When God promised to give Abraham the Promised Land, He said that Abraham wouldn’t receive it yet because the “sins of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Gen. 15:16) When the Israelites took the Promised Land, they were to drive out all the Canaanites because the Canaanite’s sin was so great that the land had vomited them out.
Leviticus 18:24-28 MKJV 24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these things. For in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you. 25 And the land is defiled. Therefore I visit its wickedness on it, and the land itself vomits out those who live in it. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, neither the native, nor any stranger that lives among you. 27 For the men of the land who were before you have done all these abominations, and the land is defiled. 28 You shall not do these so that the land may not spew you out also when you defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you.
Deuteronomy 20:17-18 MKJV 17 But you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 so that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods. So you would sin against the LORD your God.
Joshua 3:9 MKJV 9 And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, Come here and hear the words of the LORD your God.
In the empire of the antichrist, no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast. (Rev. 14:16) What does it mean to buy or sell? Merchants and traders buy and sell. The Book of Revelation goes on to describe the fall of Babylon. Her merchants and traders mourn her falling.
Revelation 18:11 MKJV 11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their cargo any more;
Revelation 18:23 MKJV 23 And the light of a lamp will never more shine at all in you (Babylon). And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will never more be heard at all in you. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by your sorceries all nations were deceived.
The merchants are described in this passage as greedy and selfish. This is the sin that finally brought judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 MKJV 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom; pride. Fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters. Nor did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and did abominable things before Me, so I turned away as I saw fit.
Jesus kicked the same kind of people out of the temple courts.
Matthew 21:12 MKJV 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves.
Before Jesus comes again, the antichrist takes over Jerusalem and sets up the abomination of desolation in temple. (Dan. 11:31) I can’t help but think that there may yet again be those who “buy and sell” in the temple. When Jesus steps down on the Mt. of Olives, it splits in two and water runs out to the east and to the west.
Zechariah 14:4 MKJV 4 And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall divide from its middle, from the east and to the west, a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:8 MKJV 8 And it shall be in that day, living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them shall go toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea. In summer and in winter it shall be.
Water is an element that purifies. Jesus is purifying His city, Jerusalem. In that day, there shall be no profane thing in the city of Jerusalem. The final verse of Zechariah prophesies about that day.
Zechariah 14:21 KJV 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
The word “Canaanite” is from the Hebrew #3669 Kena`aniy, ken-ah-an-ee'
a Canaanite or inhabitant of Canaan; by implication, a peddler, merchant, trafficker.
This verse will be fulfilled in both senses of the word. There will be no Canaanite or greedy merchant in the house of the LORD, only those whose names are written in the Lambs book of life. (Rev. 21:27)
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Reasons for Christians to observe Shimeni Atzerat, the Eighth Day Assembly
Although the Feast of Tabernacles is seven days long, the eighth day, the day after the feast, is to be observed with a holy convocation or assembly.
Le 23:36 Seven days you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you. And you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly. And you shall do no work of labor. (MKJV)
The scripture doesn’t offer any obvious clues as to the nature of the assembly only that it is to be held on the eighth day. What is the significance of the eighth day? The number eight represents new beginnings. What new beginning is being observed on this day? Each year, this eighth day called Shimeni Atzerat begins a new feast cycle. This cycle will repeat each year until Yeshua comes again. When He does come, this day begins the millennial reign of Yeshua. Let’s look at what Zechariah said will occur every year of Yeshua’s reign.
Zec 14:16 And it shall be, everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (MKJV)
Also in Micah and Isaiah:
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (MKJV)
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (MKJV)
Scripture clearly connects observing the Feast of Tabernacles with the teaching of Torah and so, Shimeni Atzerat is also called Simchat Torah or Rejoice in the Torah. Each year, the Books of Moses are read through. Shimeni Atzerat marks the new beginning of reading the Torah. The book of Deuteronomy is finished and Genesis started again without a break. It is customary to stay up all night studying the Torah. Yeshua Himself will teach Torah to all nations in the millennium.
Isa 54:13 And all your sons shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of your sons. (MKJV)
We can celebrate Shimeni Atzerat as we keep in mind the words of Paul in 2 Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 MKJV 16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
Let us spend the day in study as we look forward to the return of the Messiah, the author and finisher of our faith.
One thousand years later, there will be another Feast of Tabernacles which establishes the new heaven and earth, and the reign of God and the Lamb forever.
Re 22:1-5 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of its street, and of the river, from here and from there, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit according to one month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And every curse will no longer be; but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be in their foreheads. And there will be no night there. And they need no lamp, or light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (MKJV)
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Le 23:36 Seven days you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD. On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you. And you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly. And you shall do no work of labor. (MKJV)
The scripture doesn’t offer any obvious clues as to the nature of the assembly only that it is to be held on the eighth day. What is the significance of the eighth day? The number eight represents new beginnings. What new beginning is being observed on this day? Each year, this eighth day called Shimeni Atzerat begins a new feast cycle. This cycle will repeat each year until Yeshua comes again. When He does come, this day begins the millennial reign of Yeshua. Let’s look at what Zechariah said will occur every year of Yeshua’s reign.
Zec 14:16 And it shall be, everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (MKJV)
Also in Micah and Isaiah:
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (MKJV)
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (MKJV)
Scripture clearly connects observing the Feast of Tabernacles with the teaching of Torah and so, Shimeni Atzerat is also called Simchat Torah or Rejoice in the Torah. Each year, the Books of Moses are read through. Shimeni Atzerat marks the new beginning of reading the Torah. The book of Deuteronomy is finished and Genesis started again without a break. It is customary to stay up all night studying the Torah. Yeshua Himself will teach Torah to all nations in the millennium.
Isa 54:13 And all your sons shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of your sons. (MKJV)
We can celebrate Shimeni Atzerat as we keep in mind the words of Paul in 2 Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 MKJV 16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
Let us spend the day in study as we look forward to the return of the Messiah, the author and finisher of our faith.
