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The study of the Bible in its historical context - with a focus on the archaeology, history, geography, customs , culture, and even the languages of the ancient Middle East. WE ask what did they understand THEN - the original intent of the Lord - so that we can expand and enrich our understanding NOW and thus become true disciples of Adonai Yeshua as in John 8:31-32.
Episodes
Wednesday Aug 06, 2025
Wednesday Aug 06, 2025
God is pounding Egypt with His awesome hammer - boom, boom, boom. Plague after plague. One thing about the Lord is He shows us that He cares for His chosen ones, Israel. We see this in the next plague. But, God tells us that He protects His people, His chosen ones, always. It is a trait of the Lord God Most High. He said He was the same then, now, and forever. He told us in Mal. 3:6 that He doesn’t change. Consider this ...
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
This is our hope. This is our desire. God come and take care of us, your chosen ones.
But, what is interesting. This seems to be related to the coming Tribulation. We study the very words of God and His elect will be going through the Tribulation. Uh oh. It seems clear that connecting Revelation and the very words of God, the words of Jesus, shows we are His elect and we will be in the Tribulation (no rapture!!) and as the Hebrews were sheltered by the Lord in Egypt, our hope is that He will shelter us when His HAMMER falls again and again during the Tribulation. Our hope is in Him since He said He is the same then, now and forever. The good news is we are grafted in to the olive tree Israel and are joint heirs of the promises of the Lord. God said He will gather in His elect, His chosen ones, in the end of days. Not a rapture but and in gathering. We Gentiles as Jesus’ other flock will join with Israel His first flock, the Jewish Messianic Christians, and become on flock with one Shepherd.
Here are the links I mentioned in this lesson. The first two and links to articles on the end of days and the “Jewish Rapture” or the ingathering of God’s elect, His chosen.
Link 1 –
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0da55621/files/uploaded/Rapture.pdf
Link 2 –
Also, I mentioned David Padfield’s excellent work on the Exodus. It is a free booklet from his classroom Bible study. Here’s the link - https://www.padfield.com/acrobat/history/gods_of_egypt.pdf
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret on top of Tel Gath - home of Goliath)
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Saturday Aug 02, 2025
Saturday Aug 02, 2025
Once again we see that scripture testifies of the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Christ. Just as He taught in John 5:39 said between 24-30 A.D. when all they had was the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament. Starting in lesson 62 (see links to Lesson 62, 63, and 64 below) we saw that Yahvay, the LORD, came to dwell WITH His people. But, when He was here, the LORD, Jesus, came to dwell IN His people. In Exodus God had a temporary dwelling place, a tent. In Jesus’ day it was said our human body was a TENT and Jesus came to dwell in His human body, His tent. There are more like the Menorah is looked upon as symbolizing the LIGHT OF THE WORLD shines in the darkness of the Holy Place. And Jesus. He is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and He came to shine for men caught in the darkness of sin.
The lessons 62-65 must be treated as one unit. It is highly recommended that you listen and study with me in lesson 62 and 63 and 64 before you listen to this lesson 65. Here are the links for 62-64.
Link 62 – https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/exodus-62-exod-251-8-the-waypoint-on-the-hike-through-torah/
Link 63 – https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/exodus-63-exod-2510-16-the-ark-of-the-covenant/
An important earlier lesson in this study of Exodus is the podcast Bible study that shows that the Hebrews likely assimilated into the Egyptian culture. Thus, it makes sense that Yahvay, the LORD, would use the things of Egypt, things the Hebrews, His beloved chosen people, were familiar with. He was trying to reach them in the Torah, His instruction, and NOT us. It was written to them THEN. So, here’s the link to that key podcast study - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/the-gospel-according-to-moses-lesson-4-part-2-exod-211-25/
Here’s a layout of the Mishkan HaKodesh Eloheem or the Holy Dwelling Tent of God commonly known from Latin as the Tabernacle (tent). It is public domain found at Wikimedia.
You can great a great tour (video) of the entire Holy Tent of Yahvay, the LORD, at the link below. The video link is in the upper right.
Link - https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bs-tabernacle-walkthrough/
In this Bible study podcast I mentioned two articles I found related to the rituals of the Egyptian priest each morning. They would prepare a large breakfast for the god of the Temple. The meal was fruit, veggies, beer, meats, bread, and wine. For the Hebrews coming out of Egypt when they see the Table of the Bread of the Presence it is likely that they thought of this connection to Egypt.
See the articles below.
In my research I did a search of the phrase “Egyptian priests work in secret.” The search resulted in this “AI” article below.
It's generally accepted that ancient Egyptian priests did work in secret, particularly in certain aspects of their duties and knowledge.
Here's why:
- Guardians of Sacred Knowledge: Priests were seen as guardians of secrets given by the gods, particularly in the realm of magic (Heka).
