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#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-d2ee1f7d062c3b3e85d15dbe7467f5e5{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-d2ee1f7d062c3b3e85d15dbe7467f5e5 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-d2ee1f7d062c3b3e85d15dbe7467f5e5 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 26Genesis 1 – 2 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 26 Genesis 1 – 2 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0226db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible The Creation of the World Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was undeveloped [1] and empty. Darkness covered the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was evening and there was morning—the first day. 6 God said, “Let there be an expanse [2] between the waters, and let it separate the water from the water.” 7 God made the expanse, and he separated the water that was below the expanse from the water that was above the expanse, and it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” [3]There was evening and there was morning—the second day. 9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear,” and it was so. ⎣The waters under the sky gathered to their own places, and the dry land appeared.⎦ [4] 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathering places of the waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good. 11 God said, “Let the earth produce plants—vegetation that produces seed, and trees that bear fruit with its seed in it—each according to its own kind on the earth,” and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth plants, vegetation that produces seed according to its own kind, and trees that bear fruit with its seed in it, each according to its own kind, and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning—the third day. 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them serve as markers to indicate seasons, days, and years. 15 Let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,” and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in place in the expanse of the sky to provide light for the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds and other winged creatures [5] fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their own kind, and every winged bird according to its own kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them when he said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their own kind, livestock, [6] creeping things, and wild animals according to their own kind,” and it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their own kind, and the livestock according to their own kind, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its own kind. God saw that it was good. 26 God said, “Let us make man [7] in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that crawls on the earth.” 27 God created the man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 God said, “Look, I have given you every plant that produces seed on the face of the whole earth, and every tree that bears fruit that produces seed. It will be your food. 30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 2 1 The heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. [8] 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on it he rested from all his work of creation that he had done. The Creation of Man and Woman 4 This is the account about the development [9] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens: 5 No bushes that grow in the field were yet on the earth, [10] and no plants of the field had yet sprung up, since the Lord God had not yet caused it to rain on the earth. There was not yet a man to till the soil, 6 but water [11] came up from the earth and watered the entire surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground [12] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden [13] in Eden in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made every kind of tree grow—trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food, including the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 10 A river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became the headwaters of four rivers. 11 The name of the first river is Pishon. It flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold, 12 and the gold of that land is good. Incense [14] and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that winds through the whole land of Cush. [15] 14 The name of the third river is Tigris. This is the one which flows along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. 16 The Lord God gave a command to the man. He said, “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, 17 but you shall not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for on the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die.” 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is a suitable partner for him.” 19 Out of the soil the Lord God had formed every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that became its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal, but for Adam [16] no helper was found who was a suitable partner for him. 21 The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, the Lord God took a rib [17] and closed up the flesh where it had been. 22 The Lord God built a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, Now this one is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be called “woman,” because she was taken out of man. [18] 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will remain united with his wife, and they will become one flesh. [19] 25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed. Footnotes Genesis 1:2 Or without form Genesis 1:6 Traditionally a firmament Genesis 1:8 Or the heavens Genesis 1:9 The Greek Old Testament includes the sentence in half-brackets. It is not in the Hebrew text. Genesis 1:20 The Hebrew word oph usually refers to birds, but it means “flyers” and can include other flying creatures such as insects and bats. Genesis 1:24 Or domestic animals Genesis 1:26 The rendering of the Hebrew word adam is a key issue in this section. Adam may refer to man, mankind, or Adam. This translation retains the article where it occurs with adam (the man) and retains singular or plural forms of verbs and pronouns according to the Hebrew text. Genesis 2:1 Literally all their armies Genesis 2:4 The Hebrew word toledoth, which is used in the headings of the ten sections of Genesis, is related to the Hebrew root for give birth, but as used in the section headings of Genesis (such as 2:4; 5:1; 6:9, etc.), toledoth seems to refer to the development more than to the origin of the group being discussed. For this reason, in the section headings of Genesis, toledoth is regularly translated account about the development. Genesis 2:5 Literally every bush of the field was not yet on the earth. This wording seems to refer to the time before the creation of plants on day 3, but the context of chapter 2 seems to be the preparation of the Garden of Eden as a special home for man and woman. Some commentators suggest that this verse refers only to the area of the Garden of Eden, which had been left unfinished, but the wide term on the earth does not seem to be a natural way to say this, so this may be a reference back to day 3. Genesis 2:6 A rare word (ed) is used. It may refer to springs or, less likely, to mist. Genesis 2:10 refers to the presence of rivers. Genesis 2:7 Literally as dust from the ground. This means man is still dust and will return to dust. Genesis 2:8 In Hebrew, the term garden includes groves of trees. Genesis 2:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. It probably refers to a fragrant resin or a precious stone. Genesis 2:13 In the Old Testament, Cush often refers to the land south of Egypt. Here the names of the third and fourth rivers suggest an area in Mesopotamia, today's Iraq. Genesis 2:20 Here the Hebrew word adam without the article becomes a personal name. Genesis 2:21 Part of his side is a more literal translation than the traditional translation rib. Genesis 2:23 Here the Hebrew word for man is ish not adam. Like the English word pair man/woman, the Hebrew words ish/ishah correspond to one another. Genesis 2:24 Verse 24 may be a continuation of the words of Adam or a comment of the inspired writer. In either case, Jesus recognizes them as part of the divine institution of marriage (Matthew 19:4-5). #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Homily: The Prodigal Son, The Lost Sheep, and the RavenFr. Marc BoulosSunday, February 8, 2026In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Today's Gospel (Luke 15:11-32) forms a diptych with the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7), which unfortunately is used systematically by the followers of Epstein, or, more accurately, by those captivated by the mentality of Epstein ecclesiology: the business model of church growth that treats the neighbor as a commodity.Which is everyone.Because if you are an American, or a European, or anyone who subscribes to the ideology of the elite class, the success ideology, the growth ideology, the manifestation ideology, you ultimately view your neighbor as property, as lesser, as acquisition. Or, as Satan has taught the Church in the West to say, you refer to your neighbor as a “giving unit.” It is a disgusting phrase.No less ugly than what they used to say when I was a child. They claimed to count souls, but they were counting giving units.Now, the key to hearing the parable of the Lost Sheep is to hear the accusation of the Pharisees and the scribes that prompted the parable, and to hear it in the context of Noah, which governs Luke. Jesus gives the parable of the Lost Sheep because he is accused of receiving:“This man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2)That is the key. He is accused of receiving sinners. What is returned to him from the wilderness is what is received.The prodigal, as you should know by now, is not praised for coming back. He simply returns. The parable of the Lost Sheep is about instruction, about remaining under command whether inside the fold or outside it. This is what is at stake when the follower says “No.”It is also what is at stake with the two birds in the account of the flood. You have a raven (Genesis 8:7) and you have a dove (Genesis 8:8-12).For those of you who study what I teach, you know the significance of the raven. For those who do not, the work is here. The rest is between you and God.In Hebrew, the word often associated with the raven is derived from three consonants, ʿayin, resh, bet. It refers to a migratory, nomadic bird, associated with the locality of the ʿArabah, the Syro-Arabian wilderness known to you as Mesopotamia, encompassing Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. The raven is nomadic in a very specific biblical sense. It pertains to peoples who mix among tribes and who come out at night. These are the tribes that fed Elijah. That is the raven Noah sends out.The word used is “release.” It corresponds to the same verb Jesus uses when he sends out the Twelve to proclaim the judgment of the Kingdom in Luke chapter 9, verse 2. He releases them under instruction.What is interesting is that this corresponds to the usage of the word “Bedouin” in the Qur'an. You have heard me speak about Bedouins, and many of you assume I am speaking about Arab culture. I could not care less about culture. I am speaking about Scripture.The Bedouins appear in the Bible and in the Qur'an, and they have a function. In Genesis 8:6-12, Noah sends out the raven before the Lord breaks his silence. The Lord had not spoken since the flood began, when he shut the ark with his own hand behind Noah (Genesis 7:16). He does not speak again until Genesis 8:15. There is release from Noah, but there is no command from God. The raven goes out into a world not yet ordered by divine speech. Noah releases the raven into disorder in anticipation of God's instruction, which alone can establish order. The same is true of the dove. Both are sent out, released in hope that they might return. It is not demanded. It is a free gesture. That is how it works.In this absence, the dove's return unfolds within divine silence, not compelled by a new command but moving in anticipation of the word by which God alone restores order. The decisive reality is the command of God, not human initiative.The prodigal, sitting on the dung heap, cannot boast, “I came back.” He came back because he was hungry. In the house of the Father, every voice is silenced before the obedience of Jesus (Philippians 2:6-11).In the Qur'an, the striking thing about the Bedouins is their obstinacy. (Rise, Andalus, p. 53; Sūrat al-Tawbah, “The Repentance, The Return” 9:97) They exist on the edge. That is why this question of sinners among the peoples on the boundaries, in the night watches, matters. Those are the ones Jesus receives. That is what angers the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke. Those whom they despise, the ravens, exist on the edge, beyond the proclamation of what is read aloud. And now they are stepping within range of that proclamation.The word Qur'an means “what is read aloud,” the proclamation of the word of God. It is rooted in Arabic, a Semitic tongue like Hebrew. Those on the margins live beyond the reach of that proclamation. The lost are released, sometimes under instruction, sometimes in hope of the instruction that alone can call them back.So for Jesus, the concern is whether the sinners and the tax collectors are within reach of the proclamation. What is truly problematic is that the scribes and Pharisees complain when the prodigals return from the edges to hear what Jesus is announcing.That is the issue.But the problem with the Epstein business model of church growth is that it does not care what Jesus is saying. In that model, the neighbor is a giving unit. So it cannot let the prodigal go.In the parable of The Prodigal (Luke 15:11-32), the father never compels the son to return. In Paul's teaching, you are never permitted to force someone to remain married to you (1 Corinthians 7:15). It is forbidden. This teaching carries over into the Qur'an as well: you are not allowed to compel anyone (Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:256; see also 4:19; 2:231).But in the Epstein model of church growth, it does not work that way. In that model, it is the opposite of what we heard today, namely, that your body does not belong to you:“You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)The body to which Paul refers is the body politic of Jesus Christ. You are not permitted to sin against it for profit. You may not exploit any living soul for gain, least of all your own. Not according to the parable of the Lost Sheep.According to that same instruction, a sheep may be sent away and allowed to go until it heeds the call and returns, and is then received with joy according to the command, but never chased or coerced. Some sheep may even be handed over to Satan for a time, unto destruction, if they jeopardize the fold (1 Corinthians 5:5;1 Timothy 1:20). But not in the Epstein model of church growth, which cares only about security, growth, and success.God does not care about buildings, institutions, or church growth. He does not care about constitutions, or borders, or nations, or tribes. He cares about your living, breathing, precious soul.“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)I am not God. But I am responsible to teach what God has commanded us to teach.May we submit to God's instruction like the dove, returning in hope of the word by which God alone establishes order.To him alone be the glory, the dominion, and the majesty, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen....

Let us know if this message impacted you!In this message Pastor Joel explores how honour—or the lack of it—can make or break our families and relationships.Using the story of the Rekabites from Jeremiah 35, we see a family who honored their forefather's commands for generations, living as nomads and abstaining from wine. God contrasted them with Judah, who repeatedly ignored His voice. One group lived in blessing; the other faced disaster.Honor means recognizing someone's value and treating them as significant. In Hebrew, it means "heavy" or "weighty." In Greek, it means "precious" or "valuable." When we truly honor God, we become people who honor others—parents, children, spouses, siblings, and even those who've hurt us.The promise is simple but profound: "Those who honor me I will honor" (1 Samuel 2:30). When we choose to honor God and others—even when it's difficult—we invite His favor into our homes and families.Where might God be calling you to restore honor today? Support the show

B"H On Tu Bishvat, we're reminded that people are meant to be like trees. In Hebrew, eitzah (guidance) shares its root with eitz (tree). Real guidance comes from being rooted, from listening deeply, and from speaking with care and timing. May we grow strong roots and bear fruit that helps others connect to the depths of their souls. Tu Bishvat Sameach

7 takeaways from this study Heaven provides a fresh start. “New garments” symbolize inward transformation and renewed calling, not merely external change. Ordination means being filled and equipped for ongoing service, reaching readiness rather than an endpoint. Anointing signifies overflowing empowerment from the Spirit to perform ministry — hands filled to give and serve. Messiah's work is to fulfill and bring righteousness to fullness, not to abolish God's covenantal purposes. Spiritual gifts are for the common good. Desire prophecy and gifts that build the body, avoiding covetousness that harms others. True leadership requires inward faithfulness. External appearance or position alone can't substitute for devotion to God. The Incarnation and high priesthood of Messiah make Him a relatable, suffering Savior who defeats evil and removes fear of death, enabling bold service. Imagine standing at the entrance of ancient Israel’s Mishkan (Tabernacle), watching Aharon's empty hands slowly fill with oil, bread and sacrificial portions. Those hands, once ordinary, now carry a visible sign: Heaven is putting him to work. This study traces that movement — from empty to filled, from clothed to commissioned. God doesn't just forgive; He clothes, fills and sends. “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,My soul will exult in my God;For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness…” Isaiah 61:10 NASB95 This isn't someone admiring a costume. It's someone overwhelmed by transformation. The “garments of salvation” and “robe of righteousness” wrap not only the body but the whole self — “my soul will exult.” The prophets elsewhere describe this same renewal (New Covenant) as a “new heart” and a “new spirit” (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:25–27). The outside should illustrate what Heaven does on the inside. Otherwise, it’s just a show. Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) warned against “whitewashed tombs” — beautifully maintained yet full of decay (“dead men’s bones,” Matthew 23:27–28). Similarly, Isaiah's garments become a test: Am I asking God to decorate my life, or to renew it? Like we studied last Shabbat, the clothing metaphor refuses superficial religion. It invites a deeper honesty: if God robes, He also remakes. Ordination as filling, not finishing Exodus 29 takes that robe imagery and pushes it into vocation. The English word “ordination” can sound like a static status: once ordained, box checked. The Hebrew under it goes in a different direction. The term מְלוּאִים mĕlu'im (“filled, filled up, ordained”), from the root מלא malé (“to fill”), appears in the context of placing offerings, bread, and other items into the hands of Aharon and his sons. This is more than ceremony. The text presents ordination as literal and symbolic “filling of the hands.” The priests stand there with empty hands; the ritual fills them. The message: you are not being set aside (“made holy”) to sit; you are being filled to act. Heaven does not hand Aharon a title; Heaven hands him tasks. This reframes how to think of calling and ministry. Instead of asking, “Am I ordained?” as if ticking a checkbox, the more searching question is, “What has God placed in my hands — and for whom?” When ‘end’ means ‘goal’ The Greek translation of the Torah, the Septuagint, sometimes uses τελέω teleó (“to bring to completion”) to capture this idea of completing a consecration or making something ready. That Greek word translates mĕlu'im in Exodus 29:31. This use in the Septuagint is key to understanding one of apostle Paul's frequently misinterpreted statements: For Christ is the end (τέλος telos) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 NASB95 On a surface reading, “end” might sound like “done with, discarded.” But telos in Greek can mean goal, intended outcome, completion in the sense of maturity. A journey reaches its telos not when the path vanishes, but when the traveler arrives where the path was always leading. Within this framework, Messiah does not abolish the Torah's significance for righteousness; He brings its purpose to its full expression. What ordination does for the priest — bringing him to readiness — telos language does for Torah — it names the destination God always had in mind: righteousness realized in and through Messiah. Oil purity and overflow Oil saturates the priestly ordination ritual described in Exodus 29 (cp. Leviticus 8–9). There is unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. The key word here is שֶׁמֶן shemen (“oil”). In the ancient world, oil doesn't only function as fuel or food; it signals richness, blessing, and consecration. Clarified olive oil gives a particularly helpful analogy. The more refined the oil, the more purely and cleanly it burns. Likewise, the ritual calls for “pure” elements to make the point: God refines His servants, like oil, by removing impurities, not to make them delicate but to make their light more clear. The more refined the oil, the less smoke; the more purified the life, the less spiritual “smoke” obscures who God is. Seven and the power of eight Under the hood of the Hebrew original text about oil and consecration are numbers that communicate. In Hebrew, the words for seven and oath are bound up in the same root: שֶׁבַע sheva / שָׁבַע shavá. Like an oath, seven signifies completeness, a full cycle, a pledged seriousness. What has been committed will be done. On that backdrop, eight — שְׁמֹנֶה shᵉmōneh — is connected to the verb שָׁמֵן shāmēn (“to be fat”) and the noun שֶׁמֶן shemen (“oil”). That points to what comes after completeness: overflow, newness beyond the cycle. (See how seven and eight are teaching tools in Israel’s annual festival of Shemini Atzeret, Convocation of the Eighth Day, the day after Sukkot, or the Festival of Tabernacles.) In the priestly narratives, the priests undergo seven days of consecration, and then on the eighth day they begin to function in their role. The eighth day doesn't cancel the seven; it activates them. It is not the closing ceremony; it is the first day on the job. Spiritual “high points” (dedications, ordinations, festivals) are not endpoints. They stand as launchpads into long obedience. God's pattern suggests, “Let Me fill you for seven; then live it out on the eighth.” Fulfillment: Not abolition The same logic runs underneath Yeshua's words about the Torah and the Prophets, His preface to the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19 NASB95 The verb “fulfill” translates a verb similar to teleo: πληρόω pleróō (“to fill, bring to fullness, accomplish”). Yeshua explicitly rejects an “abolish” model and offers a “fill to the brim” one instead. He presents His mission as bringing Scripture's intent to its full expression, not tearing its foundation away. Teleo also shows up in Yeshua's final cry at His execution: Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NASB95 “It is finished” here reads as a declaration of work that has reached a goal. In Heaven’s view, the past, present and future are in view at once. That’s reflected by the statement “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 margin). Heaven's redemptive plan centers on Messiah's work, and that work radiates backward and forward through time. God doesn't improvise; He fulfills. The danger of hollow splendor In a recent study of the Mishkan, we explored how the inner sanctuary is filled with objects made entirely of or covered with זָהָב טָהוֹר zahav tahor (“pure gold”), and how Revelation's image of transparent gold presses the point: God seeks not just shine but purity — substance transformed all the way through. Unleavened bread and clarified oil operate the same way. Leaven often symbolizes corruption; its removal during consecration underscores singular devotion. The physical signs do real work in teaching: they train Israel to see holiness as separation from moral decay, not mere ritual fussiness. Yet the prophets, especially Ezekiel, expose how easily people can keep the externals and lose the center. His visions of abominations inside the temple reveal a brutal truth: a community can polish its gold and keep its liturgy while its heart runs after other gods. The priestly garments then become not a sign of holiness but a cover for hypocrisy. The study draws a clear warning: external forms — robes, rituals, structures — have value only when they match an internal reality of loyalty to the God who gave them. Spirit on the many Numbers 11:24–30 expands the filling imagery into the realm of the Spirit. Moses gathers 70 elders; God takes of the Spirit upon Moses and places it upon them; they prophesy. Two men, Eldad and Medad, remain in the camp yet also receive the Spirit and prophesy. When Joshua urges Moses to stop them, Moses responds: “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” Numbers 11:29 NASB-style This response cuts against the instinct to hoard spiritual experiences or status. Rather than guarding a monopoly on prophetic activity, Moses welcomes its spread. The ideal in this passage is not a lone gifted figure but a community saturated with God's Spirit. For understanding calling and gifts, this stands as a crucial insight: the Spirit's abundance does not run on scarcity logic. One person's anointing does not reduce another's; it can invite and encourage it. Spiritual gifts as tools for the common good Paul's description of spiritual gifts in 1Corinthians 12–14 fits squarely within that Numbers 11 perspective. He writes of “varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,” “varieties of ministries, and the same Lord,” “varieties of effects, but the same God” (1Corinthians 12:4–6). Then he states that “to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1Corinthians 12:7). The key phrase, “for the common good,” reorients the entire discussion. Gifts are not badges; they are tools. They exist so that a community can sustain faith, grow in love, and carry out its mission. Under this framework, the question shifts from “What gift will make me significant?” to “What has God entrusted to me for others' sake?” The study draws a particular line around coveting. Biblically, coveting involves more than strong desire; it involves desiring in such a way that another must lose. When applied to spiritual gifts, coveting appears in attitudes like resenting another's calling or secretly wanting their influence diminished. That posture stands as the opposite of Moses' wish and Paul's “common good.” Saul and David: Bad and better ways to handle anointing The narrative of Saul in 1Samuel 10–15 offers a vivid example of how anointing can go wrong. In 1 Samuel 10, Samuel anoints Saul; the Spirit of the LORD comes mightily upon him, and he prophesies, becoming “another man.” God publicly marks Saul as king. Over time, however, Saul disobeys, fears people more than God, and refuses to fully submit. Eventually, Heaven falls silent: no dreams, no prophets, no answers through priestly means. In this silence, Saul seeks help from a medium at Endor, violating his own earlier decree and Torah's clear prohibitions. Instead of returning to trust and repentance, he attempts to force access to divine guidance through forbidden channels. Simultaneously, David emerges — not as the obvious first choice, but as the overlooked youngest son. When Samuel arrives, Yishai (Jesse) presents seven sons; only after God rejects each does Samuel ask if another remains. David comes in from shepherding and receives the anointing. The contrast becomes stark: Saul, the tall, impressive figure, clings and spirals; David, the unexpected one, eventually takes the throne as God's chosen. This contrast embodies two responses to God's shifting work: grasping or yielding. Saul clings to title and position, even to the point of hunting David. David, for his part, repeatedly refuses to kill Saul, recognizing another's anointing even while he himself has already been anointed. The study uses this to illustrate how callings overlap and transition, and how jealousy can poison what began in genuine anointing. Messiah, the sympathetic High Priest Hebrews 2:10–18 gathers many of these strands into a christological center. The passage describes how God makes “the author of their salvation” perfect through sufferings, so that He can bring “many sons to glory.” Messiah shares “flesh and blood” so that, “through death,” He might “render powerless him who had the power of death,” and “free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14–15 NASB95). Here, the High Priest does not remain in a distant holy place untouched by human pain. He enters it. His perfection through suffering does not imply previous moral imperfection; rather, it indicates a completed qualification. He knows the path of obedience from the inside. That qualification places Him in a unique position to represent humans to God and God to humans. For service and calling, this reshapes fear. If death — the ultimate threat — has lost its enslaving power, service no longer needs to orbit self-protection. A community can embrace costly obedience because its High Priest has already walked that road and broken its enslaving grip. Leadership, vulnerability, and God's reputation Prophets repeatedly warned that God's name is blasphemed among the nations because of Israel's behavior (Ezekiel 36:20, 23; Isaiah 52:5). The same principle applies to any community claiming to serve Him: conduct shapes perception of God. When leaders — religious or otherwise — use power to harm, cover abuse, or protect institutions over people, the damage reaches beyond immediate victims. It stains the public sense of who God is. The frequent biblical mention of widows, orphans, and the sojourner (ger) highlights where God's scrutiny often falls: how do His people treat those with the least leverage? Within this frame, ordination and anointing carry weight. They do not only authorize ministry; they heighten responsibility for the vulnerable and for God's reputation. Living as a filled-hands people Messiah sends His followers, empowered by the Spirit, to participate in an ongoing mission. every believer becomes part of an eighth-day people — consecrated, clothed, filled, and then sent. God does not merely rescue individuals from something; He consistently equips them for something: for service that reflects His character, honors His name, and blesses others. The post Called, filled, sent: What the Torah says about anointing, service and spiritual fruit (Exodus 29; Isaiah 61–62; Hebrews 2) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

Welcome to Day 2786 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Unintended Consequences of Replacing Yahweh with “God” Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2786 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2786 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today's lesson is titled The Unintended Consequences of Replacing Yahweh with “God”. In the pages of Scripture, the God of Israel reveals Himself by name, Yahweh, a name that marks His identity, His covenant, and His absolute uniqueness among all other spiritual beings. Yet somewhere in the history of Jewish and Christian tradition, this name was quietly replaced. Where once God was named, now He is merely titled. Yahweh became “the LORD.” Eventually, even “the LORD” gave way to “God,” a generic and universal term that can apply to almost any religious conception of the divine. What began as an effort to show reverence or accommodate translation has produced serious theological consequences. The loss of God's name has led to a distorted view of monotheism, erased key distinctions between Yahweh and other spiritual beings, and enabled poor apologetic compromises, such as the claim that “Allah is just the Arabic word for God.” It has also obscured the meaning of the First Commandment and weakened the Church's understanding of its own covenant relationship. This article traces how we got here and why recovering the name Yahweh is essential to restoring biblical clarity. The First Segment is: From Name to Title: How Yahweh Was Replaced. The divine name Yahweh (יהוה), also called the Tetragrammaton, appears over 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible. In Exodus 3:15, God declares, “This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.” Yet despite this, a tradition developed during the Second Temple Period in which Jews refrained from pronouncing the divine name aloud. Instead, they substituted it with Adonai (“Lord”) during public readings. This practice, rooted in caution and reverence, carried over into Greek and Latin translations of the Bible. The Septuagint rendered Yahweh as Kyrios (“Lord”), and the Latin Vulgate followed suit with Dominus. English Bibles later preserved this substitution, using the stylized “LORD” in small caps, often without explaining to readers that a name was being replaced. As Christianity spread into the Gentile world, the name Yahweh virtually disappeared from common use. The God of the Bible came to be referred to simply as “God,” a word that is not a name at all, but a title. And not a unique title either, “God” can refer to any number of deities across religious systems or even to philosophical abstractions. In trying to show reverence or universality, the Church began to erase the very name by which the true God had distinguished Himself. The second segment is: The Problem with “God”: A Category, Not a Character This shift might seem minor, but it represents a profound theological error. In Hebrew, the word elohim is used to...

