News Letter 5846-056
8th day of the 12th month 5846 years after creation
The 12th Month in the first year of the third Sabbatical Year
The Third Sabbatical Year of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
February 12, 2011
Shabbat Shalom Brethren,
In Lev 26 we read of the third curse. This third curse is added to the first one of Terror and the second one of drought and severe weather. This third cures begins in the third Sabbatical Cycle which we began at Aviv 2010. At Aviv in 2011 will begin the second year of the third Sabbatical cycle.
Lev 26 says; 21 ‘And if you walk contrary to Me, and refuse to obey Me, I shall bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins, and send wild beasts among you, which shall bereave you of your children. And I shall cut off your livestock, and make you few in number, and your highways shall be deserted.
We then read in Mathew 24:7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and reign against reign. And there shall be scarcities of food, and deadly diseases, and earthquakes in places. 8 “And all these are the beginning of birth pains.
You have been reading about the food crisis and how it has caused the riots in Egypt and Tunisia and Yemen and Jordan. You have also been reading about the earthquakes. But where is the pestilence that I have been telling you of? The Swine flu in 2009 did not live up to expectations.
The Spanish Flu in 1918 which came during the third Sabbatical cycle, the very one we are in now, and it killed between 40 and 100 Million people. We have not yet seen this type of event.
But we can read what is happening in Peru.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news-13977-health-health-officials-prepare-peru-capital-dengue
January 31, 2011 [ 17:40 ]
Health officials prepare Peru capital for dengue
The 13,000 infected and 13 dead from dengue fever in Iquitos in just a few weeks has caused the concern of an epidemic in Peru’s jungle province. And La Republica reports the fever is no longer far from Peru’s capital.
“While there is no dengue in the Lima Metropolitan area officially, the mosquito is present, for that reason we will carry out activities to educate the population on preventive measures,” said Juan Cangalaya of the Ministry of Health.
The mosquito’s presence was found in Ate, and 26 other districts of Lima, according to La Republica.
Heavy rains in the jungle are the enemy these days, since they cause standing water, a favorite spot for mosquitoes. The population of Iquitos is still waiting for the government to declare the state of emergency, which authorities are evaluating this Monday.
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypi mosquito, its symptoms include high fever, muscular pain, and headache. Preventive measures include the use of mosquito repellents, discarding clutter around your living area to avoid breeding of mosquitoes, and keeping the water stores clean and closed.
In Africa we know that Malaria is spread by the bite of Mosquitoes there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12352565
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 200 million cases of malaria worldwide each year, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, most of them in Africa.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10520289
Malaria kills more than a million people a year and is second only to tuberculosis in its impact on world health.
The parasitic disease is present in 90 countries and infects one in 10 of the world’s population – mainly people living in Africa, India, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Colombia and the Solomon Islands. There are four main types of malaria, all spread via mosquitoes.
Ninety per cent of all malaria cases are in sub-Saharan Africa where it is the main cause of death and a major threat to child health. Worldwide, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. Pregnant women are also particularly vulnerable to the disease, which is curable if diagnosed early.
With this in mind the question now is what will happen next in Australia. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said after Cyclone Yasi went through that someone up there does not like us. I cannot find the quote, but if she is going to poke at Yehovah then she should be ready to be poked back.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/07/3086862.htm
Mosquito-borne disease risk rises after floods
By Chrissy Arthur
Updated Tue Dec 7, 2010 12:52pm AEDT
Queensland Health (QH) says people should take precautions to avoid mosquito-borne diseases which are likely to increase over summer.
QH spokesman Virgil Kelk says rain and flooding provide ideal conditions for mosquito breeding and residents can do simple things like clean up their yards to reduce potential breeding sites.
“If we are going to see flood levels and certainly rainfall levels not inconsistent with what we saw earlier this year, we can certainly expect an increase in both mosquito activity and also the possibility of mosquito-borne disease,” he said.
He says dengue fever is not a concern at this stage.
“Certainly the mosquito that is capable of transmitting dengue fever is located in south-west areas,” he said.
“But we are more likely to see some of the debilitating illnesses such as Ross River virus and also Barmah Forest virus.”
I asked you what would be next for Australia…I then received this new flash from down under.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41445001/ns/world_news/
PERTH, Australia — Wildfires tore across the outskirts of an Australian city on Sunday Feb 6, 2011, destroying at least 35 homes, authorities said. One firefighter was reportedly injured.
Two fires fanned by hot summer winds were burning in forested areas to the north and southeast of Perth in Western Australia state, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority said.
Over the past number of weeks I have been telling you about all the crops being washed away in Australia and how the price of soybeans is sky rocketing due to the drought in South America. The recent riots in Egypt Tunisia and Yemen and Jordan, and spreading now to Libya and Morocco have started because of the food shortages and sky rocketing prices on staples.
We also read in January 24, 2011 of the crops failing in China.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12266435
Crop warning over China drought
More than 50% of land used to grow wheat in Shandong has been hit by the drought
Related stories
• China helps drought-hit farmers
• China’s GDP up by 10.3% in 2010
• Warning on China desertification
A prolonged dry spell in parts of northern, central and eastern China is threatening both crops and water supplies, Chinese state media says.
Shandong province is experiencing its driest weather for 60 years.
Half the wheat-growing land there is affected, while almost a quarter of a million people face drinking water shortages, the China Daily said.
Beijing has also been experiencing its longest dry spell for more than 30 years, another state daily said.
The Chinese capital has had no significant rainfall for three months, the Beijing Times reported.
Analysts say this drought is likely to put further pressure on food prices, which have been rising sharply for months.
Then we read on February 4, 2011, China steps up drought-relief efforts
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/02/04/China-steps-up-drought-relief-efforts/UPI-65321296843602/
BEIJING, Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Chinese government says it is stepping up its aid and relief efforts in eight drought-ravaged provinces.
The country’s Ministry of Agriculture made the announcement Friday on its Web site, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.
In a statement, the ministry said the government had called for a Grade II emergency response, meaning 24-hour alerts, daily damage reports and the dispatching of experts and relief materials.
Relief teams have been sent to the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Jangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu.
The four-month drought has affected almost 16 million acres of wheat crops, about 21.7 percent of total farmland in the provinces, which together account for 80 percent of the country’s wheat production, Xinhua reported.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for all-out efforts to combat drought.
“We need to adopt comprehensive measures to ensure supply of capital, technologies, facilities and materials to enable winter wheat to safely grow through the winter,” Hu said during an inspection tour in Hebei province.
http://www.waterwideweb.org/chinas-drought-costing-billions.html
Thus far, reports indicate that 3.2 million people have been affected by the drought. But, if the drought persists into the month of March 2011, it is estimated that water supplies to one million people will cease.
One million people without access to clean water supplies in a country advancing as rapidly as China seems strange. But no amount of economic growth or infrastructural development can contend with the forces of nature.
If the drought in China persists, there is a risk of increased rates of hunger, decreased exports of agricultural goods, and the fundamental vulnerability of the population of the People’s Republic of China.
Then again this week we read about Indonesia stocking up on more rice. Do you think these countries know something you don’t?
Indonesia rushes to boost rice stockpiles, Philippines holds fire
Feb 9 (Reuters) – Indonesia on Wednesday aimed to lift its rice stockpiles by a third as it struggles to fight food inflation, though steady buying by top importer the Philippines and a bumper crop from top exporter Thailand may ease market pressure.
Traders said other governments in the region and further afield may also look to increase stocks despite ample supplies in Thailand and No. 2 exporter Vietnam to quell food inflation.
Then again this week we have news from Mexico which at this time of year supplies much of North America with its fresh vegetables.