- Restricted Temple Access: Only priests were allowed into the innermost sanctuaries of the temples, where the cult statues of the deities resided. These inner rooms were considered sacred spaces, and the general public was barred from them.
- Initiation Rites: Initiation into the priesthood often involved sacred and secretive rituals, including trials and tests of knowledge. These rites aimed to transform the initiate, moving them from one state of being to another.
- Preservation of Knowledge: Temple libraries, known as "House of Life," were repositories of ancient religious, medical, and astronomical texts. These texts were preserved and transmitted through generations of priests, suggesting a guarded transmission of knowledge.
- Funerary Practices: Specific funerary texts, such as the Pyramid Texts and the Book of the Dead, contained spells and incantations meant to guide the deceased in the afterlife. These texts were used by priests, indicating a certain level of specialized knowledge required for navigating the afterlife.
However, it's important to note:
- Public Festivals: While daily temple rituals were restricted, priests did participate in public religious festivals where the image of the god was carried outside the temple, allowing the public to interact with the deity.
- Role of Pharaoh: The Pharaoh was considered the ultimate intermediary between the gods and the people, and priests acted under the Pharaoh's overarching control, though they had their own specialized roles.
In conclusion, ancient Egyptian priests maintained a degree of secrecy, especially in their access to sacred knowledge and the performance of certain rituals within the temples. This secrecy stemmed from their role as mediators between the divine and human realms, and their responsibility in preserving and transmitting the sacred traditions and beliefs of ancient Egypt. Please check out the links below to further your study on the Egyptian priests.
https://www.egypttoursportal.com/en-us/blog/ancient-egyptian-civilization/ancient-egyptian-priests/
https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-egyptian-magicians
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/magic_01.shtml
It is proven archaeologically and from the ancient literature that no one knows what the original Menorah looked like. Today orthodox rabbis debate as to the details of the Menorah. One verse that we emphasized was Exod. 25:40, “"See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.” (Exo 25:40) So many today say Moses was in Heaven when the LORD Yahvay showed Moses the various aspects of the Mishkan HaKodesh. But, that is not what the Bible says. Moses is on the mountain and was not taken from earth. Perhaps the LORD showed Moses a plant that is common throughout the Middle East and in the Sinai. It is called today “SALVIA PALAESTINA” and it is amazing that it looks like the Menorah. Could it be that God shows Moses this plant on the mountain in the Sinai (could be that one was growing close to the area where Moses and Yahvay, the LORD, met. See the picture below of THE MENORAH PLANT.
A scholarly article that shows this is possible can be found at the link below. It was written by Dr. Martin Gruber, professor emeritus at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
Finally, it was suggested in the Jerusalem Publication Society Exodus commentary by Dr. Nahum Sarna, that the art work of the Menorah in Exodus 25 is clearly associated with the artwork of the ancient Egyptians dated to the Late Bronze Age. See the picture below for a chart showing the Bronze Age and its divisions and dates for the early, middle and late bronze age. This picture is from Wikimedia and is public domain.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret in Wadi Elah - location of the fight between David and Goliath)
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
As we learned in lesson 49 chapter 22 of Genesis, the story of the binding of Isaac, is a chiastic structure. Here's the link to the vidcast (video podcast) entitled "The Mirror of Passover." This will give you an introduction to chiastic structures found in the Bible. Here's the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-21-mirror-of-passover/
Here’s an example that is from the amazing website on chiasms in the Bible, chiasmus.dns-systems.net. It is a chiasm of Noah and the chiasm is showing us the critical verse in this chiasm. See below.
As one starts reading from Gen. 6:10 to 9:19 the verses are “reflections” of each other. Verse 6:10a mentions Noah as does 9:19. The next verse 6:10b mentions Shem, Ham, and Japheth as does 9:18b. The we come across verses 6:14-16 and the focus is the Ark and this is “mirrored” in 9:18a. This can be seen the in triangular structure as the chiasm finally ends at Gen. 8:1 that God remembered Noah. This is the inspired focus of this whole event, Noah. God is going to destroy all mankind, all animals, everything. This is a big big deal. It is easy to lose track of Noah and his relationship to the Lord and the Lord’s relationship to Noah in the amazing catastrophe the Lord is bringing down upon the earth. But, God seemingly wants us not to get off track. In all this God is not forgetting Noah. This is the focus – the focus is on God, what He is like, and in the midst of this awesome event, the flood, the focus is on a personal God who has a deep intimate relationship with Noah. And we therefore can learn about the Lord in a deeper way. It’s as if God is telling us today that no matter what great things or awesome events are happening around us, if we are His people, His focus is on us. He will not forget us in the midst of events that seem to spiral out or control.
