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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
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
And so the connection between Jesus' return and Chanukah continues. We must again return to ancient Israel in and about 170 B.C. What was happening to the devout and faithful Jews under the cruel, vicious, and pagan Greek king Antiochus IV? And how does Jesus relate this to the days before His return - the days of tribulation where many have the mark of the evil one, the anti-Christ the one who is anti-Bible and anti-God? Come. Return to those days with us. Let us seek His truth as Yeshua teaches them THEN so we can more fully understand NOW.
Here's a link that reviews the revolt of the Maccabees and the 1st celebration of the feast of Dedication or Chanukah חֲנֻכָּה - https://www.ancient.eu/article/827/the-maccabean-revolt/
Here are links to very readable versions of the 1st and 2nd book of the Maccabees.
1 Maccabees - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1maccabees/0
2 Maccabees - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2maccabees/1
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret ... hiking the ruins of the ancient city of Gath)
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
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Christians and Jews believe in ONE God, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (Israel). Just like Paul said in 1 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:6, and 1 Tim 2:5. And as we learn about the revolt of the Maccabees we see what God did for His chosen ones, Israel. One old Levite priest and his five sons, Judas, Simon, John, Eleazer, and Jonathan and a bunch of Jews from the village of Modi'in (pronounced Moe Deen) flee to the hills and begin a revolution against the powerful Greek Seleucid kingdom of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It is as if Puerto Rico invaded the USA landing their forces at Miami Beach and conquering us in four years. Impossible. But, God has already told us time and time again,
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" (Jer 32:27)
Lord said to Sarah in Abraham's tent, "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." (Gen 18:14)
The Egyptians had enslaved all the Hebrews and were murdering the baby boys of the Hebrews; God delivered these powerless slaves from the most powerful nation on earth at the time. And God does it again in the time of the Maccabees.
We as Christians should not be surprised. Chanukah is not about a rabbinic story of some so called miracle of the oil jar. No way! It is a celebration of God, the only God, who is the all powerful one and is King of kings and God of gods and the Lord of lords.
But now. This awesome celebration remembering what God did for Israel, is used by God Himself to teach His disciples 2000 years ago of His return. Once again we will see another connection Jesus makes between the events of the Maccabean revolt, the remembrance of Chanukah, and His return.
Here's a link that reviews the revolt of the Maccabees and the 1st celebration of the feast of Dedication or Chanukah חֲנֻכָּה - https://www.ancient.eu/article/827/the-maccabean-revolt/
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret ... hiking in the Negev of 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
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
In this video we return again to the Mt. of Olives. Jesus is answering His disciples. They asked Him what would be the sign of His return and the end of the age. Jesus answers and seems to use events of the revolt of the Maccabees as a "picture" to teach them about the times of His return. We as Christians have no connection to Chanukah except it is in December like Christmas. But it has nothing to do with Christmas and we now learn the "miracle of the oil" that supposedly explains the meaning of Chanukah, never happened. It was only a story a rabbi made up in the 3rd century A.D. to try and come up with why Chanukah lasts for 8 days. If you haven't listened to the 1st video, I strongly urge you to watch the video, "Chanukah: Return of the King - Introduction."
So, let us jump in again. Let us return to the Mt. of Olives. Let's study the events of the revolt or the Maccabees and see how Jesus continues to use those days and times to teach His disciples and, therefore, teach us as we reconnect to those days 2000 years ago and hear Jesus they way they did THEN so we can enhance our understanding of the return of the King NOW.
Here are some links that may enhance your study ...
1 Maccabees - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1maccabees/0
2 Maccabees - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2maccabees/1
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret - at the rins of ancient Gath - Goliath's hometown)
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 Dec 13, 2025
Saturday Dec 13, 2025
It is the "season of light." For religious Jewish people it is the feast of Chanukah (Hanukkah is the modern way of spelling the feast) and is a celebration of light - the lights of the Chanukah Menorah. For Christians who celebrate Christmas it is the time to remember the coming of the "light of world" in Jesus. It is interesting that Chanukah and Christmas are connected in that they represent a celebration of the light. But, that is about the only connection they have. Simply put, Chanukah and Christmas have absolutely NOTHING to do with each other. There as different as ice cream and apple pie. I am always amazed at those Christians who say we need to celebrate Chanukah just like the Jewish people. That's like asking Muslims in India to celebrate July 4th Independence Day of the USA. Why would they? It makes no sense.
Jesus however, does something to Chanukah that is very surprising. He uses it and the history of the start of Chanukah as a way to teach His disciples 2000 years ago. He uses it to teach of His return as King and Lord. He uses the events of the revolt of the Maccabees, the July 4th of the Jewish people around 164 B.C., to help His disciples learn about what it might be like before He returns. This is the focus on this vidcast series. I do hope the video series is a blessing and it adds to your celebration of this season of the LIGHT. For myself, I actually add the celebration of Chanukah to this time. Why? Not for the awesome things God did for His people then but for how Jesus teaches me today about the Return of the King.
