The Day of Atonement & The End of the Great Tribulation According to the Sabbatical Cycles

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. 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 hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Sep 23, 2011

News Letter 5847-028
24th day of the 6th month 5847 years after the creation of Adam
The 6th Month in the Second year of the third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes Famines, and Pestilences.

September 24, 2011

Shabbat Shalom Brethren,

Last week I attended the first or inaugural service of Talmidei Yeshua Fellowship http://www.messianicfellowship.ca/ in Toronto. I was so excited. Most of the groups I have come across or meet in Israel are all older. At this fellowship there were lots of children from infants to teenagers. And when I did a head count, I counted 49 people. That is a Jubilee cycle.

As I thought about that number the host Randy Dewey said they wanted to do Torah readings, but did not want to do the annual Parashat but was leaning in favour to a septennial reading, which is exactly what we have been doing here at www.sightedmoon.com.

Our Septennial readings are based from the first week of the first month of the first year in this the third Sabbatical cycle. This Sabbatical cycle which we have proven many times from history and from the scriptures and you can make a copy of the Septennial Torah readings . When you use this cycle you go through the complete bible (both testaments) once every 3 œ years. So in the Sabbatical cycle this would be two times. And we have found that the verses we read each week match up with world events or subjects we have on our hearts to discuss.

I met some old friends and made some new ones. I am so glad I went. The fellowship is something I have been missing and never realised how much I missed it. And to all of you who are at home with no fellowship of your own, you will be able to listen to the exact same things we did once the service has been uploaded a few minutes after we are done. And you can find that link to last week’s meeting at the URL above. Actually Mr. Dewey is going to have all teaching uploaded so those of you at home who do not have a fellowship can join in with us. They will have video in the future I am told. Here is the link to last week’s teaching- http://www.messianicfellowship.ca/Audio_Recordings.html

Brethren please note this is not my group nor has it anything to do with Sightedmoon.com. It is a group that has just started and still allows me to attend with them.

I would also like to share with you another Feast site here in Ontario which I have just found in Durham Ontario. You can learn more about them at http://www.sonlithillmissions.blogspot.com/ and I hope to meet with them very soon.

This week I will be featured on 660 AM on WXIC out of Waverly Ohio. This is large Christian station with just one Messianic Teacher, Chuck Pate. The show airs on Sunday Sept 25 at 12:30 after every one gets out of church, and then each day from Monday to Friday at 5:05 PM to catch the rush hour crowd going home. This is such an awesome time slot and Yehovah has blessed me to be able to share the teaching of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years and the curses for not keeping them to an audience of about 1.5 Million on Chuck Pate’s show for the entire week. Please pray for Chuck and his show as well for those who are looking and do not yet know it.

Here is the web address of the history of the station http://www.waverlyinfo.com/page.phpID=3076 and here is the link to the radio shows http://discoveringhiddentreasures.net/page6.html. They will be posted as they are aired. Please keep Chuck in your prayers as he goes forward teaching in the Christian churches that are inviting him to share the Hebraic roots of the bible with them. He is over whelmed with the workload as he goes forward and let him know he is not alone. Do pray for him.

In the mail this week we have the following;

So I am listening now to the DVD and it’s at the place where you are talking about loving YHVH with all you heart, soul and mind and then going on to explain what that means. This is very much needed even though it’s such a simple thing, most of us just haven’t gotten it. Many years ago when my 3 oldest children were little (there is a large gap between the 3 older ones and my youngest child), I felt like I was missing something and not doing what I was supposed to be doing because all I could do at that time was raise my children and it seemed like everyone else was able to raise their children AND be in some sort of ministry etc. After much prayer as to what it was I was “supposed” to be doing the only reply I received (and kept receiving) was “Love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, All of your soul and All of your mind”. For just an instant that seemed far too simple, until I realized I wasn’t exactly sure how to do that.
Okay, just had to share that with you, now back to the teaching.
Laura

Last week I quoted a section from Judaism 101 and in my haste to complete the News Letter I read over something I should have edited out. But one reader caught it and has brought it to my attention. I stand corrected and share this with you. It is so easy to be misled. We always must be on guard.

Kaparot (also known as Kaparos) is an ancient Jewish folk custom that is still performed by some (though not most) Jews today. The tradition is connected to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and involves whirling a chicken above one’s head while reciting a prayer. The folk belief is that an individual’s sins will be transferred to the chicken, thereby allowing them to begin the New Year with a clean slate.

Not surprisingly, kaparot is a controversial practice in modern times. Even among Jews who practice kaparot, nowadays it is common to substitute money wrapped in white cloth for the chicken. In this way Jews can participate in the custom without bringing harm to an animal.

Origin of Kaparot

The word “kaparot” literally means “atonements.” The name stems from the folk belief that a chicken can atone for an individual’s sins by ritually transferring one’s misdeeds to the animal before it is slaughtered.

According to Rabbi Alfred Koltach, the practice of kapparot likely began among the Jews of Babylonia. It is mentioned in Jewish writings from the 9th century and was widespread by the 10th century. Though rabbis at the time condemned the practice, Rabbi Moses Isserles approved it and as a result kaparot became a custom in some Jewish communities. Among the rabbis who objected to kaparot were Moses Ben Nahman and Rabbi Joseph Karo, both well-known Jewish sages. In his Shulchan Arukh, Rabbi Karo wrote of kaparot: “The custom of kaparot… is a practice that ought to be prevented.”
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Kaparot-Kaparos-Yom-Kippur-Custom.htm

The substitution of giving money today doesn’t make the folk custom, from Babylon, a thing to do.

Like the Tashlikh ceremony of Rosh Hashanah, Kaparotisa folk ceremony that may have had superstitious, pagan origins. Rabbinic opposition to Kaparot has been strong and remains so today.

One need not go as far as those scholars who see the Kaparot as originating in an offering to Satan in order to understand the many objections to this ritual. Kaparot follows the pattern of the scapegoat, a ritual of riddance, but comes too close to superstition in indicating that one may substitute the death of an animal for one’s own life. . . Needless to say, the objections of great authorities were not sufficient to prevent this ritual from becoming an accepted custom among the people.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Yom_Kippur/At_Home/Kaparot.shtml

This custom being linked to Babylon (or even Egyptian practice) is addressed at http://www.hsje.org/Holidays/kaparot.htm An infomative article.
Another site that gave good information: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kapparot.html

Reminds me of the custom of casting bread on flowing water to carry away your sins. A practice i observed for a few years, then i woke up. 🙂 and repented.

Another topic: Don’t know if you knew Jim Rector or Many years ago he gave a message for Trumpets and in it brought up the concept of preparing for the 7th month festivals in the 6th month, as we prepare for Sabbath on the 6th day of the week. Having come across this message last year, i have spent this year reviewing and preparing as he suggested. Has been a very worthwhile venture. One i will continue in the years to come.

