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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 Aug 06, 2021
Friday Aug 06, 2021
The Gospel According to Moses is a Torah study for Christians. The main goals of this study can be accessed at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/aczx1wpcwk730up/FOUR%20GOALS%20MAY%2016%202021.pdf?dl=0 The 1st session starts with Gen. 1:1-31 and addresses the concept of Torah - what is it? Is it the Law?
Who's John Ferret? What's his background? Why should I listen to this guy? Here's a link to learn a little about Rev. Ferret - click here for background of the teacher
Sunday Aug 01, 2021
Sunday Aug 01, 2021
The amazing confrontation between the one true and only God and Pharaoh is about to begin. The Lord is setting the stage for the second meeting of Moses and Aaron and Pharaoh. But this time Moses is to be God to Pharaoh. God does not say Moses will be “like a god,” but He says to Moses he will be God to Pharaoh. Wow!! Moses will be a in the flesh representation of the Lord, or Yahvay, the name of God. Makes sense, though. Pharaoh said he did not know of the God of the Hebrews. So, God would now, through Moses, use His power to show first, the Pharaoh is not a god and, second, to overwhelm Pharaoh and the might of Egypt to free all Israel. In a sense God would through a man, Moses, who is to act as His representative and defeat all the gods of Egypt. Thus this affirms in God’s own words that He is God alone and there is no other …
“Do not tremble and do not be afraid; have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.” (Isa 44:8)
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me.”(Isa 45:5)
A second aspect of all this relates to the fact that the Jewish people say that Moses is like the coming Messiah. Moreover, the coming Messiah will be like Moses. God promises this in Deut. 18:15 and 18:18. The Messiah will be a prophet like Moses. In Exod. 7:1 we get the connection between Jesus’ words in John 5:39 and see that if Moses is like the coming Messiah, and Moses is a prophet of Yahvay, Moses is to be as God to Pharaoh, and Moses is sent to Pharaoh and, thus, we too see that Yeshua, our Jesus, is also a prophet as Moses, and Yeshua is GOD not a representation, and as Moses was sent, so Yeshua was sent.
Here’s a part of a great article at the website, “You’ve Got Questions,” on Moses and Messiah.
Jesus is like Moses in several ways. Moses was both a prophet and a lawgiver, and Jesus is, too. Jesus was widely recognized as a prophet who spoke the Word of God (Matthew 21:46), and He gave commandments for His followers to obey (John 13:34; 15:12, 17; Galatians 6:2). Both Moses and Jesus mediated a covenant between God and men—Moses the Old Covenant (Exodus 34:27; Acts 7:44), and Jesus the New (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:15). Both Moses and Jesus were born during perilous times, and both narrowly escaped a king bent on murdering babies (Exodus 1:22 and Matthew 2:16–18). Both Moses and Jesus had a connection to Egypt (Exodus 2:1–4 and Matthew 2:13–14). Moses was the (adopted) son of a king (Exodus 2:10), and Jesus is the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32). Moses spent forty years as a shepherd (Exodus 3:1), and Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Both Moses and Jesus were known for their meekness (Numbers 12:3 and Matthew 11:29).
See the entire article at this link - https://www.gotquestions.org/Moses-and-Jesus.html
A great link to study this further is at the great website, Hebrew4Christains. Here’s the link to the correlation of Moses and the Messiah – https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Like_Moses/like_moses.html
Also, see the picture below. It is a visual representation of the connection between Moses and the Messiah and the Passover in Egypt in 1446 B.C. and the Passover in Jerusalem in 30 A.D.
