Excerpts from Saturday's ServicesNewsletterWorld News and the Bible

In the News – September 24th 2024

“… But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”. Matthew 24:7 This is what we are witnessing today, however, these birth pangs, or the pangs of the Messiah as the Talmud also calls them, will grow in intensity and it seems to be climbing steadily toward its apex these days…

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A Plethora of Provisions

Israel’s complaint began with bitter waters but how it ends up with an abundance of spring water and of fruit trees. This is the outcome, the result of believing the message of the Tree which, as we have seen, directs us right to the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the One who gave His life on another tree which brought sweet results into people’s lives…

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Excerpts from Saturday's ServicesNewsletter

Bearing Witness to Truth

From Genesis 12 where the promise of a new nation was given to Abraham, we now reach Exodus 12 where the birth of this nation is now taking place. The word adat finds its root in the word ad (עֵד) which means witness and this is descriptive of Israel’s calling as it points to her being chosen to be a witness of God, as a light to the nations: This was part of her task…

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God’s First Born

Welcome to the Book of Exodus. The English title of this book gets its name from the Greek exodos which means departure. This title was given in the 4rth century B.C. by the rabbis who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek, the Septuagint. However, the title given it in the Hebrew Bible is taken from the opening words Ve Eleh Shemot וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ meaning, these are the names, and so in Hebrew the name is Shemot…

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A New Garden of Eden

Sukkot is the last and 7th fall feast of Israel mentioned in the Torah… It is from this word where we get the word Sabbath. These connections point to Succoth as the Feast of Rest, speaking deep into our souls and projecting us forward to a time and to a place we are all longing for. This time and place is when man will live in harmony with his neighbor and with nature…

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What are We to Remember?

… were the Israelites supposed to blow the trumpet? For what occasion exactly?… Medieval rabbis have posed this same question. Ibn Ezra, spoke of religious mysteries, Rabbi Abarbanel, a 15th century rabbi and bible commentator asked, Why does the Torah not explain the purpose for this festival? It is indeed an enigma of a feast… Let us consider this mystery…

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Divine Vigil for His Own

…The unfortunate thing is that many translators, wanting to emphasize the severity of these upcoming events, used words that depict Yeshua as being so affected by the circumstances, as if to lose control over them, as if He was reconsidering the cross.We are going to investigate how these words were translated but let me begin by assuring you that Yeshua was in complete control of absolutely every event from the Garden to the Tav (cross) and onto His resurrection….

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Excerpts from Saturday's ServicesNewsletter

Beware of the Coming Distress

In the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament, the term commonly used by the prophets is the Day of the Lord. This is a term mainly describing the moments preceding the Second Coming of the Lord. Zephaniah hammers home the message that the Day of the Lord is a day of final judgment. (…) Our English word, tribulation is very descriptive. It comes from the Latin word tribulum, which means a threshing sledge.

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The Five Mysteries of the Church in the Eight Mysteries of the New Testament

There is a distinction between Israel which is a lampstand with seven lights and these seven churches. Here, the mystery is the fact that the seven individual lampstands symbolize the seven local churches. In the Book of Revelation, the lampstand represents a witness, such as in 11:3-4. Thus, each local church is to be a witness; if it fails to do so, their lampstand can be removed…

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Each Piece Makes Things Clearer

While God does heal people in Scripture, we also have cases like Timothy who had a perpetual stomach illness. And while God sometimes answers prayer right away, we read about Paul who asked God three times to take away his thorn in the flesh. But God did not. And it is only when we have both sides of the coin exposed that we can adjust our understanding and expectations of God to properly walk with Him in harmony…

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Doomsday Signs

Many today define Jewishness by their religious leaders, but the sad irony in the history of the Jews is that, while many religious leaders were used of God to lead His people, many others were nevertheless in the forefront of the cause of the fall of the nation of God. Instead of reflecting God’s love to the people, these were lovers of a few things: their own long and imposing robes…

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The Eternal Pathway of Love

Many today define Jewishness by their religious leaders, but the sad irony in the history of the Jews is that, while many religious leaders were used of God to lead His people, many others were nevertheless in the forefront of the cause of the fall of the nation of God. Instead of reflecting God’s love to the people, these were lovers of a few things: their own long and imposing robes…

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Two Inseparable Laws

The word mind in the Greek designates the intellect, the faculty of understanding, reasoning, thinking and deciding.  This same word mind, which only occurs only 12 times in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) is a powerful one. It is used in 1Pet 1:13 and translated by the words: Prepare your minds for action or, therefore gird up the loins of your mind. It is word that calls us to action…

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The Answer to a Taxing Question

When the Jewish people were taken captive into Babylon, God sent them a message through Jeremiah and told them, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare”. Jeremiah 19:7 To seek the welfare of the city in Babylon, the place of their exile, meant to pay their taxes as well…

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The Vineyard’s Unique Offering