May you find a pleasant and restful Sabbath this week.

Last week brethren with the help of those who have read The Prophecies of Abraham and understand it; A page on Face book has been opened so you and anyone who has questions or is looking for help in understanding some aspects of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years can go and ask and read what others have to say. You can also learn how to prepare for the next Sabbatical year. What you do and what you should not do. If this is of interest to you then go to the following link and sign up. I will comment from time to time, but I have way too much to do now and this will help others to sharpen their own irons.
http://www.facebook.com/messages/#!/groups/146639628762752/notif_t=group_r2j

We have in the recent weeks covered the Sabbath and how to keep it. We then went on to the fall Holy Days and began with the Feast of Shouting, also known as the Feast of Trumpets and we explained how it is also the Feast no one knows which ties into the what Yehshua said about the time of His return and that no one would know the day or the hour, and how this was an explanation for the Feast of Trumpets which is determined by the sighted moon for the first day of the Seventh Month.

Then last week we explained the Ten Days of Awe and how that figures into prophecy and end time events when you understand and know when the Sabbatical years are and when you use the Fall Holy Days and place them in the Sabbatical cycle according to the years between each Feast. So the Ten Days of Awe from the Feast of Trumpets which is the beginning of Judgment on the world and then ten days later is the Day of Atonement; this is then used in relation by counting years instead of days.

We are this week now going to cover The Day of Atonement.

Before we begin please keep in mind that next Thursday May 29th is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. This celebration is corrupted by Judah. It is not and never was the beginning of the year. Exodus 12:2 “This month is the beginning of months for you, it is the first month of the year for you. The month being spoken of is Aviv the month of Passover, the month of the Exodus. This month of Aviv is what Yehovah says is to be the first month. No exceptions.

Judah will be using the Conjunction to begin the 7th month. That day falls on the evening of Sept 27th. Therefore Judah and those who follow the Hebrew calendar should be using September 27th-28th as the first day of the 7th Month. But notice that they are not doing this. Why

They are not going to have the Feast of Trumpets on the 27th because this would cause the Day of Atonement to land on the following Friday which is right next to the weekly Sabbath and they have determined that this is too great a hardship to have two Holy Days back to back. It does not bother them in the spring, but only in the fall.

So they have come up with a superior way to Yehovah’s, to institute what is called the Postponement rules which say that the fall Holy Days can be moved one, two or even three days so that you do not have a High Holy Day next to the weekly Sabbath.

Now go and find these rules in Lev 23; If you do then obey them. If you cannot find them in Lev 23 then give your head a shake and repent from this idolatrous worship which has changed Times and Laws, Yehovah’s Holy Times as found in His law. By keeping the Hebrew Calendar and using the Postponement rules, you have agreed to the changing of the High Holy Days, changing of times and laws and you have become an abomination.

Let’s learn a bit about the Postponement rules that are used in the Hebrew Calendar today.

The Hebrew calendar has evolved over time. For example, until the Tannaitic period, the months were set by observation of a new crescent moon, with an additional month added every two or three years to keep Passover in the spring, again based on observation of natural events, namely the ripening of the barley crop, the age of the kids lambs and doves and the ripeness of the fruit trees. Through the Amoraic period and into the Geonic period, this system was displaced by mathematical rules. The principles and rules appear to have been settled by the time Maimonides compiled the Mishneh Torah in the 12th century.

At the innovation of the rabbis, the mathematical calendar has been arranged to ensure that Yom Kippur does not fall on a Friday or Sunday, and Hoshana Rabbah does not fall on Shabbat. These rules have been instituted because Shabbat restrictions also apply to Yom Kippur, so that if Yom Kippur were to fall on Friday, it would not be possible to make necessary preparations for Shabbat (such as candle lighting). Similarly, if Yom Kippur fell on a Sunday, it would not be possible to make preparations for Yom Kippur because the preceding day is Shabbat. Additionally, the laws of Shabbat override those of Hoshana Rabbah, so that if Hoshana Rabbah were to fall on Shabbat certain rituals that are a part of the Hoshana Rabbah service (such as carrying willows, which is a form of work) could not be performed.

To prevent Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei) from falling on a Friday or Sunday, Rosh Hashanah (1 Tishrei) cannot be a Wednesday or Friday. Likewise, to prevent Hoshana Rabbah (21 Tishrei) from falling on a Saturday, Rosh Hashanah cannot be a Sunday. This leaves only four days on which Rosh Hashanah can fall: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, which are referred as the “four gates.” Each day is associated with a number (its order in the week, starting with Sunday as 1), and these numbers are associated with Hebrew letters. Therefore the keviyah uses the letters ,, and (representing 2, 3, 5, and 7, for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) to denote the starting day of the year.

Brethren I challenge any one reading this to go into Lev 23 and see where Yehovah said we could move any of His Holy Days by one or two or three days. Show it to me if you can. It is not there.

So because the conjunction is on a Tuesday Night/Wednesday this year the Feast of Trumpets on the Hebrew calendar has been postponed to Thursday. And on top of this they also keep it for two days. Again this is not found in Lev 23 and don’t you do it.

Lev 23:24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’l, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering. 25 ‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to .’ ”

Nothing here about keeping it for two days or postponing it. Do not be deceived and follow this corrupted teaching of the dehiyyah rules.

When the moon is sighted as it was before the Temple fell in 70 AD, and even the Talmud admits to; when the Moon is sighted, this is when the first day of the 7th month is to begin and it does not matter on what day that happens.

This year we expect the moon to be sighted on Thursday Sept 29, making Thursday evening and Friday day the 1st day of the Seventh Month. But if the moon is not seen then the month is declared 30 days and the 1st day would then be the Friday evening and the Saturday Day. And we would then count out to each of the fall Holy Days from this day.

And this is exactly why no one can know the Day or the Hour the Moon will be sighted until the actual moment it is. So we will wait for those who are watching from Israel and at the Temple Walls to see the moon and then write us to let us know. So be prepared because you do not know at what hour the Groom Comes. This is the day He will come and this is why we do not know but the Father only.

Take you family out where ever you are and look for it and watch and see who can see it first. But we must wait for word from Israel as this is the headquarters and where Our Fathers home was and will be.

If it is seen on Thursday, Friday will be the High Holy Day and no work is to be done on that day. Because the Weekly Sabbath then follows you need to have prepared for two days.

Mat 24:40 “Then two shall be in the field, the one is taken and the one is left. 41 “Two shall be grinding at the mill, one is taken and one is left. 42 “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Master is coming.

Ok now we have explained the Feast of Trumpets and last week the ten Days of Awe and also Shabbat Shuva.

At the end of these Ten Days of repentance and deep interspection comes the Day of Atonement.

Read carefully how important a day this is to Yehovah.

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 . 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. 29 “For any being who is not afflicted on that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 “And any being who does any work on that same day, that being I shall destroy from the midst of his people. 31 “You do no work – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 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.”