In the video I talked about some links I would provide. See them below. These are scholarly Jewish resources that teach us that there never was the miracle of the oil at Chanukah. It isn't me teaching this but non-Christian Jewish scholars. So, if there is no miracle of the oil then what is Chanukah all about? You will learn it as part of this vidcast series.
Link 1 to "My Jewish Learning" - https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/transforming-hanukkah/
Link 2 to Torah.com - https://www.thetorah.com/article/uncovering-the-truth-about-chanukah
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret ... somewhere in a wadi 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
Thursday Dec 11, 2025
Friday Dec 05, 2025
Friday Dec 05, 2025
We continue our study about Esau (E SAV in Hebrew) and Edom, means red, which becomes Esav’s nickname. He is father of the Edomites, the red people, and a clan of the Edomites called the Amalekites. We will continue our study to see how Esav and his hatred for his brother Jacob carries throughout the history of Israel; it carries even into Jesus’ day in surprising ways. It even carries to the book of Revelation and you can add to your study by accessing this vidcast - Torah Nugget #15 on the feast of Purim (H6332 Pooreem פּוּרִים lots (as by means of a broken piece) – casting lots). This amazing study connects Esau and Edom to the Great RED Dragon in Revelation 11. Here's the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-15-vidcast-purim-not-by-chance-but-by-design/?token=bde2fde2d0c848fcba88d12d1f3354df
I mentioned in this podcast to watch video #9 in the video Bible study series, “Five Small Stones.” I actually urge you to watch all 11 videos – they are only 5 minutes in length barring the opening and end. Here’s the link to all 11 episodes and the one you want to watch is #9 – here’s the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/?s=five+small
Here's a link to an article on the Edomites. I think this will only add to your understanding and knowledge. Here’s the link - https://www.gotquestions.org/Edom-in-the-Bible.html
Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?
(Ferret ... on the Baja of Mexico teaching at the Bible Institute)
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
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
This is lesson 38 part 2. In Exod. 13:1-21 we find certain Jewish traditions that come out of these verses. One is related to the verses below.
"And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.” (Exo 13:9)
"So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt." (Exo 13:16)
"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” (Deu 6:8)
"You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” (Deu 11:18)
From these verses comes the use of תְּפִילִּין TEFILLIN or the boxes with straps that are used in Jewish prayer. Ancient tefillin were found in the Qumran area on the northeast shores of the Dead Sea. They are dated to Jesus’ day. So, the use of tefillin certainly go back to Jesus’ day; we have archaeological proof. Thus, it is likely that Jesus wore them as a Jewish sage (rabbi). He is never accused in the Gospels of NOT using them. It is clear Jesus wore the four tassels (ציציות tzeetzeeot) on the corners of His garment since this is what the woman who had a bleeding disease for 12 years actually touched as was healed. Jesus was doing what religious Jewish men did then; they wore the tassels and used the tefillin.
The second tradition comes from the verses below.
"You shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' “ (Exo 13:8)
"And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.” (Exo 13:14)
"And when your children say to you, 'What does this rite mean to you?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'" (Exo 12:26-27)
"When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?' then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand.” (Deu 6:20-21)
The old tradition is the part in a modern Jewish Seder where a child of the family asks the four questions as related to the verses above. The four questions are shown below.
- Question 1: Why on all other nights do we eat either leavened bread or matza, but on this night only matza?
- Question 2: Why on all other nights do we eat different types of vegetables, but on this night only bitter herbs?
- Question 3: Why on all other nights do we not dip our food once, but on this night we dip it twice?
- Question 4: Why on all nights do we eat either sitting upright or reclining, but on this night we recline?
It is said that each question was asked by a certain type of child.
- The Wise Son: “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that G‑d, our G‑d, has commanded to you?”
- The Wicked Son: "What is this service of yours?!"
- The Simple Son: “What is this celebration about?”
- The One Who Doesn't Know How to Ask: "As for The One Who Knows Not How To Ask — you must open up [the conversation] for him."
The main point in all this is the Exodus is the key Biblical event establishing the Jewish people, Israel as a nation, and Judaism. It only happened once and will never happen again. It even changed their calendar - the month of Nissan, the month f Passover, is the first month of the year and Nissan 1 is God's New Year.
God had engineered history and orchestrated all these events and He wants His people never to forget. So the use of tefillin is a tool to help remember. And the tradition of the use of the four questions in the Seder is to teach the next generation so that they too will never forget.
What does all this have to do with Jesus? How does this relate to our experience as Christians in the 21st century? In this lesson we will see the amazing and awesome connections to Jesus. He said that salvation is from the Jews. The Exodus was a God orchestrated event not to rescue slaves, or to give freedom to Israel. No. It was an event marking a new era with a new people who are given a new task. In Isa. 42:6 and 49:6 they, Israel, are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD to bring the salvation (Jesus’ name – Yeshua H3444 יְשׁוּעָה ) of God to the “ends of the earth.” On top of that He took bread (unleavened?) at His Passover Meal of the Messiah (the Last Supper) and said it was Him, His body. This takes us right to Exodus 13 and this chapter takes us to the CROSS - a one time event that will never happen again and it too changed our calendar. You won’t believe how these lessons are proof of Jesus’ words in John 5:39 that all scripture testifies of Him. He said it between 24-30 A.D. and all they had was the Hebrew Bible. Again His words are true to them then and to us now.