Presented by Julie Busteed When you hear the word work or think about your work, what comes to mind first? Do you think about work primarily as something that you have to do to pay the bills? Is it a source of boredom, frustration, and drudgery? Or maybe you enjoy your work, and it is a space where you can be creative and challenged and satisfied. Probably for most, it's some combination of both. So, let's look at how God created work and how you and I can undervalue or overvalue it. The word “work” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 2 after the creation story in Genesis 1 and before the fall in Genesis 3. Work is not a result of sin entering the world. Work is affected by it, but God's original purpose for work was for our good. In Hebrew there are two different words which are translated into “work.” The first one is in Genesis 2:2-3. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:2-3). This indicates work is something God does. So work is good. To see how God works, we go back to Genesis one and look for all the action verbs and the work characteristic that it goes with: God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). This displays his authority. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4). God separated, which shows organization expertise. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night” (Genesis 1:5). God names things, which provides order and administration. Throughout much of the creation account God speaks things into existence indicating his creativity, authority, and communication. At the end of his work God saw that it was good. God saw all he had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). He reviewed and evaluated all that he had done. Another important skill used in work. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). Since you and I are made in his image, we are made to do good work, to do amazing and wonderful things. It is God's gift allowing you to express your identity through your creativity.[1] — [1] Some content used with permission by Tim Vickers and IFES Graduate Impact.

THE GOD WHO IS…Slow To AngerINTRODUCTION — WHEN GOD DIDN'T REACT LIKE YOU EXPECTEDHave you ever looked back on a moment in your life—a season, a decision, a rebellion—and thought: “I'm shocked God didn't give up on me.”Maybe it was a failure you repeated more times than you want to admit.Maybe it was a habit you just couldn't break. Maybe it was a time you knew better… but didn't do better. Maybe it was a moment where you assumed God must be frustrated, disappointed, even angry.But instead of God reacting in hot anger… He responded with patience.Instead of the “strike you down” version of God that some of us grew up hearing about… You found a God who slowed His steps, softened His tone, and continued to walk with you.That is not weakness.That is not God overlooking sin.That is not God compromising His holiness.That is the character of God as revealed by God Himself.Today we come to the third phrase in the most repeated self-description God gives in the entire Bible:FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTUREExodus 34:6–7 (NIV) The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God,slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.[FOR SO MANY PEOPLE…] this is the phrase that surprises them most: “Slow to anger.” Let's dive in to what God really means when He says this.I. THE HEBREW PHRASE — 'EREK 'APPAYIM (“LONG OF NOSE”)The Hebrew phrase translated “slow to anger” is: 'erekh 'appayim (אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם)Literally: “long of nostrils” or “long-nosed.”Now, before you picture God with an exaggerated cartoon nose… This is a Hebrew idiom built on the physical experience of anger.In Hebrew:“angry” = “nose burns hot”“deep anger” = “hot nostrils”When Potiphar believed Joseph tried to sleep with his wife, Scripture says:“his nose burned hot.”When someone's anger flares, their face gets hot.[SO IN THE HEBREW IMAGINATION…] A patient person is “long-nosed.” It takes a very long time for their anger to heat up.This is why Proverbs 19:11 says: Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense.”Hebrew: “A person's wisdom makes them long of nose.”Wisdom lengthens your fuse.And God—according to God—is THE MOST “LONG-NOSED,” PATIENT, SLOW-TO-ANGER BEING IN THE UNIVERSE.II. GOD DOES GET ANGRY — BUT NOT LIKE WE DOLet's hit this misconception about God head-on: God is not an angry deity waiting for people to mess up. But the Bible does talk about God getting angry.[SO HOW DO WE…] hold these two truthful statements together?1. GOD'S ANGER IS A METAPHOR, not a mood swing.God doesn't literally have a nose. He doesn't flare His nostrils or turn red. Hebrew uses human body language to communicate divine emotion.2. God's anger is HIS RESPONSE TO HUMAN EVIL, not human inconvenience.God is not irritated. He is not moody. He does not lash out because He lost His temper.God's anger is HIS JUSTICE AND HIS COMPASSION WORKING TOGETHER against anything that destroys His creation.[THINK ABOUT IT…]If you saw a child being bullied and didn't feel anger— something would be wrong with your heart.God feels anger when His world is vandalized by human evil.BUT— God is slow to anger. God gives people an enormous amount of time to change.III. GOD'S PATIENCE IN THE EXODUS STORYLet's look at Exodus 3 and the Ten PlaguesPharaoh enslaves Israel. Pharaoh orders Hebrew baby boys to be thrown into the Nile. Pharaoh crushes God's people under violence and oppression.God sees it; God hears it; God feels it; And God sends Moses. But notice what God does: God gives Pharaoh ten opportunities to repent. TEN.God could have judged him instantly… Instead—God delays judgment.But when Pharaoh continues to harden his heart and finally rides out with his chariots to destroy Israel… God allows Pharaoh's own evil to rebound onto him.The waters that drowned Hebrew children now drown Pharaoh's army.The Bible calls this an act of God's “hot anger.”[BUT DON'T MISS THIS VERY IMPORTANT KEY POINT…] God's anger ARRIVES ONLY AFTER ABUNDANT PATIENCE.And God's judgment is not arbitrary— It is God handing Pharaoh over to the consequences of his own choices.IV. “HANDING OVER” IS THE PRIMARY EXPRESSION OF GOD'S ANGERThis is one of the most important insights in Scripture: **God's anger is not God exploding. God's anger is God withdrawing.**God steps back. God removes Himself as the buffer. God allows people to experience the full weight of their own decisions.You see this pattern everywhere throughout scripture…[IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES…] For hundreds of years Israel repeatedly turns from God, worships idols, oppresses the vulnerable, and abandons the covenant.Scripture repeatedly says things like: Judges 2:14 (ESV) The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over to plunderers…”Not because God abandoned His people— but because God allowed them to taste where their choices were leading.[IN ROMANS 1…] Paul says the same thing three times: “God gave them over…” “God handed them over…” “God turned them over…”This is DIVINE JUDGMENT— not lightning bolts, BUT consequences.God lets people walk the path they insist on walking, even when that path leads to their ruin.BUT… and this is crucial that we understand… Even in judgment, GOD IS PATIENT, LONGING FOR REPENTANCE.[SO LET'S LOOK AT SOME…] KEY TRUTHS ABOUT GOD'S ANGER1. God's anger is ALWAYS A RESPONSE TO HUMAN EVIL.Never to inconvenience. Never to annoyance. Never because He's just “had enough.”2. God's anger FLOWS FROM HIS COMPASSION AND LOYAL LOVE.If God didn't care, He wouldn't get angry.INDIFFERENCE IS THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE, not anger.3. God's anger is HIS REFUSAL TO LET HUMANS SIT FOREVER IN SELF-DESTRUCTION.He will not allow sin to reign unchallenged. He will confront evil because He is good.4. God's anger SERVES HIS MISSION TO RESCUE.Anger is not the end… Restoration is.God's justice CLEARS THE WAY FOR GOD'S MERCY.[AND THIS IS WHERE WE FIND JESUS…]JESUS IS WHERE GOD'S ANGER AND GOD'S LOVE MEET PERFECTLYJesus reveals the heart of God more clearly than anyone.In John 3:16, Jesus says He is going to Jerusalem to die as the expression of God's love for His enemies.That means Jesus does not simply teach about God's patience—JESUS EMBODIES PATIENCE.Jesus stands in the place of people choosing self-destruction and absorbs the consequences of their choices into Himself.On the cross:We see God's anger against sin.On the cross, We see God's love for sinners.On the cross, We see justice and mercy come together.On the cross, We see wrath swallowed by grace.On the cross, We see sinners rescued instead of ruined.THE CROSS is THE ULTIMATE ACT OF THE GOD WHO IS SLOW TO ANGER.[SO THE QUESTION IS…] WHAT DOES “SLOW TO ANGER” MEAN FOR US?1. SLOW TO ANGER MEANS, GOD'S PATIENCE IS FAR GREATER THAN OUR FAILURES.If He wasn't done with Pharaoh after nine chances, He isn't done with you after your mistakes.2. SLOW TO ANGER MEANS, GOD GIVES TIME FOR REPENTANCE.Every delay in judgment is an invitation to return.3. SLOW TO ANGER MEANS, GOD CONFRONTS EVIL, but NEVER IN A WAY THAT CONTRADICTS HIS COMPASSION.Divine anger is always aimed at restoration.4. SLOW TO ANGER MEANS, GOD WILL NOT FORCE YOU TO CHOOSE LIFE, but HE WILL LET YOU FEEL WHERE DEATH LEADS.Not because He doesn't love you— but because He loves you too much to lie to you.5. SLOW TO ANGER MEANS, YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME, ALWAYS!If you are still breathing, God is still inviting.[SO…] WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THIS (How do we apply it to our lives)?Allow God to CONFRONT YOUR DESTRUCTIVE PATTERNS.He is slow to anger… not absent of anger.DON'T MISTAKE GOD'S PATIENCE FOR PERMISSION.Delayed consequences are not divine approval. They are divine mercy.SURRENDER WHAT KEEPS LEADING YOU TO RUIN.Sin always promises life but delivers death. God always promises truth and delivers freedom.Trust the GOD WHOSE ANGER AND LOVE WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE.He is not trying to destroy you. He is trying to rescue you.CONCLUSIONGOD'S PATIENCE IS PART OF GOD'S LOVEWhen God describes Himself as “slow to anger,” He is not saying He never gets angry. He is not saying He doesn't take sin seriously. He is not saying He ignores evil.He is saying: “My anger is PATIENT, PURPOSEFUL, and AIMED AT REDEMPTION.”God delays judgment so He can extend mercy.God holds back wrath so He can offer grace.God gives space for repentance because He loves His creation.This is the heart of THE GOD WHO IS SLOW TO ANGER.And this is THE GOD JESUS REVEALS… the God who takes our self-destructive choices upon Himself so we can receive forgiveness, life, and restoration.

Send us a textIn English, we use exclamation points to emphasize a point or convey urgency. In Hebrew they use repetition. Several times in Scripture a word or phrase is repeated to indicate it's importance; but only once is a word used three times - and that's to tell us God is Holy, Holy, Holy. God's holiness is not just one of His attributes, it's Who He is! His holiness effects every single characteristic of Him. What does understanding God's holiness mean for us and why is it so crucial to shore up a rock-solid foundation for our faith?Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to check out everything Proverbs 9:10 on our website, www.proverbs910ministries.com! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, YouTube, Twitter, Truth Social, and Gettr!

7 takeaways from this study God's dwelling place is both physical and spiritual. The Tabernacle, Zion, and ultimately humanity itself are called to become pure habitats for God's presence, reflecting a heavenly pattern on earth. Approaching God requires humility and transparency. Only those who are humble, contrite in spirit, and tremble at God's word can draw near to Him authentically. Spiritual refinement is a continuous process. Like gold being purified, our lives are to undergo ongoing testing and refining so that impurities are removed and deeper holiness is achieved. Discerning truth vs. deception is crucial. Scripture warns that not every sign, prophet, or miracle is from God; true spiritual messages will always align with God's revealed character and commandments. God values inner transformation over outward rituals. Religious acts and offerings are meaningless unless accompanied by a changed heart and genuine desire for God. The Tabernacle's design teaches personal and communal holiness. Just as the Tabernacle had levels of increasing sanctity, believers are called to internalize God's instructions and move from the outer courts into deeper intimacy and obedience. Every believer is called to be God's living Temple. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, each person is shaped, molded, and refined to become a set-apart, welcoming place for God's presence, reflecting His glory to the world. Last Shabbat, our study centered on the ascent to Mount Sinai — מֹשֶׁה Moshe’s (Moses) going up to receive the tablets, the לֻחֹת הָעֵדוּת luchot ha'edut (“Tablets of Testimony”; Exodus 25:16), and the intricate boundaries Adonai set from base of the mountain to the summit. As we recalled, only Moses was invited all the way up; the elders, אַהֲרֹן Aharon (Aaron), and his sons, Nadav (Nadab) and Avihu (Abihu), attended a banquet in the Divine presence, yet only Moshe crossed into the holiest place. The mountain itself, with its levels of separation: the base for the people, the middle for Aaron and יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yehoshua (Joshua), and the top, the most holy, for Moses—mirrored the very structure of the משכן Mishkan (tabernacle), with the outer court, the הַקֹּדֶשׁ haQodesh (Holy Place), and the קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים Qodesh haQadashim (Holy of Holies). צִיּוֹן Tziyon (Zion) is not just a geopolitical entity, but “the special dwelling place of the Creator of heaven and earth,” a beacon from which the Word and Spirit flow out to all the earth. Just as Sinai functioned as the first outflow, Zion becomes the ultimate, spiritual beacon, culminating in the presence of God reaching to all nations. The mountain, the Tabernacle, and Zion all direct our hearts toward the Divine calling — the upward journey of drawing close. Recognizing True Prophets and the Danger of False Ones Deuteronomy 18 calls us to discernment: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” Deuteronomy 18:15 NASB95 But the Torah warns, too, that a prophet may arise who may even perform “signs and wonders” (Deuteronomy 13:1), but if his message beckons us to follow other gods or abandon what Adonai has revealed, be very, very, very careful. The parameters are clear: fidelity to the testimony— the עֵדוּת edut — etched in stone. In Hebrew, this notion of witness or testimony underscores the sanctity and fixedness of God's revelation, echoed by the New Covenant's call to “test everything” (1Thessalonians 5:21). Approaching God: The Heart of Qorban and the Veil When the Torah speaks of קָרְבָּן qorban/korban (“thing brought near,” “offering”; Leviticus 1:2), it reveals that it is not just about ritual sacrifice; it is about approach, nearness — our hearts being the “thing that approaches” Heaven. The Mishkan, with its furnishings, courses of gold, and layered sanctity, is not architecture for ceremony alone. Here is the message: There is a special way — a Divinely sanctioned method — of approach to the Presence, and that is through the special offering foretold from Genesis, the הַמָּשִׁיחַ haMashiach (“Anointed One,” Messiah, Christ), in Whom all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:14). The Tabernacle is a תַּבְנִית tavnit (“pattern from heaven”; Exodus 25:9) of Heaven's purpose: Who or what is it that approaches God? And how do we become “pure gold”? ‘Pure Gold’ and the Pattern of Heaven This week, we examine Exodus 25:1–26:30. A key phrase leaps out:“pure gold.” Over and over, the construction instructions for the Mishkan objects repeat זָהָב טָהוֹר zahav tahor (“pure gold”) — nearly three dozen times in the Hebrew Scriptures, mostly in the Exodus 25–39. Every object within the אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד Ohel Mo'ed (tent of meeting) is fashioned of or overlaid with gold — symbolizing ultimate purity and divine perfection. The utensils are gold. The furniture, if not solid gold like the menorah, is wood covered in gold. Outside, in the courtyard, things are נְחֹשֶׁת nechoshet (copper or brass), which is “reddish” (דָּם dam) like dirt (אֲדָמָה adamah). But enter the tent, and the sensory world changes: gold everywhere, echoing a realm set apart, not tarnishing, otherworldly. הַטְּהוֹרָה ha-tahorah (“the pure”; tahor = pure), as the Torah uses it, is contrasted with טָמֵא tamé (“unclean,” or that which is not pure, not fit to approach). We see the pattern amplified in the Prophets and Apostolic Writings. In the Septuagint, zahav tahor is rendered as χρυσὶον καθαρὸν chrysion katharon. That phrase only appears in the New Testament in two places: The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. Revelation 21:18 NASB95 The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Revelation 21:21 NASB95 Apostle Yokhanan (John) describes the New Jerusalem just as the Torah describes the Tabernacle — perfection, transparency, and illumination. The Message of Transparency and Refinement Why this obsession with purity? Why not settle for strength, as with tempered bronze mixed with other elements? The text gives us the answer: it is transparency, not mere resilience, that is the goal. Ancient glass was often cloudy, imperfect — like our own attempts at personal holiness. But the “gold” of the New Jerusalem is so pure “you can see right through it.” In the life of faith, God is after not just outward perfection, but an inner transparency — a heart open, without deceit or corruption, to the searching gaze of the Creator. Genesis 3 offers a brilliant Hebrew wordplay — נָחוּשׁ arom (“naked”) and עָרוּם arum (“cunning”) — playing on the paradox that sometimes what seems transparent is actually deceptive. The Adversary (haSatan), the serpent, offers Chavah (Eve) half-truths. But a half-truth is a deceptive lie. We are reminded that every teaching, every revelation, must be measured by God's testimony. Even Yeshua (Jesus) faced the Scripture-twisting Adversary in the desert, “for it is written,” — and answered with fidelity to the Father's Word. Holiness, Ritual, and the Internal Change Adonai through the prophet Isaiah thunders: “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? … To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” Isaiah 66:1–2 NASB95 Religious ritual alone is meaningless (James 1:26–27). The offerings, festivals — even those God calls for — are rejected when the heart is far away. If all it is is a sign on your body, the Apostle Paul essentially says, you're just mutilating yourself (Philippians 3:2–3). Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1Corinthians 15:50 NASB95 We have gone through moments like in Israel's history when the scroll of Torah was forgotten “in the back room” of the Temple. Yet when rediscovered— whether after Babylonian exile or following generations of neglect — the words brought people to weeping and repentance. The passage in Isaiah 66 separates those who “tremble at His word” from those who scoff, who trust in the building but ignore the Builder. The Potter and the Clay: Transformation Through Trials A recurring metaphor in Scripture is the בַּיִּץ ba'itz (“clay”) in the hand of the יֹוצֵר yotzer (“potter”), referenced in Isaiah and echoed in the Psalms: “We are the temple of God today…. He is building in us a place where He wants to dwell” (Isaiah 64:8). Our lives, like gold, are heated (put to the test) and impurities are skimmed off, until “refinement by fire” brings maturity and wholeness (see Malachi 3:3, James 1:2–4). We should ask Heaven to, “Refine me like silver, purify me like gold (Proverbs 17:3; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:3).” The stress, trials, and growing pains are the “moving of the clay” as Adonai makes us a vessel fit for His presence. Approaching With a Transparent Heart What, then, does it mean to “enter the house of Adonai with a transparent heart”? It means acknowledging our failings, responding to conviction, and submitting to the refining work of the רוח הקודש Ruach HaQodesh (Holy Spirit). The pattern is always inward — “circumcise your hearts” (Deuteronomy 30:6). God desires not a mechanical offering, but hearts that are soft, humble, and willing to change. In Isaiah 1, Adonai says effectively, “Your festivals, I hate them ….” (Isaiah 1:10–15). Did He call for them? Yes, but their hearts was far off. That's a recurring message throughout the Prophets and echoed by Yeshua (Matthew 15:8–9). The goal is not to “hack” our way into the presence of God, building our own way, but to accept the One whom He sent, to be transformed and led into the Presence as purified, transparent gold — zahar tahor. Emotions, Strength, and the Role of ‘Impurities' Are emotions bad? Some wonder, since Yeshua showed righteous anger (Matthew 21:12–13). Scripture tells us God gave us these emotions for a reason—the challenge is not their existence, but how we bring them under the Spirit's refining fire. Just as glass with some admixture may be strong physically, it's transparency — spiritual clarity — that God is after. Being cunning as serpents, yet innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16), means understanding the world's cunning, but not allowing darkness within. The Ultimate Goal: God's Dwelling in Us Scripture reveals a cyclical history for Israel, and we who are grafted in or born into the people of Israel see it in our own walk: God's “pattern” is always about fostering His presence among us, not just in tents or temples, but in new hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:25–27). Building according to God's blueprint involves internalizing His Word (Psalm 51:6). The Tabernacle/Temple has always been a shadow, an earthly replica, of what God was always after: We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. 2Corinthians 3:18 NASB95 A Challenge Do I want to enter God's house with a transparent heart? Am I letting Him mold me, refine me, and fill my life with the kind of holiness that shines — not just with outward strength, but inward clarity, love, and authenticity? Ultimately, the Tabernacle, Zion and the vision of “pure gold like transparent glass” all point to this: God is not calling us to architectural blueprints, but to lives built by His Spirit, fit for His indwelling. May we walk out these truths, allowing Heaven's pattern to become our reality. May we respond to God with humble, contrite hearts; refuse counterfeit revelations; and continually ask Him to refine us. So together, we may become the dwelling place for His glory on earth. The post How we build a house for God on Earth (Exodus 25–26; Isaiah 66; 1Corinthians 6) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

