Rephaim had a reputation, and there are definite connections between the Rephaim and the pre-Flood Nephilim giants. But that connection may be mostly spiritual—as in occultic and demonic. That’s the point Moses was making in Deuteronomy.
As I wrote in The Great Inception:
Every year at the first new moon after the spring equinox, Babylon held a new year festival called the akitu. It was a twelve-day celebration of the cycle of regeneration, the beginning of a new planting season, and it included a commemoration of Marduk’s victory over Tiamat. The entire celebration, from Yahweh’s perspective, was a long ritual for “new gods that had come recently”[iv]involving all manner of licentious behavior.
The highlight of the festival was the Divine Union or Sacred Marriage, where Marduk and his consort, Sarpanit, retired to the cult bed inside the Etemenanki, the House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth, the great ziggurat of Babylon. Although scholars still debate whether the Sacred Marriage was actually performed by the king and a priestess, it didn’t matter to Yahweh. The idea that a bountiful harvest in the coming year depended on celebrating Marduk’s sacred roll in the sack was abhorrent.
Now, here’s the key point: Guess how big Marduk’s bed was?
“…nine cubits [its long] side, four cubits [its] front, the bed; the throne in front of the bed.”[v]
Nine cubits by four cubits. Precisely the same dimensions as the bed of Og. That is why Moses included that curious detail! It wasn’t a reference to Og’s height; Moses was making sure his readers understood that the Amorite king Og, like the Amorite kings of Babylon, was carrying on pre-flood occult traditions brought to earth by the Watchers.[vi]
If all that mumbo-jumbo about an underworld god ruling Bashan had been invented by the priests of the Amorites, then God might have ignored Og. From a military or economic perspective, Bashan, which roughly covered the modern Golan Heights, wasn’t exactly Babylon, Egypt, or Assyria. There was no strategic benefit to picking that fight. The goal was Canaan, west of the Jordan. Fighting Og meant marching a couple million people with flocks and herds to the north end of the Jordan valley, fighting a battle, and then turning around and marching back south to cross the river near Jericho. Why do it, if Og was nothing more than a local warlord? Why give the Amorites west of the Jordan more time to prepare their defenses?
The Bible doesn’t say so specifically, but in the context of what the Amorite neighbors of Israel believed about Bashan, the gods who lived there, and the spiritual power of the Rephaim, it seems clear that this was more than just a fight for control of some real estate. This was war in the spirit realm. Just as Yahweh humiliated Baal at the Red Sea forty years earlier, the Battle of Edrei against Og of Bashan was a clear message to the “warriors of Baal,” the Rephaim.
And their allies in Canaan were next.
FROM TONY ROBINSON:
Remember when Reuben and Gad wanted to remain East of the Jordan to settle in the Land of Sichon and Og? This event is thematically related to the original sin of the spies who rejected the Promised Land. Note the following thematic connections between the original story of the spies who spread an evil report concerning the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14) and the incident concerning the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Numbers 32). These parallels are pointed out by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot in an article entitled Parashat Matot-Mas’ei. 20 During both events… • In the incident of the spies, two spies want to enter the land, whereas in the incident with Reuben and Gad, two tribes do not want to enter. • In the incident of the spies, the two tribes who want to enter are from Judah and Ephraim, the two most prominent sons of Leah and Rachel, respectively, who were chosen as the two leadership tribes. Reuben and Gad represent the two tribes who had been rejected as leadership tribes. Reuben lost his firstborn status and Gad was the firstborn of Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah.
Gad and Reuben and then even, after Jair's victorious, half of Manasseh separates from the other tribes - for i know that ye have much cattle. Just like Abraham and Lot and Jacob and Laban.
Jair is actually from both Judah and Manasseh as his grandmother married his granddad from Judah in Egypt.
When Jacob declares in Genesis 31:32 that whoever had the gods shall die, came to pass when Rachel was the one that stole them - Jacob's wife- and she died in Bethlehem later. This is the power of words and Jacob never knew his wife had stolen the gods for his own benefit. This all happens in Gilead c.1710 BC. Laban searches but does not find the teraphim. He makes a pact with Jacob. This is the beginning of Gilead in Torah - Jair brings the end.
Jacob's words come back to haunt him when Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin. But it would not be enough just to take Rachel away from Jacob. If he is to be deprived of her, then her children would also be taken away - Joseph and Benjamin into Egypt.