I mentioned Rabbi David Foreman in the podcast and his Torah teaching website, www.AlephBeta.org. I am linking you to the video I mentioned in this podcast that describes the chiasm of Gen. 22. Here’s the link - https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/story-of-abraham-binding-isaac
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
* NO BLOOD SACRIFICE FOR INTENTIONAL SINS
As we saw in this lesson the sin sacrifice is only for UNINTENTIONAL SINS (Lev. 4:1); those sins committed mistakenly or in error or with no understanding by the one doing the act. The Hebrew word used is Shag-ah-ga שְׁגָגָה (H7684) which means a mistake or inadvertent transgression, and error, a act of sin done in ignorance, an act done with the "sinner" unawares, or a sinful act done unwittingly.
This is not our understanding of sin as Christians. To us as Christians we have been taught that all sin, every sin is an act disobeying the Lord on purpose or INTENTIONALLY. No one teaches in the church today that in the Hebrew scriptures there are two types of sin UNINTENTIONAL and INTENTIONAL. And it is so clear, so precise, so exact that יהוה Yahvay, the LORD, our God teaches in His TORAH in Leviticus that the sin sacrifice is ONLY for UNINTENTIONAL sin.
I have done a number of lessons on this and have gone more in depth. I will again come back to this again and again especially when we reach Exodus 34 and Leviticus 16. So, you may not want to wait till I get there in this podcast series. So, below are links to resources to help you dig deeper into this Torah concept of sin; that is, sin that is unintentional and intentional. You'll be able to see that Jewish theologians as far back as 100 years or so after Jesus said there was NO ritual, no sacrifice, no atonement for intentional sin. One might say the תורה Torah which brings us the NEW COVENANT at Sinai was incomplete. How is it made complete? How will it be FINISHED? Ready? Here's the links.
Link 1 - a podcast on unintentional and intentional sin as it relates to the Lord's special appointed time of YOM KIPPUREEM - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/fall-feasts-of-the-lord-yom-kippureem-episode-1-it-is-finished/
Link 2 - a short 5 minute video that gets into this topic and shows the connection of the Sinai Covenant and that Yeshua completes the covenant at the cross - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/five-small-stones-episode-9-rom-104-it-is-finished/
Link 3 - this is a chapter from one of my class books that focuses on the Lord's special day of Yom Kippureem and the issue of unintentional and intentional sin - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/za1ss9s0gcmp7evzp5ops/Lsn2-Fall-Feasts-2019-31-...74.pdf?rlkey=0tt9vhgfl50joiaskt2tzjqea&st=86mkwjfd&dl=0
* ATONEMENT, FORGIVENESS, PROPITIATION, EXPIATION - Jesus and Yom Kippureem
This is an appropriate place to go into the definitions of these words. I have heard sermons on these words but never did I understand what they meant. I was never taught the subtle nuances of these critical words as they relate to our salvation the very words of the Lord.
In this lesson about the "mercy seat" and how it connects to Leviticus 16 and the Lord's special appointed time of Yom Kippureem, it seems appropriate to explain these words in some detail.
* ATONEMENT - it is an act(s) done by the guilty party, the sinner, to appease or satisfy the one you sinned against. If I have hurt someone - whether it is unintentional or intentional - and I want to regain my relationship with that person I hurt I will atone for my "sin." I will do things that hopefully will be enough for the one I hurt to accept my actions that I do to prove I am atoning and thus make things right again. But, between us and God things are different.
In the rituals of Yom Kippureem the atonement to make ourselves "right" before the LORD, the actions, are not done by the people but by Aaron the KOHEN HAGADOL כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל - High Priest. This was only for unintentional sins since God commanded the use of a bull and a goat for the sacrifices as one can read in Leviticus 16. When we consider Jesus we find He did the atonement for us. He did the act - His sacrificial death on the cross - to do what was necessary as an act of atonement for us. As Christians we do not atone for our sins, our INTENTIONAL sins. As the Hebrew Scriptures shows there is no ritual, no sacrifice, that can be used as the act to bring us back in righteousness before the Lord. It is only the act of Jesus, His death, that is the act of atonement. Yes, we should confess our sin. Yes, we should realize our guilt and bring this to the LORD in a prayer of admittance or contrition - contrition is not just a recitation of words; it's a personal act that involves both the heart and will. It expresses a sincere desire to be forgiven and to change one's behavior. And. yes, we should know that by GRACE the LORD has given us the blood sacrifice, the crucifixion of the LAMB, as the act for our atonement.
* FORGIVENESS - this is an acceptance of the atonement of the sinner by the one sinned against and an act by the one sinned against to show that the sinner is once again in good standing. Atonement is done by the sinner. Forgiveness is done by the person who was sinned against.
Yom Kippureem the atonement is done by Aaron the KOHEN HAGADOL כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל - High Priest. Again this is only for unintentional sins since God commanded the use of a bull and a goat for the sacrifices as one can read in Leviticus 16. And in Leviticus 4 and 16 we read the actual words of the Lord that the UNINTENTIONAL sins of Israel are cleansed, done away with, or, in other words, forgiven.