Taking the Promised Land (1) (audio) David Eells – 1/4/26   Tsunami Coming to Flood the Land Anonymous - 07/29/2007 (David's notes in red) This is like an open vision within a dream. This was probably one of the most emotional dreams I have ever experienced so far, which is normally not the case for me. I knew God would keep me safe from the flood, but I felt the fear of God's coming wrath, which made me to tremble. I saw myself in what looked like a viewing gallery made of glass. I could see miles into the ocean. I saw huge, extremely high waves approaching the land. It approached like a tsunami and entered inland. I then heard the voice of God saying, “Go and tell David Eells these words which must be highlighted in red, Warning: Judgment is Coming”. I then saw myself in a huge hall-like sanctuary, and you were preaching. There were people from different parts of the world. I saw Christians that I knew from my nation. These people started approaching me and asking me whether I was the one who saw the “Judgment dream” as they had read about it on the Internet. They could not believe that God could speak through a nobody like me! Praise God for that! The carnal church doesn't understand why God chooses to use nobodies like us. They only respect the great and notable important ones of the worldly church. But God's power is made perfect in weakness. I saw a group of careless Christians in this sanctuary who did not believe that God would send judgment to the wicked nations. They started to walk away in different directions out of this sanctuary to go about their daily affairs, such as work. But what was so amazing was that you were running before these people, with me running alongside, and you would stand in front of their paths and block their way and speak to them the Word about God's impending judgment. You really tired me with all that running in different directions away from the sanctuary! This is our ministry, reaching out to those who have not learned to abide in the safety of Christ. But I admired your persistence. I told God I had never met a persistent preacher like you! Because of the nature of our ministry: Internet, radio and access TV, we can preach day and night, non-stop, even beyond the confines of abiding in Christ, even as we ourselves abide in Christ. I saw that you would not let anyone pass you until you warned them! I was different. I only spoke about God when people approached me about God. Some repented; however, it is sad to say there were many who refused to believe, and they wanted to go back to work instead of staying in that sanctuary. It's time for people to think more about abiding in Christ than their livelihood. If we lose our life before the time we wont need a job. We had strayed way from this sanctuary due to warning the people. We were anticipating the floods at any time. This place was full of rocks/boulders. We had to climb down a boulder, then up again to make our way to safety. Suddenly, there appeared a fair woman (she looked western) dressed in white flowing garments. (The true church of Revelation 12:1.) She was holding a fair baby swaddled in white cloth. I quickly climbed down, and she told me to take her baby because she would not make it. (The church, as it is, will be brought to spiritual death to self through the coming judgments so that it may manifest resurrection life.) That baby was sleeping in her arms peacefully. However, as she handed me that baby, she spoke to it that she would not make it, but someone else would take care of it, and then it started to cry violently. (The man-child's warning to the church of coming crucifixion.) I took that baby, which was extremely tiny. I'm single, but I'm sure babies don't come in that size! (A small body of people in comparison to the mother.) It was so tiny yet very powerful that when its head and body started to wriggle, I had difficulty holding it, and it nearly dropped out of my hands. Fortunately, the lady made it down just in time to catch hold of that baby! (In humbling themselves to the Lord, they will receive the ministry of the man-child they have previously given up.) I can't remember seeing that woman and baby at this point. Because the floods were expected to come, I entered into a huge, tall hotel built upon a rock. It could be as tall as 100 floors. (The 100-fold fruit of those who abide fully on the rock of Christ.) I have never seen such a superstructure like this before in my life. I entered that hotel, and I saw many Christians there who believed in the impending judgment of God. We wanted to change our rooms from the lower floors to the highest floors. (More heavenly, less earthly, 100 fold fruit.) The desk clerk checked and acceded to our request because the highest floors were all vacant. He said that it would cost $89 per person. (The Lord sent me to Matthew 13 when I read this, and immediately showed me the 8th and 9th verse. Mat.13:8 and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He that hath ears, let him hear. Also Psa.89 brings us to the Man-child.) My sister prepaid for all of these Christian families with her credit card. The Christian families told my sister that they would settle the bill for their share of the hotel fees. (We have heavenly credit because of the sacrifice of Jesus but also we have to count the cost of losing our life in this world to have our heavenly life.) The dream ended here. I have been having visits of fallen angels recently. I can sometimes see them with my naked eyes! I just had a visit last Tuesday. I would just rebuke them in Jesus name and they would dissipate immediately from view. I wonder why? (To show we have authority over them in Jesus' name.) Spoken to me: Floods/tsunamis spiritually speak of judgments. I believe you are reaching many nations through your ministry. Your ministry is primarily preparing people to escape the coming tribulation. God is no respecter of persons, and He can speak through whom He chooses. I believe that the coming judgment is around the corner, maybe sooner than some may conceive. As usual, there will be those who are just careless in their Christian life, and like in Noah's time, they want to eat, drink, marry, and go about their daily routine until it is too late for them to repent of their folly. I believe the lady speaks about the church, and the baby speaks of the man-child.   Promised Land or Beast Land? Father sent me five words given to the saints at the same time, which He showed me are related.   A Detention Camp D.L. - 06/18/2013 (David's notes in red) On January 12, 1994, I had a dream in which the Lord told me to go and anoint a detention camp. (His name means “world ruler”, which probably represents the Man-child who anoints the camp. The camp represents that Beast bondage is coming to God's people, apparently for their good.) It was to be a place where many Christians would suffer in their bodies, putting an end to sin 1Pe.4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. After anointing the camp, I was to run away as fast as I could. The only part I saw in the dream was me looking down upon myself running down a path or road as fast as I could. So I have no idea what the camp looked like or where in the camp I did the anointing. (This is a worldwide camp of beast bondage anointed and ordained to bring repentance and purity to God's people.) Note: There is a warning here for Christians to get their lives in order before the Lord, so they can enjoy the Lord's protection for whatever dangers there are in the future and avoid, if possible, places like this. (You can escape through holiness.)   Deb Horton - 06/16/2013 For the past few days, I kept getting repeated in my mind this phrase: “for I watch over my word to perform it”. But I didn't know it was for UBM. Sorry! (I told Care about it on Friday, so I have a witness.) This phrase is from Jer.1:12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. (What Word will the Father watch over to perform? How and why will He do this?) (Below is the text and some interpretation.) Jer.1:1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 to whom the word of Jehovah came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. (As we see, this will be the carrying away unto the Beast captivity of God's apostate people.) 4 Now the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child. 7 But Jehovah said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak. (This is the same conversation God had with Moses the Man-child. Jeremiah represents the Man-child who basically said he didn't know how to speak, and God said, “Fear not. I will speak through you”.) 8 Be not afraid because of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith Jehovah. 9 Then Jehovah put forth his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth: (To release a sword against God's people to bring them to repentance.) 10 see, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. 1011 (the gematria for the Man-child) Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod (the “rod of my son” - Ezekiel 21:10 below) of an almond-tree (almonds are first-fruits). Here is Ezekiel 21:10 in context: Eze.21:8 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 9 Son of man (Jesus manifested in His Man-child body), prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; 10 it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it contemneth every tree (The rod of God's Son will speak judgment on God's people through the Man-child who speaks not for “Churchianity” but God.). 11(again) And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. (Authority given to the Beast to slay the flesh of God's rebellious people.) 12 Cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; smite therefore upon thy thigh. 13 For there is a trial (or tribulation); and what if even the rod that contemneth shall be no more? saith the Lord Jehovah. (If the rod of the Lord's son was not there to chasten them, they would be lost. We must lose our life to gain our higher life.) 14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time (Third world kingdom to conquer God's people; there was Egypt, Assyria, and third was Babylon. Likewise, World Wars I and II brought New World Orders, the League of Nations and the United Nations, and WW III will bring the tribulation Dragon of Revelation 12. This third time, a sword will come against God's rebellious leadership and people.), the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded, which entereth into their chambers. 15 I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: ah! it is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter (God chastens every son that He receives; a humbling is coming.). Back to our Jeremiah text. Jer.1:12 Then said Jehovah unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. (According to God's will, the Beast will once again make war on the saints to bring them to their cross.) 13 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north (the Beast from the north makes war against God's people). 14 Then Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north (the seven-headed Beast kingdom), saith Jehovah; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem (the apostate leadership of God's people today), and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods (Elohim), and worshipped the works of their own hands (religions, doctrines, church buildings, of men). 17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them. (i.e. The Lord was saying, “Man-child, be strengthened to do battle against the apostates. Pay no attention to their disapproval; just speak what I say”.) 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. (As it was when Jesus was strengthened to come against the entrenched Pharisees who warred against Him. And I received this same treatment for myself and got these same verses.) 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to deliver thee. (I received this same text when called on the carpet by an old order religion I was asked to speak at.) So what do we do? M. L. received this word this morning: Neh.9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves (sanctified themselves) from all foreigners (This separation is happening. Those who act foreign to God's Kingdom are.), and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers (Confession of sins always brings the grace of God in deliverance and healing.). 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day (humility to the Word brings mercy); and [another] fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God. So they confessed their sins of their fathers which they had inherited through the blood for “the life of the flesh is in the blood”: 13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and Commandments (He gave us His Word), 14 and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath (His rest through faith), and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant (a Man-child type), 15 and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst them that they should go in to possess the land (or take dominion over the flesh) which thou hadst sworn to give them. (They rebelled and left the old man ruling the land.) 16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17 and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage (A factious leader, for they loved the fleshpots of Egypt where they were ruled over and fed by the carnal man). But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and forsookest them not. 18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations (So they made their own Jesus after their own likeness who smiled upon their sinful lives.); 19 yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. And they confessed their sins: 26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their back (they ignored the Word, as today), and slew thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought great provocations. (They weren't satisfied to just walk away when they rebelled against the Word of God; they had to silence the Word at all costs; they had to kill the men who sacrificed their lives to bring them the Word. At the same time as receiving this word, M. L. received Psalm 55:12-19 about this, and closed her Bible because she was tired of hearing this. She asked for another word and opened her Bible and put her finger down on the same verse. Psa.55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; Then I could have borne it: Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; Then I would have hid myself from him: 13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, My companion, and my familiar friend. 14 We took sweet counsel together; We walked in the house of God with the throng. 15 Let death come suddenly upon them, Let them go down alive into Sheol; For wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them. 16 As for me, I will call upon God; And Jehovah will save me. 17 Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan; And he will hear my voice. 18 He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me; For they were many [that strove] with me. 19 God will hear, and answer them, Even he that abideth of old, Selah [The men] who have no changes, And who fear not God. 20 He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him: He hath profaned his covenant. 21 His mouth was smooth as butter, But his heart was war: His words were softer than oil, Yet were they drawn swords. 22 Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved. 23 But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction: Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in thee.) Because of this great provocation: 27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries. 28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies, 29 and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances, (which if a man do, he shall live in them,) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. 30 Yet many years didst thou bear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands (to be ruled over and oppressed by the Beast). So what do we do to have God's blessing and come out from under the curse? We walk in the light of God's Word. On 6/16/13 a sister received Eze.47:21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. But she sent this whole text, which shows us how to possess the Promised Land of rest, milk, and honey: Eze.47:1 And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward (for the forefront of the house was toward the east); and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. (The Word is the waters from the House of God to bring salvation and healing to the peoples.) 2 Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. 3 When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. (What is the depth of the Word you walk in?) 4 Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. (30-fold fruit of the waters walked in) Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins. (60-fold fruit of the waters walked in) 5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. (Waters of baptism go over the head to put to death the mind of flesh. 100-fold fruit of the waters walked in.) 6 And he said unto me, Son of man (the Man-child walking in 100-fold fruit), hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the bank of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, upon the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. (Those witnesses who bring the healing waters of the tongue to the peoples, as below. And as Jesus the Man-child witnesses did.) 8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea (the Dead Sea, representing the dead peoples of the world); into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed. 9 And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live (a great revival of the Word coming when many church people reject it.); and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come thither, and the waters of the sea shall be healed (The word and understanding of lost people shall be cleansed), and everything shall live whithersoever the river cometh. (Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living waters -- John 7:38.) 10 And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. (many evangelists will fish for them) 11 But the miry places thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt. (Living waters are moving waters; dead waters are stagnant waters, as the Pharisees walk in. They will be reprobated, like Lot's wife, who turned to salt when she looked back.) 12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not whither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing. (As Revelation 22 shows, the waters give life to the trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.) Rev.22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, (Only the living Word can do this) 2 in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life (Pro.15:4 The healing of the tongue is a tree of life... In Hebrew), bearing twelve [manner of] fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no curse any more (the waters of the Word are to deliver us from the curse): and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; 4 and they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] on their foreheads. 5 And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light (if we walk in the light as He is in the light): and they shall reign for ever and ever. 6 And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angels to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass. If we walk in the light of the water of the Word, we will be blessed to take the land of rest, God's promised land of milk and honey. If we continue to rebel against the Word, we shall see a terrible beast bondage. Now back to Ezekiel text: 13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: This shall be the border, whereby ye shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. (The land is divided among the 12 tribes [verse 21] by lot [in verse 22]. We are the spiritual 12 tribes. (1Co 10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example [Greek: figure or type]; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.) 14 And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another; for I sware to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance. (The promises are our Promised Land of rest from our enemies.) 15 And this shall be the border of the land: On the north side, from the great sea, by the way of Hethlon, unto the entrance of Zedad; 16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazer-hatticon, which is by the border of Hauran. 17 And the border from the sea, shall be Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus; and on the north northward is the border of Hamath. This is the north side. 18 And the east side, between Hauran and Damascus and Gilead, and the land of Israel, shall be the Jordan; from the north border unto the east sea shall ye measure. This is the east side. 19 And the south side southward shall be from Tamar as far as the waters of Meriboth-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt, unto the great sea. This is the south side southward. 20 And the west side shall be the great sea, from the south border as far as over against the entrance of Hamath. This is the west side. 21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you and to the strangers that sojourn among you, who shall beget children among you; and they shall be unto you as the home-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. (These strangers could well be your lost loved ones who you are believing for and will inherit the land with you.) 23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord Jehovah. When I finished the above, I received this note:   Anonymous - 06/19/2013 The broader church is about to go into the captivity of the Beast system to separate the wheat from the tares: Psa.53:6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. The Man-child among us will lead the way out of spiritual captivity: 54:1 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul Doth not David hide himself with us? Save me, O God, by thy name, And judge me in thy might. Pray fervently! 2 Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. The factious will again rise up through the tribulation: 3 For strangers are risen up against me, And violent men have sought after my soul: They have not set God before them. The Word sanctifies the soul: 4 Behold, God is my helper: The Lord is of them that uphold my soul. The Word will overcome for us and through us: 5 He will requite the evil unto mine enemies: Destroy thou them in thy truth. The “name” (nature, character and authority) of the Lord brings the “living sacrifice!” 6 With a freewill-offering will I sacrifice unto thee: I will give thanks unto thy name, O Jehovah, for it is good. Which brings the deliverance from the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places: 7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble; And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies.   The Promised Land is not for Enemies These dreams are similar to those we have received in the past, which speak of fear moving people out of the area, in this case by train, which would only be necessary if the fault lines to the east and west opened up and main highways were cut off as we have dreamed. And then repositioning us in the area in preparation for many more Christians to come.   Moving and Trains Sandy Shaw - 08/22/2015 (David's notes in red) In a dream, a sister was talking to me, saying, “Everyone in the circle is moving”. (This means the local UBM circle. I asked the Lord if we were all moving and got three heads for YES.) I asked, “How does everyone feel about that?” She said, “We are ready to go; we are at peace with the idea”. (A word received for this dream: Isa.26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.) (M. L. had a dream called “Getting Ready” on 6/16/15, which is about them being in a large house, rather than the mobile home they are now in and getting it ready because all their children and grandchildren were coming. The coming children could have a spiritual meaning, as well as a physical meaning. Many children are coming. Michael L. dreamed that UBM people were moving into housing close together, which is outside the city. Bill had a dream we were there, too. M. L. had a dream that I was moving into an office there, too. We have always known that our housing is temporary at first and we are all renting. Housing has been provided.) Then, from the Walmart parking lot, I saw the following: A train, a document on special paper, and chaos and fear here in the local area, but we were at peace. (Walmart stores are reported to be staging areas to separate the Christians and, according to Eve's dream, a place where some may never be seen again. The fear represents the hornet of fear that drives the inhabitants from the Promised Land ahead of God's chosen. Pray for God's people among them! We do not make God's plans; we merely obey them.) I could not see the message on the document. Then I saw a man's hand as he pointed at it. He shouted, “Can't you see it?” He asked three times and continued to point, “It's right there!” (Could it be that the earthquakes have happened, and as seen before, the faults cut off the interstate and main road, leaving the area. The hornet of fear will drive people from our Promised Land. A false warning from geologists that the peninsula could sink into the waters that have filled in the faults?) I asked in frustration, “Lord, why can't I see it?” (Because Sandy doesn't hear the message of fear, she is not going with them. In one of her recent dreams, she was hidden in Christ, in the underground, when the people were leaving.) Then T. C. popped up with outstretched arms. She said, “Sandy, you know God is sovereign. He will reveal it to you when He is ready”. (In other words, He will reveal what you need to know on a need-to-know basis.) Sandy said, “I see a train that is not moving (I asked Sandy if this could be the train we are used to seeing. The only one that goes north and south through the valley. She thought so.), but I hear a train that is moving (the people out). Then the feeling of dread, like oh, no, came over me”. (I asked her if the moving train could be a passenger train and she said she felt it was. It is a possibility that this train could represent a train of cars leaving town. You can't get many people on a normal passenger train, but of course, the Nazis moved the Jews in boxcars. Then again, if they are going to a FEMA camp, they may not take their cars, and if the interstate and main highway are taken out, possibly the train is the only way out of the area. That way, they couldn't take much with them, which is what was already revealed to us. Sandy's dream of all the people walking or riding bikes to this central city [trains] while she ducked into the woods with others to a hiding place underground could be a clue. They wouldn't need their cars if they were boarding a train. But they may not know they are not coming back.) Amazing words by faith at random this same morning: This morning, Michael L. got Ezr.2:70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities. 3:1 And when the seventh month (on the Hebrew Biblical calendar, this is September) was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. We used to talk about our Jerusalem in this area. The Man-child David and his men took Jerusalem after he was anointed. Notice the same amazing words in the next verse. Also, this morning B. A. got Ezr.10:9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month: and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. (The outpouring of God's Spirit?) P. O. asked the Father for a verse to share. She said, “I felt led to ask Him for a verse that we needed to hear. He put my finger down on Isa.54:1 Sing, O sing ye barren... The whole chapter seemed appropriate. Then I felt like singing. The song that came out of the blue was Christ Arose”. Low in the grave He lay; Jesus my Savior; Waiting the coming day, Jesus Our Lord. Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph over His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign!   Many People Coming to UBM M. L.- 08/21/2015 It was a sunny day with blue sky and an atmosphere of rejoicing. People, people everywhere. Where did they all come from? How did they get here? How did they find us? What is their story? My dream opened up at seeing hundreds and hundreds of people coming to us. And I saw some more in the distance coming toward us, too. (This could be the call to go into the wilderness after the earthquakes and Man-child anointing. Those in the distance are those coming later.) I saw quick glances of people like snapshots seated at makeshift tables. More in the foreground were small, white, round tables; it seemed four could sit at each. At a section of white table, close to my observation point, there was a woman who caught my attention. She had finished eating and had kept looking to the right. She had blond hair that was long and was brought from her face to the sides in a becoming way. Her face was radiant as she watched the people about her. She looked familiar but she was different, taller, lighter hair. She will return and she will show radiance, too. (We knew this woman as a righteous woman but she was deceived into the faction by her husband. We had dreams this would happen to her but we also have had dreams she would return very humbled but without her husband who would die. So we think she is a type of many who will repent and return as the Lord has said to us.) This was all outside and people were eating. Everyone had a plate and something to drink. Believe it or not, the food just appeared as people were waiting in line. (Jesus, as a type of the end time Man-child in whom He lives by His Word and Spirit, multiplied the food in the wilderness.) Rectangular bountiful tables were end upon end and row upon row, just to hold the food. The people were patient and kind and loving to one another. (The only kind of people who will escape the Beast.) I saw close-up shots of lasagna being put on a plate. Crispy chicken, salad, greens, biscuits and on and on. The food dishes were replaced as the last piece or spoonful was taken. Where did it come from? I saw no one carrying food to the table. (Manna comes out of heaven.) Since we were outside, where were the ovens that baked everything? I knew our local body was serving but never really saw anyone. It was a busy time and we were servants to all. (A Marriage Feast in the wilderness.) I didn't see any buildings nor could I see if we were in a field or a grassy area because I saw everything from a table-height up. The edges were also blurred slightly, as I took in the scene before me. In the area, I saw no debris from damaged buildings (which will be needed). When people had finished eating, they talked excitedly and were patiently waiting for the meeting to start. This had to be on a raised area so people could see who was speaking. Then again, I didn't see this but just knew that the area on the right was where things were set up. People were looking in that direction. It was then that I noticed the people sitting at the white tables who were close to me had a special glow on their faces. Their faces had a sheen like oil on them that went into their hair. There were dozens of these tables. Then I saw more and more with the glow. (Those who manifested the glory of God by seeing Jesus in the mirror, the Gospel. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.) They had come here. They had been revived by rest and food. Now they were anticipating the spiritual food for their souls, they had hungered and thirsted for so long. (Jesus, as a type of the end-time Man-child in whom He lives by His Word and Spirit, fed that food for the soul in the wilderness, too. Oh, come, Lord Jesus; we need You.) Some applicable verses: Mat.11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Php.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Luk.9:12 And the day began to wear away; and the twelve came, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and country round about, and lodge, and get provisions: for we are here in a desert place. 13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people. 14 For they were about five thousand men. (Not including the women and children.) And he said unto his disciples, Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake; and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 And they ate, and were all filled: and there was taken up that which remained over to them of broken pieces, twelve baskets. (We have seen food multiplied.) Gal.5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.... Mar.9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all. Exo.34:35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. Psa.34:5 They looked unto him, and were radiant; and their faces shall never be confounded. 42:1 As the Deer Pants for the Water, So panteth my soul after thee, O God....   Are You Ready? Here They Come!  Sandy Shaw - 08/26/2015 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I saw huge wooden double doors that were several inches thick. They had hinges and handles like those of an old castle. On the inside, there was a large, thick wooden arm that was down to bar the doors. Local UBM was inside, hurrying to get final preparations done. Everyone knew what they were to do, and they did it. There was a man at the doors. Then the wooden arm was raised up, and he shouted, “Get ready, get ready, get ready!” Then he opened the doors and shouted, “R-E-A-D-Y!” And there were hundreds and hundreds of people coming inside!   A Nation of Refugees Moving Toward God Michael L. - 09/07/2015 (David's notes is red) I was on top of a mountain. It was mostly grassy, but the elevation looked to be 4,000 to 5,000 feet. I could see for many miles. It appeared as though this mountain was higher, as it allowed me to look over to the other mountains that were lower. I also saw thousands of people walking across the lands. They were traveling from left to right. (Jesus put the goats on the left and the sheep on the right, so this means to go from rebellion to submission, from goats to sheep.) None of them was saying anything. They seemed very sober or maybe tired. (The U.S. will be a nation full of refugees seeking help from God, Who will answer miraculously.) They were carrying things that they could easily handle. (It will be a wilderness experience for God's people. Many will come to know Him. When they do, He will give them a place of rest. Abraham was a sojourner: “he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God”. He searched out his Promised Land.) After seeing this, I thought that I should take my car, as it might make it easier (it was possibly a green 1960s Chevy Impala). I looked everywhere for some kind of road to travel down the mountain, but I couldn't find one. (No road down means you should stay on top of the mountain, close to God. Don't take the Chevy; it's a goat that only goes to the left.) Chevy is from French, German (Swiss) origins from chèvre meaning “goat” and, if you use the full name Chevrolet, we get lait meaning “milk”, possibly meaning for the immature. An impala is a reddish-brown African antelope with long, curved horns in the male, and is known for its ability to leap. They are food for the lion or beast.   God's Promise of Protection and Provision B. A. - 01/01/2012 (David's notes is red) I dreamed I was sitting in my den with my Bible in my lap and my laptop computer open to my concordance; I often study this way. Suddenly, from the view of the west window in the den, I saw a big black Hummer vehicle pull up right outside the window. I saw five men dressed in military clothing get out of the vehicle; I could see that one of them was a high-ranking officer. My husband was standing in the kitchen between the refrigerator and the island. I stood up out of my chair and told him not to move or speak, no matter what happened. I then began to pray this prayer: “Heavenly Father, please make everything in this house invisible except me, these two chairs in the den and the table, the mattress, blankets and pillows on the floor, and the four slices of bread and two small potatoes in the cupboard. Father, please make our enemies be at peace with us, and please make our enemies bless us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.” As I finished my prayer, the officer approached the sliding glass door to the den and entered the room. He looked straight at me, then, without saying a word, he began to search the house. What happened next was amazing. The officer began to walk into the kitchen between the refrigerator and the island where my husband was standing; the officer passed right through my husband and proceeded into the dining room and all of the other rooms on that side of the house. Then, the officer came back into the kitchen and opened the cupboard, and saw the four slices of bread and two potatoes. He gently closed the cupboard doors and walked over to the sliding glass door and opened the door. In a strange language I had never heard before, he commanded one of the young men to retrieve a large sack from the front seat of the Hummer. I was actually able to understand what the officer said to this man. The young man got the sack and brought it to the officer. The officer then came back into the house and placed the sack on the counter in the kitchen, and then went back outside. Then the officer reached inside the Hummer and had something in his hand as he walked over to the west window; he placed something that looked like a seal across the window, then got back into the Hummer and left. All of this transpired without one word being spoken. I then looked back at my husband, and I was amazed at what I saw. His hair, which was sandy blond before, was now snow white. I asked him, “Do you understand what just happened?” He looked at me and fell to his knees in sobbing tears, and he cried out to the Lord to forgive him for his sins. After a while, he got up, and we discussed what all had taken place. I then asked my husband to pour out the contents of the sack onto the counter. The sack contained two bottles of water, two apples and a large bag of peanuts still in the shell. My husband then said to me, “Everything you prayed for in your prayer was granted by the Lord”. We then sang and praised the Lord together. We then went outside to see more clearly what was on this seal that was placed on the window. There was writing in a foreign language, but I was able to read and understand it as it read, “This house is clean”. I looked up the driveway and could see that there was another one of these seals on the gate at the front of the driveway, so we went up to the gate to take a closer look at that seal; this seal read, “This property has been inspected and is clean. No further inspections required”. Then I awoke from the dream. I got up from bed and just sat for hours thinking about this dream. Tears of joy ran down my face, as I believe the Lord was reassuring me that all would be well with my family and me; just believe. Mar.11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.   The Righteous Remain in the Land M. Y. - 12/05/2012 (David's notes in red) Background note: We know there is a spiritual Promised Land of our lives, which is taken possession of as the old man is conquered by the sword or Word of the spiritual man who then rules this life. However, this dream has a special and more physical meaning to the brethren involved with it because we are in a LAND that was promised to us and others by the Lord, and He has told us that only the righteous will remain. The testings of the Lord and the temptations of self, have proven some people unworthy to remain in the Refuge Land, and they are being removed, just like in this dream. We have heard this warning many times and received some of the verses below from the Lord before. In my dream, a group of people were lying down in an open area and I was lying on my side. I saw (what I thought was in the spirit) an image of me with my right arm ripped almost entirely off my shoulder and barely hanging on by a piece of flesh or muscle. I was told that if I lay that way (on my side), I would not be protected from the strong wind and the result would be damage to my arm. (The strong wind is the tribulations to come and the arm represents the works of the Christian that will not survive the trial unless they overcome. In other words, their works will fail to be works of faith. Mat.7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock [of rest in the promises]. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. Another way of saying this is their works were burned up in the fiery trial. 1Co.3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble [the dark man]; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire. (He will continue in the fire for the flesh to be burned up.) I was then instructed (in the spirit or in my mind) on how to lie properly and in what direction to lie my head to avoid any damage. I practiced this a few times and knew that I had to remember it. I had to lie flat with all my members against the ground. (In other words, we have to have all of our works [arms], walk [legs], head [mind] and torso [heart] resting from our own works through faith in the promises.) I had to keep my eyes away from the wind. (In other words, get your eyes off the problem and on the Lord.) There was a black or dark man lying to my left when I held up my hand toward him in the shape of or forming the letter C. (The Christian is trying to teach the dark man who walks in darkness how to survive the coming curse. This dark man represents either the flesh or others who walk in it.) I thought that the C was a type of sign language, or I was telling myself to “see”. (Or it could also mean that we must keep our eyes away from the problem or curse and put them on C for Christ.) As I lay there in the shape I was shown, with one hand I began to pat each part of my body, as if to verify its position or to draw attention to it for instruction (to the dark man). At some point, there were no other people around, and I started wondering what would cause the strong wind. (Notice that the dark man was taken away. This is what the wind and fire do.) I considered a nuclear blast or other disasters that would cause a strong wind. I awoke and had the strong feeling that the C-shape made with my hand was telling me to see or pay attention. (The strong wind is any trial that tempts us to get into our own works and so fail to stay in the rest of faith that saves us.) When we heard this dream, there were three other people in the room with me, and I asked them to get a Word from the Lord by faith concerning this wind and what it would do by opening their Bible randomly and putting their fingers down. I was first to find a verse. Pro.2:21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. Notice those who are in the rest of faith will remain in the Promised Land. But, just as in the dream, the dark man is gone. This land that all four of us are in and has been promised to us is the Boat/Ark/Refuge, etc. M. Y.'s wife, got Psalm 73, which is all about the end of the wicked and survival of the righteous. Psa.73:18 Surely thou settest them in slippery places: Thou castest them down to destruction. 19 How are they become a desolation in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors ... 27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, [departing] from thee. 28 But it is good for me to draw near unto God: I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge, That I may tell of all thy works. Then M. Y. got astounding verses about what would happen to the wicked who opposed our building of the spiritual temple. In this text, those who persecuted the Jews as a faction stopped them from building the temple of God (as is happening now) were made to help them or be destroyed as is happening. Ezr.6:10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savor unto the God of heaven [the sacrifice of the flesh or dark man burning up in the fiery trial], and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. 11 Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon [in other words, let him be crucified]; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. Then M.Y. got a text that speaks of the backsliding people of God from the Spirit-filled and non-Spirit-filled groups that were taken captive out of their land by the Beast because of their spiritual idols and spiritual fornication: Jer.3:8 And I saw, when, for this very cause that backsliding Israel (non-Spirit filled) had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorcement, yet treacherous Judah (Spirit-filled who had the House of God in their midst.) her sister feared not; but she also went and played the harlot. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith Jehovah. In the rest of the text, the overcomers who came out of bondage were brought to the Bride, Jerusalem. 14 Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding ... 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah; and all the nations [gentiles] shall be gathered unto it, to the name of Jehovah, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. Notice the overcomers shall escape and be given the LAND. 19 But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. Notice, once again, that the wicked will not stay in the Land; the righteous who walk by faith will. S. Y. asked for one more verse and it was about the wicked breaking their arms, just like the dream. Psa.37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous. The rest of the text fits, too. 18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; In smoke shall they consume away. A dear friend, Bolivar, asked God what would happen to the carnal Christians in the coming days and got: Isa.65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. 10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor (troubling) a place for herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. 11 But ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for Fortune [to profit the flesh], and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; 12 I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame; 14 behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit. Psa.125:3 For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity. 4 Do good, O Jehovah, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts. 5 But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel. Zep.3:11 In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah. 13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Amo.9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us. 11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom [the Davids will conquer those who sold their birthright to be sons of Abraham], and all the nations that are called by my name, saith Jehovah that doeth this.