There are so many things in Deuteronomy 3 that point back to the episode with Jacob and Laban. The use of language and key expressions ties the two together.
Jair son of Manasseh takes Gilead for Israel - and yet he was only related through his grandmother, his tribal affiliation is Judah. It is the final act of reconciliation. Centuries after Judah vanquished the phantoms of Gal-ade, a child of Judah captures Gal-ade one more time, and captures it on behalf of a child of Joseph - it will become part of the territory of Manasseh. With a selfless act Jair vanquishes the ghosts of Gal-ade one last time.
Jair means "Yah enlightens". Jair we are told, had 30 sons (3 is a Messianic reference) - each one we are told rode the colt of a donkey (Messianic reference), and ruled over a city of Israel. In Judges 10:5 we are told that Jair died and was buried in a place called Kaman. The name of this place means "rising", or "arising". We might call this place "Resurrection."
If Jair represents Judah who by offering himself brought back lost sons of Israel, then what better picture of our Messiah this is.
"Matthew 15:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Whatever your thing is that you have to battle with - whatever your struggle please let those words (devarim) sink in, because they were actuality spoken for us, me and you.
"Deuteronomy 3:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
YHWH truly judges the heart. Before we can truly enter into all that YHWH has for us we must recognise our sins and the sins of our forefathers and repent (turn from sin and connected to God.)
YHWH wants us to take courage. No mater want nightmarish thing that is coming, He wants us to take hold of all that He has prepared for us.
Please note the importance of the words you speak. There is a significance to the words you utter and there can be real consequences.
"Psalm 141:3 World English Bible (WEB)
3 Set a watch, Yahweh, before my mouth.
Keep the door of my lips."
"Matthew 12:36 World English Bible (WEB)
36 I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."
We should celebrate and recount the victories that YHWH has done for us.
Remember when Reuben and Gad wanted to remain East of the Jordan to settle in the Land of Sichon and Og? This event is thematically related to the original sin of the spies who rejected the Promised Land. Note the following thematic connections between the original story of the spies who spread an evil report concerning the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14) and the incident concerning the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Numbers 32). These parallels are pointed out by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot in an article entitled Parashat Matot-Mas’ei. 20 During both events… • In the incident of the spies, two spies want to enter the land, whereas in the incident with Reuben and Gad, two tribes do not want to enter. • In the incident of the spies, the two tribes who want to enter are from Judah and Ephraim, the two most prominent sons of Leah and Rachel, respectively, who were chosen as the two leadership tribes. Reuben and Gad represent the two tribes who had been rejected as leadership tribes. Reuben lost his firstborn status and Gad was the firstborn of Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah.
Gad and Reuben and then even, after Jair's victorious, half of Manasseh separates from the other tribes - for i know that ye have much cattle. Just like Abraham and Lot and Jacob and Laban.
Jair is actually from both Judah and Manasseh as his grandmother married his granddad from Judah in Egypt.
When Jacob declares in Genesis 31:32 that whoever had the gods shall die, came to pass when Rachel was the one that stole them - Jacob's wife- and she died in Bethlehem later. This is the power of words and Jacob never knew his wife had stolen the gods for his own benefit. This all happens in Gilead c.1710 BC. Laban searches but does not find the teraphim. He makes a pact with Jacob. This is the beginning of Gilead in Torah - Jair brings the end.
Jacob's words come back to haunt him when Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin. But it would not be enough just to take Rachel away from Jacob. If he is to be deprived of her, then her children would also be taken away - Joseph and Benjamin into Egypt.
There are so many things in Deuteronomy 3 that point back to the episode with Jacob and Laban. The use of language and key expressions ties the two together.
Jair son of Manasseh takes Gilead for Israel - and yet he was only related through his grandmother, his tribal affiliation is Judah. It is the final act of reconciliation. Centuries after Judah vanquished the phantoms of Gal-ade, a child of Judah captures Gal-ade one more time, and captures it on behalf of a child of Joseph - it will become part of the territory of Manasseh. With a selfless act Jair vanquishes the ghosts of Gal-ade one last time.
Jair means "Yah enlightens". Jair we are told, had 30 sons (3 is a Messianic reference) - each one we are told rode the colt of a donkey (Messianic reference), and ruled over a city of Israel. In Judges 10:5 we are told that Jair died and was buried in a place called Kaman. The name of this place means "rising", or "arising". We might call this place "Resurrection."