One thousand years later, there will be another Feast of Tabernacles which establishes the new heaven and earth, and the reign of God and the Lamb forever.
Re 22:1-5 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of its street, and of the river, from here and from there, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit according to one month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And every curse will no longer be; but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be in their foreheads. And there will be no night there. And they need no lamp, or light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (MKJV)
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Last Great Day of the Feast
The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for seven days with the last day called “Hashanna Rabba” which means the Great Hosanna. Hosanna means “save now” so the last day is the “great save now” where the Israelites cry out to God for salvation.
Part of the ceremony of the Feast is the ritual of water pouring which developed out of the words of Isaiah 12:3, “And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The high priest carrying a golden pitcher and his assistant carrying a silver pitcher with wine in it went down to the pool of Siloam. The way to the pool was lined with the Jewish pilgrims to the feast waving their lulavs, a bouquet of the four species Israel was told to use in their rejoicing in the Feast (Lev. 23:40). The high priest dipped his pitcher into the pool drawing out living water.
Living water is water that flows. It has a continual inflow and outflow. A cistern, for example, would not be living water. The pools for washing at the temple were designed to be constantly flowing. The pool of Siloam was fed by the spring Gihon and so was living water. The word Siloam means “Sent” and Gihon which is the name of one of the rivers flowing out of the Garden of Eden means “to gush or break forth, to labor to bring forth.” The living water from the pool of Siloam can be seen as a symbol of Jesus. It breaks forth from the Garden of Eden sent to bring salvation.
The High priest and his assistant proceed ceremoniously back to the temple with the pitchers of water and wine where they will be met by another group of priests who had gone down to the valley east of Jerusalem and cut 30 feet tall willow branches. The two groups meet in the temple around the altar. The High priest and his assistant proceed up the ramp to the altar while the other priests march around the altar with their willow branches. The people join in around them waving their lulavs. All are singing a combination of Isaiah 12:3, the song of Moses from Exodus 15:1-2, and the Hallelujah Psalms, Psalms 113-118. They finish with Psalm 118.
Psalms 118:25-29 KJV 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. 27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
As they sing the final verse, the people lift their lulavs and wave them toward the altar. This ceremony was conducted each day of the feast. On each of the first six days, the priests circled the altar only once. On the last great day, they circled seven times. It is at this time on the great day of the Feast as the worshippers completed their final circuit of the altar in the pause at the end of the song that “Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
The Israelites recognized this as a Messianic claim. Ezekiel writes of a river of living water flowing from the temple in the days of Messiah (Eze. 47). Zechariah writes of Living water flowing from Jerusalem in the days of Messiah (Zech. 14) Jeremiah says that the LORD Himself is a spring of living water.
Jeremiah 17:13 KJV 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
On this great day of the Feast, what were the reactions of the Israelites? John tells us that some believed He was the Christ, the Messiah. Others didn’t know what to believe. They would have six months before Passover to make their decisions.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan, four days before Passover, He was greeted with pilgrims lining the streets waving palm branches before Him, shouting “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel.” Waving palm branches was not something that was done at Passover. Remember those lulavs from the Feast of Tabernacles? They were made up willow, myrtle and palm branches and the citron fruit. The willow and the myrtle would not yet have leaves at the time of Passover but the Palm tree would. Their greeting of Jesus at this time was more like the ceremony of water pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles! Further, the sages say that one of the reasons they were to rejoice with lulavs was to remember that even creation recognizes and praises God.
Luke records that during this triumphant entry into Jerusalem that some of the Pharisees cried out for Jesus to rebuke his disciples. What was Jesus’ response?
Luke 19:40 KJV 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
On a future Feast of Tabernacles, the words of Ezekiel and Jeremiah will come true; living water will flow from the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 47:12 NASB 12 "And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."
Isaiah 44:23 MKJV 23 Sing, O heavens; for the LORD has done it. Shout, lower parts of the earth. Break out into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Part of the ceremony of the Feast is the ritual of water pouring which developed out of the words of Isaiah 12:3, “And with joy you shall draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The high priest carrying a golden pitcher and his assistant carrying a silver pitcher with wine in it went down to the pool of Siloam. The way to the pool was lined with the Jewish pilgrims to the feast waving their lulavs, a bouquet of the four species Israel was told to use in their rejoicing in the Feast (Lev. 23:40). The high priest dipped his pitcher into the pool drawing out living water.
Living water is water that flows. It has a continual inflow and outflow. A cistern, for example, would not be living water. The pools for washing at the temple were designed to be constantly flowing. The pool of Siloam was fed by the spring Gihon and so was living water. The word Siloam means “Sent” and Gihon which is the name of one of the rivers flowing out of the Garden of Eden means “to gush or break forth, to labor to bring forth.” The living water from the pool of Siloam can be seen as a symbol of Jesus. It breaks forth from the Garden of Eden sent to bring salvation.
The High priest and his assistant proceed ceremoniously back to the temple with the pitchers of water and wine where they will be met by another group of priests who had gone down to the valley east of Jerusalem and cut 30 feet tall willow branches. The two groups meet in the temple around the altar. The High priest and his assistant proceed up the ramp to the altar while the other priests march around the altar with their willow branches. The people join in around them waving their lulavs. All are singing a combination of Isaiah 12:3, the song of Moses from Exodus 15:1-2, and the Hallelujah Psalms, Psalms 113-118. They finish with Psalm 118.
Psalms 118:25-29 KJV 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. 27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
As they sing the final verse, the people lift their lulavs and wave them toward the altar. This ceremony was conducted each day of the feast. On each of the first six days, the priests circled the altar only once. On the last great day, they circled seven times. It is at this time on the great day of the Feast as the worshippers completed their final circuit of the altar in the pause at the end of the song that “Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38)
The Israelites recognized this as a Messianic claim. Ezekiel writes of a river of living water flowing from the temple in the days of Messiah (Eze. 47). Zechariah writes of Living water flowing from Jerusalem in the days of Messiah (Zech. 14) Jeremiah says that the LORD Himself is a spring of living water.