THE DEVASTATING FREEZE IN MEXICO IS WORST FREEZE IN OVER 50 YEARS… Feb 8. 2011
THE EXTREME FREEZING TEMPERATURES HIT A VERY BROAD SECTION OF MAJOR GROWING REGIONS IN MEXICO, FROM HERMOSILLO IN THE NORTH ALL THE WAY SOUTH TO LOS MOCHIS AND EVEN SOUTH OF CULIACAN. THE EARLY REPORTS ARE STILL COMING IN BUT MOST ARE SHOWING LOSSES OF CROPS IN THE RANGE OF 80 TO 100%. EVEN SHADE HOUSE PRODUCT WAS HIT BY THE EXTREMELY COLD TEMPS. IT WILL TAKE 7-10 DAYS TO HAVE A CLEARER PICTURE FROM GROWERS AND FIELD SUPERVISORS, BUT THESE GROWING REGIONS HAVEN’T HAD COLD LIKE THIS IN OVER A HALF CENTURY. THIS TIME OF YEAR, MEXICO SUPPLIES A SIGNIFICANT PERCENT OF NORTH AMERICA’S ROW CROP VEGETABLES SUCH AS: GREEN BEANS, EGGPLANT, CUCUMBERS, SQUASH, PEPPERS, ASPARAGUS, AND ROUND AND ROMA TOMATOES. FLORIDA NORMALLY IS A MAJOR SUPPLIER FOR THESE ITEMS AS WELL BUT THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN STRUCK WITH SEVERE FREEZE DAMAGE IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY AND UP UNTIL NOW HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE PRODUCT OUT OF MEXICO TO FILL THEIR COMMITMENTS, THAT IS NO LONGER AND OPTION.
WITH THE SERIES OF WEATHER DISASTERS THAT HAS OCCURRED IN BOTH OF THESE MAJOR GROWING AREAS WE WILL EXPERIENCE IMMEDIATE VOLATILE PRICES, EXPECTED LIMITED AVAILABLITITY, AND MEDIOCRE QUALITY AT BEST. THIS WILL NOT ONLY HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON SUPPLIES, BUT BECAUSE OF VERY STRONG BLOSSOM DROPS, THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT SUPPLIES 30 – 60 DAYS FROM NOW.
Do you still doubt whether or not the curses for not keeping the Sabbatical years are true? Do you still think they are just for the Jews in Israel? Have you begun yet to plan for the next Sabbatical year from Aviv 2016-Aviv 2017? No not where you are now but in Israel where you are told to go. And yes I do realize that war is coming to Israel, so you need to check your faith quotient and read The Prophecies of Abraham to know why and where you are to go and when. I will try to speak on this more next week.
Finally Fax News is now covering this food Crisis. Watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLwsCykqIY&feature=related
And if you’re watching the news in Egypt and feeling secure because that is on the other side of the world from you then you need a reality check. This crisis in Egypt is going to directly affect you very soon.
Here is a news article from last Shabbat. Keep in mind just how much Israel is hated and for that matter you too, if your keeping
Torah.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/attackers-blow-egypt-israel-gas-pipeline-298
Cairo: Unknown saboteurs attacked an Egyptian pipeline supplying gas to Israel near the Gaza Strip today, an official said, amid raging protests against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.
The official initially said the terminal had also been attacked.
Here is Nehemiah Gordon has to say about the events in Egypt this week.
Karaite Korner Newsletter #496
Egypt Crisis Threatens Israel’s Electricity Supply
I stayed up late last night to watch Egyptian President Husni Mubarak’s resignation speech. He shocked the world by not stepping down, despite earlier announcements by the Egyptian army that hinted he would. Ehud Yaari, one of the foremost Arabic experts in Israel, gave a running translation of the live speech on Israeli television. The whole country held its breath when Yaari stuttered in the middle of his translation and then paused for an awkward moment of silence. It sounded like the Egyptian president said he was going to stay in power, Yaari explained, and only grant limited control to his vice-president and crony Omar Suleiman. Yaari was sure he had misheard something or misunderstood. He did not.
Earlier in the day, Egypt cut off the regular flow of natural gas that it has contracted to sell to Israel. This was only a few days after terrorists blew up the main gas pipeline from Egypt to Jordan. Egyptian natural gas is vital for Israel to produce electricity. If the gas supply is not restored soon, Israel will have to use diesel fuel to run its turbines, jacking up the price of electricity fourfold. In recent weeks this was described as the “nightmare scenario” resulting from a Muslim Brotherhood takeover, a scenario that is now a reality. As bad as this will be for Israel it will be much worse for the strained Egyptian economy. It looks like the recent discovery of two massive deep-water gas fields off the coast of Haifa could not have happened at a better time. These gas fields have seemingly prophetic names: Leviathan and Tamar. The Psalms mention, “Leviathan that you formed… to give them their food in due season” (104:26-27). Deuteronomy says, “For Yehovah your God, brings you into a good land… a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey. (8:7-8)” Most Hebrew language experts explain that “honey” in the Hebrew Bible usually refers to the syrup extracted from dates. The Hebrew word for “date” is Tamar! The two fields are expected to start supplying natural gas to Israeli turbines by 2014 and will make us energy independent for decades to come.
Speaking of barley (one of the seven blessings of Israel listed in the above verse in Deuteronomy), the Aviv Barley Search is coming up in a few weeks on March 4-6. Back in 2005 we found Aviv barley on March 8, so it is a real possibility we will find it this year by March 6. This would put Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) in late March, a month before the rabbinical observance of the feast. Carrying out this annual search requires a great deal of time and resources. I need your help to make this happen! Please consider supporting this effort by sending a check to Makor Hebrew Foundation, POB 13, Mansfield TX 76063 or click on the “donate” button at:
http://www.makorhebrew.org/donations.shtml
Nehemia Gordon
In the Land Flowing with Milk and Date-Honey
Also in the News last week was an article I found very interesting. The Bible tells you that Israel will look for another lover, now that the USA has distanced themselves from her. And guess who the new lover is…….None other than the King of the North. When the Arab nations come against Jerusalem who is going to be allied with her?
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142068
In Shadow of Unrest, Israel and Germany Sign Security Agreement
02/01/11
by Gil Ronen
Seven new bilateral agreements were signed in Israel Monday at a joint meeting of Israeli and German Cabinet ministers. One of the agreements affirmed that the countries would increase their cooperation in fighting terror. Others dealt with bilateral socio-economic and cultural relations, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We are allies, Israel and Germany, and we have a great desire, on both sides, to strengthen our relationship and our bilateral cooperation,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday. “We also have the strong desire to advance peace and security in our region. Chancellor Merkel and I spoke at length about several ideas in this regard. We know that we are in a very stormy and unstable period, and we would like to advance stability, peace and security.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “We have similar values, which makes it very easy for us to cooperate.”
This is the third consecutive year in which the two Cabinets have held joint sessions.
The Prime Minister’s office stated that Merkel and Netanyahu noted with satisfaction the progress made since the last consultations held in Berlin in January 2010. “They reiterated their objective to further solidify the unique relationship and the broad range of close ties between Germany and Israel through political measures which look towards the future while recognizing Germany’s awareness of its historic responsibility towards Israel.”
Highlights of the agreements reached:
National Security and National Emergencies
The Governments have agreed to strengthen and expand the cooperation in the area of homeland security, especially combating violent extremism and terrorism. Issues pertaining to national security will be added to those for which cooperation already exists in the framework of a Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation on combating crime and terrorism.
The governments have also agreed that cooperation between the two countries in dealing with natural disasters and emergencies be extended.
Now that Israel and Germany are allies, when Israel is surrounded by Arab attackers Germany will have the excuses need to invade Israel in order to help save her from those attacking her. Germany now has a reason to invade Egypt in order to protect her ally Israel. Prophecy is marching forward so fast you can hardly keep up.
Then, THEN, on Wednesday of this week a brother informed me of the following article.
http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-02-09-Israel%20Palestinians/id-970e6d38c1f34f0aac2809daf88b2447
Feb. 9, 2011 1:31 PM ET
NATO offers troops after Mideast peace deal
HERZLIYA, Israel (AP) — The secretary general of NATO is offering peacekeeping services to Israelis and Palestinians if both request it in a peace deal.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a security conference in Israel on Wednesday that NATO would intervene if a future peace treaty was broken or if the two sides needed assistance.
A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Rasmussen discussed expanding cooperation between Israel and NATO. The spokesman would not say if Israel would accept Rasussen’s offer.
Netanyahu insists Israel must have strict security guarantees in any peace deal.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he would agree to have international peacekeepers deployed in a future Palestinian state for a limited time.