If Jair represents Judah who by offering himself brought back lost sons of Israel, then what better picture of our Messiah this is.
"Matthew 15:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”Whatever your thing is that you have to battle with - whatever your struggle please let those words (devarim) sink in, because they were actuality spoken for us, me and you.
"Deuteronomy 3:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
YHWH truly judges the heart. Before we can truly enter into all that YHWH has for us we must recognise our sins and the sins of our forefathers and repent (turn from sin and connected to God.)
YHWH wants us to take courage. No mater want nightmarish thing that is coming, He wants us to take hold of all that He has prepared for us.
Please note the importance of the words you speak. There is a significance to the words you utter and there can be real consequences.
"Psalm 141:3 World English Bible (WEB)
3 Set a watch, Yahweh, before my mouth.
Keep the door of my lips."
"Matthew 12:36 World English Bible (WEB)
36 I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."
We should celebrate and recount the victories that YHWH has done for us.
PROPHETS AND NEW TESTAMENT
Isaiah begins by saying that Israel has forgotten the words of YHWH. However, YHWH will always leave a very small remainent like Lot and his family in Sodom. This is happening today as as the Ephraim Awakening.
It is their Sabbaths (Sunday church) and their holidays (Easter) that YHWH is calling iniquity.
The faithful city becomes a harlot. Obviously this is referring to Jerusalem being the Whore. There is a great video on this by Adam Fink explaining the truth about the scarlet woman.
That is the gospel right there verse 29 of Isaiah 1. What once was a harlot, will become faithful and redeemed. Yeshua died for His adulterous bride.
We are made clean by the words of Yeshua as the people were listening to the voice of Moses they were about to be cleansed as they passed through the Jordan before entering the promise land. So if we abide in His words, we will be blessed and YHWH will listen to us.
FROM ROB SKIBA:
God has one people, one Bride, one plan and it hasn’t changed. John Nelson Darby is the one who invented the bogus doctrine of Dispensationalism, creating division where there never was before.
This is the reason why Gentiles get grafted/adopted into this family. To be the Bride, is to be Israel, which was redeemed unto YHWH by the death of the Husband. Gentiles were never in covenant to begin with. Gentiles are “out of covenant people.” When you accept Christ, you “cross over” (which is what the word “Hebrew” actually means) from death to life. Once you do that, you are grafted into the cultivated olive tree which is Israel. More specifically, you are adopted in through the family name of Ephraim (who was himself adopted by Jacob from Joseph to be his own).
It is their Sabbaths (Sunday church) and their holidays (Easter) that YHWH is calling iniquity.
The faithful city becomes a harlot. Obviously this is referring to Jerusalem being the Whore. There is a great video on this by Adam Fink explaining the truth about the scarlet woman.
We are made clean by the words of Yeshua as the people were listening to the voice of Moses they were about to be cleansed as they passed through the Jordan before entering the promise land. So if we abide in His words, we will be blessed and YHWH will listen to us.
FROM ROB SKIBA:
Who Is The Church Anyway?
Who is the Church? Are we something new? Are we something apart from Israel? Let’s see…
Stephen says:
Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
As you can see, it clearly says the “church” was in the wilderness. The word used throughout the OT for congregation/assembly in Hebrew is virtually the same (in terms of definition) as the Greek word later used in the NT for church. It’s just an assembly of people – and in context, specifically those “called out ones” gathered together under YHWH. The word used here in Acts 7 is EXACTLY the same as the word used throughout the New Testament for the “church”.
Your run of the mill Dispensationalist however believes the “church” began in Acts 2. Not so. Yes, it did begin at Pentecost – but it was the FIRST Pentecost at Mt. Sinai, not the one in the 1st Century.
In Romans 11, Paul clearly teaches that when we believe in Yeshua, we are grafted in to the cultivated olive tree – the ORIGINAL church (Israel).
Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
In Ephesians, we read:
Ephesians 212 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Far off from what? The commonwealth of Israel and the covenant of promise given to them.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
The same sort of language is used to describe the Bride of Christ (aka the Church) in Revelation 21. There we see that the New Jerusalem is referred to as the BRIDE of the LAMB (who is Christ). Thus, the Bride of Christ (the Church) is Israel:
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The angel then shows the Bride to John:
Revelation 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
As you keep reading, you see that the Lamb’s bride, the New Jerusalem is clearly defined as the 12 tribes of Israel. NOTE: There is no mystical 13th gate called, “the church” in any of the descriptions.