Jeremiah 17:13 KJV 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
On this great day of the Feast, what were the reactions of the Israelites? John tells us that some believed He was the Christ, the Messiah. Others didn’t know what to believe. They would have six months before Passover to make their decisions.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan, four days before Passover, He was greeted with pilgrims lining the streets waving palm branches before Him, shouting “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel.” Waving palm branches was not something that was done at Passover. Remember those lulavs from the Feast of Tabernacles? They were made up willow, myrtle and palm branches and the citron fruit. The willow and the myrtle would not yet have leaves at the time of Passover but the Palm tree would. Their greeting of Jesus at this time was more like the ceremony of water pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles! Further, the sages say that one of the reasons they were to rejoice with lulavs was to remember that even creation recognizes and praises God.
Luke records that during this triumphant entry into Jerusalem that some of the Pharisees cried out for Jesus to rebuke his disciples. What was Jesus’ response?
Luke 19:40 KJV 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
On a future Feast of Tabernacles, the words of Ezekiel and Jeremiah will come true; living water will flow from the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 47:12 NASB 12 "And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."
Isaiah 44:23 MKJV 23 Sing, O heavens; for the LORD has done it. Shout, lower parts of the earth. Break out into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What is the Feast of Tabernacles?
What is the Feast of Tabernacles?
The Feast of Tabernacles, held in the seventh month, is the seventh and final feast of the festival year. See Leviticus chapter 23 for the seven Feasts of the LORD. The feasts in the seventh month span from the 1st to the 22nd, three weeks plus 1 day. The Feast of Tabernacles starts on the 15th of Tishrei and is celebrated for seven days followed by an eighth day that is celebrated as a Sabbath. In Hebrew, this day is called Shimeni Atzerat meaning the eighth day assembly. Just as Passover is a one day feast to start the festival season, Shimeni Atzerat is a one day feast to end the festival season. It is observed as a day to rejoice in the Torah, keeping with the Feast of Tabernacles theme of rejoicing.
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three pilgrimage feasts and during temple times all the men would go up to Jerusalem to celebrate. Each of the pilgrimage feasts is associated with a specific harvest. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was at the beginning of the barley harvest, the first harvest of the agricultural year. It was at this time that Yeshua rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits in the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Weeks is the beginning of the wheat harvest. On this day, the Holy Spirit fell on all the disciples in Jerusalem. The Feast of Tabernacles is at the end of the harvest of the fruits such as grapes, figs, and citron. It concludes the harvest season. This feast comes after God’s final harvest of souls, some to eternal life and others to eternal destruction. We rejoice in the completion of His redemption plan.
Prophetically, the Feast of Tabernacles is a rehearsal of the wedding supper of the lamb. It is a time to rejoice! God has again taken up His dwelling place with man. His son, Yeshua is on the throne and the millennial reign begins!
In the time of Yeshua, the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated around the clock. Because this was one of the pilgrimage feasts the population of Jerusalem once again swelled to around two and half million. Although all the feasts of the Lord are joyful occasions, the Feast of Tabernacles is specifically a time of rejoicing. In the Talmud, the Rabbis write, “He that hath not beheld the joy of the drawing of water hath never seen joy in his life.” (Sukkah 5:1) There was dancing, singing, juggling, and acrobatics all night long every night.
In the days leading up to the Feast of Tabernacles, sukkot or temporary dwellings sprang up all over the countryside leading up to Jerusalem in honor of the commandment to dwell in booths. Sukkot were built wherever space could be found. Not only the pilgrims, but also the permanent residents of Jerusalem would build and live in a Sukka (singular form of Sukkot) for the seven days of the feast. Imagine the whole city of Jerusalem moving out of their homes and building sukkot all over the city! The building of Sukkot is practiced to this day in the land of Israel and through out the world.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
The Feast of Tabernacles, held in the seventh month, is the seventh and final feast of the festival year. See Leviticus chapter 23 for the seven Feasts of the LORD. The feasts in the seventh month span from the 1st to the 22nd, three weeks plus 1 day. The Feast of Tabernacles starts on the 15th of Tishrei and is celebrated for seven days followed by an eighth day that is celebrated as a Sabbath. In Hebrew, this day is called Shimeni Atzerat meaning the eighth day assembly. Just as Passover is a one day feast to start the festival season, Shimeni Atzerat is a one day feast to end the festival season. It is observed as a day to rejoice in the Torah, keeping with the Feast of Tabernacles theme of rejoicing.
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of the three pilgrimage feasts and during temple times all the men would go up to Jerusalem to celebrate. Each of the pilgrimage feasts is associated with a specific harvest. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was at the beginning of the barley harvest, the first harvest of the agricultural year. It was at this time that Yeshua rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits in the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Weeks is the beginning of the wheat harvest. On this day, the Holy Spirit fell on all the disciples in Jerusalem. The Feast of Tabernacles is at the end of the harvest of the fruits such as grapes, figs, and citron. It concludes the harvest season. This feast comes after God’s final harvest of souls, some to eternal life and others to eternal destruction. We rejoice in the completion of His redemption plan.
Prophetically, the Feast of Tabernacles is a rehearsal of the wedding supper of the lamb. It is a time to rejoice! God has again taken up His dwelling place with man. His son, Yeshua is on the throne and the millennial reign begins!
In the time of Yeshua, the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated around the clock. Because this was one of the pilgrimage feasts the population of Jerusalem once again swelled to around two and half million. Although all the feasts of the Lord are joyful occasions, the Feast of Tabernacles is specifically a time of rejoicing. In the Talmud, the Rabbis write, “He that hath not beheld the joy of the drawing of water hath never seen joy in his life.” (Sukkah 5:1) There was dancing, singing, juggling, and acrobatics all night long every night.
