Hallowed Be Thy Name

When Yeshua taught His disciples to pray, He told them to begin by addressing God as their Father in heaven whose name is to be hallowed.

Matthew 6:9 KJV 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

The tense of this verb “hallowed” is the aorist imperative, meaning an action that is to begin at once. Hallowing God’s name, then, is an action that is to begin at once. What does it mean to hallow God’s name? Many people think that it means we must pronounce it exactly right. After all, when someone mispronounces our names, aren’t we offended? Others think it means we should be careful about when we use God’s name. Still others think we shouldn’t use God’s name at all!  The one thing all of these ideas have in common is that hallowing God’s name involves the way we speak, or don’t speak, God’s name. Is this the biblical concept that God is trying to teach us? Let’s look at what God says about hallowing His name. The word “hallow” means to make holy; that is to set it apart.  In the Torah, God says He is the one who defines what is holy. He declares He is holy and we are holy to Him.

Leviticus 20:26 NKJV 26 'And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

This statement comes at the end of two chapters in which God first enumerates what it means to be holy or separate to Him. God, then, expounds on some of the sins that separate them from holiness to Him. Some actions separate us to God; other actions separate us from God. This verse reminds us that God is the one who both defines what it means to be separate to Him and performs the separating. He is also the one who defines what it means to hallow His name. In the midst of defining the actions which lead to holiness, God mentions one action that profanes His name.

Leviticus 19:11-12 KJV 11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

God tells us that profaning His name is the opposite of hallowing His name.

Leviticus 22:32 KJV 32 Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you.

But, what does the Hebrew word that we translate as “profane” mean? The Hebrew word is “chalal” meaning to wound or dissolve. From that root word, and depending on the context and form of the word, it can mean: (1) to pierce or wound unto death or despair, (2) to play a pipe which is a pierced instrument, (3) to profane or defile, (4) to make a vineyard common, that is make its fruit available for harvest for the first time in the fifth year, (5) in the causative form, to begin as in breaking open a wedge.

To profane God’s name is to wound it or damage it. We see in the context of making a vineyard no longer set apart, but common to all, that profaning God’s name is to make it common. To profane God’s name is to declare that God is no better than the gods or idols of the world. Ouch! Ezekiel writes that God said His name was profaned among the nations when the children of Israel were expelled from the Land.

Ezekiel 36:19-20 KJV 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.

Moses wrote about this same consequence of God’s name being profaned by the actions of the people. When God brought the children of Israel to the boundaries of the Promised Land and promised that He would go with them to defeat the Canaanites, the children of Israel did not have faith that God could do what He said He would do.

Numbers 14:11 KJV 11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

Moses pleaded with God to spare the children of Israel based on God’s reputation and God’s promises of mercy.

Numbers 14:13-18 KJV 13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

God’s words to Ezekiel continue as He states that He will hallow His name when He brings Israel back to the Land demonstrating His authority and power, and when He cleanses them from the uncleanness of their sins of idol worship, demonstrating His devotion to His covenant which promises mercy.

Ezekiel 36:21-26 KJV 21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

All of Ezekiel 36:16 through the end of Ezekiel 37 describes how God will hallow or sanctify His name. God’s word through Ezekiel concludes with the description of the establishment of Yeshua’s kingdom.

Ezekiel 37:24-28 KJV 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

God’s name is holy when His people are holy by Him and to Him. So, what is this action that we need to take to fulfill the imperative that God’s name be hallowed? First, we live lifestyles that proclaim our faith that God is God, and there is no other God above Him. That means believing Him and acting on that belief that He can and will do what He says He will do. Second, that means that in our prayers each day that God’s name be hallowed, we pray for the return of Israel to their Land, and for the return of Yeshua and the establishment of His kingdom on earth. By this, we Hallow God’s name. 

