News Letter 5849-036
13th day of the 8th month 5849 years after the creation of Adam
The 8th Month in the Fourth year of the third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes Famines, and Pestilences

October 19, 2013

Shabbat Shalom Family,

I did a number of impromptu teachings at Sukkot in Tennessee this year. We did not plan it and we did not record it. But one of the ladies in the audience did record it with her iPhone and has now uploaded it to you tube. It is less than 5 minutes and many have said and I agree it is one of the most awesome teachings they have been given. It is profound for me to listen to it over and over.

Since Israel separated from Judah at Shechem in 930 B.C., that was 2943 years ago, we have forgotten so many things that we should be doing that blesses us and shows us who we are. But we have forgotten a great deal of things. And in our ignorance, we have grown further away from our Father in Heaven and from our own families.

One lady from South Africa wrote to say the following;

I think this is my favorite teaching of Joseph Dumond. This was such a blessing even to me and I am glad I was able to at least get it on film to be able to show everyone this teaching. I like to be reminded of this special blessing all the time….I try and share it with as many people as I can always since I learnt this. Thank you so much Joseph Dumond in humoring me in this teaching, it blesses the socks off of me, you have allowed Yehovah to use you in so many ways this Sukkot 2013 to bless me and everyone else, thank you very much for your obedience in Him, I pray that Yehovah will continue to encourage you in your day to day encounters with Him and that you will continuously see the evidence of HIS hand in your life.

Another dear Lady from Canada wrote in to say;

It is huge. I have already told my sons and sons in law that they need to do this every erev Shabbat. They think it is a great idea.

And still another woman from the Great State of Texas wrote in to say;

This, among other moments like this, blessed me greatly because Joseph Dumond focused on the men. He showed them how special they are to their family and, more importantly, to His Family. Joseph Dumond UNPLUGGED! Can’t stop him from sharing the treasures in his heart. Always a blessing!

May this short teaching be one that blesses your wife and your children and you whole family as you make this a part of your family’s life each and every week from now on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg6ZzSEy46I

I have heard that those teens to whom this blessing was given, would go out and tell their friends about it. Eventually the Teens friends would show up each Erev Shabbat and want to be a part of this family blessing. It is something they do not get at home and it is something I have never had done to me by my Father. He just never knew nor understood.

We who claim to now be a part of Israel, either native born or grafted in, must ensure another generation does not get left out and not know of the great benefits of this simple act that we all can do for our family and loved ones.

A Blessing for our Sons and Daughters
by Cheri Scheff Levitan (Atlanta, GA)
On Friday night, the eve of the Sabbath, it is customary to bless one’s children. The traditional blessing for boys is “May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe” (Genesis 48:20). Why be like them? These brothers — contrary to Cain and Abel — lived in peace and set good examples for their family and community. While having noble traits and aspirations, my preference is to bless my son with, “May God help you become and do the best YOU that you can in this world.”

The traditional prayer for girls is “May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.” The movie Fiddler on the Roof, however, offers a subtle change in its song, Sabbath Prayer. Instead of repeating the customary blessing offered for girls, a challenge comes in the form of “May you be like Ruth and like Esther.” This statement calmly floats by in the song without ruffling any feathers; either because it is not noticed or no one cares to delve into its actual meaning.

Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah are the matriarchs of the Jewish faith. They played strong supporting roles in the achievements of their husbands– Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ruth and Esther are not considered to be matriarchs, yet they are the only two women to have books in the Hebrew Bible that are named for them. They were strong women who played leading roles and took matters into their own hands to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people. The prayer from Fiddler is therefore saying, “Be like Ruth and Esther, smart and independent women, who not only take control of their own destinies but model and guide the future of the Jewish people as well.”

The Book of Ruth is read on the holiday of Shavuot and the Book of Esther on Purim. A careful reading of each reveals two very different women, from different times and backgrounds, who accomplish tremendous things. Ruth, a non-Jew, chooses to leave her own people to join the Israelites. She exhibits acts of faith, modesty, integrity, bravery, and loyalty. The Davidic line and the Messiah ultimately descend from her. Esther, by contrast, initially does not display the noble acts for which Ruth is known. She hides her Jewish name and background to put herself on display to win a beauty contest, and she marries the non-Jewish king. But, once she becomes Queen of Persia, she ultimately risks her crown and life to save the Jewish people from Haman’s anti-Semitism. In the end, Esther displays tremendous cleverness, bravery, loyalty and leadership. It also is interesting to note that the men in their lives, Boaz and King Ahashverosh (a non-Jew) respectively, give Ruth and Esther the support, deference, and respect they deserve.

The wish “May you be like Ruth and like Esther” is an impossibly daunting challenge that is offered to both men and women as well as to Jews and those of other faiths. It is difficult to be like one of these women, let alone both of them simultaneously. Regardless, we cannot ignore this message. The stories of Ruth and Esther reflect very important challenges, as well accomplishments, which have taken place throughout Jewish history. They also highlight changes — changes in identity, ways of living Jewishly, and ways of imagining what is possible for both women and men — that we must face today.
What kind of blessing or wish do you have for your child?