You are to Fast; that is you are not to eat or drink for 24 hours. In Fact Yehovah specifically says from Sunset of the ninth day until the end of sunset on the 10th day. Your Sabbaths go from sunset to sunset and Yehovah is very specific about this. Those who do not obey this and purposefully disobey this command will be cut off. And this command is commanded forever. FOREVER!!! It is not when there are three stars that you can count. It is from Sunset to Sunset. Period.

The importance of this day was shown to Aaron when his two sons were killed when they approached the Holy of Holy’s. Read this and learn about the two goats that are key symbols during this very solemn service.

Lev 16:1 And spoke to Mosheh after the death of the two sons of Aharon, as they drew near before , and died. 2 And said to Mosheh, “Speak to Aharon your brother not to come in at all times to the Set-apart Place inside the veil, before the lid of atonement which is on the ark, lest he die, because I appear in the cloud above the lid of atonement. 3 “With this Aharon should come into the Set-apart Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. 4 “He should put on the set-apart linen long shirt, with linen trousers on his flesh, and gird himself with a linen girdle, and be dressed with the linen turban – they are set-apart garments. And he shall bathe his body in water, and shall put them on. 5 “And from the congregation of the children of Yisra’l he takes two male goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. 6 “And Aharon shall bring the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 “And he shall take the two goats and let them stand before at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 8 “And Aharon shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for and the other lot for Azazel. 9 “And Aharon shall bring the goat on which the lot for fell, and shall prepare it as a sin offering. 10 “But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell is caused to stand alive before , to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness to Azazel. 11 “And Aharon shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall slaughter the bull as the sin offering which is for himself, 12 and shall take a fire holder filled with burning coals of fire from the altar before , with his hands filled with sweet incense beaten fine, and shall bring it inside the veil. 13 “And he shall put the incense on the fire before , and the cloud of incense shall cover the lid of atonement which is on the Witness, lest he die. 14 “And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the lid of atonement on the east side, also in front of the lid of atonement he sprinkles some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “And he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, and shall bring its blood inside the veil, and shall do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the lid of atonement and in front of the lid of atonement. 16 “And he shall make atonement for the Set-apart Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Yisra’l, and because of their transgressions in all their sins. And so he does for the Tent of Meeting which is dwelling with them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 “And no man should be in the Tent of Meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Set-apart Place, until he comes out. And he shall make atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Yisra’l. 18 “And he shall go out to the altar that is before , and make atonement for it. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 “And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and set it apart from the uncleanness of the children of Yisra’l. 20 “And when he has finished atoning for the Set-apart Place, and the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 “Then Aharon shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and shall confess over it all the crookednesses of the children of Yisra’l, and all their transgressions in all their sins, and shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. 22 “And the goat shall bear on itself all their crookednesses, to a land cut off. Thus he shall send the goat away into the wilderness. 23 “Aharon shall then come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Set-apart Place, and shall leave them there. 24 “And he shall bathe his body in water in the set-apart place, and shall put on his garments, and shall come out and prepare his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people, 25 and burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26 “And he who sent away the goat to Azazel washes his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward he comes into the camp. 27 “And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Set-apart Place, is brought outside the camp. And they shall burn their skins, and their flesh, and their dung with fire. 28 “And he who burns them washes his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward he comes into the camp. 29 “And this shall be for you a law forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you afflict your beings, and do no work, the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 “For on that day he makes atonement for you, to cleanse you, to be clean from all your sins before . 31 “It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict your beings – a law forever. 32 “And the priest, who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, the set-apart garments, 33 and he shall make atonement for the Most Set-apart Place, and make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar, and make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.34 “And this shall be for you a law forever, to make atonement for the children of Yisra’l, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as commanded Mosheh.

Most people get confused about the two goats. Read it again and then go back to the Passover and know and understand which lamb died at Passover. Notice that the Passover lamb could also be a goat. Exo 12:5 ‘Let the lamb be a perfect one, a year old male. Take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Now the other half of Passover is the day of Atonement. They go hand in hand; for those with wisdom to understand.
7 “And he shall take the two goats and let them stand before at the door of the Tent of Meeting.[These two goats are representative of Yehshua and Satan] 8 “And Aharon shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for and the other lot for Azazel. [ Aaron cast lost because he cannot tell the difference between the two. Only Yehovah can tell them apart. Satan goes around trying to be an imposter or false Messiah and has deceived much of the world.]9 “And Aharon shall bring the goat on which the lot for fell, and shall prepare it as a sin offering.[ Here is the key to understanding which goat is which. This goat is for Yehovah and it is the sin offering. It has the same meaning as the lamb at Passover which also was a sin offering.] 10 “But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell is caused to stand alive before , to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness to Azazel.

[ This goat, the Azazel Goat is not Yehshua as some try to teach. We find the answer in Revelation. Rev 20:1 And I saw a messenger coming down from the heaven, having the key to the pit of the deep and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he seized the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,3 and he threw him into the pit of the deep, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should lead the nations no more astray until the thousand years were ended. And after that he has to be released for a little while.

The exact same thing that is described in Lev 16 is now acted out in reality in revelation. That goat Satan is taken by a strong man into the wilderness and bound up.]

Now let us take this teaching and apply it to the Sabbatical and Jubilee year understanding.

These Ten Days of Awe are ten years.

The first day of The Feast of Trumpets is the beginning of the years when Israel is in captivity and that year is 2024. During this captivity they are to come to repentance and as we read last week in Lev 26:40-45, when they repent then Yehovah will save them from death and forgive them.

Lev 26:40 ‘But if they confess their crookedness and the crookedness of their fathers, with their trespass in which they trespassed against Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies – if their uncircumcised heart is then humbled, and they accept the punishment of their crookedness, 42 then I shall remember My covenant with Yaaqob, and also My covenant with Yitshaq, and also remember My covenant with Abraham, and remember the land. 43 ‘For the land was abandoned by them, and enjoying its Sabbaths while lying waste without them, and they were paying for their crookedness, because they rejected My right-rulings and because their being loathed My laws. 44 ‘And yet for all this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I shall not reject them, nor shall I loathe them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them. For I am their Elohim. 45 ‘Then I shall remember for their sake the covenant of the ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Mitsrayim before the eyes of the nations to be their Elohim. I am .’ ”

Last week we also learned that the two witnesses come on the scene in 2027 and plague the world for 3 œ years until all of the tribes of Israel are returned to the land of Israel in 2030.

2030 represents Shabbat Shuva which is the weekly Sabbath during the ten Days of Awe only now it is the Sabbatical year. Once all of Israel is brought back to the Land of Israel they will keep two Passovers that year. This is the 1260 and 1290 days of Daniel. This is also the great martyrdom of the saints spoken of in Rev 6:9 And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the beings of those having been slain for the Word of Elohim and for the witness which they held, 10 and they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, set-apart and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth” 11 And there was given to each one a white robe, and they were told that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brothers, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

This Martyrdom begins when the Two Witnesses are killed.