Brethren, Brethren, right in front of you prophecy is taking place and it is happening so fast and so subtly that most of the world has not even noticed it. They just do not get it but do you? If you would read The Prophecies of Abraham pages 91-103 it is all explained right there. Order it and read it before you too are lulled to sleep like the rest of the world.
Let me quickly refresh you.
Isaiah 7:17 “???? brings on you and your people and your father’s house days that have not come since the day that Ephrayim turned away from Yehud?ah – the sovereign of Ashshur.”
18 And it shall be in that day that ???? whistles for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Mitsrayim, and for the bee that is in the land of Ashshur.
Yehovah is calling for the Assyrians to come and invade your land. The Assyrians are today known as the Germans and they are leading up the European Union. When you think of the Germans remember how disciplined they are and how methodical and how ruthless they were in WW II and WW I.
Isaiah 5: 24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, their root is as rottenness, and their blossom goes up like dust – because they have rejected the Torah of ???? of hosts, and despised the Word1 of the Set-apart One of Yisra’?l. Footnote: 1“Word” and “teaching” are used as synonyms.
25 Therefore the displeasure of ???? has burned against His people, and He stretches out His hand against them and smites them, and the mountains tremble. And their carcass is as filth in the middle of the streets. With all this His displeasure has not turned back, and His hand is still stretched out!
26 And He shall lift up a banner to the nations from afar, and shall whistle to them from the end of the earth. And see, they come with speed, swiftly!
27 Not one of them is weary or stumbling, not one slumbers or sleeps. Not a belt shall be loosened on their loins, nor the thong of their sandals be broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses’ hooves shall seem like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roar is like that of a lion, they roar like young lions. And they growl and seize prey, and slip away, with no one to rescue.
30 And in that day they shall growl over it as with the growling of the sea. And one shall look at the earth, and see, darkness and distress! And light shall be darkened by the clouds.
When Yehovah tells you “they come with speed, swiftly!” think Blitzkrieg.
Jeremiah speaking of the Babylonians who today are to be found in Italy and are also part of the European Union and will also come with Germany, just like Mussolini did in WW II.
Jeremiah 4: 11 At that time it shall be said to this people and to Yerushalayim, “A scorching wind of the bare heights blows in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people, not to fan or to cleanse.
12 “A wind too strong for this shall come for Me. Now it is I who speak judgments against them.
13 “See, he comes up like clouds, and his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses shall be swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we shall be ravaged!”Jeremiah 23:19 See, a storm of ???? shall go forth in a rage, a whirling storm! It whirls on the head of the wrong.
20 The displeasure of ???? shall not turn back until He has done and established the purposes of His heart. In the latter days you shall understand it perfectly.1 Footnote: 1See 30:24.Jeremiah 25:31 “Tumult shall come to the ends of the earth, for ???? has a controversy with the nations. He shall enter into judgment with all flesh. The wrong He shall give to the sword,’ declares ????.”
32 Thus said ???? of hosts, “See, evil is going forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind is raised up from the farthest parts of the earth.
33 “And in that day the slain of ???? shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth1. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried, for they are dung on the face of the ground. Footnote: 1See Isa. 66:24.Daniel 11:40 “At the time of the end the sovereign of the South shall push at him, and the sovereign of the North rush against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall enter the lands, and shall overflow and pass over,
41 and shall enter the Splendid Land, and many shall stumble, but these escape from his hand: Ed?om, and Mo’ab?, and the chief of the sons of Ammon.
42 “And he shall stretch out his hand against the lands, and the land of Mitsrayim shall not escape.
43 “And he shall rule over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the riches of Mitsrayim, and Libyans and Kushites shall be at his steps.
The King of the North will come like a whirl wind when Yehovah whistles for him. He is going to come when the King of the South pushes at him. Egypt is the King of the South along with Libya and Ethiopia. Did not Italy try to conquer Ethiopia in WW II?
And when he comes he will enter the Glorious Land of Israel. He will do this because of the Peace treaty they just signed. Israel and Germany are now Allies and they have offered to send NATO troops should Israel be attacked. How absolutely prophetic.
What causes all of this to take place? What is the catalyst that begins this process where the King of the North must come down?
Isaiah 19:1 The message concerning Mitsrayim. See, ???? is riding on a swift cloud, and He shall come into Mitsrayim. And the idols of Mitsrayim shall tremble at His presence, and the heart of Mitsrayim melt in its midst.
2 “And I shall stir up Mitsrites against Mitsrites, and they shall fight, each one against his brother, and each one against his neighbour, city against city, reign against reign.
3 “And the spirit of Mitsrayim shall vanish within them, and I destroy their counsel. And they shall seek the idols and the mutterers, the mediums and the sorcerers.
4 “And I shall deliver the Mitsrites into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce sovereign to rule over them,” declares the Master, ???? of hosts.
Egypt will be in civil war. That is what will bring the king of the North and right now on your TV you are watching the regime of Mubarak being challenged by the people for the cause of freedom. And just like what happened in Iran, a transition will take place and then the Muslim Brotherhood will take control or will fight to gain control. Read verse 2 above again. This is where we are.
Now the question you should also ask is why does Jordan escape as we are told in Dan 11:41?
Well this past week Jordan and Germany signed an agreement which I am unable to find as I write this, but I did read it earlier on Monday, My apologies.
And as I go to post this for you I read about what Germany’s foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, and a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years had to say on Feb 2, 2011.
Inside the European Union, the ugly term PIGS (Portugal, Italy/Ireland, Greece, Spain) is now commonplace, denoting countries that have endangered the euro’s stability and are forcing North Europeans into costly bailouts. Where not long ago sunshine and solidarity were the order of the day, depression and confrontation are now the rule. Worse still, Europe’s debt and confidence crisis is also the EU’s gravest political crisis since its inception: at stake is nothing less than the future of the European project itself.
And now the crisis has reached the southern shore of the Mediterranean, in the form of a revolution in Tunisia, a continued uprising in Egypt and a political showdown in Lebanon that has once again brought the country to the verge of war and disaster.
With the EU’s Mediterranean member states simultaneously faltering, great changes are afoot in Europe’s southern neighborhood.
So it is time to think geopolitically, not just fiscally, about the Mediterranean. What the EU is facing in the Mediterranean isn’t primarily a currency problem; first and foremost, it is a strategic problem – one that requires solutions urgently.
You can read the whole article at http://www.praguepost.com/print/7363-europe-must-look-south-or-miss-an-opportunity.html
Germanys former Foreign Minister is telling Germans to stop thinking about the financial problems of Europe and turn its attention to the Mediterranean Arena. In history wars have been a unifying event for Germany. They are setting the stage once again with these new alliances and treaties and we all remember how Hitler kept those peace agreements with his neighbours.
This past week I was sent some shows that Glen Beck has done. I have spent the better part of the day watching them. I have never watched Glen Beck before but I found he has covered much of the Egyptian crisis and identified many of the participants accurately. But he does not consider the influence of Germany and a United European army in any of his thoughts.
The coming Caliphate of Islam will come as Glen has said but with one hiccup when Christian Europe comes and take over the Middle East and North Africa. Once there, the German leadership will form an Empire with the Islamic nations as we are told in Psalm 83. At that time Germany will dump the Catholic faith in favour of the Muslim one. Then comes the destruction of the USA.
I wrote this to Mr. Beck and I urge you to do the same. But watch what he shows you here. It is very good in spite of this one oversight.
Jan 31, 2011 Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gARNuJxFuXs&NR=1
Jan 31, 2011 Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPggcsod75Y&NR=1
Feb 1, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiRK0Q_7oxA&NR=1
Feb 3, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LEBaHvJ8Kk
Triennial Torah Cycle
We now return to our 3 1/2 year Torah studies which you can follow online.
Gen 50 1 Kings 2 Ps 103-104 Luke 13 – 14:11
Gen 50
Here in chapter 50 I was confused about the phrase beyond the Jordan. I was reading it from the Egyptian point of view and not the author. That Author was Moses who wrote all these books on the other side of the Jordan, On the East side.
Abel-mizraim (the “meadow of Egypt”, or “mourning of Egypt”)[1] is a place “beyond,” or west, of the Jordan river, at the “threshing-floor of Atad.” Here the Egyptians mourned seven days for Jacob (Genesis 50:4-11). Its site is unknown.