One more final thought on this blessing of your wife and children.

In Israel each High Holy Day season the High Priest of Judah will gather at the Kotel to bless all of those there. All of Judah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab_gF5sffEw

I have been to Israel now 13 times. For the majority of them, I have had the pleasure to be at the Kotel while this blessing took place. You could hear a pin drop as the Priest gave the blessing. It is this same idea, this same thought process that is then to be done at the home by the High Priest of the home. The Father. At the Kotel it is the Father blessing the people, not the priests. Remember what the host said. It is the Father. And at the home, it is also the Father.

May Yehovah Bless each of you as you do this.

This is an “Open Letter to All the Churches of God”, to all former and all current Church of God members no matter which splinter group they have landed in.

Notable Churches

• United Church of God (UCG) – The largest splinter from WCG founded in 1995.
• Church of God, a Worldwide Association (COGWA) – A church that split from UCG in 2010 under UCG’s fourth president, Clyde Kilough.
• Church of God, an International Community (COGIC) – The church founded by David Hulme, UCG’s first president following his departure from UCG in 1998 after being removed from the presidency.
• Church of God International (USA) (COGI) – The church founded by Garner Ted Armstrong following his departure from WCG.
• The Intercontinental Church of God (ICOG) – Formed by Garner Ted Armstrong following his removal from COGI over sexual assault allegations.
• Church of God Preparing for the Kingdom of God (COG-PKG) – Founded by Ronald Weinland in 2006 following his departure from UCG. Weinland was convicted of tax evasion in 2012.
• Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) – Founded in 1989 by former WCG pastor Gerald Flurry following gradual doctrinal changes in WCG.
• Church of God, the Eternal (COGE) – The splinter church founded by Raymond C. Cole, one of the first four students at Ambassador College, following the “East Coast Rebellion” that saw many WCG members leave over the church’s perceived unwillingness to change various doctrines.[8]
• Global Church of God (GCG) – The church founded by Roderick C. Meredith in 1992 following a series of doctrinal changes in WCG.
• Living Church of God (LCG) – Founded by Meredith in 1998 following his removal from GCG.
• Restored Church of God (RCG) – Founded in May 1999 by David C. Pack after his firing from GCG.
• Church of the Great God (CGC) – Founded in 1992 by John Ritenbaugh after WCG’s doctrinal changes.
• House of Yahweh (HOY) – A religious sect in Texas founded by former WCG member Yisrayl Hawkins who preaches a message based on some of Armstrong’s core beliefs.

It has come to my attention that many of you in these various Churches of God are wrestling with this sighted moon concept and many of you have chosen to stay in your current fellowship and submit to the authority they have over you rather than obey Yehovah and keep his truths.

I have been told that by teaching this truth I am in fact causing division amongst the brethren and we can’t have that.

Really? What does Yehshua say?

Mat 10:34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

As a former World Wide Church of God Member from 1982 to 1994 and a former United Church of God member from 9/11 2001 to July 2006 I know we all quote this verse in regards to us keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days and how our families are now against us for doing so.

But let me put this understanding to you. If you are staying in your current Church of God group because you have become tired of all the splintering and you want to keep your friends that you now have, and you are doing this rather than obeying Yehovah God; then you are no different than those who do not keep the Sabbath or the Holy Days.

In fact, you stand the chance of being told what is said of those who do not keep the Torah in Mathew.

Mat 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. 21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works? 23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness! 24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. 25 And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. 26 And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall.

I am here bringing this horse pill to you in the hopes you will now wake up and begin to once again obey your Creator. Yes even those of you in the Churches of God.

If you keep the Sabbath on Sunday you all know that that is a sin. You know the Sabbath is to be kept on the 7th day of the week; From Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday. You all know this and do this.

Awesome but you fail to understand that by keeping the Holy Days at the wrong time you are in fact doing what you have just prided yourself in by keeping the weekly Sabbath at the right time. That is you know to keep the Sabbath on Saturday at the right time, but fail to see that you are in fact keeping the Holy Days at the wrong time. And you justify it by a whole host of excuses. (No, this is not an endorsement of the Lunar Sabbath Theory. No, far from it.)

But my friends are here, or we will wait until Jesus comes and he can fix it, or I am tired of the splintering of the church.

Did you not just read what Yehshua said? 26 And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

I have written to many of the heads of these various Churches of God and I have gone in person to the Canadian Head Office and also written to the Head Office of the Not so United Church of God; and the same response comes from them all. It does not come down from Herbert Armstrong so we are not going to change now. Change comes from the top down. Really?

Do you all remember how Mr. Armstrong struggled with the Pentecost issue going back and forth between Sunday and Monday for some time?

OK, I will let the leadership of these various groups win on the issue of it has to come from the top down. And in so doing by pass the various leaders now objecting to the keeping of the Holy Days by following the scriptural methodology of how to determine when they are.