But, there is NO act or acts that one can do as our personal atonement to be forgiven for our INTENTIONAL sins against the Lord in the Torah and in the New Covenant, the Sinai Covenant, we are studying. The Sinai Covenant was "incomplete" and it is FINISHED only in Jesus and this is proven in the very words of God ...
- 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." [2, 3, 5, 6]
- Acts 2:38: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." [7]
- Ephesians 1:7: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." [8]
- Colossians 1:14: "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." [4]
- Luke 7:48: "Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”" [1]
* PROPITIATION - this is the act of appeasing the one who was sinned against. In other words it is an act that the one sinned against agrees is sufficient to erase the debt of the sin and the guilt of the sinner and restore the sinner and the one who was sinned against. So, atonement is an act done by the sinner to again be restored to the one who they sinned against. But the one who atones may not do the right thing to appease the one sinned against. The one sinned against says what the price is to be paid - the propitiation is determined by the one sinned against not the one who atones. We want to be forgiven by the LORD and so we atone. But, the propitiation is beyond our doing. The only act to appease the Lord is the death of His Son, the sacrificial death of Yeshua for us. Yeshua then takes our sin upon Himself and He does the act of atonement. His atonement results in His obedience to go to the cross and die as the act, the only act, the only blood sacrifice, or the propitiation for our sin.
* EXPIATION - this definition is quite simple. It is the process which erases the guilt and the debt. One of the best explanations I have read on the difference between EXPIATION and PROPITIATION is from Ligonier Ministries. Here it is.
Let‘s think about what these words mean, then, beginning with the word expiation. The prefix ex means “out of” or “from,” so expiation has to do with removing something or taking something away. In biblical terms, it has to do with taking away guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of an atonement. By contrast, propitiation has to do with the object of the expiation. The prefix pro means ”for,” so propitiation brings about a change in God‘s attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity with us to being for us. Through the process of propitiation, we are restored into fellowship and favor with Him.
(https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/two-important-words-good-friday-expiation-and-propitiation)
In this podcast lesson I mentioned that the KH ROO VEEM (in English Cherubim) are a familiar concept in the 15 century B.C. Here are some pictures of various winged creatures used to guard and prevent access to that which they are protecting ...
All these images are used by permission. They are easily accessed at Wikimedia.
I had mentioned that one of my resources was Dr. Craig Keener. He is a proven trustworthy source as we study the Bible in it historical context.
- Genesis and the Garden of Eden: Keener highlights the cherubim stationed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden, tasked with guarding the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve's expulsion. He connects this to the broader theme of humanity's stewardship and the consequences of disobedience. [2]
- Ezekiel's Vision: Keener also explores the cherubim in Ezekiel's visions, where they are described as composite beings with four faces (man, lion, ox, and eagle) and multiple wings. He notes that these faces can be seen as representing different aspects of God's rule and creation. [4, 5]
- Ancient Near Eastern Context: Keener emphasizes that understanding cherubim requires considering their context within the ancient Near East. While some aspects of the cherubim are similar to imagery found in other temples, the cherubim in the Bible also have unique characteristics. [1, 2]
- Gradation of Holiness: Keener suggests that the cherubim's placement and the materials used near the ark in the tabernacle reflect a gradation of holiness, emphasizing the reverence for the divine presence. [1]
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
Ferret somewhere near the ancient site of Bethel in Israel.
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
As we enter Exodus chapter 8, as we continue with the “battle of the Gods,” we will see, clearly, that so many of us do not have a full understanding of the plagues of Egypt. Without knowing the ancient culture of Egypt, the ancient religion of Egypt, their gods, the true job of Pharaoh, the king, our understanding of what Yahvay is trying to get across to us is limited. An example, the 1st plague of the 1st triad of plagues (plagues 1-9 are in three triads and follow an amazing pattern) when God changed the Nile to blood, Pharaoh is by the Nile in the morning. If one knows the ancient culture of Egypt one will know a more reasonable answer as to why he is there. On top of that, there is a truth the Lord is trying to teach us but we miss it. Moses didn’t. Aaron didn’t nor the Hebrews. They all knew Egypt intimately and understood why Pharaoh was down by the river in the morning. Once again, as we study the plagues, we will see things we never saw because the seminaries have not trained church leaders and teachers of the Bible in its historical perspective. Quite simply the church has abandoned the Bible in its historical context and we lost 90 or 95 percent of what the Lord is trying to get across.
There are 10 verses from Exodus 7 through 14 that are so amazing. Just consider them.
Exo_7:5 "The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst."
Exo_7:17 'Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.
Exo_8:10 Then he said, "Tomorrow." So he said, "May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
Exo_8:22 "But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land.