The other thing I would like to share with you is that Manasseh’s son was named Machir and show you what this means to us today.
http://www.britam.org/america.html
MACHIR AND AMERICA
Adapted from “The Tribes” by Yair Davidiy
An interesting fact is that:
THE NAME MACHIR IS RECALLED IN THAT OF AMERICA!
Machir was the first-born son of Manasseh son of Joseph (Genesis 50:23).
Machir was the forefather of the Gileadites (1-Chronicles 2:21).
The Phoenicians are believed to have visited AMERICA. According to Barry Fell the Phoenicians named it – “The Great North Country”. The Hebrew Prophets predicted that in the end time the Lost Ten Tribes would return from the “North Country” (Jeremiah 31:8). The Prophets certainly were well acquainted with the Phoenicians some of whom were in effect Israelite Tribes. The Vikings later attempted to settle in North America and named it “MARKLAND” which is believed to mean “Land of Darkness”(1). Even so, Maruk (a permutation of Machir) and Mark (in “Markland”) are not dissimilar. After the Vikings, the existence of America was realised by people in Britain including fishermen from the port of Bristol. Richard Ameryk, a Bristol merchant 1470’s is now claimed to perhaps have given America its name. Ameryk was of Welsh ancestry and his family name originally was “Ap-Meryk”, possibly denoting “Son of Machir”.
The more commonly accepted explanation is that the name “America” comes from that of the Explorer, Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) also called “America” and (after 1507) “America” is said to have been named in his honor. At all events, the name Amerigo or “America” is similar to Medieval appellations (“Aimerico”(2), etc.) for a Jewish Prince of southern France whose proper Hebrew name (from which the Latinised appellations were derived) was “MACHIR”. The name in Hebrew was also given as “HaMachiri”.
In Biblical Hebrew “HaMachiri” literally denotes “The Sons of Machir” (Numbers 26:29) but it could also connote “That which Comes of Machir” and in this case it was applied as a nickname to Machir himself and then Latinised to sound something like “America”!
The Hebrew version is difficult for untrained westerners to pronounce (or even remember) and so was rendered in Early Medieval Latin as “Americo” or
“Amerigo” and this name was later given to Amerigo Vespucci who gave his name to the land of America. It follows that the name AMERICA may well be understood to mean “Land of Machir” (or “Land of the Sons of Machir”), son of Menasseh.
The very name “Menasseh” in Hebrew (according to the Commentary of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch) can mean delegated responsible representation and this is a fundamental aspect of the North American character. The USA was created when its early settlers declared “no taxation without representation” and fought against Britain for their Independence.
America was named after Machir.
Brit-Am supporter Benyamin Turkia (of Finland, now living in Jerusalem) pointed out that “Machir” in Hebrew can mean “Selling” or even simply the Principle of Capitalism.
The principles of Capitalism and Free Enterprise have also become part of the American character.
Note: It should be noted that in Rabbinical commentaries on the Bible and in Jewish tradition the meaning and origin of names is very important and this principle is supported by the Bible itself. Great emphasis is given to the meaning of names, e.g. the names of Abraham, Sarah, and Israel.
References:
1. Whatmore, Arthur William. “Insulae Brittanica”, Great Britain, 1913.
2. ZUCKERMAN, Arthur J. “A Jewish Princedom in Feudal France, 768-900”, New York, 1972. p.375
Zuckerman notes that Machir (Ha-Machiri) was referred to as Al Makhiri, “AYMERI”, “Maghario” (p.180) or “Magharius”, as “Aymeri”, p.121 n.16., and as “Aimerico”, and “Aimericus”. Zuckerman p.131 n.38
Zuckerman describes how Machir (“Aimericus”) became a legend whose name was celebrated in the ballads of Southern France and neighboring regions.
1 Kings 2
http://www.azamra.org/Bible/I%20Kings%201-2.htm
CHAPTER 2
DAVID’S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
David called Solomon and reminded him of the inevitability of death: “I am going the way of all the earth.” (v 2). In his final will and testament to his son, David instructed him to follow the essential formula for all Israelite success: to go in the ways of God and guard His statutes and commandments “as written in the Torah of Moses” (v 3).
SETTLING OLD SCORES
Joab had been David’s loyal commander-in-chief almost to the very end, staying with him even during the supreme challenge of Absalom’s rebellion (though it is said that Joab very nearly went after Absalom). Nevertheless, David was unable to forgive Joab for having assassinated Saul’s commander-in-chief Avner precisely when David wanted to bring an end to the civil war with the House of Saul, and also for having killed his own beloved son Absalom contrary to his specific orders as well as assassinating Absalom’s commander-in-chief Amasa. Yet despite the fact that Joab had wielded the sword of Judgment even more implacably than David, he was head of the Sanhedrin and a most formidable Torah sage as well as a man of kindness who made his home like a wilderness in that it was constantly open to all the poor people (see Rashi on v 34). Thus David did not want to wreak vengeance on Joab forever. When he told Solomon, “Do not bring his hoary old age down to She’ol=Hell”, what he meant was that Solomon should ensure that Joab would not die a natural death in order that his being killed in this world should atone for him, save him from hell and bring him to the life of the world to come (Rashi on v 6).
While Barzilai the Giladite and his sons had supported David when he fled from Absalom and were to be rewarded, Shimi ben Gera – head of the Sanhedrin and a leading member of the tribe of Benjamin – had come out cursing and stoning David in his flight. His curse is described as NIMRETZETH (“extremely strong”): the letters that make up this Hebrew word are the initial letters of all the unpleasant names that Shimi ben Gera called David: NO’EF (“adulterer”), MOAVI (“Moabite”, i.e. a “sheigitz”), ROTZEAH (“murderer”), TZORER (“persecutor”), THO’EYVA (“abomination”). David said to Solomon that Shimi is “WITH YOU” (v 8), because – paradoxically – Shimi, an outstanding Torah sage, was actually Solomon’s TEACHER (Talmud Berachos 8a).
ADONIAHU’S PLOT
It is said that David never had relations with Avishag the Shunamite (I Kings 1:4), and accordingly she was not technically forbidden to Adoniahu as his father’s concubine. Nevertheless it was seditious of Adoniahu to ask Batsheva to intercede with her son Solomon to give him Avishag, because “a private individual is forbidden to have any benefit from the scepter of the king”. By requesting Avishag, Adoniahu was plotting to get his foot inside the door of the kingship.
Solomon displayed all the proper KAVOD (“honor”) to his mother Batsheva when she innocently went in to put this request to him (v 19). The Midrash states that when Solomon “placed a chair for the mother of the king”, this was actually for “the mother of the kingship”, i.e. David’s great grandmother Ruth who was still alive (Bava Basra 91b; Rashi on v 19). Yet with all his show of maternal respect, the young Solomon (who was only 12 years old at the time, Rashi on I Kings 3:7) was far from being a tender softie and understood much more clearly than his own mother the real implications of Adoniahu’s little request, sending his commander-in-chief Benaya to dispatch him as a traitor.
EVIATAR
As indicated in the commentary on the previous chapter, Eviatar the former High Priest was “sent home” by Solomon (v 26) not only because he had joined Adoniahu’s rebellion but also because the time had come to build God’s eternal House in Jerusalem, while the line of priests descending from Eli (who traced their lineage to Aaron’s fourth son Ithamar), had because of their corruption been deposed from serving in the Temple in favor of the priests who came from the line of Aaron’s third son, Elazar, and his son Pinchas.
JOAB’S FLIGHT TO THE ALTAR
On hearing the reports of how Solomon was settling scores with those who had fallen foul of his father David, Joab fled to the Sanctuary Altar, whose power to give succor to unwitting killers is learned from the verse in Exodus 21:14: “When a man intentionally plots against his neighbor to kill him craftily, even from My altar shall you take him to die”. This verse indicates that the Altar has the same power as the Cities of Refuge to give succor to unwitting killers.
Joab’s killing of Avner, Amasa and Absalom had in fact been intentional and Solomon would have been permitted to have him taken from the Altar and killed. The rabbis discussed at length what Joab had to gain from being killed at the Altar rather than being executed after due trial as a traitor. They answered that while those executed by the court are buried in a special “criminals” section of the cemetery, by being killed at the Altar Joab could be buried in his family plot together with his ancestors. Although the text states that he was buried in his home “in the wilderness”, it would be ridiculous to take this literally, and the phrase is darshened as explained above – that Joab’s house was open to the poor like a wilderness – and also as indicating that after his death Israel was left like a barren wilderness (RaDaK on v 34).