A Sermon for the Second Sunday after Christmas Isaiah 61:1-3 & St. Matthew 2:19-23 by William Klock Today's Gospel lesson picks up where last Sunday's left us with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in Egypt.  St. Matthew tells us: After the death of Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.  “Get up,” he said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel.  Those who wanted to kill the child are dead.”  So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there.  After being advised in a dream, he went off to the region of Galilee.  When he got there, he settle in a town called Nazareth.  This was to fulfil what the prophet had spoken, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”  (Matthew 2:19-23) The Gospels of Christmastide tell us the Nativity story from St. Matthew's perspective.  They jump around a bit, so we don't quite get the story in order—the part about the wise men, of course, is saved for this coming week—for Epiphany.  But our Gospel today picks up towards the end of Matthew's second chapter. Matthew 2 begins with the wise men arriving in Jerusalem, following an unusual star—some think it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.  In those days the planet Jupiter was associated with kings and many people associated Saturn with the Jews.  Seeing their conjunction, the wise men—astrologers from the East—concluded that a great king had been born in Israel.  They naturally went to Herod, and were probably surprised to find he knew nothing about any of this.  Herod sent them on their way, but he was troubled.  Like I said last week, I doubt Herod saw a serious threat here, but he was evil enough to think to himself, “Hey, if this kid exists, I might as well kill him…just in case.”  So he asked the wise men to stop on their way home to tell him what they had found.  When they returned by a different route, Herod just decided to murder all the baby boys in Bethlehem, two years old and younger. And so Herod's soldiers marched to nearby Bethlehem and did just that.  For Matthew's Jewish readers, this sure called to mind their own story—how long ago Pharaoh had tried to stamp them out by having all their baby boys drowned in the Nile.  Now it's happening again, and that's Matthew's subtle way of telling us that God is getting ready, once again, to visit and to deliver his people.  It shows us the depth of the darkness of a fallen world full of sin and death, but it also says that the light is about to break through.  Or as Mr. Beaver puts it in the popular children's book as he sees the snows of winter melting and flowers beginning to blossom: “Aslan is on the move.” When St. John opens his Gospel by talking about light coming into the darkness, this is what he has in mind.  This is why Jesus had to be born right in the middle of it.  Jesus didn't come to deliver his people from the outside.  He came in such a way that he identified with them, he became one of them—one of us—and he knew their suffering, he knew their pain, he knew their tears.  He knew the deep, deep darkness.  He was touched by the demands of Caesar, demanding and pushing his people around: Go here!  Go there!  So that I can count you, so that I know what's mine.  He was touched by the wickedness of Herod.  A true King of the Jews would have known that his people belonged to God, but Herod saw them as his.  He could kill them at will.  Jesus experienced the darkness. Why? Consider the names that the angel revealed to Joseph before Jesus was born.  Joseph was understandably upset when he found out Mary was pregnant.  He was prepared to quietly divorce her.  But then the Lord spoke. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:20-21) And Matthew comments on this, saying:   All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:          “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,                   and they shall call his name Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:22-23) You shall call his name Jesus.  Jesus was a common name.  It's a variant of “Joshua” and it means “Yahweh Saves”, “The God of Israel Saves”.  And it was a common name precisely because of the darkness in which the people lived.  They were desperate for the Lord to save them and we know that especially in the time in which Jesus was born the people were particularly expectant—the worse things got, the stronger their hopes became—and things were horrible.  And so, as Joshua led God's people into the promised land, Jesus was sent to lead his people in a new and bigger and better exodus into a new and bigger and better promised land.  In the first exodus the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, declared to be God's son, and entered into a covenant with him.  “I will be your God and you will be my people,” he had promised.  He took up his dwelling in their midst.  Matthew wants us to understand here that in Jesus, a new exodus is about to take place.  Not from Egypt, this time, but from sin and death.  He will, in Jesus, establish a new covenant and through that new covenant he will make a new people—a people in whom he will dwell, not just in their midst, but actually in them. And yet it's in Matthew's commentary that we see the “how” of it all.  This he says is to fulfil what Isaiah spoke: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son and he shall be called Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us'.”  Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14.  Now, no one before Matthew ever seems to have understood this passage as pointing to the future Messiah.  Isaiah had spoken these words over seven centuries earlier and he spoke them to King Ahaz of Judah during another very dark time for the Lord's people.  The king of the northern tribes of Israel had made an alliance with the king of Syria and they laid siege to Jerusalem.  King Ahaz and his people were scared, but through the prophet the Lord exhorted them to stand firm in faith.  They were to trust him and he would vanquish their enemies and this promised child was a sign.  A young woman, perhaps Ahaz's wife or daughter or Isaiah's own wife, would bear a son and before he's old enough to know the difference between good and evil the Lord would make good on his promise to deliver his people.  The child was to be prophetically called “Emmanuel—God with us”, giving assurance to the people that the Lord had heard their cries from the darkness, that he would visit them, and that he would deliver them. Just as the exodus in the days of Moses became an image of the ministry of Jesus leading his people out of sin's bondage, the baby—Emmanuel—born in the reign of Ahaz became another image of Jesus' ministry.  In him God once again had heard the cries of his people from the darkness—the darkness of Herod, the darkness of Caesar—in Jesus he visited his people, and in Jesus he delivered them.  Even more so, Jesus is literally “God with us”.  In him God took on our human flesh, becoming one with us.  He was born not in some privileged palace to wealthy or noble parents, but to a humble couple just as they were being submitted to the indignity of Roman rule.  Almost immediately he was made a refugee by the wicked and murderous King Herod.  In Jesus, God is truly with us in every way imaginable, sharing our nature, sharing our life, sharing our pain, sharing our griefs, sharing our humanity—sharing our everything.  Jesus has come into the darkness and into the pain and into the grief.  This is how the Lord saves. Joseph and Mary's flight to Egypt underscores just how Jesus came into the midst of the darkness and not just that he's come and joined us in it, but that he's found us in the darkness, so that he can lead us out.  After telling us about the angel warning Joseph to flee to Egypt, Matthew tells us that this took place to fulfil what the prophet Hosea wrote: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  But Hosea wasn't looking forward to the Messiah—to Jesus—when he wrote those words.  He was talking about Israel.  She was the Lord's son and the Lord called that son and rescued that son out of Egypt.  And now Jesus is constituting a new Israel where the old Israel had failed.  He is the Lord's Son and the Lord will call him from Egypt as he once did Israel.  Matthew points to Jesus as the fulfilment and the culmination of Israel's story. And then as Matthew writes about the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem, he quotes from Jeremiah's prophecy: “A voice was heard in Ramah,          weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children;          she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18) It might seem like an odd passage to quote.  When Jeremiah wrote those words he was writing to the people of Judah during their exile in Babylon.  It's a passage, first, of mourning.  The children of Rachel had lost everything.  Think of the darkness of the world.  Israel had lost it all: her land, her prosperity, her temple.  Everything that the Lord had promised and everything that reminded them of their status as the Lord's people had been taken away.  Had the Lord forgotten them?  That was what they asked as they wept by the river of Babylon.  But Jeremiah then wrote about the Lord renewing his covenant with Israel.  When she had repented he would restore her to the land he had promised and he would make her prosperous again.  Eventually the Lord did restore Israel.  She returned from exile.  She rebuilt Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.  But the darkness remained.  And so Matthew recalls the time of the exile, of Israel in mourning, and he does so to say that in Jesus, the Lord is acting once again to rescue his people from the darkness, from their exile, and to restore and renew his covenant with them. And, finally, at the end of today's Gospel we're told that when the family returned from Egypt and heard that Archelaus was in power, Joseph decided to settle the family in Nazareth—about as far from Archelaus as he could get.  And Matthew says in verse, 23, that this was “so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Again, Matthew doesn't use or quote the prophets the way we might expect him to, as if there's a one-to-one equation between Isaiah or Jeremiah and the events surrounding Jesus' birth.  Verse 23 continues to raise questions after two thousand years, because there is no mention of Nazareth anywhere in the Old Testament.  None of the prophets says anything about Jesus being a Nazarene.  The most likely explanation is that Matthew was making a word play.  In Isaiah 11:1 the prophet wrote about the Messiah: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,          and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.   They key word is the word “branch”.  In Hebrew the word is nazir, which sounds like Nazareth or Nazarene.  It's not the sort of thing we would do with an Old Testament text, but it's just the sort of sounds-like word game that was common then.  The point is that Jesus has a royal lineage.  The Lord had established a covenant with David that his house would be established forever.  In the course of history, David's house eventually fell.  No descendant of David ever returned to the throne after the exile, but the covenant was still there.  A shoot from the cut-off and seemingly dead stump of Jesse—David's father—would one day come forth and that branch—that nazir—would bear fruit. Do you see what Matthew is doing here?  Think of the big picture—the sweep of Israel's story as it's told in the Bible.  That's what Matthew is getting at with these quotes from and references to the prophets.  Matthew's putting the great themes of the story of God and Israel in front of us and showing how, in Jesus, the story is reaching its climax.  Quoting Hosea he reminds us of the Exodus.  Quoting Isaiah 11—the passage about the branch or nazir from Jesse—he reminds us of the covenant the Lord established with David.  And quoting Jeremiah 31 he gives a vivid picture of Israel's need for rescue and of the darkness in which the world was lost.  Again, Jesus didn't parachute into history at random.  Matthew stresses that Jesus came when the time was exactly right and that he came as the culmination of Israel's story.  In him all the covenants and promises the Lord had made to Israel are brought together and fulfilled.  Jesus is Israel, which is why St. Paul can talk about gentiles like us being grafted into Israel.  John the Baptists warned, as he preached the need for repentance in preparation for Jesus' coming, that the Lord would lay his axe to the dead wood of Israel while raising children for Abraham from the stones. Brothers and Sisters, this means that by faith in Jesus, you and I are now part of this story—the story that goes back to God's covenant with Abraham, to the Exodus from Egypt, and to the covenant with David.  All those who are in Jesus the Messiah—all those who have turned aside from everything that is not Jesus and instead have laid hold of him in hoping faith with both hands,who have given him their faith, their loyalty, their allegiance—share in the great story of Israel and of Israel's God and in his promise to deliver the world from the darkness and to deliver us from our bondage to sin and death.  As Jesus came to bring light into the darkness—into the darkness of Caesar's empire and of Herod's brutal and murderous cruelty, Jesus has come to bring light into our darkness. Listen to the words of our lesson from Isaiah 61:1-3.  These were the words Jesus preached from in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry and they were words he claimed for himself.  This is what he came to do.  This is how he came to be light in the darkness. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,          because the Lord has anointed me  to bring good news to the poor;          he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,          and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,          and the day of vengeance of our God;          to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—          to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,  the oil of gladness instead of mourning,          the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;  that they may be called oaks of righteousness,          the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.   This is Jesus—the Lord's salvation.  This is what it looks like for God to be with us.  He has delivered us from bondage to sin and from the fear of death, its wages.  There's darkness all around.  Again, all we have to do is turn on the evening news, read the paper, or look on the Internet.  And we each have our own struggles with the darkness.  We struggle with our own sins.  We struggle with our own strained and broken relationships.  We struggle to make ends meet.  We struggle through pain and sickness and death.  Brothers and Sisters, Jesus has come into the darkness.  He has shared it with us.  He knows and he understands.  And so Jesus speaks good news to us, he binds up our broken hearts.  He takes away the ashes that have been poured on our heads and the sackcloth we've been wearing in mourning and gives us beautiful headdresses and garments of praise.  He is light in our darkness.  He is God with us.  Isaiah says that this is so that we will be called “oaks of righteousness” planted by the Lord so that he will be glorified. Having God with us brings amazing transformation.  Imagine the chaos of the world all around, lost in sin, everyone struggling to get on top.  Think of our own suffering and pain and grief.  And then picture what we become when God is with us.  Isaiah says we are oaks of righteousness.  Look at those huge oak trees outside the windows.  They've been here forever.  As our building deteriorated in the 50s, 60s, and 70s those trees only got stronger and bigger.  The storms come and go.  Every once in a while one of those big storms damages the church building, but the trees are there as strong as ever.  They're an illustration of what Jesus has called us to be: light in the darkness, oaks in the storm, standing firm, making him known, providing a place of shelter to any who will come, living as pockets of his new creation, and inspiring everyone around us to give glory to God.  He has not abandoned us.  In Jesus he saves.  In Jesus he has come to be with us—to find us in the darkness and to make us light. Let us pray: Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word:  Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

INTRODUCTION — “THE FIRST FELT NEED IS TO KNOW ME.”Every year—like many pastors—I usually start January with a “felt needs” message series. Something to help us get our feet under us for a new year: stress, relationships, habits, purpose, prayer, identity… the things we're feeling right now.But as I was preparing for the first series of 2026, I heard the Holy Spirit speak something that immediately captured my attention. “The first felt need is to know Me.”I really believe The Lord is communicating to us, “The greatest need of My people is not a change in circumstances, but the greatest need of My people is clarity about who I AM.”If you don't know who He is… You won't trust Him.If you don't trust Him… You won't obey Him.If you don't obey Him…You won't experience the life He promised.[SO THIS YEAR…] before we talk about our needs, we are going to talk about His nature. We're going to start right where God Himself starts when He describes His own character.Not what culture says about God… Not what our trauma says about God… Not even what our feelings say about God… BUT WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT GOD.And there is one place in Scripture where God gives the most repeated, most quoted self-description of Himself in the entire Bible:FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTUREExodus 34:6–7 (NIV) The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God,slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.This passage appears more than twenty times throughout the rest of Scripture. It is the Bible's anchor text for understanding the heart of God.[BUT IT DOES CREATE TENSION…] One moment God is compassionate, gracious, loving, forgiving… Then suddenly we read He “punishes the children”…SO… Is God merciful or is He vengeful? To answer that question, we need to look at the story behind these words.I. THE STORY BEHIND THE DESCRIPTIONBefore Exodus 34, God makes a covenant with Israel—He saves them out of slavery, brings them to Mount Sinai, gives them the Ten Commandments, and calls them to be SHAPED BY HIS CHARACTER so they can REPRESENT HIM TO THE WORLD.But as Moses is on the mountain receiving the covenant… Israel is at the bottom breaking the covenant… They build a golden calf. They worship an idol.God is hurt. God is angry. God tells Moses, “They will keep doing this. This rebellion will never stop.” AND God is ready to call off the covenant—And He would have been absolutely just in doing so!But Moses intercedes and reminds God of His promise to rescue the world through Abraham's family.[SO NOW THE QUESTION IS…] Will God give Israel what they deserve,or will He give them who He is?In response to that question— In response to human rebellion, human weakness, and human failure— GOD REVEALS HIS CHARACTER.II. THE FIVE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (THE CENTERPIECE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT)The description in Exodus 34:6–7 has five core traits:Compassionate; Gracious; Slow to Anger; Abounding in Loyal Love; Faithful / TruthfulCompassion is listed first—not by accident. And today we're going to begin with the first thing God wants us to know about Him:III. THE GOD WHO IS COMPASSIONATE“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate God…” —Exodus 34:6The Hebrew word is raḥûm {ra-khum} (רַחוּם).Its noun form is raḥamîm (compassion).Both come from the Hebrew root rechem — womb.To the ancient Hebrew mind, compassion is not a soft, vague feeling.It is love ROOTED IN THE DEEPEST PLACE OF HUMAN EMOTION—a mother's fierce, protective, tender love for her vulnerable child.Compassion is not distant pity. It is GUT-LEVEL MOVEMENT TOWARD SOMEONE IN PAIN.A. Compassion HAS DEEP EMOTION — 1 Kings 3In Solomon's famous judgment between two mothers, the real mother is described as being “deeply moved”—the Hebrew is raḥamîm—compassion rising from her core, from her womb.She would rather lose her child to another woman than see him harmed.Compassion MOVES YOU TOWARD ANOTHER'S GOOD AT YOUR OWN COST.{BIG KEY} THIS IS THE FIRST WORD God chooses to DESCRIBE HIMSELF!B. Compassion MOVES GOD TO ACTIONCompassion isn't just God's feeling—it is God's movement. When Israel cries out in Egypt, Scripture says God “heard their groaning” and was moved with raḥamîm to rescue them.In the wilderness, though they complained and doubted, God sustained them like a mother with Food, Water, Protection, Clothing that did not wear out, Leadership, guidance, and mercy!{BIG KEY} When God reveals His character, the very first trait He mentions is COMPASSION.C. Israel Rejects God's Compassion… but GOD REMAINS COMPASSIONATEDespite His tenderness, Israel continually rejects Him. They worship idols. They oppress each other. They abandon Him and heir rebellion leads to exile.In the darkest moment, God speaks through Isaiah: Isaiah 49:15 Can a mother forget her nursing child, or have no compassion (raḥamîm) on the child of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.Even when Israel forgets God— God promises that He will not forget them!He is more faithful than the most faithful mother. More tender than the most tender heart. More committed than the most committed parent.[AND ISAIAH ANNOUNCES SOMETHING RADICAL…] God will rescue His people by ENTERING INTO THEIR SUFFERING HIMSELF.IV. JESUS IS THE COMPASSION OF GOD IN HUMAN FORMWhen Jesus steps onto the scene, He is the fulfillment of Exodus 34:6.The Greek word for compassion in the New Testament is oiktirmos {oeek-teir-mose} (οἰκτιρμός).It means deep pity; heart-moved mercy; compassion that expresses itself in action.There is also another word often used of Jesus' compassion:splagchnizomai {splank-knee-ZOE-my}— compassion from the inner parts, the guts, the womb-like center of a person.Jesus is the raḥûm of God walking among us.JESUS HEALS Because He Is CompassionateHe touches the leper; He lifts the broken; He feeds the hungry; He embraces the outcast.JESUS WEEPS Because He Is CompassionateAt Lazarus's tomb, He is deeply moved; He enters our grief.JESUS PROTECTS Because He Is CompassionateIn Luke 13:34, He compares Himself to: “a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings.” Again we see the mother-heart of God.JESUS SAVES Because He Is CompassionateThe ultimate oiktirmos {oeek-teir-mose} is the cross. Jesus enters humanity's suffering, sin, sorrow, death— Not because we deserved it, but because He COULDN'T LEAVE US WHERE WE WERE.V. THE TENSION OF COMPASSION AND JUSTICE[NOW LET'S TURN BACK TO…] Exodus 34.God is compassionate… But He is also just. He forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin… But He “does not leave the guilty unpunished.”Is this contradiction? No—it is the balancing of God's character.A. The Third and Fourth GenerationsThe phrase “punishes to the third and fourth generation” does not mean God is punishing innocent grandchildren.It means God limits the consequences of generational rebellion only to those who continue it.In Hebrew thought:“Thousands” = countless generations“Three or four” = a very limited number{BIG KEY} God's LOYAL LOVE IS THOUSANDS OF TIMES GREATER than His judgment.God LEANS OVERWHELMINGLY TOWARD MERCY.He only gives judgment WHEN PEOPLE CONTINUOUSLY REJECT HIS COMPASSION.VI. WHAT COMPASSION REQUIRES FROM USBecause God is compassionate, Scripture calls us to embody His compassion:Luke 6:36 Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”2 Corinthians 1:3–4 God comforts us so we can comfort others.Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another…When we see suffering— Be moved.When we see brokenness— Move toward it.When we see pain— Don't look away; Don't harden your heart; Don't grow numb.Compassion is the character of God developed within His people.Agape, if we want to represent the God who is, we must become a people who reflect what He is.VII. APPLYING GOD'S COMPASSION TODAY1. When you are hurting, GOD MOVES TOWARD YOU, NOT AWAY FROM YOU.Some of you think God is disappointed or distant.No—He is moved by your pain.2. When you fail, GOD'S COMPASSION DOES NOT RUN OUT.Israel failed repeatedly—but God remained compassionate.3. When you see suffering, GOD WANTS TO MOVE THROUGH YOU.Compassion is not a feeling—it is participation.4. GOD'S COMPASSION IS STRONGER THAN YOUR GENERATIONAL PATTERNS.Three or four generations of sin cannot outweigh thousands of generations of God's loyal love.5. THE CROSS PROVES COMPASSION WINS.Jesus does not abandon His children—He gathers them.CONCLUSION — THE GOD WHO IS COMPASSIONATESO WHEN GOD REVEALS HIMSELF—not when Moses describes Him, not when people guess about Him, not when circumstances try to interpret Him— God tells Moses the very first word: COMPASSIONATE.THE God with a mother's heart…THE God who moves toward the hurting…THE God who feels deeply and acts timely…THE God who enters suffering, not avoids it…THE God who forgives before He judges…THE God whose love lasts to a thousand generations…THIS IS THE GOD WHO IS COMPASSIONATE.And this is where we begin 2026. Not with what we feel… BUT WITH WHO GOD IS.Today— Let's respond to the God who moves toward us.