Isaiah 5 helps us to more clearly understand Yeshua’s parable for in both Isaiah 5 and Mark 12 we see that the vineyard is the nation of Israel. (…) In Psalm 80:8 we read that the LORD had brought a vine out of Egypt. Also, it was Solomon who spoke of Israel as God’s personal vineyard in Song of songs 8:11. So, while the vineyard is Israel, the winegrowers are the religious leaders. The owner of the vineyard is God Himself. This parable then represents the condemnation of man-made religion…

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Bee-Coming Like Us

As we consider the title Son of Man, there is more to say about how it brings out His power and humility. In this book of Mark, let’s consider the great emphasis on the word hand. He is going to be handed over into the hands of humanity. We remember how He used His hands to deliver, save, and heal so many from disease. Do you remember the manner with which He cured people since the beginning of the book?

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Let No Man Separate what God Has Put Together

As we consider the title Son of Man, there is more to say about how it brings out His power and humility. In this book of Mark, let’s consider the great emphasis on the word hand. He is going to be handed over into the hands of humanity. We remember how He used His hands to deliver, save, and heal so many from disease. Do you remember the manner with which He cured people since the beginning of the book?

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Betraying the Hands which Heal

As we consider the title Son of Man, there is more to say about how it brings out His power and humility. In this book of Mark, let’s consider the great emphasis on the word hand. He is going to be handed over into the hands of humanity. We remember how He used His hands to deliver, save, and heal so many from disease. Do you remember the manner with which He cured people since the beginning of the book?

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The Redemption of a Canaanite Woman

Here we have a woman who is a Hellenist, a Syrian, a Phoenician, and a Canaanite; and she comes to speak to Yeshua in her hostile territory. It would have been very hard to find someone more foreign to Israel than this combination, especially pointing out her Canaanite pedigree. (…) This woman, with all she is, is about to upset their traditional beliefs and reveal the great work of the Spirit of God in an individual…

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Excerpts from Saturday's Services

Progressive Revelation

We have seen that since the rejection back in Mark chapter 3, Yeshua began speaking in parables. We read through the Parables of the 4 Soils, of the Lamp, of the Seed, and of the Mustard Seed and saw how Christendom is divided into the Wheat and the Tares, and how the dark side of nominal Christianity will grow to great heights. This group being representative of the majority of people proves very discouraging for believers who seem to be fighting an uphill battle…

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Excerpts from Saturday's Services

When the Goat Confronts the Azazel

The problem is that in the majority of translations, the word Azazel is translated as scapegoat so the reader does not really know anymore who the goat is or who is the Azazel. We will find out from our text of Leviticus 16 that the Azazel is in fact, not the goat. To avoid much confusion from the translation, let us read from the Schocken Bible, a Jewish literal translation of the Torah. Here the text becomes clearer and the message is indeed very powerful…

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Excerpts from Saturday's Services

The Jonah-Jesus Connection

During the Yom Kippur service, there is an enigmatic yet powerful book from the Hebrew Bible that is read in its entirety. It is the Book of Jonah. Why do they read this particular book and at such a high moment during the Yom Kippur service, just before the closing of the gate, which is at Ne’ilah, the last service of the day? The reason for its reading could be understood through a simple story which comes to us from centuries ago…

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World News and the Bible

Raising the Alarm

Another disturbing survey done this past April, shows that while the US is still pro-Israel, this is dwindling with the younger generation. This confirms another statistic done a few years ago. But here also, the numbers are different. What they found out is that the younger North Americans view Israel unfavorably, with some 60% of young Americans being unsympathetic to Israel.

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Making Prayer a Morning Habit

People often question whether this particular verse speaks of Isaiah the prophet or of Yeshua the Messiah. Chapter 50:4b is part of a larger section of Isaiah, from chapters 40-53 which speak about the Servant of the Lord, the Suffering One, the Righteous and Exalted Servant. Who else but the Servant Himself could claim this description of such perfect a man in character and obedience?…

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The Coming Holy Spirit

In the Targum on Ezekiel, that is, in the Aramaic Bible which they used to read in the first century, for the words “put a new spirit within you”, they wrote, “And the Holy Spirit will I put deep inside of you.” I find it so interesting that they use the words Holy Spirit, like John does here. The term Holy Spirit is only mentioned three times in the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures.

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World News and the Bible

God’s Land: Israel

Israel’s presence at this very time, is fruit of a prophecy that Yeshua gave 2000 years ago. In Mark 13:28 He spoke these words: “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.” This prediction was given in the midst of Jesus’ end time prophecies…

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The Uniqueness of Mark’s Gospel

For many hundreds of years and even up to today, people must have questioned why they should read Mark when there is so little unique information given. Instead, they may choose to only read the fuller accounts. That would be a great mistake! First, by omitting this book, it belittles the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Would God inspire every word of a gospel to serve no greater purpose?…

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