Exo_9:14 "For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
Exo_9:29 Moses said to him, "As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the LORD'S.
Exo_9:30 "But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."
Exo_10:2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the LORD."
Exo_14:4 "Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
Exo_14:18 "Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen."
In each case God shows that He loves the Egyptians and Pharaoh. He wants them to KNOW Him. In this lesson we will delve into this truth; we will see that God does not want anyone to perish but all to turn to Him, to repent, and turn away from their evil ways and LIVE! But, there’s even more. We will see this is what Jesus teaches. We will see the connection between John 3:16 and these ten verses in Exodus. We will see the dramatic use of the phrase, “the finger of God,” that demonstrates that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is God, Jesus is the one and only God of the Universe.
Here are a few links to study some of the concepts brought up in this lesson. The first is an article on the awesome god of Egypt, Heka - MAGIC!!
Link - https://www.worldhistory.org/Heka/
The next link it dealing with Ma'at. She was a goddess in Moses day and represented truth, justice, order, harmony, goodness, and peace. Here picture is below. (Free picture from Wikimedia).
She was the primary goddess that Pharaoh served and understanding Ma'at and Pharaoh's connection to Ma'at helps us grasp a deeper understanding of what God is doing in the plagues. Here's the link -
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret in Timnah Park just north of Eilat, Israel)
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Tuesday Jul 29, 2025
Tuesday Jul 29, 2025
As we enter our "journey" studying the details of the Mishkan KaKodesh Yahvay, the Holy Dwelling of the LORD, known as the Tabernacle, we find just reading the details is not inspiring or exciting reading. All this detail, however, must have its purpose. We again recall Jesus' words ...
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me" (Joh 5:39)
So for us, as aspiring disciples of Adonai Yeshua, would conclude these chapters related to the Holy Dwelling Place of the Lord will testify of Jesus. Just like He said. Thus, we need to pay attention to the words carefully and get help. We need access to excellent and credible Christian Bible scholars or Messianic Jewish Bible scholars to help us "see" Jesus in these texts. We need to make sure that what they present is solid and Biblically based and simply not their imagination or opinions of crazy flights of fancy.
For me, I will put the Bible back into its historical context and seek the help of archaeology, geography, history, the customs and the cultures of the ancient Middle East (in the case Egypt), and even the languages of the ancient Middle East to help us see the connections between the specific aspects of the Tabernacle. I will access key scholars like Dr. John Currid or Dr. Craig Keener and his, "Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible," or such resources as the "Archaeological Study Bible" from either Zondervan or Crossway publishers. I too want to "see" Jesus but I want to do it in such as way that it makes sense and connects us with the earthly dwelling tent of the Lord and all its rituals to give us a picture so we can be better able to understand the hidden spiritual concepts of the Lord and His redemption plan.
I mentioned several links I would provide. The first is a very special video podcast I did entitled, "The Chiasm of the Light." It is a Bible study of a concept called CHIASMS. It is a literary structure used again and again in the Bible. It is amazing that this literary structure seems to be used by God to show us absolutely that from Genesis 1:1 (the 1st verse in the Bible) to Revelation 22:21 (the last verse in the Bible), that it is all about Yeshua HaMaschiack, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Tis implies as we read on into Exodus and the details the Lord provides on His Holy Dwelling Tent, then we are trusting these verses will testify of Jesus as He said, as God said, in John 5:39. Check it out.
Link -
https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nugget-18-the-chiasm-of-the-light/
Another fun resource is from the website "Free Bible Images." This link will provide you with amazing pictures of the Ark of the Covenant of the Dwelling Tent of Adonai (the Tabernacle). I will be using this link again and again as we focus our study on a specific item in God's Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Dwelling of the Lord.
Link (pictures - look for with box on the upper right that says VIDEO LINK to also access an awesome video)) -
https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bs-tabernacle-ark-covenant/
I study and rely on professional archaeological journals. One is "Bible and Spade," a publication from the Christian archaeological group called,"Associates for Bible Research." The second is the journal called, "Biblical Archaeology Review," from "The Biblical Archaeology Society." If you are serious about Bible study, if you are serious about getting the best resources available to help you go deeper, these two journals are a must. A few pastors who have attended my classes now subscribe and have told me it has changed their sermon prep immensely.
In this podcast I access an awesome article from "Biblical Archaeology Review" addressing the Ark of the Covenant. It is clear tha archaeology shows us that the Lord told Moses of specific things Moses was familiar with in Egypt to use as a model or a pattern for what the Lord wanted in the Beit HaMikdash, His Holy Dwelling. In this way the people, the Hebrews would be able to easily make the connection as to God's purposes since they are seeing things that resemble things they saw in their 400 some years in Egypt. Here's the link to the article.
