From the genealogy in Gen 11, we learn that Abraham (Abram) was born 352 years after the Flood. Noah died only two years before the birth of Abraham! Shem and Eber were still alive (even during Jacob’s life)! Truly, Shem is the father of all the sons of Eber, father of the Hebrews. We do not know for certain whether they ever met and spoke with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob (or even with Ishmael and Esau), but it is likely, and they would have had eye-witness accounts of pre-Flood and post-Flood people and events, as God maintained His witness and passed it on to His chosen persons and family. Noah was the tenth from Adam, and was protected through the judgment of the Flood; Abraham was tenth from Shem, who also was saved out from the Flood. Ch 12 carries on with God’s redemptive plan, choosing Abram – son of Eber, son of Shem, son of Noah — from among all the Gentiles, through whom He would bless the world through covenant and promise – and lots of controversy. Continue reading “Gen 12: YHVH’s Call To Abram, Son of Eber, Son of Shem”
Gen 11: Progressing From The General To The Chosen
10:32 – 11:1 After The Flood, the nations, established by the 70 sons of Noah’s sons and their families, were separated on The Earth. But before that separation took place, they all had one language and the same words. They all understood each other perfectly. Today, even in English, the words are not ‘the same’; for example, to stand in a line vs to stand in a queue. And there are many more examples of this confusion even within language groups. Their separation become more pronounced after the Earth/Dry Land was divided in the days of Peleg, after the judgment for the rebellion of the Tower of Babel. Continue reading “Gen 11: Progressing From The General To The Chosen”
Gen 10: History of Origins, Roots of Humanity and Nations
Chapter 10 of Genesis is also referred to as the Table of Nations (70, the same as the number of the children of Israel (Ex 1:5; Dt 32:7-9)). All of us come from at least one of Noah’s three sons — Shem, Japheth, and Ham (there have been mixed marriages along the way), whose own children were all born after The Flood. (The Hebrew word used for The Flood in Noah’s day is hamabool/המבול , and is not used for any other type of flood or flooding in The Bible. See also Ps 29:10) The covenant promise of God to Noah and to his sons with him, and to their descendants after them, is never again to destroy all flesh and the earth by a flood (mabool). (Gen 9:8-17) There have been many other lesser floods which have destroyed cities and islands, but none of these have been world-wide, nor are they called a mabool. Yeshua has promised to return in time to prevent all flesh from perishing during the Great Tribulation before God’s wrath. (Mt 24:21-22) Continue reading “Gen 10: History of Origins, Roots of Humanity and Nations”
Once Upon A Time in Beer Sheva
Call it what you will – Be’er Sheva, Beersheva, Beersheba, Birüsseb, or Bir Seb’a – it is the “Capital of the Negev.”
Beersheva is the largest city in the Negev desert, the center of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in Israel and the eighth most populous Israeli city, boasting a world-class university, hospital and cyber research center of international repute.
You can read the full and interesting article here about the early years of the city during the formation of the modern State of Israel:
https://www.israel21c.org/once-upon-a-time-in-beersheva/
Shavuot/Pentecost – Feast of [Seven] Weeks/50 Days
Tomorrow, Sonday, is the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, and the Christian holiday of Pentecost. They are one and the same, except that the two calendars have diverged. In this case, the celebration on the Sonday, the 50th day of the seven weeks since the resurrection of the Passover Lamb of God, is in line with the Word of God through Moses to Israel, and to us who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as both Lord and Messiah, our God and Savior. He is YHVH who came in flesh and blood to redeem us from our sins. Continue reading “Shavuot/Pentecost – Feast of [Seven] Weeks/50 Days”
1John 3:1-10 — Sons of God, or Sons of the Devil
(Presented at Kingdom First Conference – May 2019)
1Jn 3:1-10
1. See what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! Because of this, the world does not know us because it did not know Him.
2. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet manifested what we shall be; but we know that when He shall be manifested we shall be like Him! For we shall see Him as He is.
3. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure.
4. Everyone that practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.
6. Whoever abides in Him does not sin; whoever sins has not seen Him, nor knows Him.
7. Little children, let no one lead you astray: he that practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.
8. He that practices sin is of the devil, because from the beginning the devil sins. For this the Son of God was manifested, that He might undo the works of the devil.
9. Whosoever is born of God does not practice sin, because His seed is in him; and he is not able to sin because he is born of God.
10. In this are manifested the children of God and the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, and he who does not love his brother.