Mr. Armstrong is quoted as saying that the month begins with the sighted moon. That is the first crescent of the new moon was what was to be used to begin the month. And by doing this then you have a different day as to when the Holy Days come. It changes them by as much as 3 days from the current method being used by the Hebrew Calendar and the Jewish system.

Please note that Mr. Armstrong who headed up the World Wide Church of God did acknowledge the sighted moon method, but then refused to keep it.Also of note is Herman Hoeh, Kenneth Herrmann both from WWCG and Stephen Flurry of the Philadelphia Church of God and, as well from the United Church of God Committee Members; Jim Franks, Burk McNair, Peter Nathan, Leon Walker and Don Ward. All of them claim that the New Month begins when the Moon is first sighted from Jerusalem. They claim this and then they do not do it. Why do they not do what they know to be the truth?

Also of note is Herman Hoeh, Kenneth Herrmann both from WWCG and Stephen Flurry of the Philadelphia Church of God and, as well from the United Church of God Committee Members; Jim Franks, Burk McNair, Peter Nathan, Leon Walker and Don Ward. All of them claim that the New Month begins when the Moon is first sighted from Jerusalem. They claim this and then they do not do it. Why do they not do what they know to be the truth?

It is a matter of convenience. It is easier to plan for the Spring and Fall Feasts when you have a number of years in advance to book and schedule meeting venues and guests and hotel bookings using the volume of people to get the better rates.

By using the Sighted Moon method along with whether or not the barley in Israel is ripe which is what you need for the wave offering during the days of Unleavened bread; this only gives you two weeks to get ready for Passover and 7 months for the Fall Feast.

And if the Barley is not ready then it moves the spring and fall feasts by one month. How do you plan for that?

Then in the fall by using the sighted moon to begin the 7th month you would not know if the Feast of Trumpets was to come one day or the next and then this changes all the fall Feast days by one day. Again how do you plan to have a meeting when you do not know which days to book the hall?

And this is exactly the proof you need to know which method is right. Because you all already know that the Feast of Trumpets is the Day the Messiah is to come back on. And what you have not considered is that the Day the Messiah is to come on is also called “The Day and Hour No Man Can Know” which is the Feast of Trumpets, the first day of the Seventh month and it is not possible to know when this day is because you must wait and watch for the first crescent of the sighted moon. Will it be seen tonight or tomorrow night? Will the clouds prevent it from being seen or will it be clear skies or will the cloud part just enough to see the moon? You never know, and can never know until it is actually seen by two witnesses.

Am I making any sense to you now? You know the scriptures; Isaiah 7:14 and Revelation 12.

That woman that is being described is the constellation is Virgo and she is about to give birth to the Messiah. If the moon was a conjunction moon which is the method now being used by all the Churches of God’s then the moon would be in line with the sun in Revelation 12 and not under her feet. But because the moon is under her feet it tells you this is a moon that is past the conjunction by two days. And when you do this on your computer program called Stellarium, this moon is the very first time it can be seen from Jerusalem and is a crescent moon. This day is also the year 3 BC and is September the 11th. It the Feast of Trumpets and is the day Yehshua was born and is the proof from your own bible which method you are to be using.

By choosing to stay with your own fellowships rather than obey Yehovah and keeping His Appointed Holy Days at the proper appointed times is the same as keeping the Sabbath on any day of your choosing and not on the 7th Day Saturday as Yehovah has commanded.

And Yehovah will tell you to be gone from me you worker of Lawlessness because you did not keep the Lev 23 Laws of when to keep the Holy Days. It is that serious.

Yehovah has poured out His Holy Spirit in these last days. The more each of us obeys the more of the Holy Spirit we will be given. When we stop, our growth and the Holy Spirit also stops and waits until we are ready to grow again. This is why most of the Churches of Gods are not growing but are stagnating or shrinking.

Had it not been for Mr. Armstrong I would never have learned about the Sabbath and the Holy Days. It was a necessary step in my growth. So I am grateful for what I learned there. Later I learned about the names. Later still I learned many of the things I now share on my web site. I have no idea what is in store for me, but I want to be obedient so that the next thing will come and I will not be stopped where I was before. It would be awful to have to live out your life only knowing how to ride a tricycle, and never get to fly a plane.

I have an article on my site which you can read at this link

• Newsletter 5842-021    Admissions on the Calculated Rabbinical Calendar

which quotes extensively many reputable sources and encyclopedias telling us that the moon must be seen to start the month and the count to the Holy Days. But let me quote to you some people whom I am sure you will recognize. Read what they themselves have written.