By putting Shimi ben Gera under permanent house arrest and making him swear to remain there, Solomon craftily contrived to ensure that Shimi would be responsible for his own death when circumstances would arise – as they surely would – to induce him to leave his home. Despite Solomon’s having sent Benaya to perform yet another in his series of bloody executions of David’s foes, the text states that “the kingship was established in the hand of Solomon” (v 46) in order to indicate that he was not punished for this and that his kingship was ordained by God.
* * * I Kings 2:1-12 is read as the Haftara of Parshas Vayechi, Genesis 47:28-50:26 * * *
Ps 103-104
http://www.ucg.org/bible-commentary/Psalms/default.aspx
“Forget Not All His Benefits” (Psalms 103-104)
Psalm 103, attributed in the superscription to David, is a psalm of praise for the wonderful goodness of God directed toward His people. David begins by talking with himself, demanding that his whole being “bless” the Lord (verses 1-2). This is in response to all of God’s wonderful benefits—the blessings He gives us. We cannot of course bless God in kind. A “blessing” from a human being directed to God is a word of heartfelt praise or thanksgiving or an expressed wish to see all of God’s purposes fulfilled, implying cheerful and committed cooperation with Him—submitting oneself fully to His will. Note that the psalm begins and ends with the same formula (verses 1, 22)—as does the next psalm (104:1, 35).
In Psalm 103:3-5, David calls attention to six personal blessings from the Lord: forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness, satisfaction and renewal. With “you” and “your” in these verses, David was still speaking to himself, but clearly these statements apply to all of God’s people. That is, each of us reading or singing along with the psalm could say the same things to ourselves. A seventh blessing—relief from oppression—is listed in verse 6 as applying to “all” (thus expanding the divine blessings out to others).
At the top of his list, David thanks God that He has the power and desire to forgive the perverse crookedness of our human nature that manifests itself in various iniquities (verse 3a). Next we are told that God “heals all your diseases” (verse 3b)—just as God “forgives all your iniquities” in the previous clause. Some, realizing that godly people sometimes must suffer ongoing infirmity despite repeated prayers (as even the apostle Paul had to), think God healing “all” our diseases here does not mean that He heals every single one. Rather, they interpret these words as meaning merely that all diseases we have that are healed are healed by God—that is, whenever we are healed, God is the One who heals us. This is problematic, however, as it would indicate the same meaning for the previous parallel clause—that all iniquities we have that are forgiven are forgiven by God (thus meaning that God is the One who does whatever forgiving is done and not all of our sins are necessarily forgiven). Yet the statement about forgiveness seems more clearly to mean that God forgives every one of our sins—which indicates that the healing clause means that God heals every one of our diseases. In fact, as an inspired scriptural proclamation about God’s nature, this would seem to be a divine promise. How then are we to reconcile this with faithful Christians who are not healed?
First we must recognize that there are conditions that must be met for healing—just as there are for forgiveness. Forgiveness requires repentance and faith—and so does divine healing (especially in cases where the sickness or disease is a result of the afflicted person’s sins). But even when these conditions are met, God is not obligated to instantly and immediately remove affliction. Yet Psalm 103:3 would indicate that He has obligated Himself to heal the faithful at some point. He may choose to instantly intervene and heal—or, for His great and inscrutable purposes, He may decide to delay healing until much later. In fact, He may in some cases choose to delay healing until after a person has died—when, in the ultimate healing, He will return believers to life in the resurrection from the dead. In this, God still proves Himself faithful to the promise of Psalm 103. Indeed, faithful believers brought up in the resurrection will experience perfect wellness and be impervious to illness for eternity to come.
We find a further parallel in the benefit that follows. God “redeems your life from destruction” (verse 4a)—”from the pit” (NIV)—pulling us from dire circumstances and ultimately from the grave. This, of course, does not mean that we won’t suffer adversity or death. David suffered both. God’s own perfect Son, Jesus Christ, suffered intensely and died in His human life at a young age. So, while the promise of Psalm 103:4 is in part for our lives today—as God keeps us from various calamities throughout our lives and lets us endure others before rescuing us—the ultimate fulfillment of the verse will not come until our future resurrection in God’s Kingdom. Even so, in verse 3 God delivers us from physical ailments throughout our lives today, but He will not remove all illness from us for eternity to come until that same resurrection.
The same applies to being crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies (verse 4b). On one level, David may have been speaking to himself of God having literally crowned him as the king of Israel—along with the advantages and privileges that brought. Yet he may also have been thinking of God more generally and figuratively heaping blessings and care upon his head (compare Genesis 49:26). The word for “lovingkindness” in Psalm 103:4 is hesed, meaning loyal steadfast love or covenant faithfulness, while tender mercies here refers to deep compassion and parental care (compare verse 13). Being the objects of God’s grace or favor “crowns” His people above all creation. And ultimately, they will be crowned as literal kings to rule in His Kingdom (Revelation 5:10).
That God “satisfies your mouth with good things” (Psalm 103:5) includes more than providing food. “The word translated ‘mouth’ is a bit of a puzzle since it is usually translated ‘ornaments’ or ‘jewelry,’ words that hardly fit this context” (Wiersbe, Be Exultant, note on verses 1-6). The NIV follows the Greek Septuagint translation in rendering the word as “desires” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, footnote on verse 5). “Some students interpret the word to mean ‘duration’ or ‘years’ (see NASB [compare NRSV]).
No matter how old we become, God can satisfy the needs of our lives and the spiritual desires of our hearts” (Wiersbe, note on verses 1-6). To be renewed like the eagle (verse 5) pictures having the strength to soar, to keep on (compare Isaiah 40:31). Both elements of Psalm 103:5 will find ultimate fulfillment in the Kingdom of God—as will God’s righteous and just intervention for the oppressed of verse 6.
David uses the past national experience of Israel to illustrate God’s blessings on His people—particularly His forgiveness, mercy and love. This was explained to Moses and demonstrated to the Israelites in how God dealt with them (verses 7-8, 17-18; compare Exodus 34:6-7). Though the Israelites, as we all do, deserved death for sin, God nevertheless continues to work with His people. His punishments against Israel’s constant rebellion were not without end but were intended to help rehabilitate the people, not to justly destroy them (Psalm 103:9-10). God is here praised for His willingness to temper His righteous anger with His vast mercy and care for His people as His little, weak children (verses 11-14). Whereas God’s anger is brief—required only during the fleeting physical existence of man—his “mercy” or loyal love is forever and will serve to perpetuate those who honor their commitment to follow Him (verses 15-18).
God’s benefits extend to all within His dominion. “And His kingdom rules over all” (verse 19)—so that all creation (in both the spiritual and physical realms) should praise God along with David, as the psalm calls for in the threefold address: “Bless…Bless…Bless…” (verses 20-22a), followed by the final repetition of the psalm’s opening line. This also serves to introduce the praise of God for His creation in the next psalm.
Though Psalm 104, a meditative hymn of creation, is unattributed in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint translation names David as the author. This may have been reasoned on the basis of the psalm’s apparent relationship with the previous psalm (103), the Masoretic superscription of which credits David. Note that David in Psalm 103 opens and closes with the exuberant self-exhortation to “Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (verses 1, 22) and that the same opening and closing is found in Psalm 104 (verses 1, 35), making it seem a continuation. There is a thematic relationship as well. Psalm 103 dwelt on God’s benefits (verse 2), while Psalm 104 deals with God’s provision through creation. Psalm 103 concluded with a call for praise of God issued to “all His works, in all places of His dominion” (verse 22). Psalm 104 then concerns God’s works throughout His dominion in creation and “the fruit of [His] works” (verse 13). However, none of this is clear proof of Davidic authorship. For just as it would seem that later editors placed these psalms next to each other in the Psalter, it could also be that these editors, rather than David, copied the opening and closing of Psalm 103 over to the beginning and end of 104 to emphasize the continuity here.