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Yeshua in the Counting of the Omer part 2: The First Day

The period of time on the Biblical Calendar known as the Counting of the Omer is the 50 day period from the day after the regular weekly Sabbath which falls during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot.  In Christian circles this holiday is known as Pentecost but is little known beyond recognition as the day the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples and they spoke in tongues.  But this Feast has great significance in the life and ministry of Jesus (Yeshua) and in the lives of his disciples including us today who follow Him.  Yeshua was very active during this time teaching and preparing His disciple to go out into the world and preach the Gospel.  Let’s take a look at the background and Yeshua’s activities on the first day of the Omer.

God tells us in His instructions to Moses to count fifty days from the Feast of Firstfruits to the Feast of Weeks.

Omer means sheaf as in sheaf of grain: Strong’s number 6016. עמר omer,  o'-mer from 6014; properly, a heap, i.e. a sheaf; also an omer, as a dry measure:--omer, sheaf.

Leviticus 23:15-16 NKJV 15 'And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 'Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.

The Feast of Firstfruits celebrates the ripening barley, the first fruit of the year. The first fruit of the first fruit of the season is offered to God. Yeshua rose from the grave as this day began.

John 20:1 NKJV 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

He is the first of the first fruits of the resurrection! From this day, God tells us to count fifty days to the next first fruits grain offering; the first fruits of the wheat harvest. What happened on these fifty days in the year of Yeshua’s resurrection? What happened on the fiftieth day? Is there any historical significance? We will look at what happened on these days as we count the Omer together this year!

As stated earlier, this first day of the Omer marks Yeshua’s resurrection but this was just the beginning of His day! After His resurrection, He appeared to with Mary Magadalene telling her to tell His disciples what He would be doing on that day.

John 20:17 NKJV 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

Yeshua was on His way to appear before the Father. Each day at 9:00 a.m. at the Temple, the priests began the day with the offering of a lamb as what we call a burnt offering. The word for burnt offering is ollah which means to ascend. As the blood of the lamb was poured out at the base the altar and the lamb placed whole upon the altar, the smoke of the offering ascended to God. God called it a sweet aroma!

Exodus 29:39, 41 NKJV 39 "One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. 41 "And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

This day began as all others, with the offering of the lamb, but it continued with the special offering of the Feast of Firstfuits. The high priest was to wave the first sheaf of the barley harvest before the LORD as well as an additional lamb offering.

Leviticus 23:11-12 NKJV 11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 'And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.

So, on this day, just as it was getting light, a procession went out from the temple to the nearby barley field. A sheaf prepared the evening before was cut to the sound of rejoicing and singing. They proceeded with joy an excitement, with crowds of people following with their own Firstfruits offerings. As they entered the temple at 9:00 a.m., the first lamb was slain to begin the offerings to God. Then the priest brought the sheaf before the altar and waved it as a wave offering to the LORD. The word wave is nuwph which means to quiver, shake, wave or lift up. And so the priest lifted and waved the sheaf of barley before the LORD and the second lamb was slain and placed upon the altar. As the smoke of the lamb ascended to God and His attention came upon the altar with the sheaf waved before Him, Yeshua ascended as the Firstfruits offering to spend the day with the Father as all the people brought their firstfruit offerings.

The day at the temple ended at 3:00 p.m. when the priests brought the evening offering of the lamb. As the day was coming to a close, Yeshua then appeared before His disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Luke 24:13-15 NKJV 13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

When they reached Emmaus and sat down to eat the evening meal, Yeshua broke the bread and gave thanks. At that moment, the two disciples recognized Him and He disappeared.

Luke 24:30-31 NKJV 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

The disciples rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven closest disciples. As they were relating the events, Yeshua Himself appeared before them.

John 20:19 NKJV 19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you.""

What did Yeshua accomplish with His appearance? What was His purpose? To answer this, we need to look at the mental state of His disciples. The eleven had locked themselves in the upper room in fear of what the Jewish authorities would do to them. They were discouraged and confused. They didn’t quite believe that the reports that Yeshua had risen.