Noisy Doors, Leaky Roofs, and the Mark of the Beast Last week's newsletter was written to be very simple. This week...not simple. We're tying together our lessons on the Salt Covenant, The Scarlet Harlot, and the basic menorah pattern of Workbook One. So no, it's not simple, but it's not too difficult, either! Try printing it off and studying it over two Shabbats, referencing the suggested videos or workbooks as you go.   ***   So what do noisy doors, leaky roofs, and the mark of the beast have in common?    Excellent question! I'm glad you asked.   In order to see the connection, we have to know a little something about each of them. If you want a refresher on the Beast, consider signing up for the Creation Gospel Workbook Four class coming up with Kisha Gallagher (scroll down for info) or watching the Scarlet Harlot series on YouTube. You can also refresh your memory on the meaning of the mezuzah with our "More Than" YouTube videos. We'll cover a few basics here to tie it together.   “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…”   Yeshua standing at the door knocking is a huge hint, especially on the heels of John's sobering prophecies of the mark of the beast in Revelation. If we can't see the link to the world commercial system as “Babylon” in Revelation, we're not trying very hard. Revelation begins with memos to the seven assemblies emphasizing their need to “overcome” the tribulations John is about to describe,   • “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. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Re 3:14-21)   We can conclude that how to overcome is described in Revelation, but we can also conclude that an ignorance of the Torah will make our understanding only partial. Revelation is written as an incredibly intricate re-telling of the Torah portions. Without an understanding of those Torah portions, it will be difficult to be identified as one of those who overcome when they “keep the testimony of Yeshua and the commandments of God.”   If Yeshua knocks on the door of one of these potential overcomers, he knocks on a door that is marked by a mezuzah, which contains summaries of the commandments. To pull in the themes of our Salt Covenant study over the last several weeks, a mezuzah is a sign that those inside the house know to be salty within, tenderly and joyfully salting their commandment-keeping. Because they are pliable to the work of the Ruach HaKodesh within the house, they are ready to meet the challenges of the Beast outside the house.   The mezuzah is their reminder that they've committed their coming and going, especially their work and business dealings, to preserving their covenant with the Father with salt, for savory salt is our faith, the tenderness we have toward His Word. It is our desire to draw close to Him through our sacrifices, not begrudgingly or to be admired by others, but to give glory to the Father. Yeshua reminds us that he also wants to draw near to our salty selves, so he stands at the door and knocks.   Just imagine that the mezuzah on your door was Yeshua standing there each day inquiring if he may accompany you in your coming and going.   Because he is. The custom is to touch one's fingers to the mezuzah and kiss the fingers. It demonstrates affection and tenderness toward the Shma and other scriptures in the mezuzah, which remind us in our coming and going Who the only Source of wealth is. The name Shaddai is inscribed on mezuzot, which is the name describing His attribute of nourishment and supply.   By touching the mezuzah, we also are reminded like the Israelites in Deuteronomy Eight: “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers...”   The mezuzah on the door marks the boundary between what happens when we go into the world and how we are inside our homes. If we are at war inside our homes, then how will we war against the principalities and powers outside our homes? The shin on the tefillin reminds the person Who opens the Heavenly windows to drip down zuzim, or coins, transactions, in our lives. Zuz is found in the word mezuzah, but the letter shin is found on both the mezuzah and the prayer tefillin.   Because they are worn in prayer, it helps one to adjust those trade prayers according to Yeshua's model…daily bread…forgiveness…holiness…His will and glory on earth…protection from temptation to sin. Ever notice how many famous actors, musicians, and sports stars end up unhappy, addicted, disconnected from the real world, and just plain weird? We are not spiritually wired to receive the glory of Heaven, only to reflect the glory of Heaven outward with salt. Of course they get weird and depressed!   Our labor and business dealings outside the home must be salted and lit from within first. We must extend ourselves from within, or it will eventually be evident to the world that we did not exert ourselves according to our wealth of salvation and light.nIt is thought that the marks of tzaraat (leprosy) that appeared in a home were a result of greed and stinginess. When the priests removed everything inside to the outside to quarantine and scrape the stones, everyone would see the wealth concealed inside, especially if they'd pretended not to have enough to help the needy brother. The “best third” is where the mezuzah is placed on a door, the upper third, like an upper room. The mezuzah marks the right hand frame of the door about 2/3 of the way up: “Mezuzah guards the Covenant, and so observing the mitzvah of mezuzah leads a person to truth and faith, the faith which is absolutely necessary when conducting business.”    “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,' And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'” (Zec 13:9)   Yeshua invokes this prophecy in Zechariah when he warns the Laodiceans in Revelation Three that he is standing at the door knocking: “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich…”   This is where we see another connection to the mezuzah. Zechariah prophesies of the “third part.” This is thought to be the remnant that will come through the tribulation refined by fire instead of destroyed by it. They have not succumbed to the Beast's commercial activity, buying and selling excessively or on Shabbat (see CG Workbook Four or Workbook Two). Traditionally, the mezuzah is affixed at a pointing on the right side of the door 2/3 of the way up the door. To relate the thirds, the mezuzah is like the principle of the “upper room” we've studied over the last several weeks.    Ancient Israelite houses typically had two levels, a ground level where beasts were stabled and practical household work such as cooking and weaving took place, but the family quarters were on the second floor. An extra upper room had to be built either on the second floor or atop the family quarters, making it an upper third. More simply, an upper room was where the family made space for visitors, a space that wasn't there, yet they created the space through hospitality.   Those upper rooms in Scripture were places associated with hospitality toward the righteous visitor as well as resurrection from the dead, like the stories of Elijah, Elisha, Dorcas, and Eutychus. A mezuzah reminds us not to neglect making those spaces of hospitality for the righteous visitor, who represents hospitality toward Yeshua and the Living Word. Yeshua's noisy knocking on the door is a daily reminder that when we make an “upper room” of hospitality, then we are actually tapping into the Garden of Eden. The resurrections in the upper rooms of Scripture show us this.    On the mezuzah is either the Name Shaddai, or it is in the shorthand of the first Hebrew letter shin. Not so coincidentally, the tefillin that are placed on an Israelite male's forehead and arm are also marked with a shin (see above). The mezuzah and tefillin remind each day:   • Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Dt 6:4-9)    Deuteronomy 8:11-19 reminds Israel not to be deceived when they become comfortable and prosperous in the Land, for their wealth will deceive them into thinking they earned it with their own hand. Remember the gumballs?   The tefillin on the hand and arm are a reminder that it is YHVH alone who gives the power to acquire wealth. Likewise, the mezuzah is marked with a shin for Shaddai, the One who provides sustenance, nourishment to Israel. Strangely, the shin is made of three Hebrew letters vav joined at the bottom. The gematria value of vav is six. 666.    Whaaaaat? Yes, it's the mark of the beast. But that's not the whole story. The mezuzah and tefillin are NOT the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast is when you get very close to being a salt covenant household or person, yet you have something lacking. Salt. Your daily work is not to acquire the wealth of the Kingdom to the glory of the Father, which can only be done through the power of the Ruach HaKodesh moving through the Word in you. The mark of the beast is when our daily work is to acquire the object of desire for our own sake. We can hear the disingenuous, unsalty believer when he says, “If God will just let me win the lottery, I'll build orphanages and feed the poor all over the world.”   And he probably will. But he will do it only in order to feed his own desires first. He's not really seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He's pursuing his own kingdom, offering God a deal that the Kingdom of Heaven will benefit from the scraps. Such a person will not give commensurately with his newfound wealth, for he is stingy at heart. Unsavory salt. Tepid. Lukewarm. Blechhhh!   The secret of the 666 is that it is only the letter of the Torah without the Ruach. The shin is like a menorah when the backlight of the Ruach shines through it (again, see Workbooks 2 & 4). Remember last week's lesson on the gumball machine? It was what you couldn't see that had to occur before what you could see. The Ruach precedes the letter of the Torah. Together, with the spiritual backlight through the literal three vavs, it yields seven, the seven- branched menorah. One tefillin has three vavs, but its mate has four! 3 + 4 = 7. Compare to the above: To be unsalty is 666. To be salty is to shine the seven spirits of Adonai described in Isaiah and Revelation:     •  wisdom   •  understanding   •  counsel   •  Spirit of Adonai   •  power   •  knowledge   •  reverence    Yeshua, the Living Word, is the doorkeeper of the overcoming household. We never want to reduce him to someone there to reward us with wealth. The word mezuzah comes from a Hebrew word meaning movement, going back and forth. The historical zuz was a coin, about a day's sustenance for one adult:   • Weight: About 4.26 grams (0.137 troy ounces) of silver. • Value: Historically equivalent to a day's wage or a portion of food/clothing, (e.g., 200 zuz was a year's support).  • Modern value would be about $20.   "Give us today our daily bread." Not the lottery.   Not so coincidentally, a mezuzah means more than movement. It is rooted as well in the movement of a beast: What starts out as a beautiful creation of spirit (upper room), soul and body (lower rooms), can degenerate into the mark of the beast. Instead of letting the Ruach drip into our lower rooms of work and family, the upper room is sealed off because of our stinginess and greed. Esau and Jacob had very different motives in asking for blessings. We can become unsavory, relentless hunters like Esau, the Red One, nicknamed Edom because he was red and hairy all over like a beast, a man of the field who loved hunting. We don't want to become marked by the Red One, never satisfied, even on Shabbat.   “…and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Re 13:17)   Nehemiah's struggles with those returning to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, especially in their continued buying and selling on Shabbat, are the reference point. He eventually had to order the gates of Jerusalem shut and locked to prevent the vendors from coming in with their goods. How glorious will it be when the gates no longer need to be shut, for no one will even entertain the idea of disobeying the King of King's command to rest and be with Him in Jerusalem on Shabbat.   Knock, knock.   In short, the mark of the beast is on one who buys and sells on Shabbat. Because there is no trust in Adonai to provide the many things we crave, we continue to work on His holy day. Someone who believes in God may have salt, but it is not savory. One who believes in God enough to do what He says is savory salt. Salt allows us to draw near the upper room of the Garden. I'm sure Yeshua is having wonderful conversations with the righteous souls of those who just didn't understand Shabbat, but they were faithful in what they knew. They are learning while they wait, not rebelling.   Ezekiel describes what went wrong in the “upper room” of the Garden of Eden, a hospitable place for those who want to draw near to the voice of Elohim, but a place from which rebels are purged. The “trader” was cast out of the heavenly fiery stones and tossed into the lower realms of strange, profane fire, that is, fire used by those estranged from the upper room fires of the Ruach above:   You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. (Eze 28:13-16; 18)   Ezekiel 28 drops a hint to where we should be vigilant: “By the abundance of your trading [H7404 rekula] you became filled with violence within, and you sinned...”   ????? rawkal' [H7402] to travel for trading   Our trade is part of work for our living, yet, the abundance is the danger zone. If our inner fire craves more wealth than we are willing to give back to Heaven commensurately, our going back and forth, zuzing about, to trade our time and effort for goods, power, and esteem becomes idolatry. In Hebrew, moving back and forth is zuz [zuz is also a coin], the root of mezuzah. The mezuzah marks the door where we travel back and forth each day to obtain our portion of wealth.   When our pursuit of wages and wealth pushes the testimony of Yeshua and the commandments of God beneath our feet instead of allowing them to drip daily from the upper room of the resurrection Ruach that raised Messiah from the dead, we sin. Our house's upper room should be designed to drip to lower floors of daily living, or we become unsavory salt.   We trade our precious lives, our time, our effort, to accumulate an abundance of things, not necessarily money, but what money will purchase: entertainment, security, comfort, esteem, power, knowledge, appeasement, etc. These things deceive us into believing they will bring joy and peace, but we know it's a lie because they never do. They are simply offered to the strange, consuming fire of the soul, but are not refinement of the spirit, which is everlasting peace and joy. It brings savory salt, light, and contentment from within.    The ancient investment advice is:   • Invest 1/3 of your income in tangible property such as real estate, durable goods, secure long-term investments  • Invest 1/3 in your daily labor, your paycheck, investments that provide a faster return, a little riskier, easily liquidated • Invest 1/3 above the mezuzah in the Kingdom of Heaven by lending to the poor, giving to needy, investing time in spiritual causes along with Torah study, prayer, service, discussing Scripture with others, etc. Even kindness is an investment!   We should not become “stingy” with Heavenly principles in the world of work, which would reflect a home's lower rooms sealed off from the upper room. The upper room should drip the testimony of Yeshua and the noisy commandments of God through the power of the resurrection Ruach. It leaks into the lower rooms of family and work!   The leaky roof is what we need to carry into the world of work and business as well as our relationships. An outwardly successful business producing wealth that can only be spent before the resurrection of the dead is not successful at all.    Preparation in the home under the disciplines of the Ruach HaKodesh will be evident in the place of business, not as a pile of 666 cash, but as peace in drawing near the Father, salt. The physical work is simply a means of building the Kingdom instead of demanding that the Father bless our work to build our own kingdoms of security, esteem, attention, comfort, intellectual stimulation, etc. Whether we have little or many zuzim, all we need to remember is that we must give commensurately with the wealth the Father drips down upon us.    If we can be responsible even with earthly money, which has no righteousness within itself, then we can be responsible with Heavenly riches.   If we can't be trusted to give commensurately with our wealth when there is no Temple service, and much freedom is granted in when and how much we give, then how can the Father trust us with His riches when the Temple on “the mountain of God” descends? The Temple services and the Land of Israel are places of extreme exactness in managing work and wealth.   Manage earthly zuzim faithfully, and we will inherit the Heavenly riches to manage.    One of my favorite movies is about a Quaker family, from the book Friendly Persuasion. One of the funniest lines is, “Friend, thee's got a squeaky door upstairs.”    Friend, thee's got a squeaky door downstairs, too. Yeshua is knocking, reminding, inquiring, requesting if we will open to his voice. It is the same voice of Elohim that walked and talked in the Garden, an upper room.   When we open our doors to him, we release the water of the Word from our upper rooms and let it fill our homes, workplaces, and relationships. If we move about, may we zuz for the glory of the Father.    Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

In this series, we've been talking about four names given to Jesus before He was born. In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares the significance of the name: Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Messiah's name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Today we focus on Prince of Peace. In Hebrew, Sar Shalom.Sar means Captain, Chief, General, Ruler. Jesus doesn't give sentimental peace—He establishes peace by enforcing the rule of the King.So what is peace? In Hebrew, Shalom.Shalom is an all-encompassing word that describes when everything is as it should be.Calling the Messiah the Prince of Peace isn't a promise of fewer battles; it's God promising His presence through them. When your world is falling apart, God sent the One who holds all things together. He doesn't just have peace—He is peace.Peace does not come from inactivity.1 Peter 3:11 says to seek peace and pursue it. Peace won't come by doing nothing. If the world has to stop for you to have peace, you'll never have peace. Peace isn't the absence of problems; it's remaining resolute despite them.Peace does not come from control.Some people think peace comes when they get their own way. That's not peace—that's immaturity. Proverbs 3:5 reminds us to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. You cannot control your way into peace.Three Things Jesus Does as the Prince of PeaceJesus demonstrates how to live a life of peace. In Mark 4, Jesus sleeps during a storm while the disciples panic. A storm outside doesn't have to mean a storm inside. Fear responds to facts; faith responds to truth. Sometimes peace isn't God calming the storm as much as God calming His child.Jesus secured the peace treaty between God and mankind. Colossians 1 tells us that through the cross, Jesus made peace between God and humanity. You can't experience the peace of God until you've made peace with God. Peace with God isn't earned—it's received.Jesus offers us His peace. John 14:27 says Jesus gives us His peace, not the world's version. You can't have the peace of God while fighting the rule of God. Peace is a person you must yield to. Where Jesus is Lord, peace will rule; where He is not, chaos will rule.ClosingIsaiah 26:3 says God keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on Him. Peace doesn't come from changing everything around you—it comes from fixing your focus. When your thoughts are fixed on fear, peace gets blurry. When they're fixed on the Prince of Peace, clarity comes.A new year is right around the corner. What if we don't need a new year—we just need a new ruler? Where the Prince rules, His peace reigns.Are you letting Jesus be your Prince of Peace?

B"H You can learn Torah in translation, and it matters. But Torah comes alive in Hebrew. Hashem gave the Torah in לשון הקודש. In Hebrew, the Torah shifts from flat to dimensional. Stories link to stories. Words echo across the text. Meanings stack. It's not just reading. It's entering a living system. That's why the 8th of Tevet mattered. When the Torah was translated into Greek, wisdom spread, but something dimmed. Not because translation is bad, but because the light of Torah lives most fully in its original language. And the truth is, Hebrew isn't out of reach. A small number of words unlock most of the Torah. Twenty-two letters. Deep meaning. Real access. This is an invitation. Learn Torah the way Hashem gave it. Learn Hebrew. And let the Torah open from the inside. #Torah #Hebrew #LashonHakodesh #JewishLearning #TorahWisdom To watch Torah Thoughts in video format, click HERE Subscribe to the Torah Thoughts BLOG for exclusive written content! Please like, share and subscribe wherever you find this!

Welcome to Day 2760 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2760 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 103:7-18 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2760 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2760 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Geometry of Grace – As High as the Heavens, As Far as the East. Today, we continue our ascent up the magnificent peak of Psalm One Hundred Three. We are exploring the heart of the psalm, verses seven through eighteen, in the New Living Translation. In our previous trek, we heard King David preaching a sermon to his own soul. He commanded himself to "Bless the Lord" and not to forget His benefits. We listed those benefits: He forgives all sins, heals all diseases, redeems us from the Pit, and crowns us with love and tender mercies. It was a celebration of what God does. But today, David goes deeper. He moves from God's acts to God's nature. He asks the question: Why does God do these things? What is it about His character that makes Him forgive a sinner like me? In this section, David gives us the definitive theology of the heart of God. He takes us back to the mountain of Sinai to hear God's own description of Himself. He uses the vastness of the cosmos to measure God's love. And then, he looks at us—frail, dusty, fleeting humanity—and explains why God's response to our weakness is not judgment, but fatherly compassion. So, let us stand in awe as we measure the dimensions of grace. The First Segment is: The Magna Carta of Mercy: God's Self-Revelation. Psalm One Hundred Three: verses seven through eight. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.  The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. David begins by grounding his praise in history. He isn't guessing what God is like; he is remembering what God said. "He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel." Specifically, David is quoting Exodus Thirty-four, verse six. This moment occurred right after the Golden Calf incident—Israel's great act of spiritual adultery. Moses asked to see God's glory, and God passed by and proclaimed His name. This declaration in verse eight—"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love"—is the most quoted verse in the entire Old Testament. It is the Jewish Creed of Grace. Let's break down these four pillars of God's heart: Compassionate (Rachum): Related to the word for "womb." It describes a mother's visceral feeling for her helpless infant. Merciful (Chanun): Meaning gracious, generous, giving favor that is undeserved. Slow to Get Angry (Erek Apayim): Literally, "Long of Nose." In Hebrew idiom, anger was associated with a hot nose or snorting. To be "long of nose" means it takes a long time for God's nose to get hot. He has a very long...

Transforming Perspectives | Intriguing, is the biblical portrait of the futuristic mile high city descending from the heavens called the New Jerusalem. Inquisitively, most believers ponder earnestly of the significance of its appearance on earth, showcasing divine wonders of the glory of its inhabitants, named ZION.Biblical narratives foretell of the people chosen to become the stronghold of the glory of God, Zion. The foundation and foreshadowing of the multitude of nations, identifying the children of God, presented as pillars and copiousness of the holiness of God's glory. In Hebrew called ‘‎כּבוד' ‎כּבוד which is pronounced ‘kâbôd kâbôd in English. The city of David in which God's presence once dwelled in the temple, “Nevertheless David captured  the strong hold (fortress) of Zion: the same is the city of David.”   2 Samuel 5:7,  The Amplified Bible.Jerusalem, the city built upon a mount, high above its enemies, adorned with the riches of God's glory.  Representing the splendour of God revealed in his people as luminaries shining in the beauty of his Glory, ‎צבי in Hebrew, pronounced ‘tseb-ee', describing a status of prominence.  Also, foretold by the prophet Isaiah of the spiritual condition of the people called Zion, faithfully standing as luminaries in the beauty of Lord our God, exclaiming, “In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people. And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.”  Isaiah 28:6, King James Version.Formidably, is the term ‘doxa' in Greek, pronounced ‘dox'-ah' meaning honor, praise and worship from which the English word doxology is derived. John witnessed  the descent of Zion, the New Jerusalem in the splendor of the glory of God, exclaiming, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down  out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, and its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” Revelation 21:10-1, American Standard Version. Pray, Read and Study - Matthew Chapter 21 & 22 and  Revelation Chapter 21. (The Bible verses presented in comparative versions are for further edification of Scriptures)._____________________Thank you for joining and listening to our Podcast's Episodes! PODCAST WEBPAGE | - You, Life and God Podcast powered by Buzzsprout.com Episodes | Conversations of Transforming Perspectives pertaining to Biblical Truths are available also on Podcast, Music and Radio Platforms. YouTube | - You, Life and God Podcast Episode Previews You, Life and God Podcast MEDIA Announcements and Episode Previews. Live365 Radio | You, Life and God Podcast Radio - Let's Have a Talk.., ( Link) Poignant and Candid Talk, Inspirational Music, Family Prayers, Podcast Episode Replays. Available 24 hours everyday on Music and Radio Platforms. Listen In your Home, at the Office and in your Car. Radio Live Talk | Let's Have a Talk.., Live, Saturday Mornings, 9amPST, Talk - Replays Airing Daily. RESOURCES | TheBible org., 2025 all rights reserved worldwide. Connect with us on FaceBook and LinkedIn _________________

How can a baby be an "Everlasting Father?" In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares about this name given to our Savior before His birth. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua (Joshua). Yeshua in Greek is Iēsoûs. Translated from Greek to English, it becomes Jesus.Joshua, Yeshua, Iēsoûs, and Jesus are the same name in different languages, all meaning "Yahweh is salvation.""Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning "anointed one." Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Mashiach or "Messiah." It's not Jesus' last name—it's His title. In the end, it doesn't matter which language you use to call on the Savior; what matters is that you call on Him.Isaiah 9:6 tells us that His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.In Hebrew culture, names don't just identify a person; they declare purpose, describe ability, and reveal character. So why is a baby—who grows into a man with no natural-born children—called Everlasting Father?Everlasting means "from here on out." From this point forward, Jesus is the perfect and final representation of God the Father.Jesus made this clear in John 14: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." He wasn't just a prophet bringing God's message—He was bringing God Himself to us.He said, "The Father and I are one" (John 10).Scripture declares that Christ is "the visible image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) and "the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3).Five ways Jesus displayed the Father to us:A father protects. When danger came, Jesus stepped forward so His disciples could go free (John 18). Protection is love in action.A father provides. God meets your needs through your relationship with the Son (Philippians 4:19). Jesus didn't just preach to the 5,000—He fed them.A father is approachable. We come boldly to God's throne to receive mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). In Christ, the throne room isn't a courtroom—it's a living room.A father disciplines. God's correction is proof that we belong to Him (Hebrews 12). Discipline is formative, not punitive—it's about who you are becoming.A father loves unconditionally. God loved us first and sent His Son because He is love (1 John 4).You may not have had a father in the home, but you have a Father in heaven who wants to be the Father of your heart.Humanity misunderstood God's heart, so God didn't shout louder from heaven—He translated Himself into flesh.Jesus is God, translated into our language.At Christmas, God didn't just send a message—He sent us one of us.Some of us believe in Jesus but still relate to God through fear or distance. Let God translate Himself through the Son. Receive Jesus as your Everlasting Father.Are you letting Jesus be your Everlasting Father? 

Text: Psalm 131 In this sermon, we look at Psalm 131. This is a very short but encouraging Psalm. In Hebrew it is 3 verses, and each verse represents a thought: Vanquish your proud spirit. Fosert a quiet faith. A calling to hope. (Paraphrased from the WBS Psalms commentary). These three invitations push us to rid ourselves of our desire to be our own king and sovereign and trust the king and sovereign of our universe and our lives - Christ. It is in Christ alone, that we are carried along, and brought into fellowship and hope with one another and God our father.

Key takeaways from this study God's laws were always intended as a blueprint for human dignity, justice and release from oppression, laying the groundwork for true freedom. Heaven's agenda is not simply legalistic rule-keeping, but the transformation of individuals and societies toward compassion and liberty. By making freedom the end goal for slaves — especially Israelite slaves — God modeled a system intended to end cycles of generational bondage. The Torah's pathway for Gentiles to join Israel is Heaven's open door for all nations to enter spiritual freedom. Biblical laws set higher standards for humane treatment, signaling Heaven's desire that all people, regardless of status, can be liberated. Prophetic interventions (like Jeremiah 34) show that God rewards societies that extend liberty, but withdraws his favor when they renege, underscoring that freedom is dear to God's heart. The arrival of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) is the culmination of Heaven’s freedom goal: the offer of spiritual freedom and redemption to every nation, tribe and tongue. God is deeply responsive to repentance, faith and action — always ready to set captives free, both physically and spiritually. The ultimate intention of Heaven is for all people to know freedom — not merely by law, but through relationship, faith, and loving community. The journey from slavery to sonship is the story of God's heart for humanity: that every nation would experience deliverance and restoration through His mercy and truth. It's tempting to skip the difficult parts of the Bible, like the ordinances of slavery in Exodus (שְׁמוֹת Shemot). Here, we don't dodge them. We face them head-on, recognizing that Scripture's laws were in response to brutal ancient societies but also express the heart of a redeeming God Who works through history, not around it. The תּוֹרָה Torah (“instruction,” “teaching”) is not just a book of do's and don'ts. It's an unfolding revelation — God giving His people not only laws (מִצְווֹת mitzvot) but the principles and spirit behind them. Today we’re seeking those principles, to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2Timothy 2:15), so we can discern what God is up to in these difficult passages. The big picture: Law, mercy and becoming a distinct people to do something Let's remember, Israel was called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (גּוֹי קָדוֹשׁ goy kadosh; Exodus 19:6) — not to mimic Egypt or Babylon but to model God's justice and compassion. We're not supposed to copy distorted theologies or twisted histories, like those that fueled the Spanish Inquisition (tragically insisting on forced conversions and outlawing Torah practice). Instead, “placing the ordinances before them” (Exodus 21:1) challenged Israel to treat every person — citizen, foreigner or even slave — with more dignity, fairness, and hope for freedom than the surrounding world expected. We're still being called to do the same. When we read these laws, our immediate reaction is often that they—and the culture in which they were given—seem strange, even very strange, to us. Human nature does not change, and people who desire to exercise absolute power over others will always find excuses to do so. As believers, we have an obligation to advocate for the freedom and fair treatment of those who are enslaved. Laws about slavery: An honest look The structure of biblical servitude Exodus 21–22 doesn't ignore slavery. It regulates and humanizes it within a radically unfree world. In Hebrew, the word is עֶבֶד eved (“servant” or “slave”). Slavery in ancient Israel could arise from debt, crime or poverty. But the Torah takes that bitter reality and bends it toward compassion and eventual liberty. Israelite slaves (עֶבֶד עִבְרִי eved Ivri): They were set free after six years of service. “In the seventh year he shall go out as a free man without payment” (Exodus 21:2 NASB 1995). Gentile slaves (עֶבֶד מִן־הַגּוֹיִם eved min ha-goyim): Non-Israelite slaves served longer, but the law provided avenues for dignity and even conversion and inclusion. The key was always freedom (חֵרוּת cherut, ἐλευθερία eleutheria). “God encourages us to not just say, ‘Well, there's the law.' Rather, He teaches us the principle behind the law — so we can apply it, even as times change.” Responsibilities and restoration Torah insisted that masters provide for their servants and their families. “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone” (Exodus 21:4 NASB 1995). But here's the twist: upon release, Israelites were to be given resources (Deuteronomy 15:13-14). Slaves could, with what they received, “buy” freedom for their wives and children — a path to holistic release. The gentile's path to inclusion An incredible provision: any Gentile (גּוֹי goy, plural גּוֹיִים goyim) who embraced the God of Israel became “as a native of the land” (Leviticus 19:34). The Torah's inclusive heart was always beating — the servant wasn't forever defined by their starting point; they could become part of the family of God. The moment he says, “I am not going to be Gentile anymore, I'm going to follow the God of Israel,” he's now a sojourner among Israel (Exodus 12:48-49; Numbers 15:15). The reality is that throughout most of the Ancient Near East, there were few legal avenues for slaves to gain freedom, whereas in Israel there were legal mechanisms that allowed slaves to become free. The Torah's laws, which may appear inequitable at first glance, were in fact more merciful to slaves than the laws common throughout the Ancient Near East. Discipline and ethics: Justice with limits The Torah sought to curb human power, even in discipline. Masters were prohibited from using lethal force against slaves: “But if the slave survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property. If, however, the slave lives only a day or two after being beaten … he shall surely be punished.” Exodus 21:20-21 paraphrase Jewish tradition explains: discipline could only use non-lethal tools—not rocks (אֶבֶן ehven, “stone”) or clubs (מַקֵּל makel, “rod”) liable to cause death. If a slave was permanently injured (e.g., lost an eye or tooth), that servant went free (Exodus 21:26-27). This is the Torah's חֶסֶד khesed/chesed (“mercy”), limiting what was culturally normal — even while working within a broken world. Consequences of injustice In parallel passage Jeremiah 34, King צִדְקִיָּהוּ Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah) decreed liberty for Israelite slaves, an “Emancipation Proclamation” in obedience to Torah. For a moment, Heaven's pleasure was evident — the Babylonian army withdrew. “…Proclaim liberty to them, that every man should set free his male servant and every man his female servant — a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman — so that no one should keep them, an Israelite his brother, in bondage.” Jeremiah 34:9-10 paraphrase But when the people reneged — re-enslaving those liberated — God pronounced judgment, equating their act to kidnapping (חָטַף khataf/chataph), a capital offense (Exodus 21:16): “… I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies … and burn it with fire ….” Jeremiah 34:21-22 NASB 1995 The prophetic message? Justice and mercy aren't just ideals. They're the very conditions for God's protection and blessing. Freedom is non-negotiable. Even kings are not above God's law. Faith, works and living out God's heart Apostle יַעֲקֹב Ya'akov (James) famously wrote about faith in Heaven that doesn’t bring life to the world: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Our discussion reinforced that belief and action are inseparable. Kings, like Zedekiah, couldn't just declare good intentions. They had to enforce righteousness — for themselves and their society. Faith (אֱמוּנָה emunah) doesn't just reside in the mind. It must change how we respond to suffering, injustice, or even ancient laws — pushing us to build communities where no one stays in bondage. Messiah: The fulfillment of freedom and inclusion The whole of Scripture is a story arc bending toward Messiah — יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua (“salvation”). The Torah's complex social instructions longed for something greater: spiritual and ultimately physical redemption for all. Yeshua quoted one of Heaven’s key reformer prophets when He announced His mission: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release [ἄφεσις aphesis, “release/freedom”] to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed.” Luke 4:18 NASB 1995; Isaiah 61:1 And Apostle Paul (formerly, Sha'ul) wrote: It was for freedom (ἐλευθερία eleutheria) that Messiah set us free; therefore keep standing firm…. Galatians 5:1 NASB 1995 Messiah is the answer to both the physical and deepest spiritual oppression. He is the One who brings both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, into “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21 NASB 1995). Principles behind the Law: Applying God's heart today Laws without principles can become cold and lifeless. God wants us to know why He commands as much as what He commands. The Torah teaches us to understand the “spirit” (רוּחַ ruach) behind the mitzvot. Yeshua taught (Matt 22:34-40: Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-37) that the three-fold loving the LORD (mind/emotions, life, wealth/resources; Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and loving others as oneself (Leviticus 19:18). When faced with a new or difficult situation, it is the principle of freedom, justice, khesed (mercy) and shalom (contentment) that should guide us. If we understand Heaven’s principle, then we can apply it in a positive way and affect a whole lot of people, including ourselves and the outcome we live through. Repentance, intercession and God's compassion A thread through Scripture is Heaven’s willingness and eagerness to listen, to show mercy and to change a decree in response to repentance (תְּשׁוּבָה teshuvah, μετάνοια metanoia, “return/repentance”) and prayer. Whether we look at Moses interceding after the Golden Calf (Exodus 32), or Abraham negotiating for Sodom (Genesis 18), or Jeremiah weeping for his people, we see a God who invites dialogue and delights to show mercy: So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. Exodus 32:14 NASB 1995 Our relationship with God is rooted in covenant (בְּרִית berit), not unalterable fate. We can plead for mercy, intervene for others, and participate with God in the work of redemption. From Egypt to Messiah: A journey of increasing inclusion The arc of Scripture is toward ever-greater inclusion and freedom, not less. The Torah began by regulating and humanizing ancient social norms. The prophets called the people to deeper justice and loyal-kindness: “To do justly, to love mercy (חֶסֶד chesed), and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). And in Messiah, the doors are thrown open wide: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NASB 1995). God's heart, from start to finish, is to proclaim liberty (דְּרוֹר deror, “release/freedom”) to the captives and recovery for all. Proclaiming freedom to the nations The disturbing reality of slavery in the Bible is not the last word. God's commandments, even where they accommodated ancient realities, were always subversive — pushing toward a world of inclusion, compassion, and release for all peoples. We are called, in Messiah, to “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24 NASB 1995). So let's be a people who oppose bondage wherever we see it — physical, spiritual, social — and who open the doors to any who wish to become sons and daughters of the Most High. May we, as those native to Israel and those grafted into her who have found freedom in Messiah, be quick to share that hope: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NASB 1995). Shalom and blessings as you seek and extend God's liberating love to every nation (גּוֹי goy) and every neighbor. May the God Who brought Israel out of מִצְרָיִם Mitzrayim (Egypt) continue to bring all His children into freedom and shalom. The post Set the captives free: The Bible's real message on slavery & redemption (Exodus 21–22; Jeremiah 34) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