Rev 11:7 And when they have ended their witness, the beast coming up out of the pit of the deep shall fight against them, and overcome them, and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sedom and Mitsrayim, where also our Master was impaled, 9 and some of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations see their dead bodies for three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be placed into tombs, 10 and those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and exult. And they shall send gifts to each other, because these two prophets tortured those dwelling on the earth. 11 And after the three and a half days a spirit of life from Elohim entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from the heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up into the heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

This then begins the three and half years of tribulation.

And here is the is a clue from both Mathew and Luke as to the greatness of this time we are now in and when that time is.

Mat 24:36 “But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only.1 Footnote:1Mk. 13:32. 37 “And as the days of Noah, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be. 38 “For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,39 and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Adam be.

Luk 17:28 “And likewise, as it came to be in the days of Lot: They were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building, 29 but on the day Lot went out of Sedom it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all. 30 “It shall be the same in the day the Son of Adam is revealed.

The end of this time of tribulation has something to do with both Noah’s Flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. And it is not until you lay out the history of these event chronologically that the answer appears to you.

In the sixth Sabbatical cycle immediately after the 3rd year the flood came right after Passover for the second time. It was the 17th day of the second month. Passover would have occurred on the 14 day of the second month and we had to wait until the second month because Noah had to bury his Grandfather and was unclean and therefore could not take part in the first Passover.

When we look at Sodom we can learn that it too was destroyed in the 6th Sabbatical cycle in the third year of that cycle at Passover. They are one year apart but both take place in the 3rd and 4th year of this the 6th sabbatical cycle. Both at Passover.

But Satan is to be locked away at Atonement and when we lay out the Ten Days as years the Year represented by Atonement lands on the 3rd year of the 6th Sabbatical cycle.

It is at this time on the Feast of Atonement in the year 2033 that Satan will be locked away.

It is by study of the Sabbatical years that we can learn this. When you keep the Sabbath, and the Holy Days and the Sabbatical years prophecy is self explained and there is no need to guess as most Christian pastors have been doing because they will not keep the Sabbath as you are commanded in Lev 23.

It is during this last 3 œ years that we who are obedient to Torah are told to hide in Moab as a shadow in the night.

Isa 16:1 Send a lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela to the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Tsiyon. 2 And it shall be, like a wandering bird, a nest thrown out, so are the daughters of Mo’ab at the fords of Arnon. 3 “Bring counsel, execute judgment; make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; hide the outcasts, do not betray him who escapes.4 “Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Mo’ab; be a shelter to them from the face of the ravager. For the oppressor has met his end, destruction has ceased, those trampling down have perished from the land.

It is during this last 3 œ years that Iran fires its missiles on Rome to destroy Babylon and no one will live there after that.

Isa 13:17 “See, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who do not regard silver, and as for gold, they do not delight in it. 18 “And bows dash the young to pieces, and they have no compassion on the fruit of the womb, their eye spare no children. 19 “And Babel, the splendour of reigns, the comeliness of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be as when Elohim overthrew Sedom and Amorah.20 “She shall never be inhabited, nor be settled from generation to generation; nor shall the Arabian pitch tents there, nor shepherds rest their flocks there.

 


Triennial Torah Reading

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah reading which can be found at

Ex 34      Jer 1-2       Prov 6       Acts 4

Ex 34

Since Moses had broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments that God had given him previously, God instructs him to carve out of stone two more tablets so that God could again write His commandments, the basis of the covenant relationship between Him and His people. This was an act of tremendous mercy on the part of God, who, despite the Israelites’ terrible disobedience, was willing to renew His covenant relationship with them.

God then passes before Moses, showing him part of His glory. As He does, He proclaims the glory of His character—focusing on His tremendous mercy and graciousness, the very thing that enables the covenant relationship to be renewed (verses 5-7). Yet He still warns that sin has consequences (verse 7). Upon hearing this, Moses is quick to again seek God’s merciful pardon of the people’s sins, also asking again that God would “go among” them (verse 9).

God’s response, He renews the covenant relationship. And He begins this renewal with the wonderful announcement that He will do an “awesome thing” in driving out the inhabitants of Canaan from before the people (verses 10-12). The Israelites were to make no treaties with the Canaanites, to prevent their being corrupted by pagan customs and ideas. They were certainly not to adopt pagan worship practices.

God considered His relationship to Israel to be one of marriage (Jeremiah 3:1-14). For the Israelites to “play the harlot” with pagan gods (Exodus 34:15-16)—to worship them or adopt their religious rites—was thus a kind of marital infidelity and spiritual adultery. But the phrase also had a direct literal application, as sexual rites with temple prostitutes, both male and female, was a major part of the disgusting and debasing pagan religions of the land the Israelites were to enter. Here, as with God’s reaction to the golden calf incident in chapter 32, we see that pagan religious practices are abominable and utterly unacceptable to Him—something we should consider whenever we examine the origins of today’s popular religious traditions and customs. It does matter which Holy Days you keep. Notice that God also warns in this context that intermarriage with those outside the true faith is a dangerous path that can lead to compromising His truth.

God then goes on to repeat some of the terms of the covenant that He gave in chapters 21-23. Exodus 34:26 repeats the prohibition from 23:19 about boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk. Regarding the earlier verse, The Jerome Biblical Commentary states: “The legislation in 19b (and in Dt 14:21) puzzled commentators for centuries; however, the discovery and publication of the Ras Shamra literature (UM [Cyrus H. Gordon, Ugaritic Manual, 1955] 52:14, “Birth of the Gods”) have eliminated this conundrum. It is now clear that this practice was a cultic one among the Canaanite neighbors of the Hebrews. Hence, the Israelites were to refrain from it, lest they also adopt some of the Canaanite cultic inferences.” Referring to the same verse, Matthew Henry’s Commentary states: “At the feast of ingathering, as it is called (v. 16), they [the Israelites] must give God thanks for the harvest-mercies they had received, and must depend upon him for the next harvest, and must not think to receive benefit by that superstitious usage of some of the Gentiles, who, it is said, at the end of their harvest, seethed a kid in its dam’s milk, and sprinkled that milk-pottage, in a magical way, upon their gardens and fields, to make them more fruitful next year. But Israel must abhor such foolish customs.”