But we are to be disciples of Jesus. This means we are to be like Him, to be like our rabbi. That’s what it meant in Jesus’ day. But, if Jesus is prefigured in Moses, aren’t we also, if we are disciples, if we are to be like Jesus? Yes. As Messiah, He was sent and so are we, just like Messiah and just like Moses. As Jesus is given the words to teach like Moses, we are as well. As Jesus is the Light of the World He tell us we too are to be the Light of the World. What do we conclude? That Moses is an example of a disciple of Adonai – one who is like the Lord. So too then we are to be disciples of the Messiah. Check out the article by Ray Vander Laan entitled, “Rabbi and Talmideem (disciples)” at this link. It is a great article on what it means to be a disciple in Jesus’ day and not what the church teaches today. Link - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim
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 - click here
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
A main purpose for this Bible study podcast series on Genesis (and the one on Exodus also) is to see how the five key books of the Hebrew scriptures in Jesus’ day testify of Him, Jesus, the Messiah. This is all related to the gospel of John chapter five. Jesus says that “all scripture testifies of Him.” (John 5:39) All they had then was the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures, and the key books of the Bible then was the Torah, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In this lesson we focus on Gen. 21:14-34. In these verses is an amazing way the Torah testifies of the gospel, the New Covenant, Jesus, and our being “grafted in to the olive tree, the olive tree that is a picture of Israel.” We will again see that God inspired Moses to teach us the gospel, aspects of the Kingdom of Adonai, the amazing redemption plan of the Lord, and to "see" King Jesus, the Messiah, the one who comes to complete what the Torah could not do (Acts 13:38-39). We will then see that the Torah written by Moses is nothing more than THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MOSES. But, in order to “see” Jesus in Gen. 21:14-34 we need to understand geography and the plants of the Bible. We need to study the Tamarisk tree. Once we do we can finally get at the intended meaning of what Adonai is trying to get us to know, to understand.
In this lesson I mentioned I’d provide some pictures of two plants. The first is the Tamarisk tree. You can see that below.
The second plant is the “broom tree” called the rotem in Hebrew. It is likely this is the bush that Hagar and Ishmael were under in the shade. It is a large bush that provides just enough shade for one person. It is likely the bush that Elijah was laying under when he escaped from Ahab and Jezebel. See the rotem below.
I also am linking you to lesson 34 in this series. Hagar is the first person in the Torah to encounter the ANGEL OF THE LORD. It happens in chapter 21 and back in 16. In lesson 34 I show that the Torah, the very words of God, PROVE unequivocally that the ANGEL OF THE LORD is God, a manifestation of the Lord Himself. It is one of the “faces” of the Lord so that He can make Himself visible to us and we will not die. Here’s the link to lesson 34 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/the-gospel-according-to-moses-genesis-lesson-34-gen-161-16/
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 - click here
Friday Jul 09, 2021
Friday Jul 09, 2021
I am doing these podcasts on the first five books of the Bible, sometimes called the Torah, for Christians for deeply personal reasons. Some of these are 1) I am having a ton of fun doing them and 2) the Lord has given me a cool hobby for a man age 73 and 3) and I am learning so much as I study the Bible in its historical context and 4) I put them out there on the internet for any to hear and listen and perhaps, be touched by the Lord (not me!) to walk in a deeper way on the Straight Path the Good Shepherd leads us on as in Psalm 23. We read in English that they are the Paths of Righteousness. In Hebrew the word used means straight, the Straight Paths. In Hebrew this is a word that is interpreted a righteousness. See the picture below of what David was talking about – the straight paths of the sheep following their shepherd.
Here's a super short video by Ray Vander Laan - click here for the 4 minute video
Thus, for me, I do not worry about success – how many listeners do I have or the popularity of the Light of Menorah podcasts or vidcasts. I am already a success in that the Lord seemingly has led me to do this work and I obey and try to do it the best I can so He is honored by the quality I try to put in this work. That’s it. I then hope and trust that as I put them out there the Lord may see fit to use them to reach the one or two or ten people He is after to become disciples of Rabbi Jesus or to become stronger and more passionate in their walk with the Lord.
This lesson is a prime example. I always wondered how could the Lord approve of Sarah’s actions by kicking out Hagar and Ishmael? From my 21st perspective it made no sense. Hagar and Ishmael left and nearly died of thirst. Huh? Why? All because Ishmael was “mocking” his younger brother, Isaac?
I thank the Lord for giving me the chance to earn a masters degree in Bible history. This has led me to study the Bible in its historical perspective focusing in on the archaeology, history, geography, customs, culture, and even the languages of the ancient Middle East. My profs helped me get connected to credible scholars and teachers who are so unlike the typical pastor who has never been trained in Biblical Greek, Hebrew or in the historical and ancient cultural context of the Bible. In this lesson those scholars, those brilliant archaeologists, historians, both Jew and Gentile, have helped me see a realistic alternative view of these events. Abraham and Sarah are Chaldean. They are NOT Hebrews! So, are there aspects of the ancient Chaldean culture of ancient Babylon that contribute to our understanding of Sarah kicking out Hagar and Ismael? Yes. Wait till you see.