In this song the psalmist follows to some degree the days of creation of Genesis 1. He starts out by describing the great God as clothed with honor, majesty and light (verses 1-2)—paralleling God’s first recorded command in commencing the creation account, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). God elsewhere declares that He is light and completely without darkness (1 John 1:5)—speaking not just of His radiant glory on the physical level but, in spiritual imagery, of His moral perfection.
Corresponding to the second day of Genesis 1, “the second creative act is ‘the firmament’ or ‘the heavens’ described here as a [curtain or] ‘tent’ [NIV] stretched out over the earth (cf. Isa 40:22). As a camper readily pitches his tent somewhere, so God without exertion prepared the earth for habitation” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, note on Psalm 104:2). Genesis 1:6-8 says that the firmament of heaven or the sky divided waters under it from waters above it. This division of upper and lower waters appears to distinguish between water vapor in the atmosphere and liquid waters of the seas and other bodies of water on the earth’s surface. The imagery of God laying the beams of His “upper chambers” (or upstairs rooms) in the atmospheric waters (Psalm 104:3; compare verse 13) portrays Him as setting the lowest levels of the heavens, where He dwells, in the air above the earth.
Within this expanse God, in the person of Jesus Christ through whom God created all things (see John 1:1-3, 14; Ephesians 3:9), traveled on “clouds” and “wind” (Psalm 104:3b). These words here may connote more than atmospheric conditions, as God later led Israel in the radiant cloud of His glory and the word for “wind” here is ruach, translated “Spirit” in Genesis 1:2: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Moreover, Psalm 104:4 uses the plural of ruach in describing the angelic hosts—”spirits.” God created these spirit beings, brilliant like stars in flaming fire, as His “angels” (meaning messengers) and “ministers” (meaning servants). Note that both these terms were used to address them in the previous psalm (103:20-21), showing a further tie between these two songs. Note also that Psalm 104:4 is quoted in Hebrews 1:7 to demonstrate the subordination of angels to Jesus Christ and later glorified members of God’s divine family.
Continuing on the second day of Genesis 1, God next focused on the “waters under the heavens” (verse 9), gathering them into one place and uncovering the dry land. This was necessary because the land had earlier been covered by “the face of the deep” (verse 2). The cessation of this flooded condition is described in Psalm 104:5-9. Verse 6 tells us that the earth was “covered…with the deep” and that “the waters stood above the mountains”—though the mountains may have been much lower in elevation at that time, an idea we will consider further in a moment. The flooded condition of the earth was evidently a result of global calamity between the earth’s initial creation and the six days of Genesis 1, which represent a renewal or re-creation of the earth and its life (see the Bible Reading Program comments on Genesis 1).
Psalm 104:7 says that an order from God caused the waters to retreat. As translated in the NKJV and many other versions, verse 8 describes the waters going up over the mountains and flowing back down into the valleys. This translation, however, is unclear. The Revised Standard Version renders the verse this way: “The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which thou didst appoint for them.” This would imply major topographical changes as part of the reason for shifting waters. Many argue against this as a break in context—especially as the “they” in verse 9 for which God has set a boundary to prevent their returning to cover the earth is clearly the waters. However, it is possible that verse 8 is parenthetical and that the “they” in verse 9 refers back to the waters in verses 6-7.
Some see verse 9’s reference to God setting a boundary against global flood (evidently the coastlines of the world) as referring to His covenant after the Flood of Noah’s day (compare Genesis 9:11-15). However, it more naturally refers here to God’s establishments of the coastlines in Genesis 1. Note that Psalm 104:9 does not say, “…that they may not ever return to cover the earth.” Here the idea was probably “…that they could not return to cover the earth [on their own].” Later, in Genesis 9, God did state that the waters would never again destroy the world.
Rather than proceeding immediately to the next day in the Genesis 1 scheme, Psalm 104 next highlights the benefits of the fresh waters of the earth to the various creatures God later formed. Then the psalm moves to the third of the Genesis 1 days (verses 11-13), describing the production of grass and vegetation (Psalm 104:14). And again, before proceeding to the next day, the psalm describes the benefits of these things to later-created man and beast. Likewise, the psalm then moves to the fourth day of Genesis 1:14-19 regarding the appointment of the sun and moon to mark times and seasons—and again explains how these things serve animals and human beings (Psalm 104:19-23). In all this, we observe a connection with Psalm 103 in the recounting of God’s benefits.
The psalmist here pauses for summary and praise: “O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all” (104:24). He then resumes his reflection, proceeding to day five of Genesis 1, highlighting the creation of teeming life in the sea. This is a benefit to human beings plying ships in maritime commerce (verse 26). Leviathan (same verse) may be a literal sea monster—some have suggested a giant crocodile—but is apparently figurative in various passages of human empires or the power behind them, Satan the serpent of Genesis 3 (see the Bible Reading Program comments on Job 41). Whichever is intended, all depend on God for existence—and they will play a role in fulfilling God’s purposes despite themselves.
Psalm 104:27-28 shows that all the creatures mentioned thus far (some formed as late as the sixth day of creation week) are utterly reliant on God for their existence and sustenance. If God does not provide for them and sustain them, they die (verse 29). And God does allow this to happen—sometimes on a large scale, as the calamities of Genesis 1:2 and the Flood of Noah both attest. Yet even in such circumstances, God’s providence continues—for He sends forth His Spirit, creates life once again and renews the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30). This could refer to the general cycle in which, as flora and fauna die, God provides new life to replace what returns to dust. However, in the context of the rest of this psalm, this verse may be directly referring to the six days of Genesis 1 as a period of renewal and re-creation on a global scale.
Considering the summary of the six days of creation through the psalm, it may be that the theme of the song’s conclusion concerns the day intended to memorialize creation—the seventh-day Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3), which also symbolizes the time of God’s coming Kingdom (compare Hebrews 3-4). Note in verse 31 the desire for God’s glory to endure forever and that God may rejoice in His works (both very much Sabbath themes). The Sabbath teaches us that in observing creation we must view it as subordinate to God Himself. Verse 32 reminds us that God “is so much greater than his creation that with a look or a touch he could undo it” (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on verse 32). The Sabbath calls for singing, praises, meditation and glad rejoicing (compare verses 33-34).
The statement “May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more” (verse 35) seems to be a wish rather than a curse on specific sinners. The psalmist envisions a world without the pollution of sin and wickedness. “The psalmist is not vindictive in his prayer against the wicked but longs for a world fully established and maintained by the Lord, without outside interference” (Expositor’s, note on verse 35). This, too, is a powerful Sabbath theme as we look forward to God’s Kingdom.
As previously mentioned, Psalm 104 closes just as it opens (and as 103 opens and closes): “Bless the LORD, O my soul!” There is good reason to believe that the next phrase, “Praise the LORD!,” originally began the next psalm (as we will see in our next reading).
Luke 13 – 14:11
Luk 13:1 the Galilaeans: The Galilaeans are frequently mentioned by Josephus as the most turbulent and seditious people, being upon all occasions ready to disturb the Roman authority. It is uncertain to what event Yehshua refers; but is probable that they were the followers of Judas Gaulonitis, who opposed paying tribute to Caesar and submitting to the Roman government. A party of them coming to Jerusalem during one of the great festivals, and presenting their oblations in the court of the temple, Pilate treacherously sent a company of soldiers, who slew them, and “mingled their blood with their sacrifices.”
We read about the fig tree here in Luke 13 and I have read how many a Christian use this to teach how Israel and the Jews are dried up and how the church is set up in their place. This could not be further from the truth.
Luk 13:6 And He spoke this parable, “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
7 “And he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down, why does it even make the ground useless?’
8 “And he answering, said to him, ‘Master, leave it this year too, until I dig around it and throw manure.
9 ‘And if indeed it bears fruit, good. But if not so, you shall cut it down.’ ”
We read in Mathew of another fig tree that withered up and went away.
Mat 21:19 And seeing a single fig tree by the way, He came to it and found naught on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” And immediately the fig tree withered.
20 And the taught ones, seeing it, marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so soon?”
21 And ????? answering, said to them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have belief and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be thrown into the sea,’ it shall be done.
22 “And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”
What are we reading about? In the Garden of Eden were two trees; The tree of Knowledge of good and evil and the other the tree of life.