“The first day of the new year always begins with the day nearest the Spring equinox [11] when the new moon is first visible to the naked eye AT JERUSALEM (not in the United States).” (Herbert W. Armstrong, “WHEN, and How OFTEN, Should We Observe THE LORD’S SUPPER?,” second to last paragraph-emphasis HWA’s)

“First, the precise time the new moon appears must be determined. Anciently, this was done by sight.” (Stephen Flurry and Mark Nash, The Philadelphia Trumpet, April 1996, p.23, article: God’s Sacred Calendar)

“God’s months begin with the new moon. The observation of the new moon is to be made from Jerusalem, not from the North American continent. The seven to ten hours difference in time between Jerusalem and the part of the country (i.e. United States) you live in will make actual observation of the new moon from America misleading. The appearance of the new moon in the western sky just after sunset is used to determine the beginning of a new month.” (Kenneth Herrmann, The Good News magazine, March 1953, article: “God’s Sacred Calendar,” p.8, col.1&2)

“Every month of God’s Calendar begins about the time of the new moon when the moon’s first faint crescent is visible at sunset in Jerusalem. According to the Roman calendar a new moon may occur at any time during the month. Most people today probably don’t even know when a new moon appears.” (Herman Hoeh, The Crucifixion Was Not On Friday, p.34)

“It is not the Molad which is all important, but rather it is the appearance of the crescent of the moon that really counts. We don’t know when the Jews began using a calculated calendar instead of simply relying on visual observation. Some speculate that the calendar was in existence long before Christ. They base their idea on the fact that the months are called by Chaldean names. The Jews were in captivity in Babylon in the 6th century B.C. Was there a calendar already in existence at that time and did it contain the rules of postponement? In Christ’s time the new moon ostensibly was established by observation. There are those today who claim that the only way of calculating the new moon is by exact mathematical calculation. Visual observation is too erratic and could be one to two days off. What we know from first-century records is that the calendar was operated by observation and controlled by the Sanhedrin. If Christ and the Church followed this habit, then Christ accepted something that some are claiming is unacceptable.” (United Church of God Committee Members: Jim Franks, Burk McNair, Peter Nathan, Leon Walker, & Don Ward, Doctrinal Statement Adopted by the Council of Elders on the “Hebrew Calendar” 1997)

Why did the World Wide Church of God, and The Philadelphia Church of God, and The United Church of God say these things and all agree that the New Month and also the first day of the 7th month or the Feast of Trumpets all began with the sighting of the Crescent moon from Jerusalem and then deny this methodology and go with a calculated method which puts them all off the Holy Days both in the Spring and fall by one two and even three days?

If you had an appointment with your Doctor and you showed up one two or three days later, what would he do?

If you miss the appointment you have to meet with Yehovah, and come three days later, He will not be there.

Members of all the many Churches of God have much to think about. So do the executives of these Various Churches of God.

Let me state once again what Yehshua said.

Mat 10:34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

The Hillel Calendar which today is also known as the Conjunction Calendar or Hebrew Calendar, which the Jews are using was created around 351 C.E. because those people coming from Jerusalem, with the sighting of the moon or the barley, were being harassed and killed. The calculated method was to confirm if the witnesses were able to see the moon.

Even today those who are preparing for the Temple to be restored have set up a group to practice looking for the new crescent moon each month. They do this so that once the Sanhedrin is set up they can again return to the proper method of beginning the month and then having the correct starting point to count to each of the Holy Days. You can go to https://sites.google.com/site/moonsoc/ and read this for yourself.

This is the second paragraph on this page.

“For over a thousand years, the Hebrew calendar has been fixed by calculation. Today, the Hebrew calendar does not match that fixed by observing the Moon. Even though the gap between the two calendars continues to increase, we do not have the authority to alter the calendar until a new Sanhedrin (religious high court) is reestablished and is widely recognized. While sanctification of the month according to observation is not practiced today it is important to carry out calculations and practice observing the New Moon in order to be ready for when the Sanhedrin is reestablished. Likewise, there is increasing involvement in the Temple, red heifer, etc. Of course, we are not intending to change the current calendar (this is a task for an authorized Sanhedrin) but just to increase involvement in and embellish the Torah.”

So there you have it. The current calendar most of the Churches of God are using was only instituted about 1000 years ago, even though Hillel created it for them in 351 C.E. and is out of line with the festival dates that Yehovah has given you.

It is time you began to think for yourself. If it is wrong to keep the Sabbath on the wrong day it is also wrong to keep the Holy Days at the wrong time. And if you’re not keeping the Sabbath or the Holy Days, well you already know that this is a sin. So you are in fact sinning?

Now if you are sinning and not keeping the Holy Days at the right time then you are not going to be righteous. It is this righteousness that we must put on in order to be at the wedding.

Now read that message that you have always said was for everyone else. I tell you because I love the brethren of the Churches of God that this message to Laodicea is written to you, because you think you have arrived and will not change or grow closer to Yehovah.

Rev 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 14 And to the angel of the church of the Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Head of the creation of God, says these things: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

One more thing, by remaining silent over this issue and not speaking up you are breaking another commandment in Lev 5

Lev 5:1 And if a soul sins and hears the voice of swearing, and is a witness, and he has seen or known, if he does not tell it, then he shall bear his iniquity.

Do you understand what is being said in Lev 5? No, read then what John has to say about this.