In the days leading up to the Feast of Tabernacles, sukkot or temporary dwellings sprang up all over the countryside leading up to Jerusalem in honor of the commandment to dwell in booths. Sukkot were built wherever space could be found. Not only the pilgrims, but also the permanent residents of Jerusalem would build and live in a Sukka (singular form of Sukkot) for the seven days of the feast. Imagine the whole city of Jerusalem moving out of their homes and building sukkot all over the city! The building of Sukkot is practiced to this day in the land of Israel and through out the world.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Reasons for Christians to Observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur falls on the tenth of Tishrei, ten days from the beginning of the two day Feast of Trumpets. This year it begins at local sunset on September 27th. One of the reasons to blow the trumpets was to remind God to have mercy on His people. Now, on the Day of Atonement, that will be put to the test. Will God come down and “sit” on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies or will He instead bring judgment?
God desires to have mercy on everyone. His desire is that the rebellious repent of their sins and turn to Him.
Ezekiel 33:11 MKJV 11 Say to them: As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Peter says that God holds back His time of judgment waiting for people to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 MKJV 9 The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all of us should come to repentance.
Right now, God chooses to remain on His mercy seat granting forgiveness to all who seek Him and believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
Romans 10:9-10 MKJV 9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.
But there will come a time when God will say, “It is time.” As He brought judgment on Israel and Judah, He will bring judgment on the nations.
Joel 3:12-14 MKJV 12 Let the nations be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations all around. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, come down; for the press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision!
He will establish His name in Jerusalem and it shall be a holy city consecrated to God.
Joel 3:16-17 MKJV 16 The LORD shall also roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth shall shake. But the LORD will be the hope of His people and the strength of the sons of Israel. 17 So you shall know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be a holy thing, and no aliens shall pass through her any more.
Christians can celebrate the Day of Atonement in fasting for friends and loved ones to come to repentance and to accept that Jesus died for their sins and rose triumphant from the grave.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
God desires to have mercy on everyone. His desire is that the rebellious repent of their sins and turn to Him.
Ezekiel 33:11 MKJV 11 Say to them: As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Peter says that God holds back His time of judgment waiting for people to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 MKJV 9 The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all of us should come to repentance.
Right now, God chooses to remain on His mercy seat granting forgiveness to all who seek Him and believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
Romans 10:9-10 MKJV 9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.
But there will come a time when God will say, “It is time.” As He brought judgment on Israel and Judah, He will bring judgment on the nations.
Joel 3:12-14 MKJV 12 Let the nations be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations all around. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, come down; for the press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision!
He will establish His name in Jerusalem and it shall be a holy city consecrated to God.
Joel 3:16-17 MKJV 16 The LORD shall also roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth shall shake. But the LORD will be the hope of His people and the strength of the sons of Israel. 17 So you shall know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be a holy thing, and no aliens shall pass through her any more.
Christians can celebrate the Day of Atonement in fasting for friends and loved ones to come to repentance and to accept that Jesus died for their sins and rose triumphant from the grave.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart
Come with Brenda and I next June 19th to 29th to Israel, the land promised to Abraham for a special tour where you will see the promised Messiah of Israel like you have never seen Him before! We will visit places off the beaten path and follow in the foot steps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Join us as we also explore the people, culture, politics and conflict that is today’s Israel and a special Sabbath day in Jerusalem. For details on the tour visit www.theheartofisrael.com .
Friday, September 4, 2009
The End is Declared From the Beginning - Part 7
This is the final part seven of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Seventh Word
The seventh word ties it all together. The seventh word in Genesis is הארץ ha-eh'-rets, which is translated as “the Earth.” The root word is ארץ 'erets, or just “earth.”
#776. ארץ 'erets, eh'-rets. from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, way, + wilderness, world.
The waters are collected in one place and the dry land which appears is called earth.
Genesis 1:9-10 And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land, Earth. And He called the gathering together of the waters, Seas. And God saw that it was good. (MKJV)
The word dry ground is from Strong’s #3004 יבשה yabbashah, yab-baw-shaw' from 3001; dry ground:--dry (ground, land).
The dry land appears on the third day of creation. It produces the first fruits of creation.
Ge 1:11-13 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. (NKJV)
Yeshua rose from the dead on the third day and is the firstfruits of creation taking us back to the first word, בראשית Bresheet, the House of firstfruits and 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The Garden of Eden was planted on the earth. Man dwelt in the garden with God.
Ge 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (NKJV)
God will again dwell with man on the New Earth. The earth will continually produce fruit taking us back to the House of firstfruits once again, בראשית Bre'sheet.
Re 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (NKJV)
The Tabernacle of God will be here on the new earth with man.
Re 22:2-3 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. (NKJV)
The fruit will be produced every month. God collected the waters in one place and dry land appeared; this calls to mind the fifth word, שמים shamayim. God created the heavens by separating the waters and calling the expanse between the waters the heavens, שמים shamayim. As we look at places where God separated water and dry ground, יבשה appeared, we see two incidents, one in which God separated the water and one in which God gathered the water. We will see in these instances two allegories of Messiah’s coming.
The first instance is when God separated the waters of the Red Sea and dry land appeared. (The Hebrew for dry land in this verse isn’t yabbashah but #2724 חָרָבָה charabah, meaning a desert, dry.)
Exodus 14:21-22 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (NKJV)
Moses, who is a type of Messiah, stretches his hand over the water and the LORD divides the waters. The dry land appears and the Israelites cross on dry ground out of the slavery of Egypt redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. They are the first of the redeemed of the LORD. We also pass through the sea from slavery to sin into freedom in Yeshua.
The generation who came out of Egypt did not believe God could bring them into the Promised Land and thus He allowed them to die in the wilderness instead of entering His Land, His rest. Only two people of that generation entered into the Promised Land.
Nu 14:30 'Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (NKJV)
Heb 3:10-11 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.' 11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" (NKJV)
The Israelites also crossed the Jordan River on dry ground as they entered the Promised Land. The water was “gathered together in one place” allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land.
Jos 3:13 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap." (NKJV)
The Promised Land is symbolic of entering God’s rest; the ultimate redemption of man and the restoration of the Garden of Eden. הארץ Ha-eretz is the seventh word in Genesis 1:1 and God rested on the seventh day.