If you missed lesson 38 part 1 check it out. Here's the link - https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fuv7b-11e242c
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret - teaching at the ancient city of Gezer in the Shefelah (sha-fay-lah) 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
Friday Nov 28, 2025
Friday Nov 28, 2025
In lesson 65 we again turn our attention to Jacob’s brother Esau. His name (עֵשָׂו H6215 pronounced EE SAV) in Hebrew means rough or hairy from the Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon. When Esav is born it says …
When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau.
(Gen 25:24-25)
So Jacob’s brother was born "esav" and "edom" or hairy and red. It’s like Edom, red, becomes Esav’s nickname. Esav is said to be the father of the Edomites, the red people, coming from the fact that Esav was probably was a hairy baby covered with red hair.
In this lesson we will begin to see how Esav and his hatred for his brother Jacob carries throughout the history of Israel; it carries even into Jesus’ day in surprising ways. Of course we missed it since we are so disconnected from our Jewish roots and we read the Bible in English and don’t understand the Hebrew or Greek. Also, few teach the Bible in its historical context. Once we reconnect the word to its historical context the Lord enriches and expands our understanding that is deeply meaningful.
In this podcast I mentioned that I’d provide a link to an article on the Edomites. I think this will only add to your understanding and knowledge. Here’s the link - https://www.gotquestions.org/Edom-in-the-Bible.html
A second link is to the vidcast on the feast of Purim (H6332 Pooreem פּוּרִים lots (as by means of a broken piece) – casting lots). In this video Bible study we will discover awesome connections to Jacob and Esau and the Edomites and the Amalekites but also to Jesus and perhaps even the end times and the Day of the Lord. Here's the link - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-15-vidcast-purim-not-by-chance-but-by-design/?token=bde2fde2d0c848fcba88d12d1f3354df
Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?
(Ferret on a boat on the Sea of Galilee)
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
Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
In lesson 38 we focus on Exod. 13:1-21. There are amazing connections to this chapter and to Yeshua, His death, and the new life He provides through the cross. In this session we focus on the first born of Israel, animals and men. All belong to the Lord. All first born male animals must be sacrificed but all the first born human males, except for Levities, are redeemed; a price is paid of 5 shekels. The key word is redeemed. How might this relate to Jesus. On one hand He is human, and the first born son of Mary. On the other hand He is God, He is Divine and He is the only first born begotten son of the Father and is the Lamb of God. But all male first born lambs must be sacrificed. Hmmm, yes, the Lamb of God is sacrificed. Seems to be connected to all this.
We will also study UNLEAVENDED BREAD again. But this time the Torah gives us a picture. The UNLEAVENED BREAD is a picture of the Torah of the Lord, the Written Word. The Written Word is the Bread of Life. But I thought Jesus is the Living Word. He said He is is the Bread of Life. Huh? How can this be? Is Jesus the Written Word and the Living Word? Are they the same? Are they different? Did Jesus erase the Written Word? How is this all related to the Cross? You won’t believe this once you get into this. Come and study with us and go deeper in your understanding of the Passover and the Great Redemption of the Lord, יהוה, Yahvay (not Yahway - there is no W sound in Hebrew!!).
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret on the top of the acropolis at Pergamum in Bergama Turkey)
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 Nov 21, 2025
Friday Nov 21, 2025
Some of the great Bible characters lied through their teeth! Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, David, Rahab all lied. And yet the Bible is silent about their SIN. God said to lie is a sin and He said it twice - once in the Ten Commandments as it relates to judicial matters to "not be a false witness" and a second time where the Lord says it precisely ...
Lev 19:11 "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another."
God does not condemn them for their obvious breaking God's command. You have to ask what is going on? Is there something we are not seeing?
Consider the real stories of Christians during WWII who lied to the Nazis to protect Jews they were hiding. Corrie Ten Bloom is one of them. She and her family lied, they saved 100's of innocent Jewish people, and she became a celebrated "righteous Gentile" among the Jewish people. She is honored among many other Gentiles, like Oscar Schindler, who did brave and heroic things to save 1000's of Jewish people from the gas chambers and death.
Corrie, in her book, "The Hiding Place," relates the events of her and her family rescuing Jews. She also shares how troubled she was that in order to save the Jews she had to LIE. She had to commit a sin. This was something that bothered her deeply.
But, in the Bible many Bible characters lie. We read in the Bible that God never calls them on the carpet. He never brings up that they broke His Torah command not to lie. Why? What is going on? Perhaps there is something more that God is showing us. Is God saying that deceptive words are not a lie if the words that mislead are done for good and not evil? Is God saying that if one deceives with words for evil intent then that is a lie? Is God saying a lie is not words that are simply deceptive but it relates to the intent, the purpose? Is God saying that one can DO THE UNLAWFUL TO PREVENT THE UNSPEAKABLE? Needless to say this is a challenging question.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?
(Ferret - at Tel Gath - the home city 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