Man chose from Satan’s tree of good things and of evil things. And as soon as they chose they knew they were naked and reached up and pulled the fig leaf to cover themselves.
The fig tree represented the way of Satan and symbolically Satan has produced no good fruit.
Satan’s system of government came into being over Israel in 723 BC when Israel fell to the Assyrians who today are known as Germany. The rest of Israel came to know this tree in 586 BC when Judah fell to the Babylonians who today are known as Italy. For three years or for three periods of time or for three millennium Yehovah has come to this tree to see the fruits of it and has found none. It is now time now to cut it down. See the article O Tannenbaum at https://sightedmoon.com/sightedmoon_2015/?page_id=697
When Yehshua cursed the tree on the Mount of Olives, He knew He was going to be hung on a tree and He did not want it to be the fig tree; a symbol of Satan’s government. Instead Yehshua was hung an Almond tree the symbol of the tree of life.
We next read about the woman who was freed from being bent over for 18 years. Yehshua healed her on the Sabbath. Many a Christian think this justifies working on the Sabbath. They do not realize that they have just said the Yehshua kept the Sabbath. What they do not realize is that the Rabbi’s had fenced in the Sabbath and Yehshua was taking down that fence. Much of this chapter of Luke talks about the Sabbath and I wanted to address this subject this week anyway.
First of all nowhere in history do we find any Jewish groups who kept a lunar Sabbath. That is one based on the sighting of the moon or on the conjunction of the moon. This is new age teaching that a number of messed up Messianics have fallen for. It is easily proven false by anyone who can count. But many people want to be different and will swallow a lie, even an obvious one.
Yehshua said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. The fourth commandment is found in Exodus 20: 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
And Again we read in Exodus 31:14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
So if you’re keeping the Sabbath according to the lunar Sabbath people and not according to Yehovah read again Exodus 31:14 Then read what John says about those who do not keep the commandments of which the 4th one is included. 1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Those who say they love Yehshua and do not keep the commandments are called liars. Those who say the Sabbath is at another time or been changed or is no longer on the Seventh Day are liars.
The Lunar Sabbath theory is exactly that, theory and those who say otherwise are liars according to scriptures.
You can search your history books and you will not find any Jewish groups who ever kept the Lunar Sabbath theory. If you are being drawn away to this lie then you should first read some of the articles at https://sightedmoon.com/sightedmoon_2015/?page_id=194
In Lev. 23 we are told to count to Shavuot from the morrow after the Sabbath during the days of Unleavened Bread. We are also told that the morrow after the 7th Sabbath is the 50th day.
In the Lunar Sabbath theory, remember it is a theory; the first day of the month is a non day. It does not count, Nor does the 30th day. They are all non days and do not count. So you count the New moon day as day 1 but you do not count this day. Then the 8th day is the Sabbath, and the 15th day and the 22nd day and finally the 29 day is the Sabbath. Other groups use the 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th system. In either case you have the first day which does not count and the 29th or 30th day depending on the group which does not count. Those days just disappear.
Now take a calendar and count out 50 days from the 14 day of the month of Aviv. You will end up going through two months and then you will have at least 2 if not 4 days extra, which the lunar Sabbath people say you just do not count. So the count to Shavuot is no longer 50 but 52, 53 or 54 days depending if the moon was seen or not.
If you do not understand the counting to Pentecost you will never understand how to count the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The count to 50 is you annual reminder of where we are in the Sabbatical cycles. By having non counted days would imply that you have non counted years. The insanity of this is so obvious yet people are duped everyday.
Do not be taken in the by the subtle lies they give you, and the circular reasoning they argue with.
The Sabbath has not changed since creation. It is from Sunset to sunset Friday evening to Saturday evening and is not based on the cycle of the moon.
But there is another group who have a new version of when the Sabbath is. This group is also new and they keep the Sabbath only during the day of Saturday, Or some from Saturday morning until Sunday Morning.
Throughout history there have been no Jewish groups that kept the day only as the Sabbath with the exception of a few in Cyprus. They have based this teaching on the grandson of Rashi, Rabbi Samuel ben Meir, (1100-1160) who pointed this sunrise to sunrise out in a commentary he wrote. Take note of the year, 1125 CE. He was not at Sinai and it is his commentary, his opinion.
Take special note of what S.A. Poznanski has to say about those who use Meirs comments to justify the keeping of the Sabbath as the Day only.
Benjamin of Tudela (second half of the twelfth century) reports about a certain Jewish sect on the island of Cyprus whose members observed the Sabbath from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, or as he puts it, who desecrated the night preceding but kept holy the night following the Sabbath day. See [ Hebrew Quoted ] L. Griinhut, I (Frankfurt a. M., 1904) p. 23. According to S. A, Poznanski in his introduction to Eliezer of Beaugency’s commentary to Ezekiel and the twelve minor prophet” (Waraw, 1913), P 43, Ibn Ezra’s attack in his [Hebrew] (Kerem Hemed V [Prague 1839], 115 ff.) was directed not against R. Samuel b. Meir and his interpretation of Gen.1.5, but against those heretical sects who drew practical conclusions from this interpretation and observed the Sabbath from morning to morning. Cf, also Bornstein, op cit., 304.
Why does Satan continue to try and keep many of you from keeping the Sabbath from Sunset Friday evening to Sunset Saturday evening? Because he knows it is the mark of Yehovah. It is His sign between you and Him. It is what identifies you as belonging to Yehovah. Satan’s mark is any day and any Holy Day other than what Yehovah has said to do. It does not matter as long as you do not keep what Yehovah has said. Keeping the Sabbath as the day only or in accordance with the cycle of the moon or switching the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday or adding Holy Days which are not found in Lev 23 are all the identifying marks of Satan. Which mark do you want to wear?
See the article on The Mark of the Beast which points this out to you. https://sightedmoon.com/sightedmoon_2015/?page_id=17
Now for all of those who are new to keeping the Sabbath and want to learn, I am going to send you to a source I learned from. Take your time read this through and read the entire booklet. You can also order the booklet and keep it as a reference. But first here are a few key scriptures to show us when the day begins. From Evening to Evening.
Gen 1:5 And Elohim called the light ‘day’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’ And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the first day.
Gen 1:8 And Elohim called the expanse ‘heavens.’ And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the second day.
Gen 1:13 And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the third day.
You will notice that the fourth day is when the moon was made and now three days later will be the Sabbath. How does this work with the Lunar Sabbath theory? It does not but they will reason it away.
Gen 1:19 And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the fourth day.
Gen 1:23 And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the fifth day.
Gen 1:31 And Elohim saw all that He had made, and see, it was very good. And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the sixth day.
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their array.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
And Yehovah knew how some would try and twist things so to make sure you understood when the Day of Atonement was to be kept Yehovah made it very plain.
Lev 23:27 “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to ????.
Lev 23:28 “And you do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before ???? your Elohim.
Lev 23:29 “For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.
Lev 23:30 “And any being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people.
Lev 23:31 “You do no work – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 ‘It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath.”
“From Evening to evening you shall observe your Sabbath” It cannot be any clearer.
Here is the article about the Sabbath.
http://www.ucg.org/booklets/SS/god-sabbath-rest.asp
The 613 Mitzvot
We now continue to study the 613 laws of Torah which we can read at http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm
We are doing 7 laws each week. We shall study laws 332-338 We also have commentary, with editing from me, again from http://theownersmanual.net/The_Owners_Manual_02_The_Law_of_Love.Torah
(332) Do not adopt the institutions of idolaters nor their customs. “I am Yahweh your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am Yahweh your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am Yahweh.” (Leviticus 18:2-5) “And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.” (Leviticus 20:23) Maimonides is correct here: the Israelites were to reject the practices, laws, and customs of the world from which they were escaping, as well as those of the Land they were being given. The key to why is the phrase repeated three times in the Leviticus 18 passage: “I am Yahweh your God.” Yahweh’s character changed everything.
We need to recognize that not everything the Egyptians and Canaanites did was evil. They too had consciences, and some of their practices no doubt aligned with God’s Law—I’m sure they considered murder a bad thing, for example. But Yahweh had an entirely new paradigm planned for the Israelites. They were to be holy—that is, set apart from the surrounding peoples for God’s purposes. That meant that every detail of their law and custom would have to be re-invented and re-defined according to Yahweh’s plan. They couldn’t just keep the “good” parts of the previous societies and try to fix what had obviously gone wrong.