As we are to avoid customs that originated in pagan worship, it would still seem prudent to refrain from intentionally boiling a young goat in its own mother’s milk. Yet, on the basis of the restriction in question, Orthodox Jews will not eat meat and dairy products together at all. In fact, these foods must be prepared in different places with different utensils in order to be considered “kosher” by them. The Jews see a general principle in these verses—that what was given to nourish life (milk) not be used to destroy it. However, this was clearly not God’s intent. Abraham, who kept God’s statutes and laws (Genesis 26:5), had Sarah prepare meat and milk products together to serve to God (the preincarnate Christ) and two angels: “So [Abraham] took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate” (Genesis 18:8). Thus, even God Himself, while manifested in physical form, ate milk and meat together. Yet some Jews, while admitting the restriction is a narrow one, will argue against eating meat and dairy products together on the basis that there might be a chance, however remote, that a particular milk product was derived from the mother of the animal being eaten. But if we applied remote possibilities to our diet in general, we could never eat anything, for fear that a molecule of something unclean had somehow gotten onto it. This is certainly not what God had in mind.

After being in the presence of God this time, Moses came down from the mountain with his face shining—a muted reflection of the glory that had shone upon him while in God’s presence. It appears that this happened each time Moses met with God hereafter. Moses would then appear before the people—and they would know he had come from God because his face was shining. Then, as Paul later explained, he would put on a veil to conceal the fading of this temporary glory (2 Corinthians 3:7, 13). We may view Moses’ shining face as typical of the glory of God’s character as it is reflected in us. In seeing it, others will know that we represent God and have been close to Him. As time passes between our contacts with Him, our spiritual power and focus wanes, as does our example—something we don’t want reflected. Then we go to God for renewal and are ready to let our light shine before others once again.

Jer 1-2

The Old Testament mentions nine different people named Jeremiah. The man God used to author this book was a priest and one of Israel’s greatest prophets. Because of several biographical narratives in the book of Jeremiah, more is known about Jeremiah than any other prophet.

The Hebrew name Jeremiah apparently means “Exalted of the Eternal” or “Appointed by the Eternal.” It may relate to the fact that the prophet was one of only a few people whom the Bible reveals to have been sanctified by God before birth for a special purpose—the others being John the Baptist, Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul (Luke 1:13-14; Isaiah 49:1, 5; Galatians 1:15). Jeremiah 1:5 may mean that, like John and Jesus, Jeremiah was chosen even before his conception for his commission.

Jeremiah’s father Hilkiah (1:1) was apparently not the high priest Hilkiah of 2 Kings 22:8. The priests who lived at the priest-city of Anathoth (about 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem) were of the house of Ithamar (compare 1 Kings 2:26) while the high priests, since Zadok, were of the line of Eleazar.

Jeremiah’s ministry began in the 13th year of Josiah (Jeremiah 1:2)—ca. 627 or 626 B.C.—when Zephaniah is also believed to have preached. The book bearing Jeremiah’s name relates his words and works during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah—a span of about 40 years—and on into the first years of Judah’s Babylonian captivity (verses 1-3). Josiah was a righteous ruler who was apparently close to Jeremiah—the king’s great reformation coming five years after Jeremiah’s preaching began. Upon Josiah’s death, Jeremiah lamented for him (2 Chronicles 35:25). But the mostly superficial benefits of Josiah’s reforms were soon replaced by moral and spiritual decay. Following him were four wicked rulers—Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and, finally, Zedekiah, whose reign was ended by Babylon’s invasion of Judah.

“According to the traditional date, the time of [Jeremiah’s] call (year 13 of Josiah’s reign—Jeremiah 1:2) coincided approximately with the death of the last great Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal, an event which signaled the disintegration of the Assyrian empire under whose yoke Judah had served for nearly a century. Against the waning power and influence of the Assyrians, Judah asserted its independence under Josiah” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,”Jeremiah, Book of”). This was no doubt assisted by the arrival of the Scythians, which soon followed. But following their eventual withdrawal, Judah found itself in a vulnerable position between two powers contending for dominance—Egypt and the Neo-Babylonian Empire—and the latter would emerge supreme.

Jeremiah was appointed “a prophet to the nations” (verse 5)—to “all the kingdoms of the world” (25:26). And chapters 46-51 are directed to various gentile nations. However, “nations” would seem to refer primarily to the people of Judah and Israel. His preaching was, of course, in large measure directed to the people of Judah where he lived. But Jeremiah also prophesied to the house of Israel—which God had punished and sent into captivity nearly a century before he began preaching. Obviously, then, God’s message is for Israel of the end time. Jeremiah wrote of a time of national trouble that is yet ahead for the modern descendants of the lost 10 tribes of Israel. A number of passages in Jeremiah clearly refer to events that will occur just before and after Christ’s return at the end of this age.

One of the greatest values of this book is its universal application in understanding the righteous nature of God and the rebellious nature of man, desperately in need of transformation. According to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “Jeremiah preached more about repentance than any other prophet” (introductory notes on Jeremiah). For a time, Jeremiah’s message was for the people of his day to repent or else be taken captive by Babylon. Yet, because the response was resentment rather than repentance, God revealed to Jeremiah that Jerusalem’s fall and the people’s captivity had become the inevitable punishment. Following that revelation, Jeremiah continued to exhort the people to repent, but he also preached that God’s will was for them to submit to Babylon—with assurance that, if they did, they would receive mercy. However the populace, especially the authorities, viewed this message as pessimistic, heretical, unpatriotic and even treasonous. As a result, Jeremiah repeatedly suffered rejection, hostility, ridicule, persecution, and threats against his life. For a while he was actually imprisoned.

Besides this book that bears his name, Jeremiah is also credited with writing the book of Lamentations—a term that has become almost synonymous with the prophet. Indeed, much of the book of Jeremiah can be described as a lament about the people’s lack of obedience to God and the tragic fate awaiting them. Based on the prophet, the English language contains the word “jeremiad,” defined as “an elaborate and prolonged lamentation or a tale of woe” (American Heritage Dictionary, 1969). That should not be surprising. The Jeremiah of popular imagination is a stern and gloomy doomsayer. But that is an extreme and unfair characterization of the prophet. His messages, which were critical of the people’s conduct and warned of punishment, were not his own inventions. Rather, he was conveying God’s messages. Moreover, these messages included the wonderful promise of mercy and deliverance if the people would repent. And Jeremiah 1:10 clearly reveals that his commission was to include positive and negative—constructive and destructive—elements. His book also contains joyous prophecies of the coming Messiah, a new covenant and a blissful new age to come.

Part of the unfair portrayal of Jeremiah’s personality is the picture of a chronically depressed person. Yet while he did suffer frequent melancholy, this was a reflection of the great stress and sacrifices of his life, not of inherent weakness. A prophet’s lonely life of being the bearer of bad news was a heavy and depressing burden to bear, especially for one so deeply concerned and tender hearted as Jeremiah. He felt anger and disgust at the apostasy and idolatry of the people, but he grieved as well, knowing the ominous fate awaiting his beloved countrymen. Added to that, he felt perplexed and humiliated when many years were passing and his prophecies were not materializing.