As the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, the Ark of God carried by the priests stood firm in the middle of the river. One of the meanings of Eretz is to be firm.
Jos 3:17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. (NKJV)
Hebrews chapter 4 talks about entering God’s rest exhorting believers not to fall to unbelief and disobedience as did the generation of the Exodus.
Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. (NKJV)
Instead we are encouraged to trust in our High Priest who has passed through the heavens, השמים h’shamayim, ahead of us. This takes us back again to that fifth word!
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (NKJV)
That Yeshua passed through the heavens takes us back to the fifth word, shamayim, the heavens or the firmament between the waters. The priests stood firm on the dry ground between the waters until everyone had passed through the waters. Yeshua is there on dry ground as we pass through the waters.
Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. (NKJV)
This once again shows that Yeshua links heaven and earth, and spiritual to physical just as the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to the earth linking the New Heaven and the New Earth. John relates that when the new earth is created, there will be no more sea. All will be dry ground, eretz.
Re 21:1-2 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Finally, the word picture of he-eretz, הארץ, shows that the end is declared from the beginning. We started looking at “the earth,” h’eretz, as the firstfruits of creation. The word picture shows h’eretz as the final harvest.
Hebrew word picture. The earth: הארץ
Hey: ה = behold, window, “the” (as a prefix), lattice
Aleph: א = ox, bull, strength, leader
Resh: ר = a head, person, highest
Tsadik: ץ = fish hook, harvest, need
The earth: Behold the strong man’s harvest.
The strong man is the one within the house, the one who creates the heavens and the earth. This goes back to the second word create ברא bara : the strong man in the house.
Yeshua says the harvest is the end of the age.
Mt 13:36-43 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (NKJV)
Re 14:14-16 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. (NKJV)
Yeshua, who was central to creation, is now the one who reaps the earth. This takes us back once again to the first word בראשית bre’sheet, the House of Firstfruits.
1 Co 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (NKJV)
And in the Revelation, Yeshua spoke to John.
Re 21:6-7 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (NKJV)
So you see, the end is declared from the beginning. The entire redemption story is contained in just the seven words of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The cycle is complete with God resting on the seventh day. But cycles in the Bible are always repeating. For instance eight is the number of new beginnings; it begins a new cycle. What is the eighth word in Genesis 1? It is V’ha’eretz והארץ which means “and the earth.” And so we continue with a new cycle of creation and a New Earth.
Isa 65:17-18 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. (NKJV)
The End - No - Make that the beginning!
Thank you for viewing this seven part study. It is my prayer that you enjoyed it and found it enlightening. Please feel free to leave me some feedback, either as comments or by private message. This study will be in a new book “The Shadows of Messiah in the Torah – Vol. 2” to be available in a few weeks. Please visit ElShaddai Ministries on the web at http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/ for these books and a treasure of study materials and teachings on the Hebrew Roots of our faith.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Seventh Word
The seventh word ties it all together. The seventh word in Genesis is הארץ ha-eh'-rets, which is translated as “the Earth.” The root word is ארץ 'erets, or just “earth.”
#776. ארץ 'erets, eh'-rets. from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, way, + wilderness, world.
The waters are collected in one place and the dry land which appears is called earth.
Genesis 1:9-10 And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land, Earth. And He called the gathering together of the waters, Seas. And God saw that it was good. (MKJV)
The word dry ground is from Strong’s #3004 יבשה yabbashah, yab-baw-shaw' from 3001; dry ground:--dry (ground, land).
The dry land appears on the third day of creation. It produces the first fruits of creation.
Ge 1:11-13 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. (NKJV)
Yeshua rose from the dead on the third day and is the firstfruits of creation taking us back to the first word, בראשית Bresheet, the House of firstfruits and 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The Garden of Eden was planted on the earth. Man dwelt in the garden with God.
Ge 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (NKJV)
God will again dwell with man on the New Earth. The earth will continually produce fruit taking us back to the House of firstfruits once again, בראשית Bre'sheet.
Re 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (NKJV)
The Tabernacle of God will be here on the new earth with man.
Re 22:2-3 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. (NKJV)
The fruit will be produced every month. God collected the waters in one place and dry land appeared; this calls to mind the fifth word, שמים shamayim. God created the heavens by separating the waters and calling the expanse between the waters the heavens, שמים shamayim. As we look at places where God separated water and dry ground, יבשה appeared, we see two incidents, one in which God separated the water and one in which God gathered the water. We will see in these instances two allegories of Messiah’s coming.
The first instance is when God separated the waters of the Red Sea and dry land appeared. (The Hebrew for dry land in this verse isn’t yabbashah but #2724 חָרָבָה charabah, meaning a desert, dry.)
Exodus 14:21-22 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (NKJV)
Moses, who is a type of Messiah, stretches his hand over the water and the LORD divides the waters. The dry land appears and the Israelites cross on dry ground out of the slavery of Egypt redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. They are the first of the redeemed of the LORD. We also pass through the sea from slavery to sin into freedom in Yeshua.
The generation who came out of Egypt did not believe God could bring them into the Promised Land and thus He allowed them to die in the wilderness instead of entering His Land, His rest. Only two people of that generation entered into the Promised Land.
Nu 14:30 'Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (NKJV)
Heb 3:10-11 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.' 11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" (NKJV)
The Israelites also crossed the Jordan River on dry ground as they entered the Promised Land. The water was “gathered together in one place” allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land.
Jos 3:13 "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap." (NKJV)
The Promised Land is symbolic of entering God’s rest; the ultimate redemption of man and the restoration of the Garden of Eden. הארץ Ha-eretz is the seventh word in Genesis 1:1 and God rested on the seventh day.
As the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, the Ark of God carried by the priests stood firm in the middle of the river. One of the meanings of Eretz is to be firm.
Jos 3:17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. (NKJV)
Hebrews chapter 4 talks about entering God’s rest exhorting believers not to fall to unbelief and disobedience as did the generation of the Exodus.
Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. (NKJV)
Instead we are encouraged to trust in our High Priest who has passed through the heavens, השמים h’shamayim, ahead of us. This takes us back again to that fifth word!
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (NKJV)
That Yeshua passed through the heavens takes us back to the fifth word, shamayim, the heavens or the firmament between the waters. The priests stood firm on the dry ground between the waters until everyone had passed through the waters. Yeshua is there on dry ground as we pass through the waters.
Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. (NKJV)
This once again shows that Yeshua links heaven and earth, and spiritual to physical just as the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to the earth linking the New Heaven and the New Earth. John relates that when the new earth is created, there will be no more sea. All will be dry ground, eretz.
Re 21:1-2 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Finally, the word picture of he-eretz, הארץ, shows that the end is declared from the beginning. We started looking at “the earth,” h’eretz, as the firstfruits of creation. The word picture shows h’eretz as the final harvest.
Hebrew word picture. The earth: הארץ
Hey: ה = behold, window, “the” (as a prefix), lattice
Aleph: א = ox, bull, strength, leader
Resh: ר = a head, person, highest
Tsadik: ץ = fish hook, harvest, need
The earth: Behold the strong man’s harvest.
The strong man is the one within the house, the one who creates the heavens and the earth. This goes back to the second word create ברא bara : the strong man in the house.
Yeshua says the harvest is the end of the age.
Mt 13:36-43 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (NKJV)
Re 14:14-16 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. (NKJV)
Yeshua, who was central to creation, is now the one who reaps the earth. This takes us back once again to the first word בראשית bre’sheet, the House of Firstfruits.
1 Co 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (NKJV)
And in the Revelation, Yeshua spoke to John.
Re 21:6-7 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (NKJV)
So you see, the end is declared from the beginning. The entire redemption story is contained in just the seven words of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The cycle is complete with God resting on the seventh day. But cycles in the Bible are always repeating. For instance eight is the number of new beginnings; it begins a new cycle. What is the eighth word in Genesis 1? It is V’ha’eretz והארץ which means “and the earth.” And so we continue with a new cycle of creation and a New Earth.
Isa 65:17-18 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. (NKJV)
The End - No - Make that the beginning!
Thank you for viewing this seven part study. It is my prayer that you enjoyed it and found it enlightening. Please feel free to leave me some feedback, either as comments or by private message. This study will be in a new book “The Shadows of Messiah in the Torah – Vol. 2” to be available in a few weeks. Please visit ElShaddai Ministries on the web at http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/ for these books and a treasure of study materials and teachings on the Hebrew Roots of our faith.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
The End is Declared From the Beginning - Part 6
Sorry about this part being a day late. My ISP was down all day yesterday.
This is part six of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Sixth Word
This 6th word is the Hebrew word ואת (ayth). It is normally translated as “and” but sometimes as “also”. It really is not a single word at all but a compound word. In Hebrew, the word “and” is almost always indicated by adding a vav ו to the beginning of a word. It is like a prefix in English. We see this alot in the Hebrew language. We saw it in the first word בראשית bre’sheet with the Bet ב added in front of re’sheet to form the prefix “in.” So “and” is rarely written as a separate word.
In this 6th word of Genesis 1:1, we have the ו (vav) connected to the את (aleph tav) taking us back to the untranslated fourth word, את, representing the Messiah which we saw is the “beginning and the end.”
So what happens with the sixth word by adding a ו vav to the את aleph tav? The letter vav is the 6th letter in the Hebrew alphabet and means “to secure” and literally means “nail.” In the ancient picture language it was depicted as a nail or wooden peg, in this case not a whole lot different than the midern character. With the vav meaning to secure or connect, we see that Messiah, the את, is in the midst of creation, in the middle of Heaven and Earth. Messiah is the connecting force between man (earth) and God (heaven). He literally is the connection between man and God. To emphasize this further, the first appearance of the letter vav in the Torah is the 22nd letter of the first verse. Since there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, this points to all the letters of the alphabet and, thus, by implication connecting all of creation.
He is also the connection between the physical and the spiritual.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (NKJV)
So, he became flesh; he was spiritual and He became physical for us. When the new heaven and new earth are created, the New Jerusalem connects the heaven and earth.
Re 21:10-11 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. (NKJV)
The holy Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to earth.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
This is part six of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Sixth Word
This 6th word is the Hebrew word ואת (ayth). It is normally translated as “and” but sometimes as “also”. It really is not a single word at all but a compound word. In Hebrew, the word “and” is almost always indicated by adding a vav ו to the beginning of a word. It is like a prefix in English. We see this alot in the Hebrew language. We saw it in the first word בראשית bre’sheet with the Bet ב added in front of re’sheet to form the prefix “in.” So “and” is rarely written as a separate word.
In this 6th word of Genesis 1:1, we have the ו (vav) connected to the את (aleph tav) taking us back to the untranslated fourth word, את, representing the Messiah which we saw is the “beginning and the end.”
So what happens with the sixth word by adding a ו vav to the את aleph tav? The letter vav is the 6th letter in the Hebrew alphabet and means “to secure” and literally means “nail.” In the ancient picture language it was depicted as a nail or wooden peg, in this case not a whole lot different than the midern character. With the vav meaning to secure or connect, we see that Messiah, the את, is in the midst of creation, in the middle of Heaven and Earth. Messiah is the connecting force between man (earth) and God (heaven). He literally is the connection between man and God. To emphasize this further, the first appearance of the letter vav in the Torah is the 22nd letter of the first verse. Since there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, this points to all the letters of the alphabet and, thus, by implication connecting all of creation.
He is also the connection between the physical and the spiritual.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (NKJV)
So, he became flesh; he was spiritual and He became physical for us. When the new heaven and new earth are created, the New Jerusalem connects the heaven and earth.
Re 21:10-11 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. (NKJV)
The holy Jerusalem comes down out of heaven to earth.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The End is Declared From the Beginning - Part 3
(Sorry that this post is out of sequence. It was somehow erased)
This is part three of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Third Word
The third word in Hebrew is one of the names of God used throughout the Torah, Elohim.