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Everyone hating his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has everlasting life abiding in him. 16 By this we have known the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Here is another from John.

1Jn 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And we have this commandment from Him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.

1Jn 2:8 Again, I write a new commandment to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true Light now shines. 9 He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no offense in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because darkness has blinded his eyes.

Mat 5:20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven. 21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not kill” –and, “Whoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment.” 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the Sanhedrin; but whoever shall say, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of hell. 23 Therefore if you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

What all of this is saying is what Lev 5 is saying. If you see your brother sinning and do not tell him, he is going to be punished for that sin. Even to death, so by not speaking up you have hated your brother as if you had murdered him yourself. And for that you will be found guilty of murder for keeping silent.

Those of you in the various Churches of God must begin to speak up having proven that the Holy Days are to be determined by the sighted moon and the barley being ripe. To not say anything in order to stay with your friends, because they will no longer remain your friends and then kick you out of that group, is the same as murdering them and it is this silence that is your sin.

In Ezekiel you are warned that if you see the sword and do not speak out warning them then their blood will be on your head. You must speak up. You will be surprised to know that there are others in your group who are also being silent for fear of being dis-fellowshipped.

If all the brethren leave then they will have to listen, as they will no longer have anyone to pay the salaries and bills. By staying you further the problem.

Once you can understand the proper time to keep the Holy Days then you can also understand that you need to teach about the Sabbatical Years, which is the main thing, we teach at www.sightedmoon.com. We are not trying to fleece any flocks, just wanting our brethren to also learn the joy of being obedient to Yehovah and to stay in their own flocks and teach it to the rest of the brethren there.

May Yehovah upset each and every one of you until you do actually speak up and tell your own groups they need to change now.

Triennial Torah Cycle

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah Reading Cycle

Gen 6   |    Josh 15     |    Ps 10-12    |     Mat 9

Sons of God, Daughters of Men, and Giants (Genesis 6)

Some have taught that Genesis 6 describes fallen angels interbreeding with human women to produce half-demon giants. But there is a more rational explanation.

Halley’s Bible Handbook states that “the ’sons of God’ (6:2) are thought to have been either fallen angels or leaders in Sethite families who intermarried with the godless descendants of Cain” (24th ed., p. 72). The first possibility offered here is not really a possibility at all, even though angels are referred to as “sons of God” in Job 38:7 because God is their “Father” through creation. Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:7), not fleshly creatures. They neither marry nor sexually reproduce (compare Luke 20:34-36). Also, this explanation would violate the principle made clear in Genesis 1 that each kind reproduces only “according to its kind.” Furthermore, the risen Yeshua explained that “fallen angels,” or demons, are not able to manifest themselves materially like He and the righteous angels can (Luke 24:39; compare verses 40-43; Genesis 18:1-8, 16; 19:1). Rather, we see demons in Scripture only possessing individuals or appearing as ghostly apparitions.

The second explanation in Halley’s is far more reasonable and better fits the context of the passage. Genesis 4 gives the story of Cain and Abel and follows with the genealogical descent from Cain. Genesis 5 is called “the book of the genealogy of Adam” (verse 1). It starts with God’s creation of Adam and how Adam’s line continued through Seth. As with the angels, Adam was a “son of God” by creation (compare Luke 3:38)-though even more so since Adam was made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26; 5:1-3). Of this family line through Seth it is stated, “Then men began to call on the name of the Lord”-which could also be rendered “called after the name of the Lord.” Then, in the next chapter, Genesis 6, we see “the sons of God” (men of Seth’s godly line in this explanation) intermarrying with “the daughters of men” (women of Cain’s ungodly line).

There is even a third possibility, in which “sons of God” should be translated “sons of the gods,” as the Hebrew word elohim here, plural in form, can sometimes refer to false gods instead of the true God. In this explanation, wicked men referred to as sons of the gods (either pagan worshipers or perhaps men claiming to be demigods themselves) forcibly “took” innocent women as wives-an example perhaps of the evil conduct of the day.

In any event, human beings were clearly the problem here-not angels. God says, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (verse 3) and “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (verse 7). Thus, the giants mentioned must have been human also-descendants of Adam and Eve (compare Acts 17:26). These very tall people were destroyed in the Flood. But there would be more like them following the Flood, who were descended, just as everyone else in the post-Flood world, from Noah-again, not angels (compare Deuteronomy 2:20-21; 3:11). Consider Goliath, whom David slew. He was more than nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4). But he was still just a man (verses 24-25, 33)-not some human-demonic hybrid.

The Antediluvian World (Genesis 6)

The antediluvian world should be a subject of interest to all believers living in the end times, for Yeshua explicitly connected end-time conditions with those just before the Flood (Matthew 24:38).