Jeremiah is sometimes called the “weeping prophet” (see 9:1, 10; 13:17; 48:32), but mourning for others over their wickedness and future suffering is a spiritual strength, not a weakness (Ezekiel 9:4; 21:6; Amos 6:6; Matthew 5:4). Other strengths of Jeremiah were his faith in God, devotion to prayer, faithfulness in fulfilling his calling, and unflinching courage in the face of hostility and danger. Jeremiah’s life has parallels with the life of Christ, who was a “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 16:14).

Eventually, Jeremiah will see his prophecies of the immediate future come to pass. Following the righteous reign of Josiah, a period of national decline will end with Judah’s fall to the Babylonians. But the prophet’s work does not end with that calamity, as we will see.

Of all the prophetic books, Jeremiah is the longest. It “is longer than Isaiah or Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets combined are about a third shorter. The claim has been made that it is the longest book in the Bible” (Expositor’s). It is also the most complex of the prophetic books. It is not arranged chronologically or topically. That may partly be because Jeremiah was mainly a preacher rather than a writer, who later dictated events and messages after the fact. (Jeremiah dictated much of the book to his secretary Baruch.) As it is, “the organization of the oracles, prose sermons, and other material is based on content, audience, and connective links” (Nelson Study Bible, introductory notes on Jeremiah). The Bible Reading Program will not cover the chapters in the biblical order, but will rather put the sections in the apparent chronological order to follow the story flow of Jeremiah’s life—placing his messages in that context.

When God called and commissioned Jeremiah, he was modest and reluctant, citing his youth as a handicap to speaking from experience and with authority. The Bible Reader’s Companion states, “He was called by God as a na’ar (1:6), a youth some 16 to 18 years old” (note on verse 6). However, youthfulness is relative and his age was not important, since his safety and success was dependent on God, not on himself (verses 7-8, 17-19). Indeed, this would have provided evidence of God’s direction and inspiration—as well as serving as a point of shame for the nation’s elders who had been failing in their responsibilities. The king on the throne now was young too—and he would lead the nation in wonderful reforms.

Jeremiah’s young age at his calling should also serve as an inspiration for any young person reading God’s Word who understands the truth and is stirred with a strong conviction to act on what he or she knows. God calls and works with young people too.

In verse 10 God gives Jeremiah a mysterious commission: “See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (New Revised Standard Version). “The words root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant are repeated at key points in the Book of Jeremiah to reaffirm Jeremiah’s call (18:7; 24:6; 31:28; 42:10; 45:4)” (Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 10). Based on Jeremiah’s life hereafter, it is easy to ascertain what God meant by plucking up, pulling down, destroying and overthrowing. This great prophet repeatedly warned the Jews to repent of their disobedience—but they scorned him. So God used him to pronounce judgment on the nation: the people and the kings of David’s line would be overthrown in the Babylonian conquest and uprooted—to Babylon.

But the latter part of the prophet’s commission yet remained: “to build and to plant.” What did this involve From Jeremiah 45:4 we can see that building and planting in this context originally entailed God’s planting His people in the land and building a kingdom of them there—now to be pulled up and destroyed. So the commission would seem to involve planting people in another place in order to establish a kingdom elsewhere. We will examine this question further toward the end of the book.

God here gives the sign of an almond tree, “which blossoms when other trees are still dormant
. as a harbinger of spring, as though it ‘watched over’ the beginning of the season. In a similar fashion, God was ‘watching over’ His word, ready to bring judgment on Israel” (note on 1:11-12). Jeremiah also saw a boiling pot tilted southward, “indicating the direction in which the pot’s contents would be spilled. The calamity suggested by this vision was an enemy attack on Judah and Jerusalem from the north. In 20:4, Jeremiah finally identifies this enemy as Babylon. Babylon was itself east of Jerusalem, but the road went around the desert and approached from the north” (note on verses 13-14). Interestingly, the enemy to the northeast when Jeremiah started prophesying was still Assyria. But that would soon change. Indeed, the book of Jeremiah refers to Babylon 164 times, more references than in all the rest of the Bible. Jeremiah foretold that Babylon, the destroyer of Judah, would herself be destroyed by the Medes and Persians, never to rise again. Some of the prophecies in this regard are dual, referring also to the rise and fall of the end-time political, economic and religious system called Babylon—located to the northwest of Judah (thus still north)—while some prophecies refer exclusively to the end time.

Preaching God’s message brought Jeremiah a great deal of suffering, but God emphatically charged him, “Do not be afraid of their [intimidating] faces” (1:8, 17)—as He, the Almighty Deliverer, would provide impregnable defense (1:18-19). We too can take encouragement from these words as we carry out the commission God has given His Church to preach His true gospel to the end of the age (see Matthew 28:19-20).

Chapter 2
Jeremiah was to “go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem,” yet his message was about all Israel (Jeremiah 2:1-3). And then God’s message was to go to the “house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel” (verse 4). Yet remember that the northern kingdom of Israel had been taken into captivity a century earlier. Still, we do know that, around three years after Jeremiah’s ministry began, a small percentage of Israelites actually returned to the land for a short period—that is, the Scythians who overran the region. Thus, it is likely that Jeremiah’s message was intended in some measure for Jews and Israelites of His day. But notice again that the message was for “all the families of the house of Israel.” Because the Israelites were scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire at the time Jeremiah prophesied, with many near the Black and Caspian Seas, we may safely assume that his message was never delivered to them in that age.

Since God would not deliver a message to people who could never hear it, these prophecies must then be dual, directed more to the descendants of Israel in the latter days, particularly since the descriptions in this chapter and much of the book certainly fit our American and British societies and much of the world today. (In the book of Jeremiah, “Israel” is named almost as much as “Judah.” And “Jerusalem”—ancient capital of all 12 tribes—sometimes clearly refers more to Israel than to Judah.)

The Israelites have a short memory, soon forgetting the source of past and present blessings (verses 7, 32), and quickly turning to myriad forms of idolatry. “Those who handle the law” (verse 8) have turned from the true God and His law to false gods! Whereas most cultures cling to their traditions and gods, Israel, chosen by God to receive the true religion (the only way that brings true reward!), has been quick to forsake God and to do so “for what does not profit” (verse 11). These are the “two evils” here—forsaking God and substituting false gods (verse 13). “God, the fountain of living waters, offered a limitless supply of fresh, life-giving sustenance. Instead the people chose broken cisterns, which were useless for storing water and useless for sustaining life” (The Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 13). God proclaims a dire penalty for rejecting Him, “the fountain of living waters,” in Jeremiah 17:13.

As He often does, God colorfully portrays the utter stupidity of making gods of wood and stone, but Israel and Judah make as many dumb deities as the number of cities in Judah (2:27-28). “See if they can save you in the time of your trouble!” God taunts (compare verse 28). Today, our peoples still trust in worthless and inanimate things to save us—such as our weapons of war and our money. And some still serve actual idols, seeing power in crosses, statues of Mary, good luck charms, etc. And then there is a wrong trust in other people, directly condemned elsewhere in Jeremiah (17:5).