#430. אלהים 'elohiym, el-o-heem' plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.
According to the Sages, Elohim denotes God in His Attribute of Justice, as Ruler, Lawgiver, and Judge of the world. This name is used exclusively in the creation account until the sixth day. God as Jah-weh is first seen in the Bible when He creates man.
The ancient Hebrew gives a fascinating word picture in the name Elohim.
Elohim: אלהים
Aleph: א - Strength, Leader, First, Ox, Bull
Lamed: ל - Control, Authority, Goad
Hey: ה - To Reveal, Behold
Yood: י - To make, a deed, Hand
Mem: ם - Liquid, Massive, Chaos, Water
Elohim: The First Authority: Behold His Hand is on the Water
In Jerusalem, at the pool of Bethesda which means house of kindness or mercy, which provided healing when the waters were stirred.
Joh 5:2-4 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. (NKJV)
Yeshua showed Himself the master of the waters when He calmed the storm and the waves of the Sea of Galilee.
Lu 8:22-25 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" (NKJV)
We see that Yeshua’s hand calmed the water.
Yeshua was with his disciples after his resurrection and was given all authority in Heaven and in earth.
Mt 28:16-19 And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. But some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. 19 Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (MKJV)
God, through Yeshua, has the authority and His hand is on the water.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
This is part three of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Third Word
The third word in Hebrew is one of the names of God used throughout the Torah, Elohim.
#430. אלהים 'elohiym, el-o-heem' plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.
According to the Sages, Elohim denotes God in His Attribute of Justice, as Ruler, Lawgiver, and Judge of the world. This name is used exclusively in the creation account until the sixth day. God as Jah-weh is first seen in the Bible when He creates man.
The ancient Hebrew gives a fascinating word picture in the name Elohim.
Elohim: אלהים
Aleph: א - Strength, Leader, First, Ox, Bull
Lamed: ל - Control, Authority, Goad
Hey: ה - To Reveal, Behold
Yood: י - To make, a deed, Hand
Mem: ם - Liquid, Massive, Chaos, Water
Elohim: The First Authority: Behold His Hand is on the Water
In Jerusalem, at the pool of Bethesda which means house of kindness or mercy, which provided healing when the waters were stirred.
Joh 5:2-4 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. (NKJV)
Yeshua showed Himself the master of the waters when He calmed the storm and the waves of the Sea of Galilee.
Lu 8:22-25 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" (NKJV)
We see that Yeshua’s hand calmed the water.
Yeshua was with his disciples after his resurrection and was given all authority in Heaven and in earth.
Mt 28:16-19 And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. But some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. 19 Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (MKJV)
God, through Yeshua, has the authority and His hand is on the water.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
The End is Declared From the Beginning - Part 5
This is part Five of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Fifth Word
The fifth word in Genesis 1:1 is ha-shamayim השמים and means the heavens. The word is composed of the letter hey ה meaning “the” and shamayim שמים meaning “heavens.”
#8064. שמים shamayim, shaw-mah'-yim. Dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).
The word picture of ha-shamayim illustrates the deeper Hebrew meaning of the word which is an illustration of creation.
Hebrew word picture:
The Heavens: השמים
Hey: ה - to reveal, behold, “the” (as a prefix), window or lattice.
Sheen: ש - Teeth, to consume or destroy. Also An abv. For Almighty God, El Shaddai.
Mem: מ - Water, massive, chaos
Yood: י - Hand, to deed or to make
Mem: ם - Water, massive, chaos ( the Mem appears as ם at the end of a word)
The Heavens: “Behold, the Almighty God whose hand divides the waters.”
This is almost identical to the word picture for Elohim, The First Authority: Behold His Hand is on the water. Not only is His hand on the water, it divides the water. The space between the waters is called the heavens.
Genesis 1:6-8 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven (שמים shamayim). And the evening and the morning were the second day. (KJV)
Here we see that the hand of God divides the waters above and below the firmament as well as creating the firmament which is called Heaven, shamayim. The Hebrew word for firmament is רקיע raqiya.
#7549. רקיע raqiya`, raw-kee'-ah. from #7554; properly, an expanse, i.e. the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky:--firmament.
According to the sages, this expanse or raqiya includes the entire created universe. It says in Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” (NKJV)
This 5th word, ha-shamayim, takes us back to the first word, בראשית Bre’sheet, which means “In the beginning, for the sake of the Firstfruits, through the Foremost.” According to Paul, all of creation was created for Him and by Him.
Col 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (NKJV)
The word Ha-Shamiyim shows a picture of Messiah, the Hand that divided the waters and created the heavens.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Please feel free to pass these on to you friends list.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Fifth Word
The fifth word in Genesis 1:1 is ha-shamayim השמים and means the heavens. The word is composed of the letter hey ה meaning “the” and shamayim שמים meaning “heavens.”
#8064. שמים shamayim, shaw-mah'-yim. Dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).
The word picture of ha-shamayim illustrates the deeper Hebrew meaning of the word which is an illustration of creation.
Hebrew word picture:
The Heavens: השמים
Hey: ה - to reveal, behold, “the” (as a prefix), window or lattice.
Sheen: ש - Teeth, to consume or destroy. Also An abv. For Almighty God, El Shaddai.
Mem: מ - Water, massive, chaos
Yood: י - Hand, to deed or to make
Mem: ם - Water, massive, chaos ( the Mem appears as ם at the end of a word)
The Heavens: “Behold, the Almighty God whose hand divides the waters.”
This is almost identical to the word picture for Elohim, The First Authority: Behold His Hand is on the water. Not only is His hand on the water, it divides the water. The space between the waters is called the heavens.
Genesis 1:6-8 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven (שמים shamayim). And the evening and the morning were the second day. (KJV)
Here we see that the hand of God divides the waters above and below the firmament as well as creating the firmament which is called Heaven, shamayim. The Hebrew word for firmament is רקיע raqiya.