Mark 16:12-13 NKJV 12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

In fact, the women to whom the angels appeared were to tell the disciples that Yeshua would meet them in Gallilee!

Matthew 28:7 NKJV 7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

For that matter, what were the two disciples doing on the road to Emmaus anyway? The Feast of Unleavened Bread was on-going. Every Jewish man was to appear before the LORD during this seven day Feast! The very fact of them leaving Jerusalem at this time testifies to their discouragement. Their words on the road show their confusion as they tried to make sense of the events of the previous three days.

Luke 24:17-18 NKJV 17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

Yeshua appeared before them to reassure them that He had indeed risen from the grave.

Mark 16:14 NKJV 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Luke 24:38-43 NKJV 38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.

Yeshua also came to explain the meaning of all that had happened, first, to the two on the road to Emmaus and then to the eleven in the upper room.

Luke 24:27 NKJV 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:44-45 NKJV 44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the  Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

After this encounter and Yeshua had shown them His hands and feet, the disciples were no longer afraid.

John 20:20 NKJV 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Finally, He appeared to the disciples to get them thinking again. He began to speak to them about their mission. He breathed on them to remind them that He had promised them the Comforter would come. This was not an end but a beginning!

John 20:21-23 NKJV 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Please visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Are You the coming One or do We Look for Another? Luke 7:18-22

When John the Baptist was in prison, he heard the reports about what Yeshua was doing. What he heard apparently made him doubt what he knew about Jesus. 

Luke 7:18-19 KJV 18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

At Yeshua’s baptism, John the Baptist testified that Yeshua was the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

John 1:29 KJV 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

What was John looking for that he apparently didn’t see as expected in Yeshua’s ministry? John’s message was baptism for the repentance of sin.

Matthew 3:1-2 KJV 1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John preached repentance in preparation for the coming of the LORD.

Luke 3:4-6 KJV 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

As we go back to the book of Isaiah, we see that the original words are slightly different.

Isaiah 40:3-5 KJV 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

In Luke, we read that all flesh shall see the salvation of God. In Isaiah, we read that all flesh will see the glory of the LORD. So, we can conclude that the salvation of God equals the glory of the LORD. Yeshua’s name, of course, means salvation. His purpose is to glorify the name of the Father.

John 12:27-28 KJV 27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Later Yeshua says that the Father is glorified in Him when we ask and receive in the name of Yeshua.

John 14:13 KJV 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John spoke of the One coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Luke 3:16-17 NKJV 16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

The Holy Spirit brings the power and authority of God; fire is the substance that purifies. The righteous are purified in the fire and wicked are consumed. The temple of God was built on a threshing floor, and John uses the analogy of the winnowing the harvest to teach that the coming One will be the one to “winnow” or separate the righteous from the wicked.  His threshing floor or temple would be thoroughly cleaned. The righteous will be gathered into the barn or temple and the chaff or wicked burned in the fires of judgment.

In other words, John was looking for the triumphant Messiah! He was looking for the triumphant Messiah;  the One who would be revealed before all flesh; the One who would appear as the glory of the LORD bringing the salvation of God.

Yeshua answers John’s disciples by citing the results of His ministry.

Luke 7:22-23 KJV 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Yeshua’s answer to John’s disciples has two levels of meaning. The first is the literal meaning of His words. The people received physical healings even to the raising of the dead. The second level of meaning is spiritual. Each of these conditions speaks to a spiritual state.  Isaiah writes of this spiritual state.

Isaiah 6:9-10 NKJV 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed."

Those who rebel against God are dull of seeing and hearing. They are dead but don’t even know it. Yeshua chastised the leaders of the Jewish people telling them they were dead and leading others into death as well.

Luke 11:44 NKJV 44 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."

Yeshua opens eyes and ears, causes people to walk in His ways, and brings new life. 

Isaiah 29:18-19 KJV 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 35:5-8 KJV 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.  8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

The poor have the gospel preached to them. What is the “gospel?” The gospel is the good news that our King reigns!

Isaiah 52:7 NKJV 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Yeshua sent good news back to John through his disciples. Yeshua is the coming One; the one who is Salvation and the Glory of the LORD!

Shalom and be blessed

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com

Yeshua in the Counting of the Omer part 1: Fishers of Men

The period of time on the Biblical Calendar known as the Counting of the Omer is the 50 day period from the day after the regular weekly Sabbath which falls during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot.  In Christian circles this holiday is known as Pentecost but is little known beyond recognition as the day the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples and they spoke in tongues.  But this Feast has great significance in the life and ministry of Jesus (Yeshua) and in the lives of his disciples including us today who follow Him.  Yeshua was very active during this time teaching and preparing His disciple to go out into the world and preach the Gospel.

After the eighth day following Yeshua’s resurrection, the disciples head off to Galilee according to the instructions of both the angel at the tomb and Yeshua in the garden, and probably at His appearance on the eighth day of the counting of the Omer.

Matthew 28:10 NKJV 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

Luke later tells us the reason that Yeshua appeared to them over the forty days prior to His ascension.

Acts 1:1-3 NIV 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Luke records that He had three purposes:

            1. To prove His resurrection.

            2. To give instructions to His apostles.

            3. To speak about the kingdom of God.

His first appearances on the first and eighth day of the counting of the Omer proved His resurrection but now He needs to give them instructions. We saw that He explained to them the necessity of His suffering when He appeared to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus and later that same day to the eleven apostles.

Luke 24:26-27 NKJV 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:45-48 NKJV 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 "And you are witnesses of these things.

So, what instructions does Yeshua give to His disciples? He told them that they would preach His name to all nations and that they are to bear witness to all these things! So, let’s join the disciples in Galilee and see what Yeshua taught them. Yeshua said that He would meet them there but when we join the disciples, we see that He has not yet arrived. Tradition says that He would no appear until the seventeenth day of the Omer. No wonder Peter is getting antsy! What is going to happen next? Just sitting around waiting is the hardest thing to do. Peter, who was known for being impetuous couldn’t stand it anymore. He declares, “I’m going fishing!” I can just hear the next sentence, “All this sitting around waiting is driving me crazy!” Six of the other disciples who also happened to be fisherman jumped at the chance to do something, too. They reply, “We’ll go with you.”

John 21:2-3 NKJV 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

Now, the fishing described takes place at night. They were probably using trammel nets which basically form a wall as they drag it along the sea floor. They fish at night so the fish don’t see the net coming. The net gets filled with silt and other debris along with the fish as it is dragged along the sea floor. As morning comes Yeshua calls out to them.

John 21:4-6 NKJV 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

There is no reason they should have followed this man’s instructions who is standing there on the shore. Number one, they didn’t have any success at night when the fish couldn’t see the net, it is now daylight and the fish will see the net coming and swim away! Why would they have success now? Number two, they have to clean the net first! But for some reason they decide to go ahead and try again. Maybe they didn’t like the thought of waiting around for one more day as they counted up to the Feast of Weeks. But they clean their nets and throw them down on the right side. When they begin to haul in the catch of fish, John recognizes Yeshua and impetuous Peter jumps in the lake!

John 21:7-11 NKJV 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

Not only does Peter bring some of the fish, he counts them! Why would the Bible tell us that they caught exactly 153 fish? It doesn’t tell us there were about 150 fish or just a lot of fish; John records that there were 153 fish. Now the Bible doesn’t contain irrelevant details so what is the significance of 153?

What clues do we have for the meaning of this number? First, notice that their efforts were unsuccessful even in the best of conditions before Yeshua came on the scene. With Yeshua’s help, they were hugely successful even in the worst of conditions.

Second, in Luke, we see another incident when Peter, John and James were fishing and they didn’t catch any fish until Yeshua came along. This incident ended in Yeshua calling them to be fishers of men.