Genesis 6 presents a picture of the pre-Flood world as being awash in violence, which was the natural consequence of the human heart being wholly motivated by evil purposes. As verse 5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” All of man’s motivating dispositions were dominated by evil. Man’s continual intention was the pursuit of ungodly purposes. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he,” the Proverbs tell us (23:7). And Jesus was equally clear: “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19). Yet Yeshua also tells us that despite the appalling evils and evident social degeneracy, the people of Noah’s time just continued with their normal daily living, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” seemingly oblivious to the miserable state of their world. But that is what sin does-it progressively desensitizes one to the ungodly conditions around him.

In many respects, our modern, frantic, pulsating 21st-century world is in or approaching the same condition as the ancient world of Noah. Stop and consider our societies. Violence and depravity are everywhere-and considered highly profitable and entertaining. For example our sports and popular entertainment are filled with strife, brutality, assault and murder. The news of the day chronicles endless crime. The streets of our cities are avenues of bloodshed and thievery. Sex and sensuality are not only ever-present but literally pushed in our faces as our cultural icons engage in and promote open eroticism and perverse “alternative” lifestyles, while semi-nude women are used to hawk everything from cars to health care. Unmarried couples living together are common, and about half of all American marriages are destined for divorce. Despite the “liberation” promised by the sexual revolution, violence against women and poverty for households headed by single women stand at an all-time high. Children are abused and exploited on a scale that is truly shocking. As conditions worsen, more and more of the signs that Yeshua said would mark the last days are becoming apparent.

Judah Receives Its Inheritance, and Caleb Conquers Hebron (Joshua 15)

Partly as a result of the land Caleb chose for himself (verse 13), the inheritance of the tribe of Judah is assigned to be the southern part of the Canaanite territory. This was essentially the territory south of Jericho and Jerusalem, which had been the land conquered primarily in chapter 10. It is the land Judah continued to hold following the division of the monarchy in the days of Rehoboam nearly 500 years later.

Caleb finishes conquering his territory and ridding it of the giants (verse 14). In the process, he takes Debir, a city that had originally been taken by Joshua (10:38-39) but had evidently fallen back into the hands of the Canaanites. He receives some assistance from his nephew Othniel (verse 17), who will later serve as the first judge following the death of Joshua (Judges 3:7-11). Much of this story is repeated in Judges 1:10-15. While the city of Hebron itself is given to the priests (Joshua 21:9-13), and serves as a city of refuge, the fields and suburbs are given to Caleb.

Psalm 10. Continuing with the theme of God’s righteous judgment, especially the last two verses of Psalm 9, the psalmist (probably still David) asks why God does not immediately act in the face of evil (10:1). Things often seem to be going so well for the wicked (verse 5).

To strengthen his plea for God to take righteous action, the psalmist describes his enemies’ disregard for God. The wicked man says, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble…. God has forgotten; He covers His face and never sees…. He won’t call me to account” (verses 6, 11, 13, NIV). Emboldened by such reckless thinking, the wicked man persecutes the poor, murders the innocent, crushes the helpless and curses God. He plots, boasts, lies and deceives (verses 2-13). The psalm summarizes, “In all his thoughts there is no room for God” (verse 4, NIV).

Wickedness does not escape God’s notice, however—and He will justly punish (verse 14). God will call for an accounting: the wicked will no longer terrorize the earth (verses 16, 18). The reference to the nations perishing in verse 16 ties back to Psalm 9. When Christ returns to rule the earth, He will put an end to wickedness and establish true justice (10:15-18).

“Help, Lord, for the Godly Man Ceases!” (Psalms 11-14)

David composed Psalm 11 when others around him (the “you” in verse 1 is plural) were counseling him to flee from encroaching enemies. The NKJV closes the quote of the counselors at the end of verse 1, but it makes more sense to close the quote at the end of verse 3, as the NIV does. It is not clear whether the threat of enemies secretly shooting with arrows in verse 2 is literal or figurative (see 64:3-4), though the advice of flight would seem to imply mortal danger.

The advisers see no alternative to a hiding out in the hills because they believe “the foundations are destroyed” (verse 3). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says: “The word ‘foundations’ (shathoth) occurs only here with this meaning…. The ‘foundations’ appear to be a metaphor for the order of society (75:3 {NIV, ‘pillars’}; 82:5; Ezek 30:4): the ‘established institutions, the social and civil order of the community’…. This order has been established by the Lord at creation and is being maintained…. [Yet to the advisers it now appears that] God’s justice and law are being replaced by human autonomy and its resultant anarchy” (note on Psalm 11:1-3).

David counters that the foundations are not destroyed because the Lord Himself is the true foundation. God may be testing the righteous at this time (verse 5), but He is in charge and sees what is going on (verse 4). David knows that “God is alive and at work in His holy temple [not the one in Jerusalem that was yet to be built but the one in heaven, as made clear by verse 4]; that He is hearing prayer, forgiving sins, welcoming home sinners, waiting for people to flee or to take refuge in Him, and not away in the mountains; that God is ruling His world from on high, noticing and testing every little detail of human life” (George Knight, Psalms, OT Daily Bible Study Series, 1982, comments on 11:1-7).