In this podcast we dealt with CANOPIC JARS. The jars contained specific body organs of a pharaoh that are removed from the pharaoh's body before mummification. These organs are put in the canopic jars and are buried with the pharaoh in his tomb.
Below is a picture of canopic jars I bought in Egypt on one of my several study and research trips.
Many of us are familiar with King Tut. His actual name is Too-tank-ham-moon. Canopic jars were found in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings across from Luxor Egypt. His jars were put in a special box, a special "ark" if you will, called the chest of Annubis. This was found in King Tut's tomb along with the canopic jars.
Annubis is the Egyptian god of the underworld. Annubis is to guard the four body organs of the deceased, the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines as they are removed from the body of the deceased so the body can be mummified or preserved to meet with the gods after death. Supposedly then the four organs, the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines will be replaced into the body when the body is resurrected to live forever with the gods. The Hebrews in the days of Exodus would have known this. They would have understood the special nature of this box, the chest of Annubis.
Here is a link to an awesome video about Canopic Jars. It is made for kids but, for me, it is done so well I think you'll enjoy this wonderful scholarly video about these jars and the ancient Egyptian culture.
Link to video - https://www.historyforkids.net/canopic-jars.html
So archaeology and history gives us added insight into what those Hebrews coming out of Egypt probably understood. Yahvay, the Lord, God, wanted to give them something concrete, something they knew and understood, something physical that they could then be able to begin to grasp the Spiritual concepts of what God is teaching or things in the heavens. God does not need box like the Ark of the Covenant. He dies not need a tent or a Holy Dwelling Place where He is beyond the heavens and the earth. But, His people need them. Moses neds them. We need them. We'll see in this lesson the Spiritual aspects of God wanting to "camp out" with His people. He needed a "TENT," that we call a tabernacle, to give His people a concrete object to grasp that the Lord was with them. And, Yahvay used it again in John 1:14 in that He came to "camp out" with us again in His human tent.
God creates physical things for us to picture those difficult Spiritual concepts or things that are in heaven, or the places above. He did this right from the get go in His Torah in the first verse of Genesis. If you haven't studied these podcast Bible study lessons now is the time before you go on in these chapters on the "Beit HaMikdash" (בית המקדש), the Holy Dwelling Place. Here's the links to these awesome lessons ...
LINKS TO GENESIS LSS5 – CHOAS TO ORDER –
PART 2 – video - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/genesis-5-special-gen-11-2-polemic-theology-from-chaos-to-order/
Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?
Ferret someplace near the Jordan River
What's his background? Why should we take time to listen to him? Here's a link to check out his background - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Monday Jul 28, 2025
THE WAYPOINT OF OUR JOURNEY
If you are a hiker like me there are times you are hiking on a trail and come across something special. It might be a great look out on a high hill or a beautiful pond or a rock structure that has a unique shape. It might be so cool you want to remember it, you want to make it a WAYPOINT. If you do a search on the internet you might come up with the following description generated by AI of a WAYPOINT ...
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(John & Robin somewhere in the Middle East)
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Friday Jul 25, 2025
Friday Jul 25, 2025
In this lesson I mentioned the vidcast (video podcast) entitled, "The Mirror of Passover." In this video I go into detail on the literary structures called CHIAMS (pronounced ky-ah-zms). It'd be good to watch this video before you listen to this podcast on the chiasm of Gen. 22. Here's the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-21-mirror-of-passover/
I have so many awesome credible and scholarly resources for my study and research in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. Again, these books are critical for Christians to study since Jesus said in John 5:39 that ALL scripture testifies of Him. He said it sometime between 24-30 A.D. and all they had then was the Hebrew Scriptures; you know it as the Old Testament. Then the five books that were the primary books of the Bible was the Torah, the Books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As we study these books we see Jesus. Without the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament is incomplete. The Bible is one book from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 and it all testifies of Jesus and the writers of the books of the New Testament relied heavily on Torah.
One resource I count on is the Torah commentary by Dr. John Currid. Yes, he is a Christian theologian but, and this is why I use it, John Currid is a proven archaeologist, Egyptologist, and historian. His commentary actually puts the words of Moses in their historical context. Thus, we can learn the who and the what and the how and the when to understand the why as one of my first teachers, Ray Vander Laan, taught me.
Doctor Currid shows something in his commentary on Genesis 22. He shows that Gen. 22:1-19 is a chiasm. Once you understand what a chiasm is then one can return to Gen. 22 and see the main point God is making. The chiasm is shown below. The verses are color coded to show how the verse colored in black are a reflection of the other verses in black. And the verses in red reflect the other verses in red in that the content is connected. The verse in blue are the center of the chiasm, like the point of a pyramid with the first half sloping up to the point and the 2nd half sloping down from the point.
(Gen 22:1)
Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
(Gen 22:2)
He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
(Gen 22:3)
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
(Gen 22:4)
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
(Gen 22:5)
Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."