So, come and join me and see the results of the "hobby" (the works He has given me as per Eph. 2:8-10) the Lord has given this old guy. It is a hobby based upon John 8:31-32. My life is now dedicated to studying and integrating God’s word totally so that it becomes my foundation for life so that I will know the truth, the truth that sets me and you free.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Abraham and Sarah now travel to the area of Gerar in southwestern Israel. You can see where this is in the map below. It is probably named this after the wadi Gerar that flows east into the sea. It is a wadi, a dry river bed in that it only has water during the rainy season in Israel. This would be roughly November through March.
We immediately encounter some issues. One is the king Abimelech. Is he a Philistine? It is an interesting question with no complete final answer. Consider …
Gen_26:1. Philistines in Palestine. Large numbers of Philistines entered Canaan after the invasion of the Sea Peoples (1200 B.C.) broke Egyptian control over the area. In this context they are mentioned in the records of Ramses III (1182-1151 B.C.). They established a pentapolis of five major city-states (Gaza, Gath, Ashdod, Ekron, Ashkelon) along the southern coastal plain and quickly gained political control over nearby regions as well (Jdg_15:11). Their mention in Genesis may reflect an earlier group that settled in Canaan prior to 1200 B.C., or it may be an anachronism based on their presence in the Gerar region in later periods (see Gen_21:32), earlier people of the vicinity being referred to by the name known to later readers. Archaeological evidence of their presence is found in the introduction of new pottery types, grave goods (such as the sarcophagi with human features) and new architectural designs. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Copyright © 2000 by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas).
However, that’s not the only question. Sarah was 90 when she gives birth to Isaac and she dies when she is 127. This means Isaac is 37 years old or more when he marries Rebekah. In Gen. 26:1 Isaac encounters Abimelech. Is this the same guy his dad encountered in Gen. 20:1? It is nearly 40 years later. Consider …
... and Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar; where his father Abraham had sojourned before he was born; and therefore the present king of this place can scarce be thought to be the same Abimelech that was king of it in Abraham's time; but it is highly probable that this Abimelech was the son of the former king, and that this was a common name to the kings of Gerar or the Philistines, as Pharaoh was to the kings of Egypt. Isaac came to this place from Lahairoi, where he had dwelt many years, see Gen_24:62; which was at or near Beersheba, and was about eight miles from Gerar. (“John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.” Dr. John Gill (1690-1771)
We will explore this further in the lesson.
Once again we are confronted with a critical theological question. The question is can one lie to save a life or to prevent something bad or evil or not? In the Ten Commandments we say God commanded us not to lie. Sorry. He never said that in the Ten Commandments. He said ...
לא תענה ברעך עד שׁקר
Lo Ta'ahneh VayReckaka Ed Shaker
Not Testify to Your Neighbor Falsely
This is legal stuff meaning in court or in any legal proceeding you are not to testify with false statements against your neighbor. This a commandment as related to legal proceedings. (See the "Jerusalem Publication Society Torah Commentary Exodus," by Nahum Sarna, 1991). The actual commandment of God not to lie is found in Lev. 19:11 - "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another." So, we need to revise things gang! We need 11 commandments to cover all the bases!
So, do not lie. Some teach that no matter what you must not lie. In a TV program there were three religious men, an orthodox rabbi, a protestant pastor and the priest. The moderator, Dennis Prager, set up a situation to have the rabbi and pastor and priest comment on. The situation was that a woman was being chased by a sadistic rapist in a lonely park. She runs past you and asks you to help her. She hides and thus you have a choice when the evil rapist finally reaches you. You can lie and not tell him where she is hiding or you can not lie and thus put her in danger and perhaps serious injury and death. The pastor and priest said you can not lie and must tell the truth. They said you can tell the truth in such a way that perhaps will not give up her hiding place. The rabbi, however, said he'd lie through his teeth to save her and protect this innocent women. ("Torah Commentary Exodus," MP3 file, Dennis Prager, Part 14 of 57. This is part of Dennis Prager's teaching series on the Torah available at the website store at https://pragerstore.com/product-category/the-torah/complete-torah).
So, we see a dilemma. What would you do? We are not to lie according to the opinion of Christian theologians. Godly rabbis see it quite differently. But, in this lesson we find that Abraham lies. Sarah lies. And yet God does not discipline them. Moreover Abraham and Sarah do it twice! Then later Isaac and Rebecca. They are not punished. God nevers say BOO to them. What's going on? Who is right? The rabbi says he'd lie to save her. The Christians say no, we can't lie. God is silent when Abraham and Isaac lie through their teeth. On top of that in Jesus' day the rabbis said that ALL LAWS in the Torah do not need to be kept in order to save a life. Consider ...
Pikuach nefesh (Hebrew: פקוח נפש 'watching over a soul') is the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any negative commandment of the Torah becomes inapplicable. (See ... www.myjewishlearning.com/article/pikuach-nefesh-the-overriding-jewish-value-of-human-life/)
What would you do?
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Lot’s daughters think there are no people left on earth after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They say this exactly …
Then the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father." (Gen 19:31-32)
The Hebrew is precise. The first born girl said no man left on the earth implying anywhere on the globe! Why did she think this? The younger sister surely agreed with her older sister. We don’t get it since we don’t understand the geography of the area. If you knew the area of the Dead Sea these verses become crystal clear. Here some links to check out on pictures of this area. Check it out. You’ll see that the sisters were in a deep, deep valley almost 1 mile below sea level.
Link to Wikimedia views of the Dead Sea from the high rock bluff known as Masada – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Views_of_the_Dead_Sea_from_Masada
Link to Wikimedia views of the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mountain_around_Dead_Sea
Link to Wikimedia views of the caves near Qumran where many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Caves_of_Qumran
A second issue is in this lesson we see the concept of midah keneged midah (mee-dah kah-NEG-ed mee-dah), or measure for measure. It can be defined as ...
"The rabbis noticed a pattern throughout the Bible they read—that the consequences of a sin often fit the crime, measure for measure." (See Lois Tverberg's article on "Measure for Measure" at this link - https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/jesus-jewish-logic-measure-for-measure/
How is "measure for measure" seen in these events between Lot and his daughters? How might this relate to us in the 21st century?
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 Jun 18, 2021
Friday Jun 18, 2021
In this session I brought up the fact that the Hebrews had assimilated into the Egyptian culture after Joseph. It must've happened slowly but surely and it is easy to understand the lure and the attraction of the world's richest and most powerful kingdom on earth at the time, Egypt. Who would want to go back to Canaan and the tough conditions of life back home?
Here's the links to lesson 4 parts 1 & 2 in this podcast Torah Bible study series. These previous lessons (part 2 only) show that the Bible text suggests they assimilated if you know the Hebrew and not the English.
Link - lesson 4 part 1
Link - lesson 4 part 2
Another thing I brought was that even today in Egypt they still make mud bricks they way they did in Egypt 3400 years ago. Imagine. When I was in Egypt in 2014 and 2017 I actually made mud bricks at a mud brick facility. That's me on the west side of the Nile near Luxor making mud bricks.
It was not easy work. And with all the traveling Robin and I did up and down the Nile, we saw many mud brick buildings, some homes and other were businesses. It was totally cool. Below please find a link to an awesome short video on making mud bricks in Egypt today. We will meet Muhammed at his mud brick facility.
Link - click here for the video of making mud bricks in Egypt today
In this lesson we return to Exodus 5. We will start focusing our study on verse one. I was so so amazed as to how much was n this verse. I was helped by excellent Jewish Torah/Hebrew scholars. One thing as Christians we are never taught how to study the Bible. Exod. 5:1 is a classic example of NOT putting the text into its textual context. Once we do in this example we will find that Moses did not do what God had previously ordered. I mean Moses did NOT one thing God commanded. On top of that Moses gets so angry with the Lord at the end of the chapter Moses is implying that God did EVIL just like Pharaoh. It's as if Moses is say God and Pharaoh are both alike! One top of that God doesn't punish Moses for this criticism.
This is an amazing chapter of the Torah. One thing it shows is that the two fundamental aspects of the Bible is to love God and love your neighbor. You can't have one without the other. Matter of fact a Jewish scholar brings this up as we study the last few verses of the chapter. He was so fired up about the fact that the goal of Torah is to love God and love your neighbor. Here's the two fundamental Torah laws of Judaism ...
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Deu 6:4-5)
"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD." (Lev 19:18)
This Jewish scholar said this is the GOAL of Torah. GOAL? One strives to reach a goal. Jesus takes this and brings it up a notch. You remember when you read ...
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
(Mat 22:36-40)
These aren't goals to strive for. These are laws to obey. If we are true disciples of Adonai Yeshua then we will hear His word and do it like when He said ...
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (Joh 14:15)
If we love Jesus we will not strive to reach the goal of loving God and loving our neighbor. NO!! WE will obey the Lord and DO HIS LAWS! We don't strive to reach a goal to show our love to the Lord we obey His commandments. Jesus shows He never left 2nd Temple Judaism but is in full agreement with 2nd Temple Judaism.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Is Lot a righteous man? With all that we studied in recent lessons, it sure doesn’t seem so. But, one thing for sure, we can’t find evidence that Lot in some way sinned. The Bible is silent. Lot seems to have made some poor choices. First, he chooses to live in Sodom and Gomorrah and he must’ve known these were places where some bad stuff was going on. Second, he becomes involved in the evil culture by being accepted as a city leader, elder, or official since we found Lot sitting in the gate in lesson 39. Now, there is no sin in living in a place like Sodom. There is no sin in being on a city committee or part of the elite class. The Torah doesn’t say that Lot sinned. The orthodox rabbinic view is that Lot is righteous but his character was not at the level of his uncle Abraham. Hmmm, I think I can agree with that but I still have trouble with Lot being considered righteous as Peter writes in 2 Pet. 2:7-9. Consider …
and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, (2Pe 2:7-9)
This will require further study and we must go beyond simple rabbinic opinion which offers no justification for Lot being righteous. Let's bring our brain to the Bible.
Another issue we will deal with is Lot’s daughters. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah they think there are no men left on the face of the earth. They say this exactly …
Then the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father." (Gen 19:31-32)
The Hebrew is precise. The first born girl said no man left on the earth implying anywhere on the globe! Why did she think this? The younger sister surely agreed with her older sister. We don’t get it since we don’t understand the geography of the area. If you knew the area of the Dead Sea these verses become crystal clear. Here some links to check out on pictures of this area. Check it out. You’ll see that the sisters were in a deep, deep valley almost 1 mile below sea level.
Link to Wikimedia views of the Dead Sea from the high rock bluff known as Masada – click here to view
Link to Wikimedia views of the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea – click here to view
Link to Wikimedia views of the caves near Qumran where many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered – click here to view
So, once again, if you lived in David’s day or Hezekiah, all this was easy to understand. But for us we don’t get it. It’s not our land, our culture, and we are not taught the geography of the Bible. We are not taught the Bible in its historical context with a focus on the archaeology, history, geography, customs, culture, and the languages of the ancient Middle East.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
Tuesday Jun 08, 2021
This is lesson 15 in the Bible study series, "The Gospel According to Moses - Exodus." You need to access the link below for this lesson since it is a video - I want you to SEE the archaeology and geography that shows that the exodus was a real historical event happening in the 15th century B.C. In this video we will study the archaeological discoveries that even give us the likely location of the palace of the Pharaoh where the events took place we are so familiar with.
Link to video lesson 15 - https://youtu.be/F_6Z9gObhsc
In the video lesson I refer back to lesson 5 parts 1 & 2 of this Bible study series. I highly recommend you listen to these podcasts before continuing on in this series.
Links to Lesson 5 parts 1 and 2 of the series, "The Gospel According to Moses - Exodus," on the dating of the Exodus and more -
Part 1 - click here for part 1
Part 2 - click here for part 2
Many links are provided for further study - check them out below. These are the links to excellent and credible resources for you for further study into the archaeology that proves the Exodus, proves the Bible, and shows us the veracity of the very words of God, the Bible.
In the video lesson I referred to articles and websites and other amazing scholarly videos that add to and enhance what I taught in this video. Here's the links ...
Link to Dr. Bryant Wood's (highly credible and renowned Bible archaeologist of the Associates for Biblical Research) article on the royal precinct of Avaris at Tel el Dab'a - https://biblearchaeology.org/research/chronological-categories/sojourn-of-israel-in-egypt/2249-the-royal-precinct-at-rameses
Link to Dr. Manfred Bietak's (considered one the five best archaeologists of the 20th century by Biblical Archaeology Review) report on the excavations at Tel el Dab'a - https://www.academia.edu/10074198/_Report_on_the_Excavations_of_a_Hyksos_Palace_at_Tell_el_Dabca_Avaris_23rd_of_August_15th_of_November_2011_Egypt_and_the_Levant_22_23_2012_13_18_52
Links to four videos from the Associates for Biblical Research discussing the REAL evidence and not the PATTERNS of evidence that show the high probability that Exodus was a real event in the 15th century B.C. These are part of the video series from the Associates for Biblical Research called ,"Digging for Truth." They are free and the scholars are all experts and scholars in archaeology and all are evangelical Bible believing Christians. The four videos feature Dr. Scott Stripling presenting the real evidence of the date of the Exodus and the archaeology of the events and places. Here's the links ...
Video 1 - click here for video 1 on the date of Exodus
Video 2 - click here for video 2 on the date of Exodus
Video 3 - click here for video 3 on the archaeology of the Exodus
Video 4 - click here for video 4 on the archaeology of the Exodus
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background
Sunday May 30, 2021
Sunday May 30, 2021
OK, Lot, Abraham’s nephew. He’s got to be an OK guy, right? I mean look at his uncle. Abraham! I mean come on. But, right from the get go we see that theirs is something wrong with Lot. This becomes clear when Lot’s shepherds and herdsmen started arguing with the shepherds and herdsmen of his uncle. Lot didn’t stop it as he was supposed to. We are beginning to see that in that culture near 4000 years ago, Lot was supposed to support his uncle and Abraham’s house 100%. For more on this check out lesson 29 – link = https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-5ynaz-f97c87 Make sure if you listen to lesson 29 before clicking to listen first click on “view more” and read the intro to the lesson. If not, you will miss lots of info and links for further study.
Now Lot is in Sodom and Gomorrah. And, we find him sitting in the gate!
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, "Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." They said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the square." (Gen 19:1-2)
If this guy is righteous then he surely is NOT living up to his uncle Abraham’s expectations and what God would require of us to be His righteous followers. Sitting in the gate means Lot is now part of the upper wealthy class of the evil pagan community of Sodom. It’s like Lot compromised his faith and walk with God.
Gen_19:1-3. sitting at the gate. In ancient cities the gate area functioned as a public square. Its constant flow of people made it the ideal place for businessmen to set up their booths and for judges to hear cases. The fact that Lot is sitting in the gate suggests he was doing business there and had been accepted in the community of Sodom. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Copyright © 2000 by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas)
Here’s a link to a great article on ancient city gates. One needs to understand this archaeological fact of those ancient days to even begin to grasp the full aspects of these events. Here’s the link for the article - https://www.gotquestions.org/city-gate.html
Here’s another link to an article by Lois Tverberg (if you haven’t connected with Lois, her website, and have not read her books, you are missing out on learning from one truly brilliant Bible historical scholar – here’s her website link - https://ourrabbijesus.com/
And here’s the link to the article Lois did on Lot and his poor decisions. She helps us see that there is something wrong with this guy. Link - https://engediresourcecenter.com/2015/07/03/lots-choice/
But before you start looking down on Lot consider the application of this story to us today. We are witnessing the failure of the church and the rejection of what the church is “preaching” by the Millennials, Generation Xers, and the turning away of our youth, Generation Z. Something has gone wrong and the data coming our from the Barna Group (website - https://www.barna.com/) supports this. We live in Sodom and Gomorrah, we live in decadent, chaotic, violent, deadly, and evils times. And it seems that like Lot we have a view that we should “go along to get along” – in other words many many Christians would chose to “sit in the gate” and compromise their walk as disciples of Rabbi Yeshua. Join us in this podcast and in lesson 40 coming soon. Let us learn the truth, the truth that sets us free, and see that the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah is so applicable to today.
Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background