Do you need a champion? Someone who fights for you? In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares about Jesus, the Might God: Heaven's champion who stepped onto the battlefield and won our victory. Isaiah 9:6 ESV: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Names in Hebrew culture were not just identifiers; they had meaning. NamesDeclared purpose (Abram to Abraham – "Father of many nations")Described ability (Simon to Peter – "unstable" to "stable")Revealed characteristics (Esau – "hairy").So these aren't names Jesus would simply be called; they describe who He would be and what He would do. Even the name Jesus means "Yahweh is salvation" or "The Lord saves."So what does the name "Mighty God" mean?In Hebrew it is El Gibbor. El means God, and Gibbor means a champion warrior. El Gibbor literally means "The Warrior God."Psalm 24:7–8 NLT says, Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. Both words translated mighty and invincible are gibbor.This name points to the idea of a champion fighter. In ancient times there was "champion warfare," where each army sent out one champion and the outcome of the fight determined the victory. This is what we see with David and Goliath. When the champion won, the people won.But Jesus is not just a gibbor—He is El Gibbor, the Warrior God. When Jesus was born, God entered the battlefield as our ultimate champion and won the battle for all of us. Christmas is not just sentimental; it celebrates a rescue mission where a battle was won. God sent His greatest warrior, His Son, to become our champion and fight for our freedom.Romans 8:35,37 NLT Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ. We are more than conquerors.What victories did Jesus, the Mighty God, win for us?Victory over Satan. Colossians 2:15 AMP Satan didn't walk away wounded; he was defeated and disarmed.Victory over sin. 1 John 3:8 NLT  Jesus didn't just forgive what we did—He destroyed what controlled us.Victory over the world. John 16:33 NIV: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.Victory over death. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 NLT says resurrection and new life come through Christ. Death became a doorway, not an ending.ClosingPsalm 91:1 NLT: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.Our Mighty God fought the battle for us. He is our champion. Are you letting Him fight for you?

7 takeaways from this study The Sabbath is more than rest from fatigue. It is a celebration of spiritual fullness and a reminder of God's creation, designed to rejuvenate both body and soul. True rest and renewal come from honoring God's design for our lives, not from modern “machines of rest” or stimulants like caffeine. Spiritual growth and application require discernment. Avoiding logical fallacies helps us receive truth regardless of the messenger. Delegation and wise leadership, as exemplified by Moses and Yitro (Jethro), are essential for healthy, sustainable community and ministry. We are not meant to walk alone. Community, mutual support, and accountability are central to living out faith effectively. The Ten Commandments are not just rules but a framework for a just, loving, and purposeful life that honors God and others. Trust in God is the foundation for moving from bondage (of any kind) to blessing. Faith, confession and perseverance shape the journey of spiritual transformation. One man's life was, by any worldly standard, a roaring success. He led three companies, was responsible for 300 employees, was raising tens of millions of dollars annually, and made lengthy public appearances daily. Outwardly, it looked like everything he touched prospered. Yet on the inside, the pace was unsustainable. He found himself fatigued, drained, and spiritually confused, constantly struggling to “keep it all together.” With exhaustion mounting, he reached out to a trusted business adviser who happened also to be a pastor. In a vulnerable moment, he confessed: “I'm hitting a wall. I have more obligations than I have time. I'm drinking eight cups of coffee a day just to stay afloat.” His adviser listened, then posed a direct question: “Are you honoring the Sabbath?” This simple question ignited a journey. The man was struck, almost blindsided, by it — a gentle but firm reminder that perhaps running on caffeine wasn't a sustainable answer. He would later reflect: “Caffeine is not a performance enhancer, it's a loan shark. It robs from tomorrow to pay for today.” What caffeine does is it basically turns off your noticing that you're tired, not actually giving you more energy. That's what adrenaline would do. Caffeine just masks your fatigue. The pastor's question pressed: What if the tiredness, the restlessness, wasn't just physical? What if it was spiritual, too? The man began to explore what the Sabbath actually means, both in Scripture and practice. Delving into the Torah, he found its first appearance in Genesis 2: “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (וַיִּשְׁבֹּת vayishbot) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work.” Genesis 2:2-3 NASB95 He was struck that this rest didn't come from exhaustion, but from fullness. As he later wrote: “This rest is not due to fatigue, but to fullness. It is not the withdrawal of power, but the crowning of meaning. It is the divine punctuation mark at the end of the most magnificent sentence ever spoken: creation. The world is not merely functional, but good—and that goodness is worthy of joy.” He went on to dig deeper, not only scripturally, but practically. Searching for the roots of Sabbath observance, he looked to Jewish tradition, practices like unplugging from all communications, setting aside technology, and turning yourself off from the world beaming itself into you, starting at sundown on Friday. The more he explored, the more passionate he became. He wrote: “The more I started to appreciate the Sabbath, the more I realized the great need to share its wondrous beauty with the world. If the Sabbath can change my life, it can change everyone's life.” He found it ironic that even though “today's world offers so many gadgets promoting rest — memory foam mattresses, sleep apps, white noise machines — never have we, as a society, been more exhausted. We are surrounded by the machinery of rest, but we've lost the theology behind it. Sabbath is the answer.” Opportunity for conversation You've likely heard this man’s name.1Sources for the preceding account, including book quotations: “Charlie Kirk's final book points at a truth we've forgotten,” Deseret News, Dec 12, 2025, accessed Dec. 13, 2025. “‘Stop in the Name of God’: Charlie Kirk’s Final Book Honors ‘Transforming’ Sabbath,” Paul Petite, CBN.com, Dec. 11, 2025, accessed Dec. 13, 2025. He’s Charlie Kirk, whose book Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life was released this week (Dec. 9, 2025) and has reignited a powerful conversation about the Sabbath in the Christian world. As we see the coinciding of Kirk’s book release with our reading this week of Exodus 18–20, within it the Sabbath commandment, there's a lesson waiting for all of us. Whether we are building companies, leading families, or seeking holiness: true rest comes from aligning with God's order, not man's endless striving. Keep an open mind When evaluating any teaching — especially on controversial topics like the Sabbath or from polarizing figures such as Charlie Kirk — it's important to watch out for logical fallacies that can cloud good judgment. The “shoot the messenger” fallacy happens when we dismiss truth — and attack the method of delivery — simply because we dislike the message. Similarly, the ad hominem fallacy attacks a person's character rather than considering the argument. The genetic fallacy rejects ideas based on their source, not their merit. Instead, focus on the message itself, weighing it against Scripture, regardless of our feelings about the teacher. A sign and a testimony The Sabbath — שַׁבָּת Shabbat — was never intended as mere ritual or recovery from fatigue. It is, as Charlie described, “the crowning of meaning.” Embedded in the book of בְּרֵאשִׁית Beresheet (Genesis) and reiterated in Exodus 20:8–11 (“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy”; Deuteronomy 5:12–15), the Sabbath is sanctified, set apart (קָדוֹשׁ kadosh). It is an invitation — more, a command (מִצְוָה mitzvah) — to cease (שָׁבַת shavat), be full and delight in God's creation. Shabbat is both a sign (אוֹת ot, Exodus 31:12–17) and a testimony (עֵדוּת edut) to Who our God is: a Creator who brings order from chaos, who invites us into His rest (וַיָּנַח vayanach, “and He rested,” Exodus 20:11). But Sabbath is also a battleground. For centuries, debates swirled: Is Sabbath only for the Jews? Has the resurrection transferred rest from Saturday to Sunday? Charlie is not the first to ask; in fact, Samuel Bacchiocchi's seminal 1977 dissertation-book “From Sabbath to Sunday” details this historical shift and its profound theological consequences. Yet, as followers of Messiah, we look to His example. Yeshua kept Shabbat (Luke 4:16). He reminded us: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 NASB95 (see last Shabbat’s study: “Sacred cycles: Embracing God's rhythms of rest and labor“) Reclaiming Sabbath has meant returning to the root and fullness of what God invites us into — a taste of the world to come (עוֹלָם הַבָּא olam haba). Leadership and burden Charlie's story of being overwhelmed echoes that of Moses' experience. In Exodus 18, יִתְרוֹ Yitro (Jethro) wisely advises Moses to share responsibility: “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” Exodus 18:18 NASB95 The solution? Delegation. Equity in leadership. Bringing others into the work, each according to gifting and ability. The instructions for training leadership in the ways of Heaven is linguistically linked to the giving of the Ten Commandments. In Hebrew, the narrative is woven together with the וַ vav consecutive, indicating God's actions unfolding in beautiful, purposeful sequence — a pattern of rest, structure, and relationship. In honoring Sabbath, we are reminded not just to rest, but to participate in and build wise, healthy community. Priesthood of all believers As the Torah moves into Exodus 19–20, Israel is called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ mamlekhet kohanim v'goy kadosh). Our role is not merely to obey but to draw near — to help others approach (הִקְרִיב hikriv) — the Holy One. In the Messiah, this calling is heightened: You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. 1Peter 2:5 NASB95 Our observance of the Sabbath is a living testimony — an act of separation (קָדוֹשׁ kadosh) that draws others to ask about the hope and peace we carry. Fear and love “The fear of the LORD” (יִרְאַת יְהוָה yirat Adonai). This fear/awe (יָרֵא yare) is not paralyzing terror but reverent awareness. God sees — רָאָה ra'ah — beyond outward performance to our hearts. As Yeshua (Jesus) taught: “the greatest commandment is: ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one; and you shall love (אָהַב ahav) the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might'” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NASB95 Sabbath becomes a sanctuary for our returning, repenting and receiving God's love anew. The Ten Words: עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת Aseret HaDibrot The Ten Commandments are not rules alone, but a framework for relationship. The first — “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” — is a declaration of deliverance, echoed every Shabbat. “You shall have no other gods before Me” is about allegiance. “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) reminds us that life is sacred, for humanity is made בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים b'tzelem Elohim (“in the image of God,” Genesis 1:27). The commandments build a community of justice, kindness, and holiness — the very heart of Torah and the teaching of Messiah. Community, confession and healing It can be easy, in our brokenness, to withdraw. Many wonder, as did participants in our study, “Could God truly want me, after all I've done?” Yet the answer of the Sabbath is always “yes.” We are called not to isolation but to community, to confess our failings (“Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed,” James 5:16 NASB95), and to strengthen each other in faith. Sabbath gatherings are a time for restoration and encouragement — space for honest hearts and uplifted hands. Testing and trust: Wisdom for the walk In a world of many voices, the call to “test the spirits” (1John 4:1) is urgent. We must return to the Scriptures — TaNaKh and Apostolic Writings — measuring every teaching by the Word. As the Bereans modeled (Acts 17:11), search, question, discern. As we trust (אֵמוּנָה emunah) and obey, we encounter joy and peace beyond what striving ever brought. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NASB95 An invitation to Sabbath Charlie Kirk's journey is not unique. His discovery is ancient and ever new: Sabbath is a divine gift — a rhythm of rest, joy, holiness, and communal healing. As we recapture what has been so often lost, we open ourselves to transformation, not just personally, but as communities and nations — a light to the world. So let's remember the Sabbath — זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת zakhor et-yom haShabbat —and keep it holy. In Messiah, every week is a new invitation to rest, rejoice, and be restored. Shabbat shalom (Sabbath peace). 1 Sources for the preceding account, including book quotations: “Charlie Kirk's final book points at a truth we've forgotten,” Deseret News, Dec 12, 2025, accessed Dec. 13, 2025. “‘Stop in the Name of God’: Charlie Kirk’s Final Book Honors ‘Transforming’ Sabbath,” Paul Petite, CBN.com, Dec. 11, 2025, accessed Dec. 13, 2025.

Beloved,Power is energy. Our words are the infrastructure that contains it.Consider a river: a small stream nourishes a tiny area; a big river with deep banks irrigates a valley and transforms a region.Capacity is determined by the container. Our conscious, integrated language forms our foundation and container. The deeper you are aware, the more power you can hold, enabling you to sustain a a richer life, in full agency of your personal inner and out relationships. The NEW SOVEREIGN SOUNDS PRIVATE PODCAST supports rebuilding the energetics in words we use. Enjoy each interview with the essence of a word within the lexicon we speak. The awareness brings us to choose words that build banks, not draining energy. One of the most painful things we experience is witnessing those we love—and humanity—suffer. It's in our DNA; people naturally seek out those who hold space with compassion for advice or help. In a world longing for non-judgmental compassion, free from personal motives, this is more important than ever. Historically, compassion was never a soft, fluffy word.In ancient Buddhist texts, it was “karuna”—the heartbeat of awakening.In Hebrew, “rachamim”—from the same root as “womb.” Literal life-bearing care.By the Enlightenment, though, compassion got a makeover. It went from sacred embodiment to corporate talking point.Even Florence Nightingale knew better.Each week, we trace a word's origin through the vertical prism—its pure, spiritual essence in the Akashic field—and its horizontal path through history, where power structures warp meaning.The four power dynamics:* Power Over: Domination via distorted definitions* Power Under: Submission to inherited cultural narratives* Power With: Co-creating meaning through shared truth* Power Within: Sovereign reclamation of a word's original lightLearn to spot hidden agendas in language.What's the point?As we speak, the words we use cast energetic spells unconsciously, not to mention having them projected onto us. To bring knowledge into integration, enjoy a COMPANION BOOK to pin point how you can transform the way you identify with the words you speak within your consciousness. Discover the Blueprint of Power and How it Effects You

Pastor opens today's class with the words from Psalm 135:15-18 "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We will see the truth of these words in today's study. Elijah' Days: Most of this prophet's ministry was during the height of King Ahab in the north in Israel and King Jehoshaphat in the south in Judah. His name, Elijah, is even prophetic. In Hebrew it literally means, my God is Jehovah. ⁃ A time of great apostasy - under Ahab and Jezebel there was an attempt to get rid of any semblance of worship of the Living God and to supplant God with the worship of Baal. ⁃ A prophet of great faith (Elijah) ⁃ A man of insignificance (very little is know about him, was he even an Israelite?) ⁃ A time of great danger for believers. Ahab and Jezebel sought to destroy God's prophets. ⁃ A ministry of great impact Elijah's ministry is recorded in 1 Kings 17-19, 21 2 Kings 1-2 2 Chronicles 21 Elijah's Ministry: ⁃ Prediction and Provision (1 Kings 17) Elijah speaks that there will not be rain or dew for the next few years. This is a direct attack on King Ahab's gods. And the drought begins. Elijah goes into hiding. There are some great stories of God's miraculous provision for Elijah during the famine. ⁃ Contest at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19) God tells Elijah 3 years after the drought started that he was to go to Ahab and tell him that God would send rain. Elijah confronts Ahab about abandoning God and says for Ahab and his people and 850 prophets of Baal to meet him, a prophet of God, at Mt. Carmel and offers them the choice to follow God or Baal. Elijah is severely outnumbered against 850 false prophets, but the contest begins. ⁃ The Contest - those prophets worshiping Baal were told to pray to Baal for Baal to bring fire onto their altar, but it never comes. Elijah then builds his altar of 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel), slaughters the bull and then covers the altar in water and at 3pm he prays to God and the fire of the Lord falls on Elijah's altar. When the people see this they fall and cry out, "The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God!" They destroy the false prophets, and the rains start falling. ⁃ The Aftermath - Elijah runs to Jezreel (the summer palace) where Jezebel threatens him saying she is going to ensure he is killed. Elijah becomes fearful and runs for his life. He hides in the wilderness and becomes very discouraged and depressed. He tells God that he's had enough, and to take his life. Then an angel of the Lord comes and tells him to head to Mt. Sinai where the Lord will appear to him. Join us next week as we continue our study of Elijah! Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

The veil thins. Candles flicker in windows, pumpkins grin like little guardians of light, and the wind itself seems to carry whispers. On this night of Samhain, the air is crowded not just with ghosts and shadows, but with memory. The ancestors are near. They gather around us not as specters of fear but as companions in the long struggle for freedom.They murmur their old refrain: No Kings.It isn't only a political cry; it's a spiritual declaration. No kings over conscience. No kings over the sacred spark in each soul. No kings over the earth that belongs to no one and to everyone.And yet, empire still rides: headless, hungry, searching for a new crown to wear.The Headless Rider of EmpireEvery age has its horseman. Ours rides draped in flags and algorithms, clutching power with a grin that never reaches the eyes. Empire doesn't always look like soldiers on horseback; sometimes it's the dull hum of propaganda, the endless scroll of outrage meant to make us afraid and divided. Fear is the tyrant's favorite sacrament. It is how empire keeps us bowed.But Samhain teaches another kind of reverence, the courage to face the dark and discover that we are not alone in it. When we remember the ancestors, we remember that empire has fallen before, that courage has survived worse nights than these.As we light our candles this year, we are not warding off ghosts. We are calling them in.The Communion of the Courageous DeadTo honor the dead is to remember their unfinished prayers. Our ancestors were not perfect saints; they were human beings, flawed and luminous, stumbling toward freedom. Some resisted tyrants with sword or song. Others sowed seeds, healed wounds, or hid the persecuted in their homes. Some were themselves entangled in empire's lies and it is ours to set those wrongs right.Their presence tonight is not sentimental. It is strategic.They come to remind us that the fight for freedom is ancient and ongoing, that our bloodlines are braided with courage. Every generation must reclaim liberty from the jaws of fear. The dead lend us their memory so we can stand our ground without trembling.So when you feel the chill tonight, do not recoil. Let it steady you. It is the breath of all who refused to kneel.The Spell of FearEvery empire survives by casting the same spell: Be afraid, and obey.They conjure phantoms of scarcity and strangers, they whisper of purity and order. They tell us that power is safety and obedience is peace. But fear is a liar.Samhain breaks that spell. It invites us to laugh at death, to dance in the graveyard, to mock the old specter of control. In every carved pumpkin grinning against the dark, there is an act of rebellion. Every costume is a playful reminder that masks can liberate as much as they conceal.We can take the tyrant's favorite tools, fear and spectacle and turn them inside out. Make them ridiculous. Make them lose their power. Empire cannot stand when its priests of fear become the butt of the world's laughter.This is holy mischief. Sacred mockery. The ancestors knew it well.No Kings: The Theological HeartWhen we say No Kings, we echo both the prophets and the mystics. The Hebrew scriptures warned Israel what kings would do: take sons for war, daughters for labor, and the fruit of the land for greed. Jesus of Nazareth refused a crown and washed feet instead.To walk the Christopagan path is to remember that divinity does not enthrone it indwells. The Holy is not found in palaces but in the gathering of people who love one another enough to live free.Every tyrant dreams of being worshiped. Every mystic knows that worship belongs only to Love.The Work of Ancestral HealingTo honor our ancestors is not to whitewash them. Many of us carry lineages tangled in empire's violence colonizers and enslaved, oppressor and oppressed. Healing that wound begins with honesty.The ancestors cry out, not to defend their sins, but to urge our repair.In Hebrew mysticism this is called tikkun olam the mending of the world.Our task is not to make the past pristine but to fill its cracks with gold, like kintsugi pottery. To make beauty from brokenness. We do this through truth-telling, solidarity, and mercy.We the LivingWe are the living continuation of their courage. The blood of resistance runs in our veins. We, too, must stand in our time as they did in theirs against tyranny in every disguise: political, ecclesial, corporate, or psychological.But take heart. The ancestors are not trapped in dusty graves; they walk with us in every act of conscience, every laugh that punctures fear, every community that chooses cooperation over control.When you light your Samhain candle, whisper their names. But also whisper your own. You are part of the lineage now.Practice: The Circle of Memory and FreedomCreate an Ancestral Altar of Resistance* Gather tokens of courage. A photo of an ancestor who stood up for justice, a candle, a stone from the earth you walk on, a symbol of freedom a feather, a leaf, a key.* Name your lineage honestly. Speak aloud the gifts and wounds you inherit. If your ancestors caused harm, acknowledge it and commit to repair.* Invite them to stand beside you. Say: “Those who fought for freedom, walk with me. Those who seek to heal, guide me.”* Make a pledge. Choose one concrete act this season: volunteering, mutual aid, community defense, voting, or organizing to embody their courage in your day.* End in laughter. Remember the sacred mockery that disarms fear. Tell a story, sing, or dance. Joy is resistance.A Call to the Living CircleThe season ahead will test us. But remember: the tyrant's power is built on isolation. The medicine is community.Gather your people. Light the fires. Tell the old stories again. The witches who cursed the bombers, the marchers who faced dogs and hoses, the workers who sang on picket lines. These are your kin.Let your laughter carry through the thinning veil so the dead know their struggle was not in vain. Let your courage rise like a hymn the empire cannot drown.Because when we say No Kings, we are not only defying rulers we are proclaiming the sacred truth of creation:that Love alone is sovereign.And love, once awakened, cannot be ruled.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.Thank you for Tips / Donations: * https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett * https://patreon.com/cedorsett * https://cash.app/$CreationsPaths* Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/New to The Seraphic Grove learn more For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com Social Connections: * BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com * Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/#Samhain #NoKings #ancestors #Christopagan #CreationSpirituality #AntiEmpire #Druidry #SpiritualActivism #FreedomAndFaithChapters:00:00 Introduction: The Veil is Thinning01:27 Welcome & Episode Overview02:20 Samhain: Hearing the Ancestors' Call05:58 Making Tyranny Look Ridiculous07:19 Dismantling the Myth of Whiteness10:13 The Practical Work of Ancestor Awareness11:59 Honoring Ancestors Who Fought for Freedom15:09 Our Inheritance: The Love of Liberty17:19 Planning for the Harvest Ahead19:22 Honest Judgment: Learning from Our Ancestors' Mistakes21:08 History as Lesson, Not Justification22:25 Extending Grace & Standing Together23:55 Closing Thoughts & Homework Assignment Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Have you ever prayed for God to give you something back, only to find He gave you something completely different instead?In Psalm 23:3a, David writes, “He restores my soul.” That little word “restores” is rich with meaning. In Hebrew, it's shoob, to turn back, to renew, to repent, to be brought to life again. Restoration doesn't mean business as usual. It means being welcomed into something greater than before. Here's what you'll hear in this week's episode:How synonyms and translations of “restore” reveal wholeness, renewal, and even catching our breathBiblical pictures of restoration: the prodigal son, Peter's restoration, and Judah's return from exileInsights from commentaries that remind us God restores both when we've strayed and when we're simply spentHow the enemy twists restoration into striving, and how God's Word in 1 Corinthians 12:9 frees us with graceAngie's story of recovery from a head-on car crash and how God used it to bring restoration deeper than she ever imaginedGrab your FREE Step By Step Starter KitThis week's study guide, plus everything you need to follow along through December, is inside! You'll get:A two-video masterclass teaching you how to study one verse, one word at a timeA quick-reference sheet for the Step By Step methodA printable blank study sheet to use over and overCompanion study guides for every fall episodeGet your free Starter Kit here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/LpSQB9mListener SurveyHelp shape what's ahead on the podcast! Take the short survey here: https://forms.gle/ke4VJ1qJTRLkZzzF7Verse of the Week:He restores my soul; (Psalm 23:3a, NASB1995)Connect with Angie and Steady On: http://www.livesteadyon.com/Theme Music: Glimmer by Andy Ellison