God hating the wicked and lovers of violence in verse 5 refers to His ultimate rejection of them (see the Bible Reading Program comments on 5:5). The phrase “the portion of their cup” (11:6) refers to “their lot” (NIV; see 16:5). The cup for the wicked is one of punishment (see 75:8; compare Jeremiah 25:15-29). It is shown in Psalm 11:6 to contain fire, brimstone (sulfur) and burning wind—images we later see in John the Baptist’s warning of God’s “winnowing fan” and “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12) as well as the book of Revelation’s prophecy of the future “lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (21:8). The unrepentant will be completely burned up in this fire, not tormented forever (see our free booklet Heaven & Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?).

Yet God faithfully loves the righteous and will in His righteous justice ultimately preserve them. The concluding phrase “His countenance beholds the upright” (Psalm 11:7) could also be rendered in reverse, “Upright men will see his face” (NIV), implying free access to God’s throne.

In the superscription of Psalm 12, the word sheminith, as in Psalm 6, is likely properly translated in the NKJV as “eight-stringed harp.” As to substance, David in Psalm 12 laments the perversion of language he witnesses everywhere, with people using words to hurt each other. Conversation is filled with lies, flattery, deception, boasting, idle words (verses 2-4). “Everyone lies to his neighbor” (verse 2, NIV). The wicked say whatever promotes their own interests (verse 4). “We’ll talk our way to the top, we’ll out talk the simple; no one can stop us” (Knight, Psalms, comments on 12:1-8). Christ warned his followers to be careful about what they say: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

God doesn’t speak meaningless, idle words. He backs up what He says. Therefore, when God states that He will rise up on behalf of the oppressed and provide a safe refuge (Psalm 12:5), the oppressed can confidently count on His help. “In contrast to the idle words of the wicked (vv. 1-4), the words of God are altogether trustworthy. The eternal and steadfast nature of the Lord Himself stands behind His words” (Nelson Study Bible, note on verses 5-7). The words of God here can denote the whole of Scripture. The comparison of refining silver demonstrates how carefully chosen His words are. That they are purified seven times demonstrates how complete and perfect they are. It may also hint at numerous patterns of seven, signifying completeness and perfection, within the Bible.

The psalm ends in verse 8 with the sobering reminder that though God will be faithful to His promises in taking care of His people, we still in the meantime must be on guard against the reality of living in an evil world.

Matthew 9

Matthew Chapter 9 is an important section, whose main lesson is largely overlooked. Here we find the “definition” of what the “Gospel message” is. Contrary to what some teach, the “Gospel message” is not the “death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah.” It can’t be that, as we have Yeshua Himself, “preaching the Gospel” in this chapter – and He is still alive. Add to that the fact that His disciples also preach the Gospel while He is alive, and that in Hebrews 4:2 we are told the Gospel was preached to the children of Israel with Moses in the wilderness. Just what is “the Gospel message” then?
9:1 “Son of Man”

In this context, “son of Man” is a Messianic term found in the Tanakh and numerous Hebrew sources including:
Daniel 7:13 – I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

9:11 … Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? ?9:12 … They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.?9:13 … go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice

This is an important section. Here, a group of Pharisees is critical of Yeshua for associating with those whom they consider to be sinners. Yeshua responds by gives these Pharisees a direct command to go “learn something.” Later, in Matthew 12:7, we see Yeshua will criticize them again, for not doing as He told them to do here.

Yeshua’s instruction to them is a quote from the prophet Isaiah. The context in Isaiah’s original message and that of Yeshua’s is similar. In each case you had people “going through the motions” of the instructions God gave in His Torah. What Yeshua is telling these Pharisees is that their reliance on performing God’s commands, although absolutely part of their faith, was secondary to what God wants first — a trusting relationship with Him. In no way does this mean the Torah is not to be followed. Rather, the message here is that, just as faith without works is dead (James, chapters 1 and 2), the same goes for works without faith.

This is the message God has given his chosen people throughout the Bible:

Isaiah 64:6 – But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 2:28-29 – For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Hebrews 4:2 – For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

If these Pharisees had gone back to learn what Isaiah was talking about, they would have seen that they were just as much in “need of a physician” as these other people were. One could say that their “legalistic view” of the Torah made them more in need of Yeshua than the people they were criticizing.
It is evident to most that these Pharisees were outwardly performing the commandments of God but lacked the humility and trust God desired. This caused them to not recognize Yeshua for who He was. They made themselves “blind.”

It should be noted however, that there is a “flip side” to this situation that is prevalent today. Anyone claiming to “believe in the Messiah,” but who rejects the Torah as God’s instruction, (i.e., “we’re not under the Law”) is no better off than these Pharisees. You cannot separate the “Torah in the flesh” from the Torah of Scripture. Yeshua said so (Matthew 5:17-21, 7:21-29), Paul said so (Romans 2:13, 3:31) and James said so (James, chapters 1 and 2). John goes so far as to have said that if you claim to know God but don’t obey His commandments (His Torah), you are a liar and the truth is not in you (1 John 2:3-4).