Verses 14-16 of chapter 2 show that though God had freed Israel from slavery, the nation subjected itself to vassalage and subsequent plunder and slavery by the Assyrians after making a failed deal with the Egyptians (Noph and Tahpanhes, also known as Memphis and Daphne, were principal cities in northern Egypt). In verse 18, Sihor, meaning “Black,” is a reference to the Nile River, while “the River” associated with Assyria is the Euphrates. Judah is here basically warned, “Why trust in Egypt or Assyria when they cannot save” This should serve as a warning to us now. For modern Israelites often make the mistake of putting more trust in alliances than in Almighty God (compare verses 36-37).

Jeremiah repeatedly portrays Israel and Judah as an unfaithful wife who has both deserted her loving, generous husband and also committed adultery, “playing the harlot,” with multiple lovers—false gods and national allies (verse 20). She takes steps to “wash” herself (verse 22)—efforts to feel and appear righteous. But it is her heart that needs washing—her thoughts purified (compare 4:14). And only through true repentance, God’s forgiveness and God’s power can one be truly spiritually cleansed. Israel is adulterous not just by being seduced, but by actively enticing partners like a female animal in heat (verses 23-25).

Worse, not only has Israel not received correction, but God rebukes the people: “Your sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion” (verse 30). Sadly, Israel and Judah have always rejected God’s true servants—even subjecting them to martyrdom. While that is not happening right now, times are prophesied to get much worse. God also says, “On your skirts is found the blood of the lives of the poor innocents” (verse 34). Today there is little difference. The most innocent are the children. Few children now are sacrificed to fire, but many are murdered, many more unborn children are slaughtered, and society is so twisted, corrupt and degenerate that nearly all children are set on a path of life that leads to death.

Because obedience to God’s absolute laws brings automatic blessings, and disobedience brings automatic penalties, He tells Israel, “You’ve brought this on yourself” (compare verse 17) and “Your own wickedness will correct you” (verse 19). While a national warning, it is incumbent upon each of us individually to respond. If we are living contrary to God’s way, that will eventually catch up with us. Indeed, that is surely producing consequences already. Let us all, then, turn to God now and remain loyal—and avoid the suffering sin brings.

Prov 6

The first part of this chapter (6:1-19) presents us with four teachings; to seek freedom from unwise pledges (verses 1-5), to learn industriousness and avoid laziness by following the example of the ant (verses 6-11), to not be as the scoundrel (verses 12-15) and to hate the things God hates (verses 16-19).

“The four warnings of 6:1-19 are separate from the instructions on adultery; without this section, that theme would continue uninterrupted in chapters 5-7. Remembering that evil deeds ensnare the wicked (5:22), we might read 6:1-19 as an [inserted] exposition of that theme. The excursus also reminds the reader that not all enticements to folly come from women” (NIV Application Commentary, note on 6:1-19).

Regarding pledges, verses 1-5 “warn against putting up surety (see 11:15), or cosigning a loan. This does not mean we should never be generous or helpful if we have the means, only that we should not promise what we cannot deliver. In Solomon’s day, a cosigner who could not pay could lose all he had and be reduced to slavery besides. Even though laws differ today, inability to pay a debt is still a form of bondage and can be a serious problem. Modern conditions are different than in Old Testament times, but the warning still applies” (Nelson Study Bible, note on verses 1-5).

Another serious entrapment is laziness. Thus we are directed to the example of ants. They have work to do and get it done (verses 6-8). Verses 9-11 are not telling us to avoid needed sleep. Rather, unless health prevents us we must not “sleep the day away.” We all have much to do and only so much time to do it in. Laziness and lack of industry can ultimately leave us materially impoverished but even worse, it can keep us from spiritual responsibilities such as prayer and Bible study, leaving us spiritually impoverished and in danger of drifting from God.

In verses 12-15, the “scoundrel and villain” (NIV) is “a troublemaker. Unlike the sluggard, whose only desire is another place to nap, the troublemaker cannot wait to cause more problems or to get into more mischief. Unlike the sluggard (see v. 6), he is too busy, though he is doing the wrong things. He delights in bringing dissensions. But like the sluggard, he does not realize that calamity awaits him” (note on verses 12-15).

Verses 16-19 then present wickedness more generally. “This passage is a numerical proverb (see 30:15-31) that describes seven things that the Lord hates. The use of numerical progression six, even seven in these proverbs is a rhetorical device that embellishes the poetry, provides a memory aid, and builds to a climax. It gives the impression that there is more to be said about the topic” (note on verses 16-19). Commentator Tremper Longman says, “Such a device is a way of saying that there are a number of different examples of the phenomenon, only a few of which are given” (How to Read Proverbs, p. 45). He also points out that such language was used in surrounding ancient cultures: “Compare Proverbs 6:16-19 with a passage from a Ugaritic myth and from the Ahiqar text [mentioned in our introduction]….’Truly (there are) two sacrifices Baal hates, three the rider on the clouds [rejects] a sacrifice of shame and a sacrifice of meanness and a sacrifice where handmaids debauch.’ (KTU 1.4. III. 17-21). [And] ‘There are two things which are good, and a third which is pleasing to Shamash: one who drinks and shares it, one who masters wisdom {and observes it}; and one who hears a word but tells it not.’ (lines 92-93a)” (p. 76).

“In a list of this type, the last item is the most prominent” (Nelson, note on verses 16-19). In both the characteristics of the scoundrel (verses 12-14) and the seven things God hates (verses 16-19), the last item listed is sowing discord causing trouble between other people, especially between brothers, those who would otherwise be close. God views this as utterly despicable. How much worse it is today when people cause divisions between His spiritual children in His Church. God desires the unity of His people (see Psalm 133:1).

The latter part of chapter 6 constitutes the sixth exhortation of the prologue (verses 20-35), a further warning against the danger of adultery. Verses 27-29 emphasize cause and effect and the absolute inevitability of bad consequences of any immoral actions. Verse 32 deserves reflection. It seems to say that immorality is the most self-destructive of all sins destructive of one’s “soul” his life and being even when there are no apparent physical penalties. The apostle Paul may have been referring to this verse when he said in 1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”

The statement in verse 30 about a hungry person stealing to satisfy himself not being despised is not meant to condone theft. Indeed, it is immediately followed by the fact that if he is caught he will be forced to make restitution. The point of this statement here is that theft in such instances is at least understandable as a means to survival and because it is possible to rectify. Sleeping with another man’s wife, on the other hand, never makes sense as it is just the opposite of a means to survival it is the pathway to death, especially from a jealous husband who cannot be appeased.

Acts 4

We read in verse 1-2 how the Sadducees were greatly upset at the apostle teaching of the resurrection from the dead. This was a controversial debate of that time. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dean while the Sadducees did not.

And this is what Peter and John were proclaiming. It was great news that now they had a definite answer. There is life after death and they knew it because of Yehshua coming out of the grave.