There's a rhythm to panic.It begins as a whisper, something dark is coming for your children, your faith, your way of life. Within days the whisper becomes a flood. Media blares, pulpits thunder, and neighbors begin to look at one another with suspicion. Each new generation dresses its fear in different clothes: witches, rock music, rap lyrics, foreign dolls, queer joy, or artificial intelligence. The names change, but the spell is the same. Fear becomes a liturgy.Satanic panics are not born from spiritual warfare; they are crafted through power's deep insecurity. History shows that whenever people in authority feel their grip loosening: when women, workers, youth, or marginalized communities begin to claim their voice, someone declares that evil is afoot. The panic becomes a tool of empire, sanctified in religious language. Fear does what swords and laws cannot: it convinces people to police one another in the name of holiness.Creation Spirituality asks us to start from a different ground: Original Blessing rather than original fear. The cosmos is not a battlefield between God and darkness. It is a living communion of being, a web in which even tension can be transfigured. To believe that God can be outmatched by any adversary is to confess a smaller god than the one who breathes galaxies into being.The Mechanics of FearFear functions like static, when it fills the air, it drowns out truth. It narrows perception until everything feels dangerous, even difference itself.Empire has always known how to tune that frequency. In the early witch trials, fear justified the theft of land and silencing of women's wisdom. In the 1980s, it sold records, elections, and purity rings. Today it drives algorithms and fundraising emails. Every panic has its merchants.The pattern is older than the word Satan. In Hebrew scripture, “the satan” simply meant the accuser, a prosecutor within the heavenly court. This figure worked for God, not against, testing integrity rather than spreading evil. Only later did the concept harden into a cosmic enemy. When imperial religion absorbed that dualism, it found a useful weapon. Once you can label your opponent “satanic,” you no longer have to understand them; you only have to destroy them.A Practice of DiscernmentSo what does resistance look like?Begin by asking the question that every prophet has asked: Who benefits from this fear?Whenever a headline, preacher, or politician insists that your neighbors are dangerous, pause. Take a breath. Feel your feet on the ground, the air in your lungs. That moment of embodied awareness breaks the enchantment. It creates the space where Spirit can speak.Then, look for the fruit.Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.” Does the message lead to compassion, justice, and community or to suspicion, profit, and control? Discernment is not about having secret knowledge; it is about noticing outcomes. The fruit tells the truth.A second practice follows from the first: curiosity.Fear collapses complexity, but curiosity expands it. Ask what story is being told beneath the story. What wound or insecurity is driving it? When we meet fear with curiosity, we transform it from weapon into teacher. The empire thrives on reaction; the kingdom of God grows through reflection.Fear, Insecurity, and EmpireCharlie and Brian named the heart of it in the episode: “Equality to the privileged feels like oppression.”That single sentence explains much of Western history. When those accustomed to superiority encounter genuine equity, it feels like loss. Empire trains us to measure value through hierarchy, so the movement toward balance feels like descent. But in truth it is an invitation to live no longer as masters or victims, but as kin.Creation Spirituality reminds us that all life participates in the same divine energy. Fear fractures that awareness; it convinces us that safety can only come through dominance. Every satanic panic, from Salem to social media, has served that same illusion. When we remember our interconnection, the illusion loses its power.Media Literacy as Spiritual DisciplineThe next great panic may not be about witches or music but about machines. Already we hear whispers that artificial intelligence will replace souls, that technology itself is demonic. But as Charlie observed, the danger is not the machine it is the human tendency to hallucinate, to fill gaps in understanding with stories that flatter our fears.To resist this, we must treat media literacy as a spiritual discipline.Before sharing, pause.Before believing, verify.Before reacting, breathe.Truth requires patience, and patience is a kind of prayer. In a culture addicted to immediacy, waiting long enough to discern reality is an act of rebellion. It is how we refuse to be ruled by the algorithms of panic.The Practice of GroundingTry this simple act whenever the world feels too loud:Place your hand over your heart. Feel its rhythm. Whisper, “I am held in the web of life.”Let your breath lengthen. Picture roots extending from your feet into the soil of being, drawing up steadiness from the earth itself. This is the Via Positiva in motion, communion with creation as a living sacrament.When you feel fear tightening its grip, do not shame yourself. Fear is not sin; it is signal. Listen for what it is asking you to protect, and then widen that protection to include others. Fear transfigured becomes compassion.Beyond Panic: A New Imagination of PowerThe antidote to panic is not apathy but imagination.When Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he was not romanticizing passivity. He was redefining power as relational rather than coercive. Peacemakers do not suppress conflict; they transform it through presence. That same spiritual technology dismantles panic. Instead of shouting down fear, we hold it gently until it changes shape.Imagine a community that meets every accusation with curiosity, every rumor with research, every threat with prayerful composure. That is what spiritual maturity looks like in an age of hysteria.To cultivate it, begin in small circles.Read together.Listen deeply.Bless the ones who think differently from you.Each act of trust disrupts the machinery of panic. Each moment of calm discernment becomes a quiet revolution.The Voice of Reason and the Light of HopeFear is contagious, but so is calm.When one person refuses to react, the contagion slows. When a community chooses love over outrage, the empire of fear loses its fuel. The voice of reason is not cold; it is compassionate. It says, Wait. Let us see clearly before we judge.And when judgment comes, let it be in service of truth, not power.Because the truth the scandalous, liberating truth is that God has no rival. The cosmos is not divided between good and evil battling for dominance; it is unfolding in love that absorbs even its shadows. The panic narrative collapses under that revelation. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.Closing ReflectionTake a moment tonight to turn off the news and step outside.Look up at the night sky. Every star you see burns because of balance, pressure and gravity, heat and space, held together in tension. That same equilibrium sustains your breath. The universe is not panicking. Neither must you.When the next wave of fear arrives, remember: you are part of a creation rooted in blessing, not curse. You are capable of discernment. You are free to step out of the storm and into the steady work of love.Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.Creation's Paths book: A Creation Spirituality Primer https://wisdomscry.com/Creation+Spirituality/00-+Creation's+Paths/00-+Creation's+Paths. Please share your feedback with us we want to hear your experience.Thank you for Tips / Donations: * https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett * https://patreon.com/cedorsett * https://cash.app/$CreationsPaths* Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/New to The Seraphic Grove learn more For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com Social Connections: * BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com * Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/#Christopagan #CreationSpirituality #ChristianWitch #Paganism #Esoteric #Magic #Druidry #Mysticism #Spirituality #Occult #WitchCraft #Wicca #IrishPaganism #CelticPaganism #Magick #Polytheism #Enchantment Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Alban Eilir00:15 Personal Connection to the Holiday01:12 Welsh Pronunciation Challenges02:20 Understanding the Spring Equinox05:23 The Significance of Angus and Songbirds09:25 Dreams, Transformation, and Ceridwen16:38 Eclipses and Liminal Spaces21:01 Hope and Resilience in Nature23:10 Celebrating the Equinox25:09 Closing Thoughts and Blessings Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Questions about the Trinity are often asked this way:     •    Is the word “Trinity” in the Bible?     •    Do Christians worship three Gods?     •    Was “Trinity” invented by the Church?     •    Isn't the notion of “Trinity” irrational?     •    Don't you think this is a minor issue? Pastor digs into the question of the Trinity by starting at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In Hebrew the word for God that is used in this verse is Elohim. Elohim is a plural noun. God is being described in plural terms! Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” In Hebrew the Spirit of God is “Ruah Elohim”. This is describing God as the Holy Spirit.  Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” The word that stands out here is “said”.  Observation: Genesis 1     1.    Plural noun for God the Creator     2.    Spirit of God involved in Creation     3.    God's Word brings forth the Creation This three-fold pattern continues throughout the Hebrew Scriptures:     1.    Father - Deuteronomy 32:6 “Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?”     2.    Spirit - Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God has made me, the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”     3.    Word - Psalm 33:6 “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”     But the Old Testament also says there is but ONE God. Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”   And yet one God is describe in a multiplicity of terms. One God and three very distinct Persons. This pattern continues in the New Testament:     1.    Father - 1 Peter 1:2 “…chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”     2.    Spirit - Acts 5:3-4 “…you have lied to the Holy Spirit…you have not lied just to human beings but to God.”     3.    Word - John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  In John 1:14 we read more about the Word, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  THE WORD is none other than Jesus, Himself. The Bible sets forth clearly that the One God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Jesus says in Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”    The word that stands out in this verse is the word NAME - singular - yet THREE are named. 2 Corinthians 13:14 “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”   This is clear Biblical teaching that the One true God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is complex!!! His ways are higher than ours! God who created us….     •    Planned to Save us (God knew we would wander away from Him, but His plan from the beginning was save us)     •    Came to Save us (we cannot save ourselves, we need a divine rescue. Our Divine Rescuer is Jesus who came to earth taking on human flesh and enduring the cross)     •    Dwells in us to Save us (the God who created us dwells in us, brings us to faith, changes hearts, gives power and testifies to Jesus the Savior) God works as a unity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each unique and distinct but also uniquely ONE.   Is the word “Trinity” in the Bible? The word is not but “the Trinity” is found: Father, Son and Holy Spirit in both Old and New Testaments. Do Christians worship three Gods? No, there is but ONE God, but has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We do not need to comprehend this to know God's power and presence and truth.  Was “Trinity” invented by the Church?  The term is invented but The TRUTH of THE TRINITY has been there since the beginning. Isn't the notion of “Trinity” irrational? This is a profound mystery, but not irrational. Pastor shares a lesson from Dr. Walter Martin and the Triple Point of Water where water is solid, gas and liquid all at one time. Three yet one. Is it irrational that the God of the universe can “three yet one.” Don't you think this is a minor issue? No because when we start ignoring what God says about Himself and what the Bible teaches we go into false teaching and false testimony. This is where false religions come in. We're living in a culture that has walked from God and it is disastrous. This is NOT a minor issue - God is above ALL things and He is worthy of our worship and praise. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

For the past four years, we've embarked on a deep, chapter-by-chapter exploration of prophetic texts often overlooked by many readers—from the twelve minor prophets to the reformers Ezra and Nehemiah, and the major prophet Ezekiel. Now, we are embarking on a one-year sprint through the foundational texts of our faith: the first five books of the Bible, the Torah.This series is structured around the Jewish reading cycle. According to Jewish tradition, some 2,500 years ago, Ezra the Scribe established an annual reading schedule that divides the Torah—the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—into 54 weekly portions. In Hebrew, those portions are called parashot. By following this centuries-old calendar, we will complete the entire Torah in one year. This isn't just a reading plan; it's an invitation to join an ancient and ongoing Bible Reading Challenge. I hope to build a bridge between the Bible conversations happening around Christian tables on Sunday lunches and the Shabbat tables of our Jewish friends and neighbors.Support the show

Jacob: Introduction Jacob is actually not how anybody in his family would've ever pronounced his name. In Hebrew, this figure's name is Yaaqov Yaaqov. Yaaqov, grandson of Avraham, takes up this third section of the Genesis scroll, though interestingly, he is actually the character who receives the most…

As we open the book of Joshua, our hero is standing at the edge of the Promised Land, the destiny they have been hoping for. He is entering the third “leg” of his journey of faith. For the first 40 years of Joshua's life, he was a slave. Born into bondage, as his fellow Hebrews had been for 400 years. He knew no other life.Then came the glorious day when God sent the great deliverer, Moses. Joshua experienced Passover and the parting of the Red Sea. He saw firsthand that the Lord was able to work mightily for His people.The second leg of Joshua's journey was a mixture of education and maturation as he spent the next 40 years in the wilderness. During this season, he was Moses' right-hand man, and he developed a deep trusting relationship with God.Now he begins the third leg. He is in his 80s. Moses is dead, and now God says, “Joshua, I want you to lead my people into the Promised Land.” The journey of his life has been a series of steps preparing him for this day. The same is true in our lives.Spiritual maturity is a function of moment-by-moment choices regarding whether to trust or mistrust, as well as day-to-day decisions about whether to obey or disobey.  Now, as Joshua is being called into the biggest challenge of his life, God gives him these stunning words: “Be strong and courageous.” (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9)In Hebrew, the words are:chazaq – be strong; “grab hold”amats – courageous; “don't let go”God was saying to Joshua, “I have a future for you.  It's a good future, a hope-filled future, a future that will not only result in My glory but your good.  I want you to grab hold of it.  And once you do, don't let go.”But that sort of future wasn't just offered to Joshua. There's a point of parallel for you and me.  First of all, you need to…Grab hold and don't let go of God's promises. (vs. 6) Here are two promises regarding your future to grab hold of and not let go:Regarding your identity. You are no longer a slave. You are a child of God. (Ga. 4:7)Regarding your destiny. God has plans for His glory and your good. (Jer. 29:11)Next, we need to… Grab hold and don't let go of God's patterns. (v. 8)Patterns for success are found in Scripture.  Read it. Meditate on it. Obey it. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)Then, we need to… Grab hold and don't let go of God's presence. (v.9)God promises to be with us every step of our journey. (Deut. 31:8) Text: Joshua 1:1-18Originally recorded on August 14, 2016, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

I remember standing on the edge of the Judean wilderness, where the rocky cliffs fall sharply into dry wadis, and the silence feels heavier than words. As a tour guide, I often see visitors surprised by the vast emptiness of this land—no shade, no streams, only desert winds and the relentless sun. In the Western imagination, a desert is often a place of desolation and abandonment. But in the Semitic mind, the desert was not a place to fear—it was a place of encounter. In the Western world, silence is often seen as the absence of sound, a void to be filled with activity, music, or words. But in the Semitic world, silence carries weight and depth—it is not emptiness but presence. For our ancestors in faith, silence was not simply the lack of noise but the fertile ground where God's word could take root and bear fruits. Today's Aramaic word is ܫܬܝܩܘܬܐ (Shtiqotho), meaning “silence” or “stillness.” It comes from the root sh-t-q, which implies both quietness and attentive waiting. In Hebrew, its cognate shetīqāh carries the same idea. But in Aramaic, silence was not passive—it was active listening, a disposition of the heart that makes space for divine encounter. This is why early Syriac monks described their discipline of silence not as withdrawal but as “guarding the tongue so the heart can speak.” To practice Shtiqotho was to allow the soul to lean into God's whisper. Consider Habakkuk 2:20: “But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence (הַס) before Him.” In Aramaic thought, this was not a command to stifle yourself but an invitation to reverence. When Yeshua stood before Pilate, accused and mocked, His silence was not weakness but profound testimony. His Shtiqotho revealed His authority and trust in the Father's plan. Likewise, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah did not find God in the earthquake or fire but in the qol demamah daqqah—the “still small voice,” which an Aramaic hearer would understand as the voice that is only discerned in silence. Now consider your own life. In Western culture, we often equate faith with constant speech—more prayers, more songs, more activity. But perhaps God is calling you into Shtiqotho , to rest from endless striving and rediscover that He is God in the stillness. When you embrace holy silence, you are not withdrawing from God but drawing nearer to Him. In silence, anxieties settle, distractions fade, and your spirit begins to hear the gentle leading of the Shepherd. Silence does not diminish faith—it sharpens it. So today, allow yourself a few moments of Shtiqotho. Step away from noise, resist the urge to fill every gap, and let God's voice speak into your stillness. It is in the quiet spaces that transformation often begins. And if you would like to continue exploring how Aramaic words unlock the richness of Scripture and reshape discipleship. www.twinsbiblicalacademy.com 

In Hebrew, בטח or בטוח – “sure” or “for sure” – are words we hear a lot on the Israeli streets, so we need to know how to use them properly. Guy does some excavation work so we can see where this root, בטח comes from. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: “Israel betach be-elokim” – People of Israel have faith in God – ישראל בטח באלוקים Livto'ach be-mishehu – To trust in someone – לבטוח במישהו Batu'ach – Safe, secure – בטוח Ani margish batu'ach – I feel safe – אני מרגיש בטוח Batu'ach – For sure, sure thing – בטוח Betach she-agi'a – Sure I'll come – בטח שאגיע Bitu'ach – Insurance – ביטוח Levate'ach – To insure – לבטח Polisat bitu'ach – Insurance policy – פוליסת ביטוח Bitu'ach leumi – Social security – ביטוח לאומי “Bi-mdinat Israel kol talmid mevutach be-polisa shenikret polisat talmidim” – In the state of Israel every student is insured with a policy called student insurance policy – במדינת ישראל כל תלמיד מבוטח בפוליסה שנקראת פוליסת תלמידים “Hivtachtem yona, aleh shel zayit, hivtachtem shalom ba-bayit” – You promised a dove, an olive leaf, you promised peace at home – הבטחתם יונה, עלה של זית, הבטחתם שלום בבית Lehavti'ach – To promise – להבטיח Havtachot tsarich lekayem – One needs to keep promises – הבטחות צריך לקיים Bitachon – Security – ביטחון Ish bitachon – Security person – איש ביטחון Bitachon atsmi – Self confidence – ביטחון עצמי “Eich lechazek et ha-bitachon ha-atzmi” – How to strengthen self confidence – איך לחזק את הביטחון העצמי Misrad habitachon – Ministry of defence – משרד הביטחון Sherut ha-bitachon ha-klali – The Israeli internal security service – שירות הביטחון הכללי, שב”כ Betichoot – Safety – בטיחות Daf hanchayot ha-betichoot – The safety information card – דף הנחיות הבטיחות Betichoot ba-drachim – Road safety – בטיחות בדרכים Hagorat betichoot – Safety belt – חגורת בטיחות   Playlist and Clips: Kobi Peretz & Of Simches – Israel (lyrics) Regev Hod – Margish Batu'ach (lyrics) Mosh Ben-Ari – Betach She-Avo (lyrics) Insurance ad Bituach talmidim – Students insurance Lahakat Hel Hinuch – Horef 73 (lyrics) Bitachon atsmi – Self confidence Up airline – Safety instructions clip

Sunday, 7 September 2025   On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Matthew 13:1   “And in that day, Jesus, having departed from the house, He sat by the sea” (CG).   In the previous verse, Chapter 12 finished with Jesus saying that whoever does the will of His Father in heaven is His brother and sister and mother. Chapter 13 now begins with, “And in that day.”   Such words as this will have various meanings based on the context. For example, the Lord may say, “In that day, I will rescue Israel.” Or we may read of the “Day of the Lord.” Such days actually reflect past or future events or extended periods of time. The same terminology is used in English as well.   However, there is no need to assume anything other than a literal rendering of the word here. Therefore, it is either referring to the previous verses or to something coming in the verses ahead. The most obvious and likely meaning is the day on which He had already been speaking. That this is likely is seen in the next words, where it says, “Jesus, having departed from the house.”   Jesus was specifically noted as being inside based on the words of Matthew 12:46 –   “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.”   Noting His mother and brothers were outside means that He was inside. Now, having departed from that house, it next says, “He sat by the sea.”   This is the Sea of Galilee. The narrative is preparing to enter into more words from Jesus by introducing the location and circumstances.   Life application: Because Jesus was in a house, only a certain number of people could hear His words. That is clearly evidenced by the fact that His mother and brothers wanted to speak with Him. He was engaging the scribes and Pharisees in one setting. Even though His words are recorded now for all to know what went on in the house, at the time, what He said was not heard by the people.   However, Jesus' heading out and sitting by the sea is a purposeful decision to allow His coming words to be heard and considered by many more people. As you read the gospels, think about what is going on in the surrounding context.   Jesus walks in various locations at various times. If the name of the location is given, it is certain that particular information is being provided to understand a greater picture. It is as if His very movements are forming a picture for us to consider.   Likewise, when He says something, it is quite possible that His words are fulfilling other pictures from the Old Testament Scriptures. For example, Jesus said, “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33).   In that sentence, Jesus equates Himself to the manna given to Israel in the wilderness. That is explained more fully in the surrounding words. But Jesus also noted that He comes down from heaven. In Hebrew, the word yarad, to descend, is used. It is where the name Jordan, or in Hebrew yarden, is derived.   In studying the uses of yarden in the Old Testament, amazing pictures of Christ, the Descender, will be seen. The very topography of the land of Israel is noted in Scripture to tell us greater stories of Jesus, His work, and how it applies to His people.   But typology can be manipulated. It is easy to “make anything say anything” and claim that is what the Bible is saying. So be careful as you read the word and make conclusions about things you read. Also, be careful about how people present typology.   Something may sound right, but be completely wrong. There must be a reasonable connection to what is being said, and the typological representations must be consistently used. If they are properly searched out and presented, truly amazing stories of God's redemptive plans will shine through.   Consider what God is telling you, both on the surface and how it points to Jesus. This is what Jesus told us would be the case as we read this precious word –   “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39   Lord God, what an intricate and amazing word You have given us. There are many levels of information being conveyed to us all at the same time. Your word is a marvel and a delight for our minds to consider, wonder at, and rejoice in. Thank You for this precious word. Amen.  

Click here for more on this topic and other free resources - https://www.drjimrichards.com Every serious believer is on a pursuit—a pursuit of truth. Jesus Himself promised that the truth will set us free. But here's the challenge: discovering the truth is not always as simple as reading a Scripture verse and immediately applying it. When we read Scripture, we interpret it in light of our understanding. And often, our interpretation becomes our version of truth. But that doesn't always mean it is the truth. Too many times, we end up clinging to our perception of God's Word, only to discover it doesn't bring the results He promised. When that happens, discouragement can creep in. We may even feel as though God hasn't been faithful to His Word—when in reality, we've been holding onto an interpretation instead of His reality. In Hebrew, the word translated “truth” is closely tied to “reality.” That means truth is not just information—it's something we experience. God's reality is alive, powerful, and transformational. Consider healing: we don't fully understand the truth about healing until we actually experience it firsthand. Truth unfolds like a journey—beginning with hearing, moving into believing, growing into understanding, then applying, and finally producing fruit—the living reality of God at work in our lives. This week's message, “Fifty Faces of the Truth,” will take you deeper into this life-changing journey. Together, we'll explore how to move beyond intellectual knowledge and step into God's living reality—the truth that transforms.

“Welcome back, friends—this is Evangelist Chance Walters, and today I want to take a few minutes to talk about the Hebrew year 5786.Every new year on God's calendar carries prophetic significance, and 5786 is no different. In Hebrew, numbers and letters aren't just symbols—they carry meaning. This year, 5786, speaks of open doors, fresh opportunities, and divine alignment. I believe God is calling His people into a season of acceleration and breakthrough.Here's what I sense in prayer:5 represents grace—a reminder that everything we do must flow from God's unmerited favor.7 represents completion and perfection—God is finishing what He started in your life.8 represents new beginnings—there's a fresh wind of the Spirit opening up new paths for you.6 represents man—and this is the year God wants to partner with ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.So what does that mean for us? It means this is a year to step out boldly in faith, to walk through the doors God opens, and to trust that He is aligning everything for His glory. Don't shrink back, don't settle—God's grace is sufficient, and His Spirit is moving.My prayer for you in 5786 is that you experience the fullness of God's favor, that old things come to completion, and that you step into the new with courage and confidence. This is your year of open doors and divine opportunities.Stay expectant—revival is here, and the best is yet to come.”

B"H The Kinneret, the only lake in the Holy Land holds a name filled with meaning. In Hebrew, Kinneret connects to the lyre, the instrument of King David, whose music brought peace to King Saul's troubled soul.