(Gen 22:6)
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.
(Gen 22:7)
Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
(Gen 22:8)
Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
(Gen 22:9)
Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
(Gen 22:10)
Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
(Gen 22:11)
But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
(Gen 22:12)
He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
(Gen 22:13)
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.
(Gen 22:14)
Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."
(Gen 22:15)
Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
(Gen 22:16)
and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
(Gen 22:17)
indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
(Gen 22:18)
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
(Gen 22:19)
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.
The entire structure is like a two lines. The beginning line slopes down from left to right and ends at a specific point. Once you reach the center, in this case the verses in blue, the rest of the verses are another line sloping down from right to left from the original starting point. Thus, the verses in black are connected by being reflections of each other. See below. This is a chiastic structure of the entire Bible. Pretty cool!! From Patheos.com 2017.
The central focus of the chiasm of Gen. 22 is the “silence” that is inherent in the verse colored in blue. Abraham can’t “see” God’s purpose and Isaac can’t see the sacrifice. God is silent. The father and the son go on together. In the Hebrew the wording suggests they go one with one mindset, one purpose. Abraham to obey God. Isaac to obey is father. They go on seemingly in silence to the amazing things God will show them on the mountain.
What I just wrote is not a sufficient explanation of this chiasm. I leave the listener to study with me in the podcast. Once you have the idea come back and add to what you think the central point God is making.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
Ferret - Elah Valley - where David defeated Goliath)
What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
The battle between the Lord (the word "Lord" in your Bible is the English word used for the Hebrew name of God, יהוה or YahVay) and all the gods of Egypt begins. We study the first plague, the Nile is turned into blood, into death. One wonders if this is payback. Pharaoh ordered all Egyptians to toss the Hebrew new born baby boys into the Nile and drown them. Pharaoh turned the Nile into a river of death. Dennis Prager in his Torah commentary, “Exodus: the Rationale Bible,” suggests that God then also turned the Nile into a river of blood, a river of death. Measure for measure or as Jesus says, “you will sow what you reap.” So Pharaoh sowed death and Yahvay returned it back unto Pharaoh and all Egypt. It’s possible and it makes sense.
But, there is so much more. Once again what you are about to learn you will never learn in Sunday school or in your Messianic congregation on Shabbat. You will never learn, for example, the connection between Genesis and Exodus and the book of Revelation. Once again, few ever study the Bible in its historical context. When you do your understanding is expanded and enriched; you will see things God intended as we reconnect to the way the first hearers of God’s Torah heard. We have missed do much.
In this podcast I said I would provide valuable links so you can expand your study. The links are below and I do hope they are worthwhile for many of you who are serious students of the Bible.
The first link is to Ray Vander Laan's video series on Egypt. By accessing these links you can see short previews of the videos. If you do purchase them, and I highly recommend you purchase the video study guide as well. As a Bible historian I think the books that go along with the videos are more valuable than the videos. Here's link to all three of the dvd's on Egypt.
Video 1 - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/god-heard-their-cry
Video 2 - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/fire-on-the-mountain
Video 3 - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/with-all-your-heart
One scholar who has done amazing work on the feasts is David Padfield. I am providing a link to his class notebook entitled, "The Gods of Egypt." It is free to download. Once there you can explore the many other study resources that are available from this ministry.
Link - https://www.padfield.com/acrobat/history/gods_of_egypt.pdf
The main job of Pharaoh was to preserve Ma'at or order. Pharaoh's role was to prevent chaos. See the picture of the goddess Ma'at below.
If he did, then when he died then they'd weigh his heart on the scale of judgment in the Hall of Ma'at (the goddess of truth, order, harmony, prosperity, life) against the feather of Ma'at. If Pharaoh maintained order, Ma'at, and stopped chaos, his heart would be lighter than the feather and Pharaoh would enter eternal life with the gods. If he didn't, if his heart was HEAVY, heavier than Ma'at's feather, Pharaoh would be judged and condemned to eternal damnation. Here's one link to learn about this.
Link - https://www.thetorah.com/article/pharaohs-divine-role-in-maintaining-maat-order
All ancient Egyptian cosmologies, the way things began, have things in common. One is that all the main gods of Egypt, the creator gods, arose out of the primordial sea and darkness. Here's a neat video that delves into these common features of the ancient Egyptian creation accounts.
Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTy49JlgJZE
In this podcast I talked about the seasons of the year in ancient Egypt. Here's a link to a picture detailing these three seasons.
Link - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/630926229039184930/
Finally, here is a link to the festivals in ancient Egypt. In this podcast we talked about the festival of Min. This festival occurred in the month of the Exodus and it explains why Pharaoh was probably at the river when God commanded Moses and Aaron to go a meet Pharaoh. But, it explains even more once you understand the god Min.
Link - http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/festival.htm
Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?