That’s why Moses delivered instruction concerning everything from what you should eat, to who you could marry, to when to give your donkey a rest, to how to honor God. Even when the laws themselves bore some resemblance to the existing customs of the land, the reasons for the laws were brand new. One way or another, they all pointed toward the coming Messiah and toward Yahweh’s master plan for the redemption of the human race.
In application to our generation, we should not merely say, “Okay, I won’t do what Egyptians and Canaanites did,” and call it a day. We too are to be holy, set apart, insulated, and isolated from the influences of the world. We have to live here, but we don’t have to be of here. The land in which we sojourn has laws and customs, but we need to bear in mind that there is a Law that takes precedence—Yahweh’s law of love.
(333) Do not pass a child through the fire to Molech. “You shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh.” (Leviticus 18:21) Molech (or Moloch) was a permutation of Ba’al. Fair warning: this gets pretty sick. Heathen worshippers in Canaan were required to avail themselves of the temple prostitutes. The children born of these unions were unwanted baggage, so the satanic priesthood came up with a perfect way to deal with the little bastards. A bronze statue of Molech was brought to red heat and the hapless children were placed in its outstretched arms to die. No one was allowed to grieve or mourn, for the fire, it was said, was a purifying instrument through which the people’s sins were purged. One of the places that this horrendous rite was practiced was the Valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, just south of the old city of Jerusalem—earning it the dubious distinction of being Yahshua’s chosen metaphor for hell.
So here we see Yahweh warning His people not to do this evil thing, decades before they even entered the Promised Land. Did they listen? No. Jeremiah reports, “They built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Now therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city… It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.” (Jeremiah 32:35-56)
If you think this abominable practice died out with the Canaanites, I’ve got some bad news. It was resurrected—in a less gruesome form—in the medieval holiday bonfires of European Catholicism; Christmas. And it lives on today in the myth of purgatory, which the Roman church insists (contrary to the plain teaching of scripture) is necessary for the purging of individual sin. Vatican II states: “the doctrine of purgatory clearly demonstrates that even when the guilt of sin has been taken away, punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be expiated or cleansed…. In purgatory the souls of those who died in the charity of God and were truly repentant but who had not made satisfaction with adequate penance for their sins and omissions [making the Catholic church stinking rich, I might add] are cleansed after death with punishments designed to purge away their debt.” Gee, and I thought Yahshua’s sacrifice on Calvary took care of all that. What was I thinkin’? Apparently Molech has moved out of Canaan and rented a condo in Rome.
(334) Do not allow anyone practicing witchcraft to live. “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” (Exodus 22:18) The Hebrew word translated “sorceress” is actually a verb, kasap, meaning to practice magic or sorcery, to use supernatural (i.e., demonic) powers. Listed among King Manasseh’s many sins was kasap: “he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists.” (II Chronicles 33:6) Notice God’s instruction here: it’s not to disavow the use of sorcery. That’s taken care of elsewhere. Rather, it’s to make sure that no one who practices such things survives. Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem and yet no one bothered to invoke Exodus 22:18. This means all of Judah was guilty under the law for not dealing with Manasseh’s sin.
It is also instructive to see the kind of things Yahweh promises to lump in with practicing sorcery when it comes time for judgment: “And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers (kasap), against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—because they do not fear Me, says Yahweh of hosts.” (Malachi 3:5) One way or another, he’s just touched on Commandments 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Sorcery is not only placing “another god” before Yahweh, it’s also the very essence of what it is to regard the name of Yahweh as worthlessness—which is what the Third Commandment is all about.
(335) Do not practice onein (observing times or seasons as favorable or unfavorable, using astrology). “You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.” (Leviticus 19:26) The word translated “soothsaying” is the Hebrew anan, which shows up in Maimonides’ mitzvot as onein. Strong’s defines it as: “to practice soothsaying, to conjure, to observe times [i.e., as an occult practice], practice soothsaying or spiritism or magic or augury or witchcraft.” As a noun, it means, “soothsayer, enchanter, sorceress, diviner, fortuneteller, or barbarian.” It also means “to bring clouds,” and is used in reference to such things as the “pillar of cloud” that accompanied the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings, clouds of incense representing the prayers of the saints, or in the ubiquitous eschatological mention of the clouds (see for example Zephaniah 1:15 or Daniel 7:13) that will announce Yahweh’s judgment in the last days. The “cloud” angle brings the word into focus: it’s saying that we are not to do, or even simulate, the works God has reserved for Himself. Some deeds remain Yahweh’s prerogative alone; some knowledge remains His exclusive purview.
(336) Do not practice nachesh (doing things based on signs and portents; using charms and incantations). “You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.” (Leviticus 19:26) “Divination” is the rendering of the Hebrew nachash, meaning to practice divination, to observe occult or astrological signs, practice fortunetelling, or to take something as an omen. It includes interpreting omens or signs as a way to discern the will or plan of God (or the gods). The point is that when Yahweh wants us to know something specific about the future, he instructs His prophets to write it down.
It is our responsibility to read the Scriptures and use them to discern what Yahweh has revealed about our future. We are not to do the kind of thing Constantine did. He saw a cross in the sky and “heard” a voice saying, “In this sign conquer,” and proceeded to act upon the omen, slaughtering his enemies to attain temporal power and then using that power to subjugate millions in the name of religion. He was not listening to the voice of God, no matter what the omen said; he was merely practicing nachash.
Yahshua Himself addressed the problem, for the religious elite of His day—who, having the Torah, should have known better—demanded a sign, an omen, that would prove His credentials. “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came to argue with him. Testing him to see if he was from God, they demanded, ‘Give us a miraculous sign from heaven to prove yourself.’ When he heard this, he sighed deeply and said, ‘Why do you people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I assure you, I will not give this generation any such sign.’ So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.” (Mark 8:11-13 NLT) They had the Law, the prophets, and the Psalms, and all of it spoke of the Messiah, one way or another. The Pharisees didn’t want to believe any of that, but they were all too willing to accept an occult “sign” if it would demonstrate His standing with God. Yahshua, knowing the Torah, wouldn’t play their game.
(337) Do not consult ovoth (ghosts). “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am Yahweh your God.” (Leviticus 19:31) The Hebrew word translated “medium” here is ’owb, which according to the Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains means either a “medium, i.e., a spiritist or necromancer that conjures and communicates with ghosts,” or the ghost itself, a “spirit of the dead, i.e., a spirit which can communicate with human mediums, called from the underworld of the dead.” The word is derived from its primary meaning: a wineskin—something that holds, contains, or dispenses something else. The point is not that ghosts don’t exist, but rather that information about the future is not to be sought from anything or anyone but Yahweh Himself.
The definitive anecdote on this subject is, of course, King Saul’s consultation with the witch of En Dor, recorded in I Samuel 28:7-25. Samuel the seer had died, and the disobedient king’s prayers for guidance were bouncing off the ceiling, as it were. So he consulted an ’owb to bring Samuel back from the dead for a little chat. In a hilarious scene, the medium, more used to channeling demons (or merely faking her séances) to hoodwink her gullible clientele, actually did call up Samuel’s ghost. Oops. The prophet, annoyed at having been disturbed from his well-deserved rest, bluntly informed Saul that the Philistines were going to defeat Israel in battle, and that Saul and his sons would be killed. The moral of the story: don’t cut off communication with Yahweh, and if you do, don’t expect any good news you hear from another source to be true.
(338) Do not consult yid’onim (wizards). “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am Yahweh your God.” (Leviticus 19:31) A yidoni is similar to an ’owb. In fact, the two words always appear in parallel in scripture. Yidoni is alternately translated wizard, familiar spirit, fortune teller, magician, or sorcerer. As with ’owb, there is some ambiguity as to whether the word refers to the spirit or the one who conjures it up. Yahweh is very clear on this issue: do not regard them; do not seek them—they will defile you. He ends His warning with the ubiquitous raison d’etre for following His instructions: He is Yahweh our God. As always, that is reason enough for doing what He says.
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