Of course this message goes against the overwhelming consensus today — just as it did in Yeshua and Isaiah’s times.
9:14 the disciples of John

We know from Scripture that John the Baptist was raised in the Wilderness area and had a following of his own (Matthew chapters 3 and 11, Acts 18:25; 19:3). Discoveries in the Dead Sea Scrolls have shown a very Messianic-oriented community in the Wilderness, dating from about 100 BCE to 135 CE. These people included Essenes, a community that formed their own system of sacrifices, due to corruption of Sadducees.

9:14 … Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not??9:17 … new cloth unto an old garment … new wine into old bottles
Yeshua’s statement of not placing new wine in old bottles (wineskins) is one of many Scripture verses often taken out of context to support some group’s latest (non-Hebrew) doctrine. The proper interpretation of verse 17 would seem to be in relation to verse 14, as it is part of Yeshua’s answer to the question posed to Him by John’s followers about why His disciples were not fasting.

Fasting was part of following the Torah and Yeshua certainly never broke the commandments. Nor would we expect His immediate followers to do so, yet they seem to be at this time. Yeshua replies to this question using three consecutive and related images:
• You don’t fast when the bridegroom is still with you – only later.
• You don’t put a new piece of cloth on an old garment
• You don’t put new wine in an old wineskin
There is a teaching in the Talmud that compares an experienced Torah teacher to a wineskin and his knowledgeable teaching to “old wine.”
Yeshua’s teachings were “old” as they were from God (John 7:16), and therefore He is the old wineskin with old wine.
The connection between these items can now be seen as follows:
new piece of cloth = new wine = fasting
old garment = old wineskin = Messiah still present
With these three examples, Yeshua is simply stating that there is a proper time and place for everything and this does not abrogate the Torah. The time while He (Elohim in the flesh) was walking among man, was a time for enjoyment (old wine) and not fasting. (1)

A similar situation occurs in chapter 12, when his disciples are again accused of breaking Torah (by their picking and eating ears of corn). As we will see, Yeshua will counter their argument in a similar fashion as He did in this chapter. There He cites examples from the Tanakh showing how the Torah allows (in fact commands) for certain actions under specific circumstances.

9:20 … “If I may but touch his garment”?9:25 … and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
A difficult question can be asked at this point. Did Yeshua become ritually unclean by either the woman touching His garment or by Him touching the dead girl? (If she was indeed dead!) Or was he not made unclean (by anything) because of his Deity? This is a very deep issue and one that merits further study.
9:30 See that no man know it

Why did Yeshua “play down” who He was? One thought is that He didn’t want the masses taking up arms against Rome, as many had the false idea that this would be a role of the Messiah.

In addition to this idea, looking back at the Hebrew Tanakh, we find the following:
Isaiah 6:8-13 – Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
Yeshua’s actions are in accordance to what God told the prophet Isaiah. The people in Isaiah’s time, just as in Yeshua’s time, had strayed from God. As such, it was not for those who were haughty and arrogant to understand who He truly was. Those of a humble and contrite heart would receive the message however. As we will see later in this study, Yeshua makes a similar statement regarding His parables, which He says were not for all to understand.

9:35 … preaching the gospel of the kingdom
As previously mentioned, many today believe the “gospel message” is the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah. This creates a conflict when faced with verses such as this one, or Hebrews 4:2, or other places where the disciples are preaching “the gospel” before Yeshua has died. To counter this, it is taught that the “gospel of the kingdom” is not the same as the “gospel of the Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection.” Scripture doesn’t offer support for such a teaching however.

An alternative explanation is that there is one gospel message and it has never changed. It was indeed given to the Hebrews in Moses’ time and preached by Yeshua Himself and his apostles. This “gospel” was “pictured” in the commandments regarding the Yovel Year, also called “Jubilees,” where every 50 years, debts were forgiven and properties returned to their original owners. The Yovel Year has heavy Messianic significance in Jewish literature. The prophet Isaiah (chapter 61) makes the connection between the elements of the Yovel year commandment and their ultimate fulfillment by the Messiah.
Just as the Yovel year brought freedom to captives, forgiveness of debts and a restoration of things to their original order, the Messianic kingdom will bring freedom, forgiveness and a restoration of the name of God, Israel and creation – complete and everlasting physical and spiritual healing (Revelation 21 and 22).

The “death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah” is not the Gospel. Rather, it is God’s personal “signet” on Yeshua confirming that He was/is the one bringing in what is called the “Jubilee release” — the “good news” or “gospel” from God. This will all come fully into place when the New Covenant is established in the Millennium.

9:36 … as sheep having no shepherd
The shepherds of the people were the priesthood. Just as in the days of Malachi, they had become corrupted, leaving the people without Godly leadership. But as the prophet foretold, the true Shepherd, God’s Messiah, would one day come:
Malachi 3:1 – Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

The book of Malachi closes with a reminder that God does not change. It also makes it clear that the end times and arrival of the Messiah are linked to the keeping of the Torah:
Malachi 4:1-6 – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.