In this message from Isaiah 40:28–31; 43:18–19, we explore the often-overlooked holiness of the “in-between” seasons of life. The people of Israel knew it in exile—caught between what was and what would be. We know it in our own transitions: the end of summer, a career shift, a health change, a move. Scripture reminds us that waiting on the Lord is not passive. In Hebrew, “wait” (qavah) means to bind together—like weaving strands into a cord. In the pause, God strengthens us as we tether ourselves to His presence, promises, and people. This isn't lost time; it's God's workshop, preparing us for the “new thing” He is already bringing forth, even in wilderness places. Whether your season is exciting, unsettling, or both, discover how the sacred pause can renew your strength and ready you for what's next.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's back-to-back press conferences on Sunday night in English and then Hebrew, Magid compares his focus on the premier's messaging. During the press conference for the English language press, Netanyahu focuses on what he calls the "lies" in the international press and emphasizes that Israel is not seeking to occupy Gaza, but to take over only Gaza City. Magid discusses Netanyahu's five conditions for ending the war, and moving away from a strategy of partial hostage deals to military pressure. Magid also says Netanyahu is working to dispel the notion that Israel is trying to starve the Gazans, and scolds the press for accepting Hamas claims to the contrary. He talks about Netanyahu's comments about flooding the zone with aid. In Hebrew, the prime minister reviewed Israel's victories in Gaza to give legitimacy to continue fighting. He also talks about the issue of reservists, says Magid, acknowledging the strain on reserve forces. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Netanyahu says Israel not looking to occupy Gaza but to ‘free it from Hamas’ World condemnations mount over Israeli plans to take Gaza City; UN Security Council to meet Bucking IDF warnings, security cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to conquer Gaza City Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. PM Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference at the PM's office in Jerursalem, August 10, 2025. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Scripture, to “find” is never mere discovery.It is encounter—a turning of the text where mercy meets rebellion,where favor walks hand-in-hand with wrath.In Gerasa, the people find the healed man—clothed, sane, silent—and they tremble.He is a mirror, a testimony they cannot bear.Restoration becomes a scandal. Mercy, a threat.As well it should be.They send away the one who scattered their demonsbecause he disturbed their peace.The Scriptures whisper:To find a man is to stand at the edge of wrath—to be weighed, watched.Will you be spared?In Hebrew: to find, to meet, to expose.In Arabic: to find—yes—but also to be found out.To be found wandering.To be guided.The disbeliever finds God waiting—and no one can shield him.Every expectation collapses under the weight of divine wisdom.Everything found is double-edged:Grace, if received.Judgment, if refused.So—finders, beware.The light of instruction burns.This week, I discuss Luke 8:35-37.Show Notesεὑρίσκω (heuriskō) / מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) / و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl)find; reach; meet accidentally; obtain, achieveFOUND THE MANThe people “find” the healed man—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—and become afraid, encountering divine judgment. He stands as a sign of both judgment and mercy: restored and sent out as a witness. In Scripture, finding a man—whether by apparent chance, deliberate search, or divine appointment—often precedes divine entrapment: a moment of redirection, confrontation, or exposure.Their encounter with this man echoes a biblical pattern in which finding a man signals the onset of divine action.Joseph, found wandering, is sent on a path of suffering to deliver many from famine (Genesis 37:15).“A man found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, ‘What are you looking for?'”Benjamin, found out by a planted cup, exposes guilt but leads to submission and reconciliation (Genesis 44:12).“He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found [וַיִּמָּצֵא (wayyimmāṣēʾ)] in Benjamin's sack.”The prophet, found under the oak, faces judgment for disobedience (1 Kings 13:14). The “finding” (מ־צ־א) here is a trap—not for the wicked, but for the prophet who fails to remain obedient to God's direct command.“He went after the man of God and found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him sitting under an oak…”“You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way you came.” (1 Kings 13:9)“So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.” (v. 19)Jonah, who finds a ship, is caught in a storm of God's judgment—and becomes a reluctant prophet (Jonah 1:3).“But Jonah rose up to flee… and found [וַיִּמְצָא (wayyimṣaʾ)] a ship going to Tarshish…”FOUND FAVORIn Luke 8:35–37, after Jesus casts out Legion, the people come and find the man “sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind.” Rather than rejoicing in the mercy extended, they are seized with fear. They do not celebrate the restoration but instead beg Jesus to leave. This rebellion—typical of the עֵדָה ʿ(ēdāh) that Jesus scatters throughout the Gospel of Luke—reveals a tragic irony: grace is offered, but rejected.This moment echoes a recurring biblical pattern centered around the root מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph), which signifies finding, meeting, or encountering. When someone “finds favor” [מָצָא חֵן (māṣāʾ ḥēn)] in God's sight, it often leads to intercession on behalf of others—even the wicked:Abraham pleads for Sodom upon having found favor (Genesis 18:3).“He said, ‘My Lord, if now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.'”Lot, though surrounded by destruction, acknowledges divine mercy (Genesis 19:19).“Now behold, your servant has found [מָצָא (māṣāʾ)] favor in your sight, and you have magnified your zealous care…”Moses repeatedly intercedes for Israel's rebellious collective after finding favor in God's sight (Numbers 11:11).“Why have you been so hard on your servant? And why have I not found [לֹא מָצָאתִי (lōʾ māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, that you have laid the burden of all this people on me?”In the golden calf incident, no favor is found in God's sight—only consequence. Yet, Moses stands in the breach and intercedes (Exodus 34:9).“If now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight…”Esther, having found favor, risks her life to save her people (Esther 8:5).“If it pleases the king, and if I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king…”In all these examples, those who found favor stood in the breach for others—unlike the people of the Gerasenes, who reject the one who intercedes against the Roman Legion. Their response echoes Israel's rebellion in the wilderness, when the people grumbled against Moses and said:“If only the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt when we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us out into this wilderness to make us all die of hunger.” (Exodus 16:3).Though they had been delivered, they longed for the security of slavery rather than trust in the provision of God. So too in Luke 8, the people, confronted with divine mercy in the healed man, recoil in fear and send Jesus away.Bloody cowards.They cannot bear the grace that unmasks their allegiance to the 1%—the settled urban elites who love injustice. As in the wilderness, favor is offered—but refused. Grace stands before them, confronting their false peace—and they choose Pharaoh. Cowardice draped in civility. In the end, refusing to take a stand is the most wicked stand of all. May their dinner parties be found worthy of the price.FOUND JUDGMENTThe people “find” judgment—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—not by seeking it, but by standing in the way of divine mercy. In Luke 8:35–37, those who witness the healed man respond with fear rather than submission. The grace shown to the possessed becomes a sign of judgment for those who reject it. This reversal echoes throughout Scripture: to “find” is to be found out by God—exposed, weighed, measured, and confronted. “Finding” unmasks guilt, and divine justice follows swiftly—even when grace has already been extended:Egypt, the symbol of empire and wealth, is found stripped bare—exposed in its powerlessness before God. The Egyptians, found lacking, are emptied of silver and reduced to servitude (Genesis 47:14).“And Joseph collected all the money that was found [הַנִּמְצָא (hannimṣāʾ)] in the land of Egypt…”A thief is found in possession of stolen goods, and the act triggers justice (Exodus 22:4).“If what he stole is actually found [נִמְצָא (nimṣāʾ)] alive in his possession… he shall pay double.”The people ga...

After five months in a hospital bed, Gracie came home—hooked to drains, fragile, and unable to sit up for more than a few minutes. I pulled her out of the truck, and just as we were about to head inside, she stopped. Eyes closed. Face tilted upward. “Oh… that feels wonderful.” It wasn't a miracle. It was a warm summer mountain breeze. But when you've been breathing hospital air for nearly half a year, that breeze feels like Eden. The cool of the day. In Hebrew: רוּחַ הַיּוֹם (ruach hayom)—the wind of the day, the gentle breath of God that walked with Adam and Eve through their brokenness. That's what this episode is about. Not just a hymn. Not just a breeze. But the presence of God showing up when suffering suffocates. I also talk candidly about a hard truth for many caregivers: “Lord, would You please just take them home?” That's not a death wish. That's not despair. That's faith reaching for mercy. How Great Thou Art belongs on the front line of every caregiver's hymnbook. That's why it's part of my new series: 30 Hymns Every Caregiver Should Know. Because sometimes your theology needs melody—when words fail and your soul forgets the tune of hope.

Send us a textWith this video game we call reality getting wild lately, I thought it was a good moment in time to dance on the bridge to Heaven. If near-death-experiencers are right in their accounts, Heaven is our true home, all of us. It is rife with colors, music, and unconditional love.We need a bit of that chicken soup for the soul right now, don't we?  Let's channel our inner Led Zepplin and climb the stairway or bridge to Heaven.Heaven 101Heaven. Nirvana. Eden. Paradise. Cielo. Valhalla, Zion, On High Empyrean, bliss, Elysian Fields. The concept of heaven is shared by cultures across the globe.In Old English - heofon - meaning "home of God" German? Himmel - heaven or skyAncient Greeks had a few names for heaven, Elysium, Ouranos (which referred to sky or heaven)In Hebrew, ShamayimIn Hinduism, Svarga, which is the celestial abode of the godsIn Māori - Kiko-rangi, which was presided over by two godsShow Sources and Materials - what to read, listen, or watch NEXT A Brief History of Heaven, Joe Boyd (The Deconstructed Pastor), SubstackThe Story behind, Knocking on Heaven's Door, SteamITThe story behind Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, American SongwriterArchosanti: Arizona's grand experiment in sustainable living approaches 50 years, Lauren Schieler, Cronkite News, Tucson Sentinel Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 5 of Angels and other categories! Be one of the first to share and recommend podcasts to your friends. Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!

In Dark Sayings, I explain how Emperor Justinian stands as a striking example of imperial harlotry. Like all rulers, he filtered Scripture through his own agenda—much like what we see in 2025, with elites twisting the biblical text to justify the very actions it condemns. Today's world leaders are effectively reenacting the sins of the Bible's villains.If it weren't a tragedy, it would be a comedy. I'd sit with Jonah beneath the vine—bag of popcorn in hand.What came of Justinian copying the sins condemned in Scripture?A massive stone temple—still longed for today. This longing betrays a rejection of the preaching of the story of the Gerasene demoniac, where God himself, through his anointed Slave, rejects Roman law and silences the Greek intellectual tradition.In defiance of this witness, Justinian—praised even now—translated Roman law into Greek, a move that flatly contradicts the biblical text.O foolish Galatians. You asked for a king, and you got one.Justinian's reign was marked by a bloody attempt to resurrect Rome's former glory: the North African campaign against the Vandals, the prolonged and ruinous Gothic Wars in Italy, and a brief incursion into southern Spain. These campaigns were catastrophically expensive, devastating to local populations, and—like all imperial games—ended in failure. Far worse was the Justinianic Plague, a lethal epidemic that ravaged both the population and the economy.Together, these calamities fractured the region's future. Though the Western Roman Empire had already collapsed in the 5th century, Justinian's ambitions destabilized its successors and hindered the organic development of local societies.Things might have turned out differently. We might have avoided the first Dark Age—or at least the first one we know of—had Justinian not tried to impose a new civilization atop the ruins of the old.Dear friends:There is no God but One.He is the Heavenly Shepherd.He claims no embassy, joins no assembly, and takes no seat at your councils.He casts no vote, answers to no electorate, and has no constituents.He occupies no office, nor does he dwell in any capital.He is beholden to nothing and answers to no one.His throne is in the heavens, far beyond your reach, where maps are not drawn.Be afraid oh nations.Tremble with fear, oh bordermongers, for he is not mocked—Not by you, nor your puny gods, nor your counterfeit leaders.I place all my hope in his Slave who trusted in his command to subdue the Latin-lex and silence the Greco-lego at the Decapolis in Luke.Everything I do, I do for this Slave's Rebellion.This week, I discuss Luke 8:30.Show Notesἐρημόω (erēmoō) / ח־ר־ב (ḥet–resh–bet) / خ–ر–ب (khāʾ–rāʾ–bāʾ)To dry up, to be desolate, or to be destroyed. To be devastated, often referring to lands, cities, or nations. Greek examples in the LXX include: ξηραίνω (xērainō - to dry up), ἐρημόω (erēmoō - to make desolate), ἀφανίζω (aphanizō - to destroy).In Hebrew חָרַב and Arabic خَرِبَ both describe the undoing of cities, structures, or human systems—especially in the wake of divine judgment.In both the Bible and the Qur'an, ruin is not random—it is the consequence of injustice, arrogance, or rejection of divine instruction.Isaiah 51:10 – “Was it not you who dried up (הַמַּחֲרֶבֶת [ha-maḥărébet]) the sea…”Surah Al-Hashr 59:2 - “They destroy (يُخْرِبُونَ [yukh'ribūna]) their houses with their own hands…” يُخْرِبُونَ (yukh'ribūna) comes from خَرَّبَ (khar·ra·ba) — they lay waste / destroy, describing the self-inflicted ruin of the Banu Nadir tribe, continuing on the itinerary of civilizational ruin brought on by pride and resistance to God's covenant.The function ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) appears in Scripture to prescribe the destruction of cities and the downfall of kings—figures aligned with human systems of law and control. This same root functions in the name Mount Horeb, the site where divine law is given. It also functions as “sword,” an agent of God's judgment. In Exodus 32:27, Moses commands the Levites at Horeb to take up their swords ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) and execute judgment within the camp after the sin of the golden calf, connecting the themes of lawgiving and purifying violence. ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) highlights the biblical tension between the collapse of human law and the assertion of divine will through biblical instruction and judgment.In the Septuagint, ἐρημόω (erēmoō) corresponds lexically to ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) in the following passages: Judges 16:24; 2 Kings 19:17; Job 14:11; Isaiah 34:10; Isaiah 37:18, 25; Isaiah 44:27; Isaiah 49:17; Isaiah 51:10; Isaiah 60:12; Jeremiah 28:36; Jeremiah 33:9; Ezekiel 26:2, 19; Ezekiel 29:12; Ezekiel 30:7; Amos 7:9.Λεγιών (legiṓn)(For a detailed discussion, please see Blaise Webster's article, The Crux of Paul and John's Gospel.)From the Latin legio, meaning legion, a Roman military unit (~6,000 soldiers), itself from the Indo-European root legō.From Latin legō, we also get Lex—law (that which is gathered or set in order)Lex, derived from legō, becomes a symbol of civilizational control—a codified system that enforces order, often violently.Roman Legions (from the same root) are the custodians of lex, instruments of imperial coercion and domination.Lex and legion are bound together both linguistically and ideologically—law enforced by gathered violence.In Greek, λόγος (logos) stems from λέγω and is associated in Hellenistic philosophy with reason, logic, and natural law. The Pauline School's co-opting of this term is an attack on Hellenism.For Paul, λόγος is not Greek reason, but shorthand for “the word of the cross” (ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ)—foolishness to the world and power to those being saved, who trust in God's victory (1 Corinthians 1:18); Knowing that his work will find its own completion in the Day of the Lord. (Philippians 1:6)Unlike the constructive Greek logos, which seeks order and coherence, the Pauline logos is destructive—an insurgent word embedded within Greco-Roman structures, intended to bring about their co-termination in the execution of Jesus, thereby dismantling the entire system.Lex (law) and lego (rhetoric/philosophy) represent false structures of control and meaning, in opposition to the Pauline gospel.T...

How It All Ends! (White Horse Series) by Dr. Richard Ruhling Amazon.com An increasing number of people are wondering, Are we getting to the biblical end-times? The answer is YES, but most people do not know that Muslims will precipitate it as seen in Christ's warning for Jerusalem. We can expect the war against Israel to escalate with Jerusalem taken as Zechariah 14 shows. Hezbollah has already joined with Hamas. In Hebrew, hamas is translated as violence in Genesis 6:13. God knew what was coming. and the Bible says, "The Lord shall roar from Jerusalem...the heavens and earth shall shake," Joel 3:16. That earthquake will be felt worldwide as it initiates the biblical end-times. God won't do anything without revealing it, Amos 3:7, and the next verse is the "roar" that He wants to reveal. The “roar” is one of four ways the earthquake is encoded in Revelation. The last of seven churches, lukewarm with materialism, ended in an earthquake also encoded as a “knock” circa 63 AD. And the message to that church has 7 parallels to Luke's wedding parable where, when Christ “knocks,” The passage links a Biblical meaning to current events, and if we understand, we can move forward to be part of Christ's kingdom after His knock (earthquake).About the author Richard Ruhling, MD, MPH was board-certified in Internal Medicine and taught Health Science at Loma Linda University. NIH gifted his school $40 million for a study to learn why the community lived about seven years longer than other non-smokers. The study supports the benefits of a vegan or vegetarian diet and many diseases are reversible if we eat wisely. Ruhling's wife died from another MD's prescription for a urinary infection and Ruhling visited US senators with medical literature showing that prescription drugs are a leading cause of illness and death. One senator said, “You are wasting your time—they own us,” speaking of drug company donations to their re-election campaigns. Ruhling was reared a Seventh-day Adventist, but now sees all denominations as stuck in their own history and closed to new truth from the Bible. His latest book, From Lockdown to knockdown The Fall of America & New World Order. It points to Judgment for US in 2023. It shows how judgment fell on Egypt for killing Israelite babies and how the US has aborted 60 million and enslaved most people in substance abuse and negative lifestyles.

The Underwater Army of Abaddon - Walking on Water Part 4 In Walking on Water Part Three, we looked in depth at the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33 account of Yeshua and Peter walking on water. Peter lost faith when he saw the wind, and he had to call on Yeshua.When it looks like the angels of the four winds, or princes and principalities, or spiritual darkness in high places (and low ones!) are bringing destruction, our confidence is in the right arm and saving hand of YHVH, Yeshua. For Peter, the last watch of the night, the time of immindent destruction, was too close for comfort. He knew that the "dry land" he walked on could turn to stones of destruction at any second.Yeshua said to Peter, "Come!" In Hebrew, he said, "Bo!" [???]That should sound familiar from our Reed Sea salvation as well:The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land,?????????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????The verb? Yavo-u! The collective congregation in plural form of Bo. Peter knew YHVH walking on water had happened in the past...if Yeshua was who he said he was, the son of YHVH, then wouldn't he want the disciples to Bo! now in their present time of trouble as well? If it was Yeshua, then it wasn't a “ghost,” a spirit assigned to the East Wind, but Salvation guiding the East Wind.This is an example to us that neither should we be distracted by the tempestuous spiritual forces being used to shepherd us into safe haven.In this newsletter, we need to review the dark spiritual forces of "Egypt" that were bound at the Abyss of the Reed Sea and how they play a role in the prophecies of Revelation. It's a necessary layer of understanding to help us take the next step with Yeshua, the dry land, the resurrection, and the mystery of its mikveh.It also is an encouragement that even as we walk on the water with Yeshua when he says "Bo!", he is marshaling the King of Abaddon and "Egypt" to take vengeance on the very adversaries who pursued us. He is surrounding us with a protective, pure tunnel of salvation.Please review the Chariots of the Abyss this week, and we will progress to the mystery of immersion in Messiah next week. Since each of these lessons of the mini-series builds on the previous one, it is recommended to print and review in order if possible.Also, if you want to review a related video, Chariots of Abaddon it is free to view on YouTube.Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Welcome to Day 2618 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2618 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 63:1-11 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2618 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2618 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today's Wisdom Nugget, we continue our journey through the Psalms, ancient prayers, and songs that reveal deep insights about life, faith, and our relationship with God. Today, we arrive at Psalm 63—a passionate and vivid Psalm of longing, trust, and joyful praise. King David wrote this Psalm during a profoundly difficult period, hiding in the Judean wilderness, fleeing either King Saul or perhaps later from his own son, Absalom. Yet in these harsh conditions, David's heart reveals a passionate hunger—not merely for relief or rescue, but for something far greater: an intimate and personal encounter with the living God. So, let's embark on today's journey into Psalm 63:1-11 from the New Living Translation, opening our hearts and minds to discover the wisdom within these verses: Psalm 63:1-11 (NLT) 1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. 3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! 4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. 6 I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. 7 Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. 8 I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. 9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. 10 They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced. A Deep Spiritual Thirst (Verses 1-2) David opens Psalm 63 by vividly expressing his deepest spiritual longing: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.” David begins with the deeply personal address: “O God, you are my God.” This isn't merely a theological acknowledgment; it's a passionate, personal declaration of relationship. In Hebrew culture, the phrase indicates covenant intimacy—a committed, deeply personal connection with God Himself. David's physical surroundings in the Judean wilderness—harsh, dry, barren—mirror his spiritual thirst. He compares his inner longing for God to physical thirst in a parched desert. Ancient Israelites understood thirst profoundly—water was scarce, precious, and life-giving. David feels the same intense craving for God's presence. Yet David also remembers vividly his past worship experiences. He recalls being in God's sanctuary, where he experienced God's powerful presence firsthand. These memories fuel...

One of your friends or colleagues is talking your ear off – blabbering, nagging, or over analyzing. In Hebrew, you would kindly ask that person to stop being a ‘hafran,' or literally, ‘digger.' Guy explains how and when to use this illustrative slang. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Hofer, hoferet – Digging, excavating, talk a lot – חופר, חופרת Lahpor (lahfor) – To dig, to talk a lot – לחפור Lahpor bor – To dig a hole – לחפור בור “Hi lo mafsika lahfor li” – She wouldn't stop talking to me – היא לא מפסיקה לחפור לי “Tagidu la, giveret, at hoferet, kol ha-zman medaberet” – Tell her, mam, you keep talking all the time – תגידו לה, גברת, את חופרת, כל הזמן מדברת “Ma ata hofer?” – Why do you keep talking, overanalyzing? – מה אתה חופר Dai lahfor – Enough talking and talking – די לחפור Dai lahfor li – Stop blabbering – די לחפור לי Hafarti? – Did I talk too much? – חפרתי Hafira, hafirot – Excavation, excavations – חפירות Hafira Archi'ologit – An archaeological excavation – חפירה ארכיאולוגית Hafran, hafranit (hafrawi) – Someone who obsessively, never stops talking – חפרן, חפרנית Hafarperet – Mole, double agent – חפרפרת   Playlist and Clips: E-Z – Kolboinikit (lyrics) Shai Yom Tov – At Hoferet Hafira Archi'ologit Hafran (monologue)

What does Yahweh Yireh mean? What does Yahweh Ropheka or Yahweh Rophe mean? Rabbi Schneider shares that El Shaddai, God Almighty, was the name known prior to revealing His covenant name, Yahweh. Yahweh's name is used over 7,000 times in the Old Testament. In Hebrew, there are no vowels. Learn how the scribes hid the name of God to prevent gentiles from using God's name in blasphemous ways. In the ancient Hebrew language, there was no "J" sound. As language changes forms, we see how the accent markings and the new sounds caused the gentile church to mispronounce the personal name of God. Yahweh Yireh (God Will Provide) is a combination that God does with His name to show you what He will do. Know this so that you will learn to trust Yahweh Yireh. Father, thank You, that You are Yahweh Yireh and that You will provide.   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Numbers 21-23; Mark 6-7 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome, dear friends, to the Daily Radio Bible. Today, we're embarking on day 58 of our transformative journey through the scriptures. Together, we'll immerse ourselves in the rich narratives found in Numbers chapters 21 through 23 and Mark chapters 6 and 7. As always, our mission is not just to read, but to be changed by the Living Word—Jesus Christ. We will explore themes of trust, obedience, and the miraculous as the Israelites confront hostile territories, and as Jesus performs wondrous acts of healing and teaching. May our hearts be open to the profound truths and the healing that comes from His wings. Join us as we dive into this sacred text, engage in soothing prayer, and discover the enduring message that you are deeply loved. Tune in and let's walk this journey together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The sick and the needy were reaching out for the tassels of Jesus' tallit. The tallit is a traditional prayer garment worn by devout Jews, as commanded by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy and Numbers. The tallit was a poncho-like garment that had fringe along the border with knotted tassels at four corners. Devout Jews were to wear it at all times. In fact, they still wear it today. It's there to help remind them at all times to obey God's commandments. It was also to serve as a reminder to them that they belong to God, that God had delivered them out of Egypt, and that they were his people. It was a constant and daily reminder. In Hebrew, the word for corner, where these fringes are, is "kanaf," which can also be translated as "wings." This interpretation of certain messianic passages was used during that time. From Malachi 4:2: But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings, in his kanaf, in his corners. They took this to mean that when the Messiah came, they would simply need to touch the corners of his tallit, and they would be healed. And that's exactly what we see people doing when Jesus comes through their town. They were reaching out to touch his tallit, the four corners, the wings of his prayer shawl. And when they do, we're told that they were healed. It's so beautiful. This is the second time we have Mark showing people reaching out for the fringe of Jesus' garment. These were everyday people, hurting desperate people who are looking to Jesus as the long-expected Messiah and receiving healing in his wings. There is healing in his wings for us too. But that healing doesn't always come when we want it to come. If you've walked with the Lord for any length of time, you soon realize this. Even if we've received healing in miraculous ways, it doesn't always come when we want it to come. Sometimes God has something else in mind. Sometimes he lets these light and momentary afflictions, as Paul calls them, work something out of eternal importance in our life. He's shaping us through the suffering and through the waiting. He's allowing us to participate in a cruciform way of living. And we should not let this momentary suffering and the waiting dissuade us from the truth that there is healing in his wings. That healing is ongoing. There will come a time at the resurrection when our bodies will be healed completely, and then we will forever be living in the shadow of his wings. There'll be no cancer, sickness, Alzheimer's. It'll all be gone. But right here, right now, ours is to do what these people did, to reach out, to lay hold of the promise that that tallit represents, to lay hold of the healing that is offered for our souls. There's a whole lot more healing that needs to go on. And some of it can happen right now, and some of it will have to wait, but all of it is going to happen. We can count on that. So today, even as you hear these words, reach out. Something eternal is being worked out, and we together are reaching out. Not begging or pleading to an indifferent God, but we are reaching out to the one who has come to us. The one who brings healing to me and to the whole world. And the prayer of my own soul today is that I will see the one who comes, the one who's with me, and lay hold of the one who has laid hold of me. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, and my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL