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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
Friday Oct 11, 2024
Friday Oct 11, 2024
In Genesis chapter 4 we come to an interesting character, Lamech. He's not the father of Noah since that Lamech was a descendant of Seth. This Lamech in chapter 4 is the great great great grandson of Cain. He seems to be an unforgiving character just like his ancestor Cain; Lamech talking to his two wives said if someone hurts him he will have his revenge seventy and sevenfold; that means a whole lot. His worldview was clearly not the worldview of the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, the worldview of Judaism; it was distinctly opposed to our Christian worldview and Jesus' teaching.
Jesus uses this account of Lamech to give His disciples 2000 years ago the counter worldview to Lamech. As a Jewish rabbi He teaches from the Torah to help them and us know the truth of God's word and the truth of how we are to live as His holy people. Jesus uses the Torah, the only Bible they had in Jesus' day, to teach the gospel since the Father had already inspired Moses to write about the gospel in the Torah. But how? Come and join us and let's dig deep.
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
Friday Oct 04, 2024
Friday Oct 04, 2024
In the previous lesson I mentioned two verses I wanted to emphasize. The first was Genesis 4:9 and in this lesson it is Genesis 4:10. God tells Cain that his brother's blood cries out to the Lord. For me as a Christian reading it in English it seems to mean to me that God is simply saying that He has witnessed Abel's murder. However, it has deeper implications. So deep, matter of fact, that this verse is related to the Bible's view that killing a baby in the womb is more than one death! But, the key is, NOT in English but in Hebrew.
Once again we need to reconnect to those amazing scholars Jew and Gentile to help us see what the Hebrew means and how it was understood in Jesus' day and before. Thus, once we understand the Lord's original meaning it helps us today apply it the way it was intended. Many times in this series I bring up two sources that are so helpful for the study of the Torah for us Christians. One is the Torah commentary by Dr. John Currid. The second is the JPS (Jerusalem Publication Society) Torah Commentary. I recommend both of these resources for any of you who are serious Bible students.
Another great resource is this web site (link below). It is entitled "Hebrew 4 Christians." At this website are amazing resources for you to go deeper in understanding the Jewish background of the Bible, to learn Hebrew, and to study Torah as a disciple of Yeshua. Here's the link - https://hebrew4christians.com/index.html
Rev. Ferret (above - in a tomb in the necropolis of the ancient city of Hierapolis in Turkey) - 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
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Friday Sep 27, 2024
God asks Cain where Abel was? He was not around? Something had happened. We know that something happened when we read ...
"Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." (Gen 4:8)
This was the first murder stemming from Cain's anger as recorded in the Torah. And we know that it says that ... "You shall not murder." (Exo 20:13). The King James got it wrong when it says thou shalt not kill. The Hebrew word is תרצח H7523 pronounced "tretzach" does not mean kill but murder as in the Gesenius Lexicon. And later in Exod. 21:12-14 we read ...
"He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die." (Exo 21:12-14)
But, if God wants murderers executed why was Cain kept alive? Shouldn't have Cain been killed by God to maintain unity of His law and commands? Interesting. Let's go and explore this event in its historical context and in the Hebrew and not the English.
Rev. Ferret (above - teaching at the gates of the ancient city of Gezer) - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check it out at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Class starts next Sunday 9/29. Only half the seats remain. Watch the video to get more info and to reserve a seat.
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
The way is closed to the Father and the Tree of Life. This was the ending of Genesis chapter 3. Now what? This is where it is clear that Jesus, when He says in John 5:39, sometime between 24-30 A.D., that scripture (it was only the Old Testament then) testifies of Him, we see the GOOD NEWS, the GOSPEL according to Moses. Jesus says He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He is the Way and the only way to the Father! This is obviously so connected to the fact that the way is closed to the Father after the sin of Adam and Eve. But, Jesus is clearly telling us the WAY is open, we can go back , we can enter Gan Eden, Paradise, if we chose Him.
Adam and Eve freely chose to disobey God and they lost it all. Now, God sets up the same situation in reverse. If we chose Jesus then we gain it all, we gain eternal life! But, in Matthew's Gospel Jesus says that there are many who will come and say they did this or that in Jesus' name. And Jesus said that is nothing. It amounts to NIL. Why? Jesus said
He did not KNOW them
I wonder. Jesus is speaking Hebrew and not Aramaic. He says they did not KNOW Him. The first time this word comes up in the Torah is Genesis 4:1, or Adam KNEW his wife. Is there something about this word KNOW in Hebrew that will give us insight into our relationship with Yeshua? You bet.