#7549. רקיע raqiya`, raw-kee'-ah. from #7554; properly, an expanse, i.e. the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky:--firmament.
According to the sages, this expanse or raqiya includes the entire created universe. It says in Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” (NKJV)
This 5th word, ha-shamayim, takes us back to the first word, בראשית Bre’sheet, which means “In the beginning, for the sake of the Firstfruits, through the Foremost.” According to Paul, all of creation was created for Him and by Him.
Col 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (NKJV)
The word Ha-Shamiyim shows a picture of Messiah, the Hand that divided the waters and created the heavens.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Please feel free to pass these on to you friends list.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The End is Declared From the Beginning - Part 4
This is part four of seven parts studying the seven Hebrew words of the first verse of Genesis. Each of the seven words shows the Messiah and together are a picture of God’s redemption plan for man.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Fourth Word
There is something very interesting about the fourth word. It is not translated into English. In fact it is rarely ever translated because there is no real equivalent in English. Strong’s Dictionary and Concordance defines it as follows:
Strongs # 853. את ‘eth. In the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
It is a word that emphasizes the object of the verb. In this case, the verb is “created” and the object is the "heavens and the earth". The composition of the word, את ‘eth, consists of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet the א Aleph and the ת Tav and is generally taken to represent all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to the Jewish Sages, the use of the word את in this verse emphasizes that the entire creation was created at this time by the hand of God. We see the emphasis again of the object of the verb the heavens and the earth.
The Gospel of John in chapter 1 verse 1 also emphasizes this point.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Again we are talking about the entirety of creation. Yeshua identifies Himself with the את in the Revelation to John.
Re 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (NKJV)
The Alpha and Omega is the Greek for the Aleph and the Tav. So את is the Messiah who was there from the beginning and through Him all things were made!
We know that God spoke creation into existence. Look at the third verse of the first chapter John again in a different translation.
Joh 1:1-3 All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. (MKJV)
Remember, there are seven Hebrew words in Genesis 1:1. The placement of את as the fourth word places Messiah as the “centerpiece” of creation, the Aleph and the Tav, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end!
The seven words of Genesis 1:1 are reflected in the seven lamps of the Menorah that lit the Tabernacle of God. The middle lamp of the Menorah was always kept lit.
Le 24:1-3 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. 3 "Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations. (NKJV)
The Jewish Encyclopedia calls this lamp the western Lamp because it was next to the branches on the east side. It was refilled in the evening and was used to light the other lamps. In 1 Samuel it is referred to as the “lamp of God.” In Samuels conversation with Eli, the time is pinpointed by referring to the lamp of God.
1Sa 3:2-3 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, (NKJV)
It is the lamp of God in the Tabernacle of God. Morning had not yet come; the lamp was still lit.
The sun was created on the fourth day to bring light to the world and to separate light from the darkness.
Ge 1:16-19 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (NKJV)
Yeshua is the light of the world shining into the darkness. When the New heavens and the new earth are created, there will be no need for the sun because Yeshua is the light.
Joh 1:4-9 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. (NKJV)
Again, we have that fourth lamp, the lamp of God which is Yeshua. And he is the aleph and the tav את the fourth word.
Re 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (NKJV)
In the new creation, the light from Yeshua is so bright that the light of the sun and moon are not needed.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (NKJV)
Everything was created through Messiah and for the sake of Messiah, as it is written in the Gospel of John:
Joh 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Messiah is in each word of the very first verse in the Bible.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There are seven words in Genesis 1:1 in the original Hebrew which is read right to left. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. The act of creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested.
בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Fourth Word
There is something very interesting about the fourth word. It is not translated into English. In fact it is rarely ever translated because there is no real equivalent in English. Strong’s Dictionary and Concordance defines it as follows:
Strongs # 853. את ‘eth. In the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
It is a word that emphasizes the object of the verb. In this case, the verb is “created” and the object is the "heavens and the earth". The composition of the word, את ‘eth, consists of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet the א Aleph and the ת Tav and is generally taken to represent all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to the Jewish Sages, the use of the word את in this verse emphasizes that the entire creation was created at this time by the hand of God. We see the emphasis again of the object of the verb the heavens and the earth.
The Gospel of John in chapter 1 verse 1 also emphasizes this point.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (NKJV)
Again we are talking about the entirety of creation. Yeshua identifies Himself with the את in the Revelation to John.
Re 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (NKJV)
The Alpha and Omega is the Greek for the Aleph and the Tav. So את is the Messiah who was there from the beginning and through Him all things were made!
We know that God spoke creation into existence. Look at the third verse of the first chapter John again in a different translation.
Joh 1:1-3 All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. (MKJV)
Remember, there are seven Hebrew words in Genesis 1:1. The placement of את as the fourth word places Messiah as the “centerpiece” of creation, the Aleph and the Tav, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end!
The seven words of Genesis 1:1 are reflected in the seven lamps of the Menorah that lit the Tabernacle of God. The middle lamp of the Menorah was always kept lit.
Le 24:1-3 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. 3 "Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations. (NKJV)
The Jewish Encyclopedia calls this lamp the western Lamp because it was next to the branches on the east side. It was refilled in the evening and was used to light the other lamps. In 1 Samuel it is referred to as the “lamp of God.” In Samuels conversation with Eli, the time is pinpointed by referring to the lamp of God.
1Sa 3:2-3 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, (NKJV)
It is the lamp of God in the Tabernacle of God. Morning had not yet come; the lamp was still lit.
The sun was created on the fourth day to bring light to the world and to separate light from the darkness.
Ge 1:16-19 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (NKJV)
Yeshua is the light of the world shining into the darkness. When the New heavens and the new earth are created, there will be no need for the sun because Yeshua is the light.
Joh 1:4-9 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. (NKJV)
Again, we have that fourth lamp, the lamp of God which is Yeshua. And he is the aleph and the tav את the fourth word.
Re 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (NKJV)
In the new creation, the light from Yeshua is so bright that the light of the sun and moon are not needed.
שלום ברוך
Shalom and Be Blessed
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