Now, let’s go back to original the site of the wedding:
Exodus 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly (Hebrew: “q’hal” = assembly of people – Greek: “plethos” = bunch of people) of the congregation (Hebrew: “adath” Greek: “synagoges,” which is the Jewish equivalent of a modern church) of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Compare with Scriptures such as…
Matthew 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the CHURCH: but if he neglect to hear the CHURCH, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
The Hebrew Matthew says: w’im-lo’ yish’ma` ‘aleyhem w’higad’at ‘el-HAQAHAL (the assembly) w’im-lo’ yish’ma` gam-‘el-HAQUHAL (the assembly) w’hayah l’ak k’goy uk’mokes.
In Greek it says: ean de parakousÿ autn, eipe tÿ EKKLESIA (called out assembly);ean de kai ts EKKLESIA (called out assembly) parakousÿ, est soi hsper ho ethnikos kai ho telns.
All through Scripture, beginning with Abram, we see a people that is “called out” by God… and it is and always was Israel. Stephen understood that in Acts 7:38, just as Paul understood it in Romans 11, Galatians 3, Ephesians 2 and elsewhere, and John – as if to totally clear up the matter – was told by the angel in Heaven that the New Jerusalem, was the Bride (that is the church) of the Lamb. Scriptures can not be more clear on who the Church is. Constantine, Darby, Scofield, Larkin et al (and those who subsequently followed after their exceptionally flawed teachings) are the ones who confused the matter.
The “church” was married to YHWH on Pentecost – but not the one in Acts 2. On Mt. Sinai, YHWH exchanged vows with Israel saying, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” But He later divorced Israel because she constantly chased after other husbands (gods) and continuously disobeyed her husband, doing that which was wrong, detestable and adulterous:
Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
The only way the adulterous wife could be freed to remarry is if the husband dies. That’s according to God’s own laws. So, what did the Groom do? More on that shortly…
We must acknowledge that ALL of the first “Christians” were of the Jews and of the tribes of Israel (Pentecost caused 3,000 from the lost tribes to get saved). It was only in the ministry of Paul that Gentiles began to come into the fold. But he was quite clear that they were being GRAFTED into the cultivated olive tree that is Israel, thus being ADOPTED into the family of God.
Now, the Jews are only one tribe out of twelve. Unless you have blood ties linking back to one of the 12, I believe you get grafted/adopted into the tribe of Ephraim. Why? Go back and read Genesis, then read Ezekiel 37. There are only 2 sticks. Which one are you on?
The nations of them that are saved, which are going in and out of the New Jerusalem (in Rev. 21) are going in through 1 of the 12 gates. Again, there is no mystical 13th gate called “the Church.” The Church was defined throughout the entire Bible as Israel, so you will have to go through a gate of Israel to get in.
God has one people, one Bride, one plan and it hasn’t changed. John Nelson Darby is the one who invented the bogus doctrine of Dispensationalism, creating division where there never was before.
What’s ironic though, is that most Dispensationalist will look at what I am saying here and accuse me of believing in Replacement Theology. Uhmmm… sorry, but it is the Dispensationalist who subscribes to the idea that the Church has effectively “replaced” Israel in the plan of God for the past 2,000 years. Then, after our supposed Pre-Trib Rapture out of here, the unchanging God will change back to dealing with Israel again. It’s such a bogus doctrine!
Again, Paul could not be more clear in Romans 11. The cultivated olive tree is Israel and its roots are Hebrew, going back to Abraham.
Romans 11:19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
This is talking about the natural Israelites coming back to the tree when they believe due to jealousy of seeing those who were once Gentiles reaping the benefits of Abraham’s blessings.
Romans 11:25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”The “fullness of the Gentiles goes back to the blessing Jacob spoke over Ephraim in…Genesis 48:17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.”19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”20 He blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’”
The “multitude of nations” are the Gentiles:
This is how God made a people “who were not a people,” into the people of God, which is Israel as Paul says in…
Romans 9:23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.25 As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
“God’s people” all through the Bible is a reference to Israel. Paul quotes Hosea, describing the fullness of the Gentiles who were not a people, becoming a people, even the sons of the living God. When the fullness of the Gentiles come into covenant – thus being grafted into the tree – then all Israel will be saved.