(Ferret in the Elah Valley - the Shephelah of Israel)
What's his background? Why should we take time to listen to him? Here's a link to check out his background - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Friday Jul 18, 2025
Friday Jul 18, 2025
Abraham and Isaac go up the mountain and Abraham will be tested by Adonai, the Lord, Yahvay. Abraham doesn’t even know he is being tested. The Lord wants to know what this Abraham is all about. Is his faith real? Or, is his faith just a bunch of words? Is Abraham truly committed to living for the Lord as his top focus, priority? God will test this and see if Abraham is willing to “slaughter” his own son, his Isaac, the first born of he and Sarah, the son who God is the is “promised one” to establish the covenant. Will Abraham give it all up to show his unwavering allegiance to the Lord?
This is a lesson for us as well. Paul teaches that if we are true believers we are sons and daughters of Abraham. Consider …
Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." (Gal 3:7-8)
It seems God is telling us we are part of the family. It might be assumed therefore that we have the family characteristics – we are to be like our “father” Abraham. We have the same commitment, allegiance, and faith as he did. Do we? Would we pass the test that Abraham passed? Would we show our allegiance as he did to the Lord by being willing to kill our son or daughter or other special loved one cause God said it?
Jesus the Last Supper lifts up a cup of wine. It is the cup of the New Covenant. For the 11 disciples still at the Passover Meal that night, they may have seen this as a “picture.” Jesus was “proposing marriage” to the 11 and to us. Of course, Godly marriage is a covenant. Jesus is saying to drink the cup. It’s like a sign that we are entering more than a relationship but a relationship to Jesus that we are totally committed to Him and He to us. Look upon the New Covenant like a beautiful Godly marriage between a Godly man and a Godly woman - Jesus the Bridegroom and u the Bride. The New Covenant shows our mutual unwavering allegiance to Yeshua and He to us like a husband and wife. Check out the article on that goes into this in detail at the link below. Link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/q5ybtnm9r8iuymc/Last%20Supper%20_%20The%20Amazing%20Proposal%20better.pdf?dl=0
Once again in this lesson we again see how the scriptures in Torah testify of Jesus. These is an amazing connections between Isaac and Jesus. Below I am repeating a wonderful survey done by a pastor on these connections.
Consider …
PARALLELS BETWEEN ISAAC AND JESUS
Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 19, 2014
www.SermonCentral.com
- Both fulfilled PROMISES: Isaac was the long-promised son to Abraham (Genesis 12:3) and Jesus was the long-promised Messiah and Son of God (Genesis 3:15; 13:3, John 1:1-12)
- Both were the ONLY SON of their father: God said that Isaac was “Your son, your only son, whom you live…” to Abraham(Genesis 22: 2) and God also said “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16, 17).
- Both had a MIRACULOUS BIRTH: Isaac was born to parents who were very old - Genesis 18:13 and Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary, and conceived by the Holy Spirit - Luke 1:34-35.
- Both had a conception and birth that was PRE-ANNOUNCED - Genesis 18:10 & Luke 1:30–31.
- Both were NAMED before their birth - Genesis 17:19 & Matthew 1:21.
- Both were MOCKED and persecuted by their own kindred - Genesis 21:9 & Mark 15:29–32.
- Both were UNDESERVING of their sacrificial death - Genesis 22:2, Luke 23:41.
- Both were sacrificed on a mountain chosen by God - Genesis 22:3 & Matthew 27:33.
- Both were LOVED by their fathers (Genesis 22:2; Matthew 3:16, 17).
- Both had a THREE-DAY experience: Isaac had a 3-day hike to Moriah and Jesus had 3 days from the cross to the grave to the resurrection.
- Both WERE accompanied by TWO MEN: Isaac by two servants (Genesis 22:3) and Jesus by two thieves (Matthew 27:38)
- Both carried their own WOOD: Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice (Genesis 22:6) and Jesus carried the crossbeam of his cross (John 19:17).
- Both SUBMITTED to their father: Isaac willingly laid down his life, submitting to his father (Genesis 22:9) and Jesus submitted to his Father’s will and laid down his life for our sin (Luke 22:42, Romans 5:8).
- Both asked a QUESTION of their father: Isaac asked Abraham “Here is the fire and the wood, Father, but where is the lamb? (Gen. 22:7) and Jesus cried “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” from the cross (Matthew 27:46).
- Both were BROUGHT BACK from the dead: Isaac was “brought back” figuratively (Genesis 22:12) by the faith of Abraham and Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after he was crucified (Matthew 28:6-7).
Finally ... get ready for lesson 49. We will study Genesis 22 as a CHIASM. Huh? What's that? Watch this video before you listen to lesson 49; watch the video podcast entitled, "The Mirror of Passover." Here's the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-21-mirror-of-passover/
Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?
What's his background? Why should we take time to listen to him? Here's a link to check out his background - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0