The Sadducees could say little with the person who had been made whole standing right there in front of them. IN verse 16 they admit they could not deny it.

Here is a prayer we all should emulate.
Act 4:29 “And now, , look on their threats, and give to Your servants all boldness to speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand for healing, and signs, and wonders to take place through the Name of Your set-apart Servant .” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they came together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit, and they spoke the word of Elohim with boldness.

 

We continue with our study of the 613 laws.
http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm
We are doing 7 laws each week during our septennial study. We shall study laws 549-554
We also have commentary, with editing from me, again from http://theownersmanual.net/The_Owners_Manual_02_The_Law_of_Love.Torah

(549)Do not eat the flesh of the burnt-offering. (This is a Prohibition applying to every trespasser, not to enjoy any of the holy things. If he does so, he commits a trespass.) “You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. But you must eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God chooses.” (Deuteronomy 12:17-18) Somebody’s confused. The burnt offering (olah) was never eaten, by a trespasser or anybody else. But the sacrifices that were to be enjoyed by the worshippers and priests—including tithes (ma’aser), firstborn offerings (bekor), selem offerings (for vows or thanksgiving), or wave offerings (t’rumah) were supposed to be eaten in Yahweh’s designated place (eventually Jerusalem), and nowhere else. Note that although Yahweh is omnipresent, one must go to “where He is” in order to feast before Him. Since the Day of Pentecost, that location is within every believer, for that is where Yahweh’s Holy Spirit abides.

(550)The kohanim shall not eat the flesh of the sin-offering or guilt-offering outside the Courtyard of the Sanctuary. “You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. But you must eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God chooses.” (Deuteronomy 12:17-18) Moses didn’t specifically mention the sin offering (chata’t) or guilt offering (asham) in the cited passage. But okay, at least it’s true that the priests, or kohanim, were supposed to eat these sacrifices, and then only in the place Yahweh would choose. The point, once again, is that Yahshua’s sacrifice—in Jerusalem—would be the only thing that could adequately and permanently deal with our sin and guilt. The asham and chata’t were only temporary and only symbolic.

(551)Do not eat of the flesh of the sacrifices that are holy in a minor degree, before the blood has been sprinkled on the altar. “You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. But you must eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God chooses.” (Deuteronomy 12:17-18) Holy in a minor degree That’s like being a little bit pregnant. Either something is set apart to Yahweh, or it’s not. That being said, the blood is always dealt with in the context of the slaying of the animal (i.e., before it was eaten), for blood was not to be consumed, so logically, Maimonides is right on that point.

Not to be picky, but the blood for different types of sacrifices was handled in slightly different ways. For the burnt offering (olah) the blood was sprinkled “all around on the altar.” This was the instruction given for the peace offering (selem) as well. Under certain circumstances, the blood of the sin offering (chata’t) was to be sprinkled seven times with the priest’s finger in front of the veil before the Most Holy Place, smeared onto the horns of the altar of incense, and the rest was poured out at the base of the altar. (Chata’t sacrifices whose blood had been brought into the Tabernacle or Temple were not to be eaten, however. See Leviticus 6:30) For the trespass offering (asham), the blood was sprinkled on the side of the altar, and the remainder was drained out at its base. So the nature of the sacrifice determined how and where the blood was to be ceremonially distributed. Issues involving our homage, thanksgiving, vows, or mistakes were associated with the altar, whose fires speak of judgment, of separation of good from evil. Our sins of behavior, however, must be addressed within the sanctuary, where atonement is made and prayer is offered in the context of the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah.

(552)The kohein shall not eat the first-fruits before they are set down in the Courtyard of the Sanctuary. “You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. But you must eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God chooses.” (Deuteronomy 12:17-18) I don’t really know why this passage was pressed into service to support the last few mitzvot. Maimonides keeps bringing up issues that aren’t raised in the actual text, though they all have something to do with making sacrifices to Yahweh only at the appointed worship location. Here the point of departure is firstfruits, which presumably came to mind because of the text’s mention of the heave offering—i.e., the t’rumah. This is a general word meaning “contribution.” The word “rum,” upon which it’s based, means “height,” so it’s easy to see where the connotation of “lifting up” an offering, a “wave offering,” or “heave offering” came from.

The passage that most clearly defines the requirements of the Feast of Firstfruits is Leviticus 23:9-14. The salient portion says: “‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest….You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God.” There is no mention of setting anything down in any courtyard. Nor are the priests the only ones who are to partake of the feast. Once again, we find we have to watch the rabbis like a hawk. When they say things that purport to be the Law of God, even if they sound authoritative and reasonable, they aren’t necessarily giving us the straight story. Caveat emptor.

(553)Take trouble to bring sacrifices to the Sanctuary from places outside the land of Israel. “The holy things which you have [that is, the thing you have set apart for God’s purpose], and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which Yahweh chooses. And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you shall eat the meat.” (Deuteronomy 12:26-27) The conditions of the passage at hand are defined by the first sentence of the paragraph: “When Yahweh your God enlarges your border as He has promised you…” which serves to demonstrate that Maimonides is completely wrong here. The whole Temple service was designed to be a workable community endeavor for a small, agriculturally based nation, one whose borders would be enlarged as they were obedient in driving the Canaanites out of the land (borders, by the way, that were defined in excruciating detail in Numbers 34. See Future History, Chapter 6 for more information). Getting scattered to the four winds themselves was not supposed to be part of the plan. Being sent to “places outside the land of Israel” was the result of their continued disobedience and apostasy, as Moses warned them: “Then Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there Yahweh will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul.” (Deuteronomy 28:64-65) This is where Israel is today, for the most part. But Yahweh has begun to bring them back. We have witnessed the budding of the fig tree. Summer can’t be far off.

PARSIMONIOUS PRACTICALITY

(554)Do not eat the flesh of beasts set apart as sacrifices that have been rendered unfit to be offered up by deliberately inflicting blemishes. “You shall not eat any detestable thing.” (Deuteronomy 14:3) Mitzvah #510 said something quite similar, and Maimonides was wrong there, too. In context, Moses is merely defining what animals were okay for food. The passage goes on to say, “These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the mountain goat, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. And you may eat every animal with cloven hooves, having the hoof split into two parts, and that chews the cud, among the animals.” (Deuteronomy 14:4-6) Deliberately inflicting blemishes to render an animal unfit for sacrifice is so devious a tactic, it apparently never even occurred to Yahweh to prohibit it. An observation from human nature: it’s my experience that whatever a self-appointed arbiter of public morality rants against is a kissin’ cousin to what he’s personally guilty of, at least in his heart. People who obsess about being ripped off are usually dishonest themselves. Those who rail against licentiousness are inevitably harboring lustful desires. And there’s nothing quite as vehement as the evangelistic zeal of an ex-smoker who’s in denial about his cravings. So what does it say about Maimonides when he condemns a legal loophole—twice—that God didn’t even mention

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