LIGHT OF MENORAH

Bible Study - The Puzzle of the End Times

Class starts next Sunday 9/29.  Only half the seats remain.  Watch the video to get more info and to reserve a seat.

Genesis 12 - Gen. 4:1 - AND ADAM KNEW HIS WIFE CHAVA

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

 

 

 

 

Genesis 11 - Gen. 3:24 - THE WAY IS CLOSED

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

Exodus 54 - Exo. 22:16-17 - SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE - WHAT DID WE MISS??

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 –

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-views-on-premarital-sex/#:~:text=When%20sex%20is%20reserved%20for,within%20the%20context%20of%20kiddushin.

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 –

https://soc.history.ancient.narkive.com/DIO506S4/world-before-christ-infanticide-and-abortion-in-ancient-pagan-world

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

 

TRUTH NUGGETS - 20 - Against the Gods - Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7 Formed in His Image

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

Genesis 10 - Gen. 3:1-24 - YOM - How Long is a Day?

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 –

http://factsandfaith.com/does-the-hebrew-word-yom-translated-day-in-genesis-1-mean-a-24-hour-day-or-something-else/

 

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

Genesis 9 - Gen. 1:24 and 2:7 Nefesh - Animals and Humans - the are the same??

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

Exodus 53 - Exod. 22:1-15 Protecting Your Family

We find again in this lesson that God comes against the law codes of the ancient Near East.  One such code is the Code of Hammurabi who was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from c. 1792 to c. 1750 BC.  His code is 282 laws written 300 years before the Exodus.  In this code any thief is to be executed.  This is seemingly regardless of the theft or the seriousness of the crime.  Just imagine that shoplifters who come in gangs to steal and rob from retail stores today would all be caught and killed in ancient Babylon. 

Below you can see the Stele of Hammurabi – on this stone pillar the 282 laws of Hammurabi are engraved.  This picture is royalty free and is accessible at Wikimedia.

I mentioned I’d include an article that addresses the issue of self defense for Christians.  It is a solid article and provides awesome scriptural support for its position that indeed the Lord allows for self defense.  The link is below …

https://www.gotquestions.org/self-defense.html

But, another article you may find as interesting addresses the question asking whether Jesus was a pacifist.  I have found that those who hold to such a belief sometimes use the commandment “thou shalt not murder” and interpret it to mean “thou shalt not kill.”  If the commandment is the later it seems easy to say then that God is against any killing – killing in war, killing in self defense, the death penalty, and on and on.  So, check out this article that discusses the question if Jesus was a pacifist.  I addressed this is more detail in the podcast relating to the commandment.  Here's the link below ...

https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/exodus-47-lesson-13-exod-2013-no-murder/

One thing to keep in mind is Jesus is GOD and GOD said He never changes as we read in Mal. 3:6.  The link to the article is below …

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-pacifist.html

 

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

 

 

 

 

Genesis 8 - Gen. 2:3 - WORK YET TO BE DONE

 

We will continue with the verse Gen. 2:3.  The Hebrew - not the English - suggests that God stopped creating works that were still yet to be done!  Huh?  Works yet to be done?  Works created but had not even started or were completed? Works for the future? This is too awesome since this implies that we, made in His image, are to go and work just like Him.  Hmmm, does the Bible teach that? It suggests right from the "get go" we were created for a purpose.  But, did God specify it in His Word and not imply or suggest?

It seems clear also that this implies Jesus as well.  He said that He is doing the works given to Him by the Father.  He tells those listening to Him then in John 5 that He will even do greater works than what they just saw (He had just healed a man lame for 39 years).  On top of that Jesus tells us on the night before He died in John 14 that if we are His true talmideem - His true disciples - that the works the Father gave Him Jesus gives to us and we also will even do "greater works."  It is as if Gen. 2:3 is God's first prediction of the good news coming in the future.  Now the verse Eph. 2:8-10 makes sense.  Yes!  We are saved by grace but at the same time we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus (that means we the ones called by His name, we are the ones who state that Jesus is our Lord, our Savior, God, we are His true disciples) for GOOD WORKS created BEFORE HAND!! 

This is an amazing connection of Eph. 2:8-10 to the Torah.  But, why should it surprise us.  When Paul wrote the letter to Ephesus the only Bible they had was the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament.  

This lesson will also address the Documentary Hypothesis - a theory that states that Moses never wrote the Torah.  We will study this anti-Bible theory and show that it is false.  It comes against Jesus' own words when Jesus states clearly many times that the Torah is of Moses or the Torah are the "books of Moses."  Below is a link to a deep scholarly article from the Associates for Biblical Research that shows the Documentary Hypothesis is wrong and should be buried forever.   Here's the link ... https://www.biblearchaeology.org/research/topics/biblical-criticism-and-the-documentary-hypothesis/2328-the-documentary-hypothesis

On top of that, the Sabbath (שַׁבָּת Shabbat in Hebrew) testifies of Messiah Yeshua, Jesus the Christ.  Check it out from one of the chapters in one of the class books from Light of Menorah.  Here’s the link - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/owszf7iszt7wkykkonggs/SHADOW-OF-MESSIAH-OVER-THE-SHABBAT.pdf?rlkey=axyzu36d3x1457cmp5z823xrw&st=m5flxovt&dl=0

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

TRUTH NUGGETS 29 - END TIMES - HAVE THE HORSES ARRIVED?

We are living through days of horror and unspeakable evil as innocents are slaughtered, murdered, burnt alive, and kidnapped. In Israel entire families were killed, savagely. One might ask is this a sign of the End Times? In the End Times there there will be seven seals opened. The 1st four seals are related to the FOUR HORSES OF THE APOCALYPSE. One wonders, have they arrived? Don't miss this video and the possible meaning behind the color of the horses - white and red and black and green.

This picture is royalty free accessible at Wikimedia

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