Rev. Ferret (above - teaching at the gates of the ancient city of Gezer) - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check it out at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
Friday Sep 13, 2024
Friday Sep 13, 2024
The way is closed to the tree of life and the Father. How can we get back? How do we come again to be with our Abba, to dwell with Him in His Kingdom? There has to be a way?
In this lesson, in this verse of Gen. 3:24, we see what Jesus meant in John 5:39 when He said that Scripture testifies of Himself. He said it between 24-30 A.D. in the Temple Courts. The only Bible they knew then was the Torah, the Prophets (HaNevi'im) and the Writings (HaKetuvim) or the TaNacK, the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament. Old? Nothing old about it - it is God's word and God said His word is the Bread of Life.
Rev. Ferret (above - in a tomb in the necropolis of the ancient city of Hierapolis in Turkey) - 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
Wednesday Sep 11, 2024
Wednesday Sep 11, 2024
Some people think that the word "fornication" means sex outside of marriage. Some say that this is what it means in the Bible. NOPE. Sorry folks. Fornication comes from Greek and from Hebrew that have nothing to do with sex before marriage. God never states specifically that pre-marital sex or sex outside of marriage is a sin – even in the New Testament.
But it is
How does God teach us that sex before marriage is a sin? How does He teach this in His Torah, His "instruction?" How did He get this across to His chosen people, the Hebrews, coming out of Egypt? How did God do this to His people in the 1st century A.D. when He, Yeshua HaMaschiach, Jesus the Messiah, God Himself, was here with us? And remember, Jesus’ Bible was the Old Testament and the Old Testament never specifically says that sex before marriage is a sin.
But it is
We missed it. He did teach it. But, once again we need to put the Bible into its historical perspective. You will NOT get this is you simply read the Bible in English. Once again as it was understood in Jesus' day among the great Bible teachers, study to learn and learn to do.
One needs to understand how God taught them THEN, thousands of years ago, so we can understand NOW. Sex outside of marriage is a sin and, on top of that, it looks as if it is something God hates. Wait till you see.
Here's a number of links I promised in the podcast you many find very enlightening. The first ones relate to articles from Jewish scholarly sources that show the Torah is silent on sex before marriage.
MY JEWISH LEARNING –
AISH – Orthodox Jewish Teaching Site –
https://aish.com/premarital-relations/
JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY –
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/premarital-sex
The second set of links show that premarital sex was common in Greece and Rome and ancient Egypt and Canaan.
Link 1 - the practice of sex outside of marriage, abortion, and infanticide in ancient Greece and Rome –
Link 2 - WORLD HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA –
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/934/love-sex-and-marriage-in-ancient-egypt/
Link 3 - THE NOT SO INNOCENTS ABROAD –
https://www.thenotsoinnocentsabroad.com/blog/the-sex-lives-of-ancient-egyptians
Link 4-6 – Ray Vander Laan's article on ancient pagan religion and practices –
https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/fertility-cults-of-canaan
https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/hellenism-center-of-the-universe
https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/innocent-blood
Link 7 - my research article for my master's degree in Biblical history. The focus is on adoption in ancient Turkey (Asia Minor) but relates to infanticide in ancient Rome. The bibliography is invaluable - https://www.dropbox.com/s/i0fg3wwbm9xohzq/Ephesus%20Adopt.pdf?dl=0
Ferret - on top of Tel Azeka in the Shephelah in Israel
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
Saturday Sep 07, 2024
Saturday Sep 07, 2024
In vidcast 3 of this series we will study Gen. 1:26-27 and 2:7. God creates man and woman. It is a Bible story we are all so very familiar with. However, 3400 years ago, if you were a Hebrew on the plains of Moab, one of the second generation out of Egypt, or if you were one at the Red Sea when God spilt the sea and you were saved from Pharaoh’s chariots and his army, or if you were one of the Hebrews at Sinai where you heard and saw the amazing events when God gave the Ten Commandments; if you were one of those Hebrews, how may you have heard and understood the scripture verses written by Moses about the creation of man and woman? Probably a lot differently than we do today. But, they were the intended audience to hear God’s word first. Not us. Yes, it was intended for us but we need to reconnect to that ancient culture of 3400 years ago. God’s people had assimilated into the Egyptian culture and after 430 years since Jacob (Israel) and his sons entered Egypt till 1446B.C. when they left, all they knew coming out of Egypt was Egypt, its gods and its religion. God was using Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy to teach His people about Himself and to take the influences of Egypt out of the minds, souls, and hearts of His people. When we reconnect to those ancient days then we begin to see what they saw and we begin to hear what they heard and our understanding of God and His word is enriched and enhanced and expanded. Yes, we know about the creation of man and woman and think it is an ancient story that has no application for us today in the sophisticated 21st century. How can that story impact us? Wait till you see!