John 1:13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
According to Exodus 4, Israel is God’s first born son:
Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Israel is described as God’s firstborn son and Yeshua is described as His only BEGOTTEN Son (John 3:16). And Yeshua, came through the lineage of Israel (via Judah). So, there is only ONE family of God! You are either part of it, or you are not. There is no third-party family floating around called “the Church.”
Now, let’s get back to the issue of YHWH’s divorcing Israel and how He redeemed His Bride:
In Matthew 15:24, Yeshua said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Why the lost from the house of Israel? Both are harlots – but Judah is actually part of Israel as one of the 12 tribes. He came for the whole house, because the Groom needs to redeem the adulterous bride.
Jeremiah 3:1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.
But God divorced Israel:
Jeremiah 3:8 “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.”
Yeshua says Matthew 5:32, “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”
Where did Jeremiah and Yeshua get that notion? From the Torah – the Father’s marriage contract:
Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
YHVH married Israel at Mt. Sinai. His Torah was the marriage covenant. Through it, He said:
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
When Israel later began whoring after other gods, YHWH divorced her. But that meant – according to God’s own Law, she could never return to Him and He could never take her back. Yet, throughout the Old Testament, we see the prophets declaring that YHWH willredeem and take her back. How could that be? Would YHWH really violate His own Law? Nope. He had an amazing plan in mind! A “great mystery” as Paul called it.
Though a man can divorce his wife, she can not remarry, for despite the marriage contract which is easily broken, the two become ONE FLESH. That is not something that can be separated so easily. If she remarries, she causes the other man to be an adulterer. And she can never return to her first husband, for she has been defiled by the last husband. This problem remains in effect until the original husband dies.
1 Corinthians 7:39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
Now watch this –
Romans 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Did you catch it? The adulterous wife – in this case Israel – was freed from the curse of adultery by the death of Christ/who is the Word of YHWH made flesh. Thus, the Father redeemed His Bride (Israel) through Yeshua! It’s the most amazing love story ever! In order to get His Bride back, the Groom had to die.
The HCSB renders the above verse a lot clearer for us:
Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another–to Him who was raised from the dead–that we may bear fruit for God.
Now, this makes Paul’s words to the Ephesians make a whole lot more sense:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
This verse explains why Yeshua said what He said in Matthew 15:24. He loved His Church, the Bride, which is Israel (as confirmed by Rev. 21) so much that He gave His own life to redeem her back to Himself.
This is the reason why Gentiles get grafted/adopted into this family. To be the Bride, is to be Israel, which was redeemed unto YHWH by the death of the Husband. Gentiles were never in covenant to begin with. Gentiles are “out of covenant people.” When you accept Christ, you “cross over” (which is what the word “Hebrew” actually means) from death to life. Once you do that, you are grafted into the cultivated olive tree which is Israel. More specifically, you are adopted in through the family name of Ephraim (who was himself adopted by Jacob from Joseph to be his own).
Once you understand the above, you realize that Darby was wayyyyyyy off-base. His Dispensational theology messes up the entire plan of YHWH as clearly laid out in the Scriptures and serves only one purpose: to justify the equally bogus and unbiblical notion of a pre-Trib. Rapture. It allows people to look at Matthew 24, wherein verse 29 clearly states that Yeshua won’t be in the clouds (where Paul says we will meet him at the “harpazo” of 1 Thess. 4:16,17) until “AFTER the Tribulation of those days,” and say things like “That’s for the Jew. The Church is already gone by this point.” Separating the Church from Israel causes all kinds of problems with reconciling the entire Bible – OT and NT – and it totally nullifies huge sections of the book of Romans and other books as well.
In Summary:
There are only two types of people in this world: saved (adopted and grafted) and unsaved (those removed or who were never were a part of the tree). If you believe in Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, then you dear brother and sister are grafted/adopted into Israel. It’s time we end this Darby-induced identity crisis once and for all.
For more, please see:
– Rob Skiba
Paul is saying in 1 Timothy in chapter 3 that we are to encourage and build up the brethren and rebuke in love.
Let us follow and consider all the words of YHWH that come out of His mouth. Let us study them and live them out. Let them by written on our hearts and minds so the new covenant my be fulfilled.
Let us follow and consider all the words of YHWH that come out of His mouth. Let us study them and live them out. Let them by written on our hearts and minds so the new covenant my be fulfilled.
Shalom
Jonathon Karagiannis - 10/8/19
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