Luke 5:5-6 NKJV 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

Luke 5:9-10 NKJV 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."

These are the disciples along with two others who are present this day on the Sea of Galilee. The fish that they caught then represent the men they are to reach with the testimony of Christ. But why 153? In Hebrew, each letter not only represents a letter and a picture, it represents a number.

Now John tells us that as many as believe become the sons of God.

John 1:12 KJV 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Again, we have the testimony of His name; that Yeshua is the Messiah the son of the Living God! This is what they were to preach to all nations beginning with Jerusalem.

Finally, Job refers to the sons of God presenting themselves before God.

Job 2:1 KJV 1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

During this encounter, Satan accuses Job of only worshipping God because God has blessed him. The name Satan means accuser (#7853). Zechariah reports on another occasion when a son of God stands before God with Satan as his accuser.

Zechariah 3:1 NKJV 1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose (satan) him.

When Yeshua comes again, Satan, the accuser of the brethren will be cast down.

Revelation 12:10 NKJV 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

It just so happens that the phrase “sons of God” has the number 153!

Yeshua is telling them that in their own power, they will not be able to catch any men but with the power of God they will catch all the sons of God and will not lose any! Yeshua, in His last recorded prayer to God, states that He has not lost any that God gave Him and He prays that God will keep all that come to Him now that He is no longer in the world.

John 17:11-12 NKJV 11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Paul writes with confidence: Romans 8:38-39 NKJV 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Yeshua is setting the stage. On the Feast of Weeks, the Holy Spirit would come on them with the power needed to reach the world with the gospel message. Continue with us as we continue to count up to day 50, the Feast of Weeks!

שלום ברוך

Shalom and be blessed,

Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Visit our website at www.moedministries.com

NEW video teaching series: Who is the Babylon of Bibical Prophecy?

Who is the Babylon of Biblical prophecy? Who is the Babylon that is mentioned 261 times in the King James Bible?  Who is the Babylon of Revelation?

Revelation 18:2-4 NKJV 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

Did you know that Israel is the center of the theological universe, and as such, is the most important focal point when it comes to interpretation and understanding of biblical prophecy?  In this video teaching series we established three main parameters or guidelines that govern our study of biblical prophecy in general and this study of Babylon in particular: First, we recognize that Israel is a physical nation; the promise to Abraham that the Promised Land would always belong to his descendants is an eternal promise.  Second, the nature of scripture and prophecy is that it is cyclical.  Beginning with Genesis and the creation of the sun, moon, and stars as signals, we see that events are cyclical:  the pattern of the weeks with the Sabbath every seventh day; the pattern of the feasts cycling through every year.  As we cycle through the appearances of Babylon and the other kingdoms of the Bible, we are looking for patterns and cycles.  Third, numbers play an important role in scripture.  The numbers seven, eight, and ten play an important role in the Babylon of prophecy in particular. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. There are seven days in a week, every seventh year is a Sabbatical year; seven Sabbatical years usher in the Year of Jubilee. There are seven yearly feasts of the LORD with the seventh one in the seventh month lasting seven days. Eight is the number of new beginnings. An infant is circumcised on the eighth day bringing him into the covenant of Abraham which symbolizes a new birth.

As we search out and identify the biblical Babylon is that we are called to come out of in Revelation 18, we will use scriptures itself as a guide.  In this pursuit we ask the all important question, “What does the Bible say about the identity of Babylon?”  Not what someone thinks it is, based on our world geo-political situation of our recent past or of today.

This series will take you on a journey of discovery that may surprise you in many ways.  The Babylon of the Bible may not be what you think it is!

Here are links to the three pars of this series:

Part 1:  http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/audio/hiddentreasures/20130408.html

Part 2:  http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/audio/hiddentreasures/20130415.html

Part 3:  http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/audio/hiddentreasures/20130422.html


Shalom and be blessed
Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Visit our website at www.moedministries.com