The Apostle John writes in his gospel account, and in his letters to those in the household of faith, in terms of black-and-white. There is no middle ground with him. You are either in, or out of, the Kingdom of God. Continue reading “1John 3:1-10 — Sons of God, or Sons of the Devil”
Gen 4: Crime and Punishment, With Redemptive Hope
We may not realize that sin is a crime against God. Sin is lawlessness (1Jn 3:4); that is, it does not accept or live by any law that governs society, or that establishes what is good and what is evil. It is disobedience and rebellion against God and His Word. (Is 1:18-20) It began with Lucifer, now the Devil, and he brought it into Eve and Adam. Sin separates us from God our Father. (Is 59:2) Yeshua came to destroy the works of the devil, and to restore us to a relationship with God, knowing His holiness and righteousness, His goodness, His love. (1Jn 3:8) Continue reading “Gen 4: Crime and Punishment, With Redemptive Hope”
Earth Photo from Israeli Spacecraft
Israel is headed for the moon, and on the way took a beautiful photo of Earth: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israeli-spacecraft-Beresheet-takes-first-selfie-in-space-582512
Chewing the Cud – 24 Mar 2019
Rain is expected again today and tomorrow, which may finish off the season. Other countries are having massive flooding or else drought. “Normal” becomes a convenient snare, yet we all, I presume, like it when things are “normal”. Unfortunately, “normal” is not what it used to be — not only in nature, but also in morals. When God’s Word is marginalized, or otherwise ignored or disbelieved, then ‘abnormal’ will rush in and push ‘normal’ out!
We have begun a series in Yeshua’s Inheritance Cong (Nachalat Yeshua) on the first 12 chapters of Genesis, which are the seed-bed and roots of our faith, and for all the rest of this world’s history. When these chapters, beginning from the Beginning, are made irrelevant as regards the faith once-for-all delivered to the saints, then at worst we become part of the falling away leading up to the revelation of the antichrist, or else we are becoming and encouraging others to become ‘doubting Thomases’, who needed proof, evidence, that he would be satisfied with, before he would believe not only what he had heard from being with Yeshua for 3 1/2 years, but what he also heard from the other believers who actually saw the Lord after His resurrection. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith always believes God; He will always be proven right; and not merely right, but wise in His rightness. By acquiescing to the wisdom of this world, we become enablers of the increasingly rapid slide into darkness and chaos. Jesus told us that “the night is coming, when no one can work”. God will raise up a bulwark against the rising flood, but the damage will be great.
This year, Purim — with its Full Moon — began on the same evening as the beginning of Spring; it was the first time since 2000, and it will not happen again until 2030. This Purim much attention was drawn to the continuing hostility of Iran (Persia) towards the Jews, especially Israel. The law of the Persians can not be changed, it is written for us in the Book of Esther. So neither can the law that was passed to give the Jews the liberty to defend themselves from those of the Persian Empire who sought their destruction. And, praise God, HIS Law can not be changed which promises His direct intervention at the time of the end to once-and-for-all deliver and save His covenanted people from their sins! For it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of YHVH! When you consider it, this reliance on one’s own — or one’s nation’s own — power and might to overcome victoriously is no different than the evolutionary world-view and explanation of the survival of the fittest, and might makes right. No, the meek shall inherit the Earth, and the righteous, says the Lord.
We had a very nice Purim party for the children of our congregation, along with children from Arad, and also from other congregations nearer to us. The lessons of Purim should not be lost on this generation, but we want them to know that it was God, working providentially ‘behind the scenes’, who saw to it that those who acted on behalf of His people overcame the age-old antisemitism, and that those who acted actively and unrepentantly to stir up the irrational hatred were found out and defeated. The devil is still doing the same things today to deceive and lie about Jesus, about Israel, about New Covenant faith in Jesus, but the day of YHVH will come, and the righteousness of GOD will be vindicated! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Gen 1:14-31 — Days 4-6 of Creation
Mk 10:5-6 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
We have seen in the first three days of Creation how God created the heavens and the Earth, at first in a state of darkness and lack of order, and without any gap of time between the first and second verses. Then He began to speak things into existence, and made distinctions: between light and darkness, between waters and waters, between seed and seed, between kinds/species and other life in their own kind. God was forming the Earth for its unique place in His created universe, and for the unique life that He filled on it. Continue reading “Gen 1:14-31 — Days 4-6 of Creation”