So, let’s go and study how the creation of man and woman was a major revolutionary concept 3400 years ago among the pagan cultures of those days. Let us grasp the enhanced ways through polemic theology that God used to help His people to know the truth and to come against the false gods and false religions of Egypt and Canaan. Let us understand who we are, men and women, made and formed in His image and how that relates to us today.
Great article on the book of Genesis as a polemic against Egypt and Canaan. Link - https://apologetics.substack.com/p/genesis-the-polemic
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
Friday Sep 06, 2024
Friday Sep 06, 2024
God said to Adam and Eve that on the day they eat from the special tree they would die. They did not die the day they ate the "forbidden" fruit. Adam lived a long time - 930 years. The Hebrew word for day is - יום - YOM. Does it mean a 24 hour period? Does it mean one day from midnight to midnight? If so then we have a problem with Gen. 2:4 - it clearly states that God created the heavens and the earth in a day.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. (Gen 2:4)
But in Genesis 1 it took 6 days. So, is this an issue with the word of God? Did God make a mistake? Did God mean it when He said to Adam and Eve they'd die the day they ate from the special tree?
Another thing we will consider is John 5:39. Jesus says this in 24-30 A.D. to those Jews THEN that all scripture testifies of Himself. What scripture did they have THEN? All they had was the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament. I don't like calling it the Old Testament since there is nothing "old" about it - it is God's word! The foundation of the Hebrew Scriptures is the Torah, the first five books - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As we focus on Genesis 3 we will see Jesus like never before as He said He is the only WAY to the Father. In Genesis 3 we will see the GOSPEL as God inspired Moses to write it - the Gospel According to Moses. Here's a link to a website that helps with understanding Hebrew words like יום - YOM - click the links to study the Hebrew word YOM …
Link 1 from GotQuestions.org - https://www.gotquestions.org/Genesis-days.html
Link 2 from Facts and Faith.com –
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
Friday Aug 30, 2024
Friday Aug 30, 2024
God creates whales and seals and sharks and lobsters and walleye and catfish and cows and dogs and lions and tigers and pigs ... He creates all the "living creatures." In Hebrew the word is נֶפֶשׁ nephesh. But, God also "forms" man and man is called נֶפֶשׁ nephesh. Are animals and man the same? Today some say this is the case. Today some say animals have the same rights as humans since animals and humans are the same. How can this be? Moreover, Jewish and Christian translators translate נֶפֶשׁ nephesh as soul! For example in Deut. 6:5 it says we are to love God with are whole heart and soul or נֶפֶשׁ nephesh. So, the Bible in English could be used to justify the crazy world view that animals and humans are the same. They are living creatures and they have souls!
How does God distinguish man from the animals? Is there something we are missing? You bet.
Another thing we will study in lesson 9 is that God uses His Torah as a polemic against Egypt. Again, a polemic is a strong truth claim attacking an opposing truth claim. God is inspiring Moses to write a polemic against Egypt. An example is in Egypt there is a god called Khum. See the royalty free picture below of the god Khum from CLKER.com.
He is a creator god and in one of the creation stories in ancient Egypt, Khum is called the POTTER in that Khum formed all creation, stars, planets, sky, the earth, the oceans, and all animals and plants and man and woman and all the gods on his potter wheel. Here is a link to an article about the Egyptian god Khum that you may be interested in as an addition to your study - https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khnum/
But the Bible says that the God of the Bible is the potter and we are the clay. But now, O LORD, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isa 64:8) How does God come against Khum? How does God inspire Moses to help the Hebrews coming out of Egypt see that Khum is not the potter, not the creator, and a false god?
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